The next morning, Tatsuya got up early and went to the Konoha Ninja Hospital with Kyoko.
Kyoko was very happy about Tatsuya accompanying her, and she skipped and bounced along the way, her steps much lighter.
This time, Tatsuya came to the ninja hospital with Kyoko to visit Kakashi and Guy.
"Kyoko, you're here!"
"Good morning, Kyoko!"
...
As soon as the two entered the ninja hospital, many people greeted Kyoko, and she responded sweetly to each one. It was clear that Kyoko was very popular in the ninja hospital.
Tatsuya observed this and was quite happy for her. The old Kyoko, though cheerful and optimistic, was not nearly as lively and confident in front of others as she was now.
After inquiring about Kakashi and Guy's rooms, Tatsuya parted ways with Kyoko and went alone to visit them.
He pushed open the door, and Kakashi was lying on the bed, engrossed in a small book.
A glance at the cover revealed it wasn't Icha Icha Paradise. It seemed Jiraiya's masterpiece hadn't been published yet.
"Tatsuya, what are you doing here?" Kakashi's eyes showed a hint of surprise at seeing Tatsuya walk in.
Within Anbu Squad 11, his personal relationship with Tatsuya was the most distant of the four.
"I came to see how you guys are doing. How are your injuries?" Tatsuya sat down nearby and looked at Kakashi, asking. Judging from his mental state, his injuries seemed to be recovering well.
"I'm fine. I can be discharged in ten days or so," Kakashi said, twisting his body slightly.
"Good! That's good to hear!" Tatsuya nodded.
Then, the two chatted casually in the hospital room for a while.
After a moment, Tatsuya asked, "How are Guy's injuries?"
From the medical staff member he had spoken to earlier, Tatsuya had only managed to find out about Kakashi's condition. The staff member hadn't said a word about Guy's situation, and Tatsuya hadn't even been allowed to visit him. From this, it was clear that Guy's injuries were very serious.
Kakashi was a true-blue member of the Hokage faction's lineage and the captain of Anbu Squad 11. Tatsuya wanted to get some information from him. Given their relationship, Kakashi would undoubtedly be very concerned about Guy's injuries.
Hearing this, Kakashi's expression became slightly strained, and he fell into a brief silence.
After a silence of a minute or two, Kakashi finally said, "The situation isn't good. His life was saved, but his body suffered enormous damage. Recovery will be difficult."
Tatsuya's heart sank slightly. Kakashi's words confirmed his suspicions.
During his time in Anbu Squad 11, Tatsuya had formed a deep friendship with Guy. He was more than willing to be friends with this passionate and pure-hearted "fool".
In the original story, this guy almost kicked the ending with one kick. It would be a terrible shame if he were to fall by the wayside now.
For a time, the hospital room fell silent. Thinking about Guy's injuries, neither of them felt like talking.
Finally, after a few more casual exchanges, and realizing he wouldn't get any more information from Kakashi, Tatsuya didn't stay any longer and soon took his leave.
Currently, Guy's injuries were still confidential, and even if Tatsuya wanted to help, he couldn't. As long as his life wasn't in danger, there were ways to deal with the rest later.
After leaving the ninja hospital, Tatsuya returned directly to the clan compound.
Among the four teammates of Anbu Squad 11, the most seriously injured were Guy and Shisui. He wasn't allowed to visit Guy, so it was even less likely he'd be able to see Shisui. Given the Uchiha clan's usual behavior, he would definitely be obstructed if he went there now. Tatsuya didn't want to ask for trouble.
Back at the clan compound, Tatsuya requested a sealed room from the clan, then summoned Cha-Maru and began to research methods to strengthen him.
Ninja dogs were a relatively common type of summoning animal, generally used to track enemies. They were skilled in tracking techniques and could find enemies by their scent. Kakashi's Eight Ninja Hounds were of this type, belonging to the non-combat category of summons.
In the ninja world, combat-type ninja dogs were rare, the most famous being the ninja dogs raised by the Inuzuka clan of Konohagakure.
The members of the Inuzuka clan, whether in terms of smell, hearing, or vision, were far superior to ordinary people; one could say they were basically similar to canine animals. Every Inuzuka clan member would have a ninja dog from childhood, not only as a good helper in their lives but also as a good partner in battle.
Through a special Beast Mimicry Ninjutsu, Inuzuka clan members could combine with the ninja dogs they had raised since childhood, unleashing astonishing destructive power.
However, Tatsuya would naturally not choose such a growth path. Tatsuya didn't want to see the cute and charming Kyoko merging with Cha-Maru in the future to become a two-headed or three-headed dog.
Without any examples to draw from, Tatsuya had to research everything himself
The source of a summoning animal's strength was not much different from that of a ninja; it also relied on ninjutsu and the body.
In terms of ninjutsu, Tatsuya didn't see any signs of it in Cha-Maru at the moment. The chakra in his body could only help him improve his physical attributes and use the Summoning Technique.
Physically, under the effect of the Fujinhoin that Tatsuya had previously imprinted, Cha-Maru's growth rate was quite impressive. He had already grown into a large ninja dog, more than one person tall and over three meters long. His speed and attack power were already no less than those of an adult ninja dog carefully trained by the Inuzuka clan.
An ordinary Chunin facing him wouldn't necessarily be able to win easily. Because of this, the Inuzuka clan had even privately approached Ryota Akimichi and Rou Akimichi, hoping to buy Cha-Maru directly from Kyoko.
Ryota Akimichi and Rou Akimichi had flatly refused. Nowadays, with Tatsuya's rise, Kyoko was no longer the unnoticed little transparency she had been in the clan.
Cha-Maru's growth rate might seem acceptable to outsiders, but to Tatsuya, it was far from enough. In the future ninja world, even Jonin would become cannon fodder, let alone Cha-Maru, who was only at the Chunin level.
Tatsuya hoped to train Cha-Maru into a powerful, large-scale summoning animal, so that Kyoko's safety would be better guaranteed. And for Cha-Maru to grow into a large summoning animal, the Illne Fujinhoin ss Sealing Technique alone was not enough.
As time passed, although the Fujinhoin could continuously strengthen Cha-Maru, the rate of improvement was slowing down, and his growth potential was limited. Cha-Maru was just an ordinary ninja dog to begin with; his genes determined his upper limit.
If he wanted to change, the only way was to break through the constraints of his genes.
In this regard, the only two methods Tatsuya could think of now were cell fusion and genetic evolution.
Introducing stronger cell genes for fusion was the fastest way to break through genetic constraints, but this process carried great risks, and Tatsuya couldn't find a suitable target for the time being.
Genetic evolution was what Tatsuya was planning to use. He would use the Body Activation Secret Technique to stimulate Cha-Maru's body, supplemented by the effects of multiple Fujinhoin s, to continuously improve Cha-Maru's cellular genes, thereby achieving genetic evolution. Although this process was slow, it was something Tatsuya could do right now.
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