Ryu walked back home with his Aunt Tsunade while Yasashii and Jiyuu followed them.
"Grandpa, I am home," said Ryu.
His adoptive grandfather, Dan, greeted them with a warm smile. "Welcome back," he said, his gaze lingering on the newcomers.
He then noticed Ryu's clothes and said, "Someone ruffled you up pretty good."
"Grandpa," Ryu said, gesturing to the pair, "this is Yasashii and Jiyuu. They'll be staying with us. I'm sorry I didn't discuss it with you first, but it was really important for me."
Dan raised an eyebrow. "Where did you meet them?"
"I met them on the street. Jiyuu has a rare condition," Ryu explained. "Untreatable, according to most. But I'm going to try and help him."
Dan glanced at Tsunade, who stood nearby with her arms crossed.
"Osteogenesis imperfecta," Tsunade said flatly. "Even I've never seen a case this severe."
She added, "But your grandson claims he's got an idea to help him, and I even had a new jutsu in mind for it."
Ryu replied, "Manage his condition, not fix it. And I will try my best."
Dan replied, "Well, if you think you can help them, you have my full support."
Tsunade narrowed her eyes. "Are you confident in him?"
Dan replied, "If Ryu says he can do it, then he'll find a way. Once he sets his mind to something, he's unstoppable."
Before Tsunade could retort, the gate creaked open again.
Ikkyu and his sister, Aoi, stepped into the courtyard.
"Ryu, my friend," Ikkyu called. He nudged Aoi forward, her once-blue skin now pale with patches of healthy pink. The burns from yesterday's laser treatment were all mostly faded.
Ikkyu said, "Her condition has improved so much from yesterday."
Aoi was also changed in her overall demeanour. She was very happy and outgoing, unlike yesterday. She had found new hope.
Aoi said, "Ry-kun, thank you so much. I will now have friends."
Ryu smiled. "It was my duty to help my patients.
Keep drinking water. It will flush the remaining toxins from your system."
Tsunade stepped closer, inspecting Aoi's arms. "The discolouration is fading," she muttered. "A few stubborn patches left, but nothing time and a second session of that device won't fix."
"Can we do that treatment again soon?" Aoi asked, her voice hopeful.
"Let's wait a week," Ryu said. "Let your skin recover and toxins be removed from your body naturally."
Ikkyu noticed Jiyuu and Yasashii and asked, "Who are those two?"
Ryu replied, "Those are my new companions and patients. Jiyuu here is suffering from a rare, untreatable condition that makes his bones brittle, and you can make a guess about Yasashii. I have invited them into my home to help them."
Ryu looked at Jiyuu and Yasashii and told them, "He is Ikkyu Madoka. He is the next daimyo of the Land of Fire. Be respectful to him."
When the duo learned that the person in front of them was the future daimyo of the country, they were frozen with fear. Someone like him could make someone like them disappear.
Ikkyu looked at the duo very intently and then laughed. Everyone was surprised by the sudden outburst of Ikkyu.
He stopped laughing and asked, "You are not planning to turn them into your personal ninjas, are you?"
Ryu didn't say anything.
Ikkyu replied, "So you were serious then."
Never thought he would be serious about it. I guess I have to get my father to agree to his request. I really want to see him turn these into ninjas."
Ryu smiled and said, "That sounds more like a challenge than motivation."
Ikkyu said, "Maybe it is. It is fun to bet on these things. Isn't it, Lady Tsunade?
Ryu replied, "If it's a bet, then I promise you. Those two will become full-fledged and respected ninjas of the Leaf Village.
Ikkyu said while looking at the duo, "I really want to see you succeed."
After some small talk, Ikkyu left with his sister, and then the duo finally breathed air.
Yasashii said, "I thought you were joking. Who would make a dwarf a ninja?"
Ryu smiled, "Don't worry. I have sensed that both of you have above-average chakra for untrained civilians. I have something planned for both of you. Both of you will become strong ninjas."
Ryu looked at the duo and added, "I never joke when I make a promise."
He cracked his neck and said, "I want to change this world, and I cannot do it alone. I hope you two will help me."
Earlier they started trusting Ryu and put their hope in Ryu, but this was the moment when they swore their loyalty to Ryu in their minds.
They were once thrown away by society as useless scrap. But now someone told them that their lives are not meaningless.
With this newfound meaning, a new force will be born in the ninja world. A force that will compete and put the likes of ANBU to shame.
Tsunade also watched Ryu in a new light. She thought, 'This boy has the ability to bring people together. He would have made an excellent Hokage. Too bad for Leaf Village that he is not interested in that seat.'
Tsunade asked him, "What is this jutsu you are planning? Don't keep me in suspense."
Ryu exhaled, "Fine. It's just a thought in my head at this stage, but I will tell you.
I will help him create a jutsu to support his own weight and aid his mobility. It will be my long-term plan, as he will need years of training to be able to perform ninjutsu."
Tsunade asked, "What is your immediate plan?"
Ryu replied, "I am planning to create a substance called carbon fibre. It is as light as wood and as strong as steel. I am then planning to coat parts of his bone with a mesh of carbon fibre, enough to give some rigidity to his skeletal structure and with enough room for other biological processes surrounding the skeletal structure."
Shizune asked, "But how do you place it precisely? Even the Hyuga's Byakugan has limits. Remember that paper bomb case? They located it generally, but the surgeons still had to dig blindly."
"Exactly," Ryu said, "which is why I'm building two devices that can look inside the person. One uses sound waves to map the body's interior—layer by layer. Call it an ultrasound machine, and the other method uses magnetism to map the cellular structure of the body."
Tsunade's brow furrowed. "Sound waves? Like a bat's echolocation and magnetism? Your ideas are too wild."
"The word you are looking for is - brilliant," Ryu said, enthusiasm bleeding into his tone. "High-frequency pulses that bounce off tissues, bones, and even foreign objects. The device will translate those echoes into images—clearer than any Byakugan's vision. No more guesswork. No more clan monopolies on diagnostics. Doctors will be able to look inside of their patients by themselves.
I have one more machine in mind that will be more complicated and advanced than this ultrasound machine. I will map all his bones and use it for the precise creation of carbon fibre mesh tailored for him."
Dan said, "So you thought of those machines just to help his case."
Ryu replied, "Actually, I had this device already planned since that bomb in the patient case in the hospital that day. I have come up with two different designs in my head. I will work on both. I will do the ultrasound machine first, as it is a simple one."
Shizune asked, "And this substance... won't it poison him?"
"Inert," Ryu repeated firmly. "His body will treat it like a benign guest. But—"
He glanced at Yasashii. "putting it in his body It requires surgical precision. That's where the machine comes in. It will be a very painful process."
Tsunade muttered to Shizune, "If this works, the Hyuga will be angry. They are issued missions by doctors to look into the bodies of patients and Hyuga doctors are very rare. Their doujutsu's value hinges on being irreplaceable."
"Let them," Ryu said, overhearing. "Progress doesn't kneel to pride."
Jiyuu asked, "What… what do we do now?"
"Rest," Ryu ordered. "There are other methods to improve your condition. We will not leave out those. One of them is proper nutrition and oral medication. So for now, eat and build strength. Your training starts when we have permission from the Daimyo."
Yasashii blinked. "Training?"
"You didn't think becoming ninjas would be easy, did you?" Ryu's grin turned sharp. "First, you need physical fitness to a certain level; even with the disability of both of you, you need some physical training. After that—chakra control and affinity training. You'll need years to catch up… but we'll start small."
Dan chuckled, breaking the tension. "Ok, leave it to you to turn them into ninjas."
As the group dispersed, Tsunade lingered, arms crossed. "This 'ultrasound machine' of yours—how long?"
"Days to prototype," Ryu said, already retreating toward his workshop. "and weeks to perfect, but the other machine will take much more time."
Tsunade replied, "Ok then, I will be staying in the village till you have built your first prototype."
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