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It had been three months since his reconnaissance mission, and Haruto sat in his room, deep in thought. That morning, he had completed his second body enhancement treatment, pushing himself to the brink. He'd followed it up with a second treatment in the evening and had also selected his usual six-month reward: another stamina upgrade. With three now in total, he hoped that two more might finally push him to Tier 3 stamina, though he wasn't entirely certain this path would follow the same trajectory as his earlier upgrades.

The recent battle with the Sand jonin had intensified his curiosity about movement-based ninjutsu. He had seen the Raikage's lightning cloak technique—a speed so fast it seemed to tear through time itself. Despite his natural lightning affinity and adeptness at ninjutsu, he was no closer to understanding its secret. He kept thinking about how the Raikage managed to channel lightning chakra into his body to produce that speed without tearing himself apart in the process.

Sighing, Haruto considered another approach. Instead of an external technique, what if he could develop something internal—an amplification technique akin to Tsunade's chakra-enhanced strength, but designed to boost speed and reflexes rather than brute force? He'd have to master the art of internal chakra flow even further, but he was already used to the demands of his enhanced cognitive abilities. The accelerated processing had taken time to master without overwhelming his movements in the heat of battle. The idea was promising, so he assigned one of his clones to research it full-time while he focused on his immediate project.

That project was the creation of a directional shrapnel explosive tag—or, as he called it, his "ninja claymore." He'd been developing this for years, and after extensive study of fuinjutsu, he had finally made a breakthrough.

The concept itself was simple: a tag that would act like a directional mine, releasing a shower of shuriken or metal fragments upon detonation. Yet executing it was another matter entirely. He had discovered that both the shrapnel release seal and the inverse directional explosive seal had to be inscribed on opposite sides of the paper simultaneously, with each line mirroring the other in perfect synchronization. Inscribing one seal and then the other would disrupt the delicate balance needed for the two to function together.

Additionally, each seal had to mesh seamlessly with the other as if they were one continuous pattern. Through trial and error, he had developed an inverse directional explosive tag, which would direct its blast inward toward the tag rather than outward. This sacrificed some of the tag's firepower but created concentrated force for projecting shrapnel outward. Given the limitations of the design, the tag could only hold two handfuls of metal fragments—any more, and the seal would unravel.

And then there was the issue of chakra cost. Normally, seals required a stable flow of chakra, but a double-sided seal like this one required a chakra investment that was not simply doubled but multiplied. The opposing seals constantly reinforced one another, requiring far more energy to maintain balance. Haruto's chakra pool, though formidable for his age, could just barely handle creating one of these tags without sacrificing his entire day's reserve. If he created one while maintaining his daily training routine and allowing two clones to continue training, he could sustain his progress. But he'd have to forego his usual practice of letting a shadow clone train overnight while he slept to fully restore his reserves by morning.

This was also why a shadow clone couldn't help create the tag. Even though his clones shared his two-minds ability, each one carried only a fraction of his chakra, and none could match the concentrated chakra flow he could muster as the original. Synchronization across both seals demanded not just the same skill but the same chakra signature and intensity, which he alone could achieve.

Finally, after a year of research, Haruto felt ready to attempt the impossible.

A blank tag hung from a makeshift clothesline stretched across his room, swaying faintly in the dim light. With his enhanced cognitive abilities, he didn't need to look directly at the tag; every detail of the seals was already mapped in his mind, as clear as if drawn on the paper itself. It was similar to how master chess players could play hundreds of blindfolded games simultaneously—a heightened clarity that transcended physical sight.

In his right hand, he held the brush poised to inscribe the inverse directional explosive seal; in his left, he was prepared to etch the shrapnel release seal. His mind split seamlessly, each part focusing on its separate task as he began.

The right side of his brain guided his left hand, each stroke careful and deliberate as it crafted the release seal, designed to scatter metal fragments with precision upon detonation. Meanwhile, the left side of his brain directed his right hand, each movement calculated as it built the inverse directional seal, which would channel the explosion inward, amplifying the force propelling the fragments forward.

Every stroke had to be exact, each line in perfect harmony with its counterpart, as if forming one continuous seal rather than two. His chakra flowed in an unbroken rhythm through both hands, each stroke channeling energy precisely where it was needed. If he faltered, even for a moment, the delicate balance would collapse, unraveling the entire seal.

Finally, he lifted both brushes, exhaling as he observed the completed seal. A faint hum of energy pulsed from the tag, steady and contained—a testament to his months of research, intense focus, and relentless discipline.

This tag was more than just a weapon. It was a culmination of everything he'd worked toward, a mark of his skill and his commitment to mastering every element of his craft. Haruto slipped the tag into his pouch, already planning his next steps. For now, he was content to let this new creation rest, knowing he'd created something uniquely his own. And though the secrets of the lightning cloak and internal movement techniques still eluded him, he felt confident that one day, they too would be within his grasp.