Chapter XVI

Izuna's finger playfully poked Naruto's cheek. "Onii-chan, who is this?" she asked, peering at Naruto with curiosity.

I hesitated for a moment before responding, "This is Naruto. He ended up in my care for various reasons." I hoped that the issue regarding the orphanage would be resolved sooner.

Izuna's eyes sparkled with delight as she examined Naruto's features. "He's so adorable! Look at how pudgy his cheek is, and there's a mark on it. He's like a fox!" She giggled, unaware of the significance of Naruto's birthmark.

I felt a bead of sweat trickle down my forehead. We were in my room, and Naruto's disguise had been lifted. If a child could easily guess Naruto's true identity, I feared what might happen if adults discovered his secret. Superstition ran deep in some parts of the village, and people had killed for much less. However, I doubted that it would come to that, as the Hokage was keeping a close eye on Naruto's safety.

"Is it okay if I come over here tomorrow, derpy onii-chan?" Izuna asked, poking Naruto's cheek again as he annoyedly tried to grab the offending finger. Kintarou was perched somewhere near her head, the hamster seemingly enjoying the scene.

I paused for a moment, considering the state of my neatly arranged and dusted off room. Ultimately, I decided that it would be fine for her to come over and play.

"Sure, but in exchange, you'll have to take care of Naruto while I'm at the Academy. How does that sound?" I suggested, feeling guilty about imposing on Magoroku ojii-san and his wife.

"That's fine! Izuna is super good at taking care of babies!" she declared confidently.

I wasn't entirely convinced, so I asked her to change Naruto's diaper and make some formula milk, which she failed at spectacularly.

"I-Izuna will learn! It's all about taking it one step at a time," she exclaimed optimistically.

I simply laughed, wondering where her boundless optimism came from. But I reminded myself that everyone has to start somewhere, and I patiently taught her what to do and what not to do. At least she was attentive and willing to learn.

The day soon turned to night, and I had to send Izuna home before Kato-sensei got angry and gave me his infamous E-mark.

In addition to that, I had to take care of Kintarou since she couldn't bring the hamster home, and I didn't want to deal with the hassle of explaining it to Kato-sensei or confronting him about it. Taking care of the hamster seemed infinitely much easier in comparison.

I had incubated the owl eggs under the shelves in a box filled with fresh straw. I had used a specialized seal with flame transformation nature to quickly get the job done.

The seal was self-powered and drew energy from the atmosphere, so I didn't need to check on it too often, other than to adjust the temperature.

Naruto crawled around and played with his toys. He sat on my lap, trying to get my attention, but ultimately grew bored.

As I drew my ten thousandth explosive seal, I couldn't shake the feeling that I had done something wrong, similar to when I had cut the leaf instead of making it stick to my forehead. Though I can't quietly place why.

Nevertheless, I chose to ignore the feeling for now and focused on my calligraphy, not wanting to waste precious paper and ink. Plus, I had an additional project need to be finished tonight.

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Class went by without any issues as usual, and and I found myself struggling to stay awake at my desk while glancing over at Itachi, who seemed oddly quiet today. Normally, I could feel his curious gaze on me, but not today. It struck me as odd.

During lunch break, I followed Itachi to the restroom and approached him from behind as he washed his face. "Itachi," I called.

He turned around, and without warning, I punched him in the face, caving in his pretty face, but instead of blood, he disappeared in a poof of smoke. It was a clone, and not just any clone, but a Kage Bunshin.

Honestly, I only wanted to satisfy my curiosity about his sudden change in behavior. My suspicion was confirmed, and I simply moved on and went about my business. I would have done the same thing if I could, which is a pity.

I felt like we weren't alone in the bathroom, but I didn't care not knowing that it would start another rumor about the bloody closet incident among the kids.

Class resumed and I noticed yet another Itachi entering the classroom. He walked past me on his way to his seat and asked, barely a whisper, "What were you doing, Nobuyuki-kun?" I simply shrugged and replied, "Nothing. I was just curious."

I could feel his inquisitive gaze on me, but I chose to ignore it and continue working on my seals.

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After school, I headed to the secret hideout in the sewer to ponder over my dilemma. Now that I understood the reason why I couldn't perform a kage bunshin, and there was nothing I could do except to wait for my chakra to mature, which could take a long time.

But I wasn't patient enough to wait for that.

So, there was only one thing left to do. If the world couldn't accommodate me, then I had to make myself fit into it.

The Kage Bunshin was a support type Kinjutsu with versatile functions such as acting as additional firepower, decoy, reconnaissance, or even its hidden but prized function of transmitting information once dispelled.

I was only interested in the transmitting information part.

Upon closer examination, it seemed that chakra had the potential to contain information. This opened up another possibility that I noted down for later study. I tried to stay on topic, so as not to let my mind stray.

The Jutsu heavily relies on the utilization of both Yang and Yin chakra. The creation of a physical body requires a significant amount of Yang chakra, which is largely derived from the physical energy that empowers the body. This process requires a great deal of stamina, making it difficult to execute for those who do not have the required vitality to perform the Jutsu.

On the other hand, the spiritual aspect of the clone requires a substantial amount of Yin chakra. This type of chakra is associated with the user's mental and spiritual energy, and it helps to create a connection between the user and the clone. It is also responsible for creating the clone's consciousness and personality.

The combination of Yang and Yin chakra creates a clone that is almost identical to the user, both physically and mentally. The clone is capable of performing various tasks and can even learn new things independently. Additionally, when the clone is dispelled, any knowledge or experience gained during its existence is transferred back to the user, making it an invaluable tool for information gathering.

Upon reflecting on the information about Kage Bunshin, I realized that I needed to focus on utilizing Yin transformation chakra to form the Jutsu because the imbalance in my body.

However, I also knew that I would require Yang to maintain the physical body. If I could adjust the ratio of Yin and Yang when performing the Kage Bunshin, it shouldn't tax me that greatly.

Despite my initial hope, my first attempt at modifying the Jutsu was unsuccessful. Simply changing the ratio of Yin and Yang was not enough.

I needed to modify every single aspect of the Jutsu, including the hand seal and visualization. My goal was to create a shell that could store information on its chakra and transmit it to me once dispelled.

I realized that the more complex the nature and shape of the body, the more extensive the yang chakra consumption would be. This is because the concentration required are necessary to sustain it.

Thus, I didn't need a complicated physical body for my purposes. Rather, a simple shell that could learn by storing information on its chakra would suffice.

My temples glistened with sweat and I gritted my teeth as I toiled on the edge of exhaustion while trying out various combinations that would match my needs.

After what felt like hours, I finally performed the seal and a puff of smoke appeared in my periphery.

I waited with bated breath until the smoke dissipated, revealing a creature in front of me. The ruined hallway was bathed in a soft blue hue emanating from the thing. Chakra slowly swirled behind its soft, fragile case as it jiggled with every motion.

The clone looked so simple, with no complex physical features, just a shell that held within it the ability to learn and store information on its chakra, and transmit it to me once dispelled.

Although it may seem primitive, the amount of chakra it consumed was immense, and it drained the last of my reserve. This is because the fundamental principle of evenly dividing the chakra still holds, and the only difference is the ratios used.

My body was engulfed in heat, whether from exhaustion or excitement, I couldn't tell anymore. Despite not having tested it yet, I desperately hoped that my experiment was a success. The last step was to try out the transmission function.

I ripped a random page from my notebook and placed it in front of the clone. It sensed my intention and slowly wobbled towards the torn page, which was then engulfed beneath its soft jelly-like body, disappearing into an unknown space. The clone stopped moving and remained in its place, still wobbling.

I knew that the clone had finished its task, so I dispelled it with a hand seal, causing it to disappear in a puff of smoke. A refreshing sensation rushed over me, and I could feel my chakra reserves had been replenished slightly.

Then, I knew that the information contained within the random torn pages of my notebook had been transmitted successfully.

I slumped my back against the dirty floor, exhausted but content. A smile crept across my face as I realized the possibilities that this new jutsu held for me.