Chapter 47: Progress and Borrowing

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"Why does it feel like you're even more popular now?" Shikamaru muttered, slumped over his desk, looking at the nearby Natsuro.

"I don't want this either." he sighed in response.

Shikamaru believed him. From what he observed, he wasn't actually cold; he just pretended to be distant to avoid the trouble that came with too much attention from the girls.

Indeed, someone as outstanding as him would still be popular even with such an attitude, Shikamaru mused.

"Do you think Naruto is going to be late on the first day back?" Shikamaru glanced at the empty seat next to Natsuro.

"It's possible." Natsuro replied thoughtfully.

Both Shikamaru and Natsuro exchanged exasperated looks.

As expected, Naruto strolled in well after the class bell had rung, prompting Iruka, their teacher, to frown in annoyance at his tardiness on the first day.

"Natsuro, long time no see!" Naruto greeted him enthusiastically as he took his seat.

"Yeah, long time no see." he replied, acknowledging him.

And that was the extent of their conversation. Naruto was used to this by now; he realized Natsuro treated everyone the same way, perhaps even showing him a bit more warmth than others.

Natsuro, meanwhile, was engrossed in reading about sealing techniques. While his understanding of these techniques was somewhat exceptional, it was conditional on having sufficient personal power. After all, nobody would just stand still and let themselves be sealed without resistance.

However, sealing techniques were undeniably useful in certain situations—like when Jiraiya sealed away the black flames of Amaterasu. Without sealing, dealing with those flames would have been a nightmare. The technique might not have had a good reputation in the original series, but its high-level potential was undeniable.

So, learning some sealing techniques was necessary. On the other hand, illusions were a different story. In the original series, only a few characters truly mastered genjutsu, and its effectiveness diminished in later stages of the story. Instead, Natsuro thought it would be more beneficial to focus on dispelling genjutsu.

Reflecting on his winter break, he considered his progress.

First, in terms of the Flying Thunder God technique, he had reached the point where he could summon objects without relying on the Void State state for sensing, marking a successful milestone.

The Void State itself had also advanced, now allowing him to control some chakra, though he hadn't yet achieved the ability to manipulate chakra forms. This would take time and gradual progress.

Unexpectedly, while in the Void State, he began to perceive some previously invisible energies, which he speculated might be natural energy. After all this time, he had finally managed to sense it on his own. Of course, he had no intention of absorbing it yet.

Firstly, he lacked the chakra reserves needed to suppress natural energy, and secondly, even if he could suppress it, if the absorption ratio was incorrect, he'd risk turning to stone. That would be suicidal. So, while he couldn't absorb natural energy yet, being able to sense it was a significant step. The perception was still vague, but it could be honed over time. There was no rush, especially since mastering Sage Mode required substantial chakra reserves.

Despite his consistent training, reaching the required chakra level would take a very long time. So, there was no need to hurry.

Instead, he could continue refining the Void State. By the time his chakra reserves were sufficient, he would already be at a high level, making the eventual learning of Sage Mode much easier.

As for refining ninjutsu hand seals, he had managed to reduce the five seals for the Body Replacement Technique to three. He felt close to achieving the use of just two seals, but progress was slow. The difficulty increased with each step, and he anticipated even greater challenges when trying to reduce the technique to a single seal.

In contrast, the seals for Gale Palm were easier to simplify, thanks to their initial complexity.

Regarding the Rasengan, he had successfully used a wind-natured Rasengan. It was more challenging than expected but didn't take him too long to master. As for its power, it was indeed significantly stronger than the regular Rasengan.

He typically used a miniature version, as the full-sized one consumed too much chakra. Since he wasn't currently fighting anyone, there was no need to waste chakra. Plus, the miniature version, being smaller, actually required more precise chakra control.

Lastly, his progress with wind-nature transformation had reached the point where he could cut a leaf in half, although it still required a significant amount of chakra. He was now working towards making each individual chakra thread sharp enough to slice through the leaf.

Overall, his progress was impressive, and he was quite satisfied with it.

During a break, he approached Ino.

"Is there something you need, Natsuro?" Ino asked, surprised by his sudden approach. Then, she smiled.

Natsuro didn't hold back, explaining his need to borrow a chakra-conducting weapon from her.

"Is that all? My family should have plenty of those. How about I bring you a kunai?" Ino offered without hesitation after hearing his request.

"Thank you. But, Ino, please make sure to ask your father before taking it." Natsuro asked, concerned about the potential implications of borrowing something from her clan. "I'll return it as soon as possible."

"My dad probably wouldn't mind parting with a kunai. He might even let you keep it. But okay, I'll let him know first." Ino replied thoughtfully. Then, out of curiosity, she asked, "Why do you need it, Natsuro?"

"It's for training." Natsuro explained as lightning flickered in his palm. "A good weapon would make the process easier."

Ino watched the lightning in his hand with awe, slowly developing a look of admiration. She didn't understand how he did it, but it seemed incredible.

Serious about the importance of training, Ino nodded firmly. She knew how crucial training was for any ninja and promised Natsuro she would bring him the kunai.

"Thanks." Natsuro said sincerely, looking at Ino.

"You don't need to thank me... This is least I should do..." Ino stammered, her face turning red as her voice trailed off.

"What?" Natsuro asked, not catching her last words.

"It's nothing!" Ino quickly waved her hands, flustered. "Class is about to start again, so you'd better head back to your seat."

"Alright." Natsuro checked the time—it was just after the break—but he nodded and returned to his seat, continuing with his tasks.

Meanwhile, those watching him noticed his actions. The girls, especially, felt a pang of envy toward Ino. She was making much faster progress with him than they were. How could they catch up?

Even Shikamaru glanced at Natsuro and then at Ino, clicking his tongue before slumping back down on his desk.

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