Chapter 12: Shadows of Discovery

Hikaru's eyelids fluttered open, and a soft light flooded his vision. Blinking away the remnants of sleep, he realized he was lying on a hospital bed, surrounded by the faint hum of medical equipment. The sterile scent of antiseptic hung in the air, a reminder of the ordeal he had just endured.

As he shifted slightly, he caught sight of Kaito sitting beside him, his face etched with worry. The moment their eyes met, Kaito leaned forward, relief washing over him. "Hikaru! You're awake!"

The medical ninja attending to Hikaru turned to them, offering a reassuring smile. "He'll be okay. Just a minor injury from the jutsu, but we've healed the worst of it."

Hikaru let out a small sigh, feeling a wave of gratitude mixed with lingering confusion. Kaito, however, was not ready to let go of his worry. He furrowed his brow and asked, "Why didn't you evade the attack, Hikaru?"

Hikaru shook his head, trying to process his thoughts as the haze of the incident washed over him. "I don't know what happened," he admitted, his voice weak but steady. "That was the first time I sensed a jutsu that close. I always thought fire and lightning jutsu would just cause the shadows to disappear due to their light. I could predict their locations from their traces. The only one I had to really worry about was wind jutsu since it doesn't create a shadow. Water and earth jutsu don't worry me; they cast shadows like everything else."

His voice trailed off as he recalled the moment the fireball had approached. "But when the fireball came near me, the chakra it carried had a strange effect on my shadow. It felt like the world was turning upside down, and I couldn't move. It's something I've never experienced before."

Kaito listened intently, his expression shifting from concern to intrigue. "So, it's not just the jutsu itself but the chakra that interfered with your ability to sense it?"

As Kaito sat anxiously by Hikaru's bedside, he was taken aback when a sudden wave of laughter erupted from Hikaru, rapid and uncontrollable. The sound echoed in the small hospital room, drawing curious glances from the medical ninja attending to him.

Kaito's eyes widened in concern. "Hikaru? Are you okay?" he asked, his voice tinged with worry. "I mean, I know the news is pretty devastating, but... are you actually laughing? Have you finally lost it?"

But Hikaru didn't seem to notice Kaito's apprehension, instead, he continued to laugh, the gleam of joy shining brightly in his eyes. "You don't get it, do you?" he managed to say between breaths.

Kaito tilted his head in confusion. "Get what?" he asked, trying to piece together what could possibly be amusing about the situation.

Finally, Hikaru took a deep breath, his laughter subsiding into a wide smile. " That was the first time my shadow senses ever reacted to chakra other than my own! It means it can interact with other chakra!" His excitement was palpable, a stark contrast to the gravity of their earlier conversation.

Kaito blinked, momentarily stunned by Hikaru's revelation. "You really think so?" he replied, still trying to wrap his head around the implications. The ability of Hikaru's shadow senses to respond to external chakra? The possibilities seemed endless.

"Absolutely! It's prove of concept" Hikaru exclaimed, his enthusiasm infectious. "If my shadow senses can react this way, it not only means I can train them to sense everything that has chakra! and finally overcome one of the biggest weaknesses of my shadow sense! but to also control those shadows" His eyes sparkled with determination. "Think about it! until now I can only recycle my chakra back and forth to my shadow, which cause me to sacrifice the use of ninjutsu for my senses, but even then I can't sense any outside chakra I can only sense shadows but now not only the outside chakra interacted with those shadows but it interacted directly to me, which mean I am connected to those shadows somehow . I can create a whole new fighting style based on how I interact with those shadows! The question is how, and why now, I have interacted with ninjutsu before but this never happen, the only reason I can think of is distance"

Kaito couldn't help but smile at Hikaru's unwavering optimism. Even in the face of such daunting challenges, his friend managed to find a glimmer of hope, a beacon in the darkness.

As Hikaru began to drift back into thought, Kaito cleared his throat, his expression serious. "You should really rest, you know. You're still injured, and your mother is on her way."

Hikaru's eyes widened in sheer panic. "My mother? You shouldn't have told her!"

Kaito chuckled, the worry fading from his features. "Why? You think she won't notice you're laid up in a hospital bed?"

Hikaru's voice dropped to a whisper, "Do you know how she gets? Last time I sneezed, she thought I had a cold for a week! If she finds out you attacked me…" He trailed off, imagining Yuki's fierce expression.

a look of terror start to appear on kaito's face "it it was just an accident"

Hikaru's face smiled and his face tuned evil "accident? it was clearly a payback for my ambush in the clan, sensei I know it was wrong to ambush you, but to attack me with an C rank ninjutsu for that is a bit much don't you think."

with every word Kaito's face turned black from fear "you little ....."

Hikaru continued "what my mother would do?! and you sensei, to think you would attack a harmless blind child!!!!!"

Just then Kaito heard a voice behind him, "stop tutoring your sensei Hiraku" it was Yuki 

The second Kaito heard her voice, he jumped to the celling like a scary cat

Hiraku face turned to an angel "Yes mother"

Kaito looked at him as he looking to the devil

"Hikaru!" She placed a gentle hand on his forehead. "Are you alright? I got here as soon as I could."

"Yeah, I'm fine, Mom. It's just a little… singe." Hikaru tried to downplay it, but his mother's face was a mixture of relief and concern.

She sighed deeply, the tension visibly leaving her shoulders. "You've really outdone yourself this time, haven't you?" she teased softly, relief clear in her voice.

Kaito, standing nearby, watched the scene unfold, relieved himself but unsure of what to say. Yuki noticed him, and without a hint of blame, gave him a reassuring smile. "Kaito, thank you for staying with him. I know he must have given you a bit of a scare too."

Kaito nodded, "He's tougher than he looks."

"Oh, I know that," Yuki laughed, gently ruffling Hikaru's hair. "But next time, young man, let's try not to test the limits of your toughness with a fireball, okay?"

Hikaru chuckled, rubbing the back of his head. "Guess I got a little carried away."

"Well," she said, a mischievous glint in her eye, "don't think you're off the hook just yet. When we get home, you and I will be doing some extra training on being careful."

Hikaru groaned, but there was a playful smile on his face. Yuki squeezed his hand and smiled warmly, "I'm just glad you're okay."

As Hikaru lay back, still feeling the warmth of his mother's hand on his, he found himself contemplating more than just the day's events. Despite the exhaustion, a steady determination began to form within him. For the first time, his shadow sense had reacted to something beyond his own chakra, hinting at a vast potential waiting to be explored. His shadows, for all their limitations, had shown a response—a way forward.

A spark lit in his chest as he thought about what he might achieve if he pushed past his current limits, honing this new awareness to create something entirely new. If his shadows could eventually sense and interact with outside chakra, he could move beyond being just a "genius" in taijutsu and into realms that no one, even in his clan, had dared imagine. The idea of controlling and sensing through shadows with such precision sent a thrill down his spine.

He realized that for all the laughter and pranks, he wanted something more—to make his family proud, to turn his odd talents into something the Nara clan, and maybe even Konoha, could rely on. And he wanted to be strong enough to protect them, in his own way, like Kaito, like his father.

With a quiet, determined whisper, he said, "This is just the beginning."

Yuki's light smile as she left the room lingered in his thoughts, her belief in him as much a challenge as it was encouragement. He closed his eyes, letting the sense of resolve settle into his bones.

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okay now people how do you think his abilities will be in the future ?

any suggestion (as long as they are shadow related) would be appreciated