17

At the Senju residence, many adults were outside having fun and teasing two children, Haru and Nawaki, who were hard at work cleaning the entire clan's living quarters. Although Mito still punished them both in the end, the punishment wasn't severe since their physical abilities made the task easy. However, what made the task challenging was the constant teasing from the clan. Haru was able to shrug off the teasing and laugh, knowing that it was just harmless entertainment for the others. On the other hand, Nawaki was easily bothered by it and would often argue even about the smallest comments, like a cat whose tail had been stepped on.

Haru let out a sigh as he watched Nawaki once again getting into an argument with the adults, unaware that his short temper was the reason why he was being teased more. "Nawaki, we're almost done. Why waste time on this?" Haru shouted, making all the adults complain as they knew that the fun was over. Nawaki walked back with gritted teeth and complained, "They're all so mean. Why do they enjoy teasing me like that?" Haru replied, "I already told you. The more you react, the worse it gets. See, because I didn't respond, they got bored of me and left me alone eventually." Nawaki let out a sigh and said, "I know, but every time I see that smirk on their faces, I can't help but lose my cool."

Haru could understand Nawaki's predicament. He knew that Nawaki had been subjected to the clan's teasing for a long time, so he couldn't handle it with the same composure as Haru could. Despite this, Haru was also aware that Nawaki wasn't angry, merely frustrated. Nawaki was highly loved in the clan, not only because he came from a prominent family but also because of his kind-hearted nature. Haru was certain that if Nawaki were ever in harm's way, the same people who were teasing him would readily lay down their lives to protect him.

After more than an hour of cleaning, Haru and Nawaki decided to go out and celebrate with a meal. On their way, Nawaki couldn't help but ask, "Do you enjoy living in the clan, Haru?" Haru nodded his head.

After the accident, Mito didn't trust Haru to live in the orphanage since she knew he would continue his research alone even if she forbade it. So, the next best thing was for her to adopt him into the Senju clan, so he would stay under her sight all the time. Haru was surprised but didn't reject her, knowing it was just a formality since Mito already treated him like family. The adoption was mainly for his protection in the future. Mito, as the jinchuuriki of the Nine-Tails, wouldn't live long, and she wanted to ensure that Haru would have an identity that could protect him after her death.

Haru understood her good intentions, but he chose not to take the Senju last name. He knew that even if he had no ill intentions, people with ulterior motives could try to use him as a weapon against Nawaki. So in the end, he persuaded Mito to let him keep his original last name.

Nawaki saw Haru in a daze and couldn't help but smirk, and tried to trip him over. But Haru didn't fall for it and just walked away from Nawaki's outstretched leg. "Childish," he said. Nawaki smiled and asked, "You've been in a daze a lot lately. Is there something on your mind?" Haru hummed and said, "I'm thinking about the results that Master gave me about the Shadow Clone."

Even though Mito is very strict about Haru's ninjutsu research, she doesn't forbid him. On the contrary, she helps Haru with a lot of his tests. In her heart, as long as Haru doesn't use himself as an experiment, everything else is fine. Of course, Haru knows that ninjutsu research can be very dangerous, but from the beginning, he already knows about the Shadow Clone from his memories, so it's an experiment with a guaranteed success from the start. But he can't tell Mito that, so he can only accept her punishment in the end.

Nawaki looked at Haru with wide eyes, waiting for him to explain. Nawaki was very interested in this subject, as it affected him directly. From the moment Haru told him about the possibility of using the Shadow Clone to speed up his training, anything related to it was very important to him.

Haru looked into Nawaki's eyes, which were almost shining, and slowly explained to him that from Mito's tests, they found that not many people could use it for training, as it would take half of their chakra, and the physical and mental strain after the clone dispersed was too large for them. Haru was able to use it because of his high mental capacity, so the mental part of it didn't hinder him. Even more so, Nawaki was well-suited for it, perhaps even more than Haru, as his large chakra pool and excellent physical stamina allowed him to use it very effectively.

In the end, this technique's usage was only suitable for people at the top cream of chakra and physical and mental ability. It couldn't be used to help train low-level ninja. Even though the results weren't the best, Mito still encouraged Haru, telling him that it was still good that he discovered another use for such a technique. She didn't want this to affect Haru's mentality, as she knew that in ninjutsu research, creativity was one of the most important factors. Haru wasn't that disappointed as he didn't have that much expectation from the start. Even Kakashi couldn't use it for training, let alone normal ninja. Even after his modification it was still the same, as all he did was minimize the side effects, not get rid of them completely.

Nawaki was disappointed because if the Shadow Clone technique could be used by everyone, it could have been a great help to the village.

Haru, seeing Nawaki's sadness, couldn't help but cheer him up. "Well," he said, "I think I found a new use for the technique, and I think it's very well-suited to you." Nawaki's mood improved, and he looked at Haru with puppy eyes. Haru laughed and explained, "You are really suited to the Shadow Clone. Maybe you could make it one of your main techniques in your fighting style. I was thinking that you already have a very large chakra pool, and once you grow up, it will likely be even larger. So why not use cooperation ninjutsu with your Shadow Clone? Many ninja do that in wars, and it's very effective. Imagine you with multiple clones using the same tactics, you could deal devastating damage just on your own."

Nawaki was already imagining the scenario, and his eyes began to almost glow from happiness. Continuing their conversation, Haru suggested, "In addition, if you use your Shadow Clone technique to train in subjects that you don't enjoy, such as sealing, trap-making, and detection, you can master them with the help of your clones. Once you have mastered these skills, you'll be able to complete many different types of missions, making you a versatile and valuable asset to your team."

Hearing this, Nawaki's smile widened so much that it almost reached his ears. However, he then furrowed his brows and expressed his concern, "But wouldn't it be too much to use that many clones? I don't think I can handle it." Nawaki's mood plummeted as he thought of the beautiful scenario that Haru had painted. But Haru reassured him, "Idiot, you're only eight years old! As you grow older, you'll be able to create more clones. Additionally, I'm already working on some pills that can help with the side effects temporarily, just like the Akamishi pills that they use with their family ninjutsu. Furthermore, your body, with its Senju and Uzumaki talent, is very suitable, as your stamina and vitality are almost the highest in the village. With enough training, you'll get used to the increased number of clones eventually."

Upon hearing this, Nawaki became very excited. Today, Haru's idea had opened a huge door for his future ninja career.

Excitedly, Nawaki rushed over to Haru and grabbed his hand, exclaiming, "Where are those pills? Are they in the house? Let's go back and try them!" Haru smirked mischievously and poured cold water on Nawaki's enthusiasm: "Well, they're just an idea at the moment. I haven't done any research on them yet. Plus, thanks to your last accident, it will be harder for me to research them with the master supervising." Like a popped balloon, Nawaki's excitement quickly deflated, and he sank into a mild depression.

Once Haru had his fun teasing him, he added, "I was just joking. When I first told you, I already knew that with your character, it wouldn't be long before the master found out. I'm really impressed that you held onto the secret for more than six months." Nawaki's mood today went from low to high multiple times, and he couldn't help but punch Haru in the shoulder as revenge. Haru smiled, realizing why everyone enjoyed teasing Nawaki – it was really enjoyable.

Then, Nawaki asked again about the pill. This time, Haru told him seriously that it was still just a theory and wouldn't be ready anytime soon. He didn't want to discourage Nawaki but explained that, at this stage, the supplement he was taking was enough. Instead, he should focus on training his endurance so that he could use the multiple shadow clone technique, which was a larger version of the shadow clone. Even if the pill was ready, he shouldn't rely on it, as it would surely come with some side effects. Hearing this, Nawaki's interest in training was at an all-time high.

In the end, they only had some snacks before heading back to the clan so that Nawaki could try Haru's new ideas.