Chapter 2
"Shit this is much more difficult than anticipated" a rather frustated Ryuu couldn't help himself and started cursing. He was very lucky that no one heard him otherwise the consequences would've been dire. He was currently lying on the ground sweaty and caked with dirt.
"I knew it wasn't going to be easy but this is ridiculous" it has been five weeks since Ryuu found himself in this new world. The first week was really difficult, he had to come up with convincing explanations for his sudden behavioral change.
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Flashback
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Three days later Ryuu was finally allowed to leave his room again. Being confined in this little space made him rather uncomfortable. Therefore he decided to have his breakfast in the servant's quarters.
He looked absentminded while eating his rather humble breakfast of fried eggs and bacon. The reason behind his daze was his future training. Afterall considering everything that's gonna happen in the next four to five hundred years from now he needs all the strength he can gather.
After much deliberation he chose the Shadow Clone jutsu from the Narutoverse as his first training project. The fact that you receive the memory and experience of them makes training much more efficent.
His idea is rather simple: since devil magic is nothing more than the crude manifestation of your will and intent, fuelled by your magical energy just turn his shadow into an actual clone, unlike the chakra constructs Naruto produces.
Using his own shadow should give the clone an anchor to stay in the world and exert more of his strength. It would then be imbued with part of his consciousness and last but not least half of his energy reserves.
Ryuu knew though that while it is theoretically a sound idea it will need a lot of trials and errors until he finally manages to produce the "perfect" shadow clone. He was also very much aware of the need to gather more knowledge and information about this world.
As a former mercenary he knew that ignorance of your surroundings will lead to a quick death which means he'll have some serious studying to do.
It wasn't until he heard Serafall's cheerful voice that he snapped back to reality. He quickly stood up and gave her a respectful bow "good morning m'lady." Hearing his greeting Serafall put on a happy smile "good morning Ryuu-chan. How are you feeling today."
Since Melissa was currently busy with her work she decided to check on the little troublemaker. She still marvels at the fact that Ryuu managed to have simmering pots slam onto his head. According to his memories the previous him was attempting to make some special sweets for Serafall, as a celebration for the fifth anniversary of the end of the civil war.
The previous Ryuu always felt he owed her the world. After all despite everything with the war going on she always found time for him and look after him like a sister would. Not to mention she did give him and his mother a job and a roof over their heads.
So one fine evening he sneaked into the kitchen to begin his suprise. But as one would expect from Murphy's law things just had to go sideways. The fiasco ended with the original Ryuu dying and the old mans' soul taking over the body fusing with Ryuu's remnants.
After hearing his explanation behind the incident Serafalls eyes went teary. She threw herself at Ryuu hugging him for dear life and snotting all over him. All the while saying "thank you".
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Back to the present
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After taking in a deep breath he jumped back up on his feet. Despite not having achieved the desired clone it doesn't mean Ryuu spent the last five weeks in vain.
First he changed up his diet and started training to raise his stamina. When he reached his daily limit he'd drag his aching body into the bathroom and take a shower to relieve his fatigue.
What follows are usually his duties as a servant, though it's mostly little things like transportation of the laundry basket. After all neither his mother nor Serafall would want him to work too hard and hurt himself again.
He passes the final part of his day in the library studying tirelessly. Spending hours upon hours at a time if he could. At times he nearly fell asleep right then and there which nearly caused a whole new topic of troubles.
His first study subject was Devil Anatomy. Being a former Sitri, Serafalls library had the most up-to-date medical books. Meaning they were confirmed by her parents themselves.
The reason behind his choice was that only by understanding ourselves fully will we be able to, first grasp our limits and second overcome those though a small part of him was just curious what exactly makes devils or supernatural beings in general different from a biological stand point.
Ryuu also came to the conclusion that having an understanding of his own anatomy will help him with his clone jutsu. There was no doubt that his newly acquired knowledge quickly became invaluable saving him a good chuck of trials and errors to figure certain things out.
He also started incorporating hand seals in his attempt to make a successful clone. Hand seals mold your energy in a specific way so you don't have to do it manually. In a way you can consider them crutches and not something you should use the rest of your life.
In his case Ryuu decided that it would serve as an extra stability factor. After all this jutsu wasn't meant for battle just yet. It's main purpose would be the adquisicion of knowledge and completion of chores while the main body trains.
Making the clone seal (A/N: Four fingers in a + position; both index and middle fingers) he once again took a breath and said in a powerful voice.
[Shadow Clone Jutsu]
It was then something unexpected happened. White smoke rose from his left just in the anime. After a few seconds it disappeared leaving only the clone. Now two Ryuus were curiously looking at each before they finally couldn't hold it anymore. They jumped high in the air and screamed on top of their lungs "WE DID IT!"
What followed was a little victory dance performed by both of them. After sometime they finally calmed down enough to check their connection and do various test to make sure everything is in working order.
Turns out not only did the clone turn out perfectly but after a quick dispel he managed to summon him back. Meaning that the first iteration of the Shadow Clone Jutsu was finished.
Not wasting another minute he send the clone into the manor to do his chores and then study. While Ryuu himself started setting up a little shed to stay during his training outings.
Aside from his unusual good mood no one in the manor suspected anything to be wrong with him. He also setup a cycling rule for clones to avoid the overheating of his nervous system. Every four hours the clone would come back to the original with all his study notes and dispel itself. Ryuu would then summon another one to send it right back to continue before trying to process all the information he had gotten from the previous clone.
But all of this wasn't without de-merits. After three weeks of clone studying he could feel his mind becoming heavy and clouded. It wasn't difficult to find out why. Bascially what happened with all the clones was that they threw their stuff into a room randomly without bothering to organize it, leaving it not only messy but also full.
To counter this problem he started spending more time meditating and widening his mental capacities. At the same time he was hoping to access his mindspace and start building a Mindpalace to not only organize his mind but also protect his secrets.
It took another two months until he finally finished his rudimentary mind organization and defense. During all this time he didn't forget to spend time with his mother and employer. They somehow made it a new tradition to have three tea parties a week with me being there and supplying Ryuus never seen before unholy snacks. Not that he minded it. By absorbing the orginials soul remnants he inherited a good part of his feelings meaning he loved them both dearly.
With the foundation for his growth lain down Ryuu was going into full power training for the next few years.