"Alright then, let's start studying first. I'll test out the idea in my head on the first of next month."
Natsuki first skimmed through the Kage Bunshin no Jutsu scroll, then began forming hand seals. In the next second—poof—a clone identical to himself appeared beside him.
As expected, his talent was no joke. He learned it in one go.
He glanced at his clone. It was indeed a perfect copy. For his girlfriend, this could very well mean double the pleasure.
Now he couldn't help but wonder: after Naruto married Hinata, did he ever use Tajū Kage Bunshin no Jutsu? And just how many clones did he use each time? Everyone knew Hinata had quite the appetite...
Ahem. He was getting sidetracked again.
Natsuki continued practicing. After an hour, he had not only completely mastered the Kage Bunshin no Jutsu, but also became proficient in performing the hand seals with just one hand.
That's the trouble with being able to do one-handed seals—every time he learned a new jutsu, he had to consider the possibility of executing it one-handed, and he had to be fluent at it too. After all, you never know when you'll need it.
Then, Natsuki finalized the first research project for the first day of the next month:
Exploring the possibility of modifying Kage Bunshin no Jutsu into the Shiyōken!
Shiyōken was a move from Dragon Ball, used by Tenshinhan. It gave him two additional arms on his back, granting the advantage of four arms in combat.
They say two fists can't beat four hands. With four hands, you'd have the upper hand in taijutsu. Since the Kage Bunshin no Jutsu could produce a physical clone, why couldn't it be modified to sprout a pair of hands on his back?
Of course, the weaknesses of the original jutsu were obvious: the clones were fragile and exploded upon taking damage. That made them mostly good for distraction.
Naruto's Tajū Kage Bunshin looked impressive, sure—dozens or hundreds of clones—but they only worked against small fry like Mizuki. They were useless against real powerhouses.
But hand clones would be a different story.
If the new hands appeared on the user's back, destroying them wouldn't be so easy. The opponent would have to get past the user's defenses first.
Having an extra pair of hands could allow for surprise attacks in close-range combat, or secret hand seals from behind. You could even spray your opponent in the face with a water gun sneak attack. The advantages were obvious. And if you could grow one pair of hands, why not multiple arms, legs, even heads? That's the endgame of modifying the Kage Bunshin no Jutsu.
He named it: Shiyō no Jutsu!
But that experiment would wait until the first of next month. Without the safety of the special lab, the cautious Natsuki didn't dare to go wild.
Natsuki put away the Kage Bunshin scroll and opened the one for Suiton: Mizurappa, studying it carefully before memorizing it. Then he created two shadow clones and had them learn alongside him.
Natsuki and his two clones formed seals together. "Suiton: Mizurappa!"
Pff! All three spewed massive streams of water at the forest ahead, blasting through several thick trees and even flattening a small grove.
Natsuki was startled, but quickly understood.
His chakra was just that abundant. Combined with two clones unleashing the jutsu simultaneously, the resulting force was terrifying. If there had been a group of Genin ahead, they would've been wiped out in one move.
That's the benefit of having more chakra than others.
Even a mere C-rank jutsu could unleash the power of a big move. He could cast it repeatedly and still have chakra left. What enemy wouldn't be scared?
And this jutsu would be perfect against Gaara and his sand. In water, that sand loses its edge. Even his mom's Shukaku probably wouldn't help.
When that time came, Natsuki could roar, "Gaara! I'll gara you into pieces!"
Well, just kidding. Gaara wasn't that easy to kill. After all, he was a Jinchūriki of the Ichibi. And once Naruto's Talk-no-Jutsu kicked in, Gaara would become a valuable ally.
Besides, Gaara's sister Temari would later become Shikamaru's wife. If he killed Gaara now, wouldn't that ruin the whole ship?
Oops, off track again.
Natsuki pulled his thoughts back and continued practicing Mizurappa.
He had to become fluent in both two-handed and one-handed seals, but more importantly, he needed to observe the chakra transformation process that created the water.
The reason Natsuki had asked Shino for a water-style jutsu was to study how chakra changed its nature. Suiton jutsus worked by guiding chakra through hand seals, and when it reached the throat, the chakra transformed into water and was expelled.
Once he understood this process, grasping water-style chakra transformation would be much easier.
Before, he had been blindly trying to understand it—like trying to solve advanced math without ever learning algebra. But now that he had a real reference point, even just one jutsu helped immensely.
With that, his second research project for next month was clear: water-style chakra transformation.
The third project naturally followed: infusing water-style chakra into the Rasengan.
And beyond that, he'd try using what he learned from water-style to attempt earth and lightning transformations. Then he'd combine those transformations with other chakra shape manipulations.
All in all, he had plenty to work on!
The next morning, after getting a full night's sleep, Natsuki was up early for his daily training.
He still delivered milk, but this time the route was longer, the terrain harsher, and he did it under triple gravity. It was a real challenge.
By the time he finished, he was completely wiped out.
Even so, he still had to shower, eat breakfast, and rush to school.
The moment he entered the classroom, he could tell something was off. The girls were all staring at him with curious, gossipy eyes, sending chills down his spine. The boys, on the other hand, seemed clueless, as if they didn't understand what was going on.
Luckily, Shino explained quietly, "Yesterday, you were seen holding hands with Tenten while shopping for groceries. Ino saw you."
Natsuki instantly relaxed.
He'd thought it was something serious. So what if he was seen grocery shopping with his future girlfriend? No big deal.
Ignoring the girls' stares, Natsuki sketched a design for Shiyōken on paper and handed it to Shino, explaining his plan to modify the Kage Bunshin no Jutsu.
When he'd asked Shino for the clone jutsu before, the guy had handed it over without a second thought or asking why.
Now that's a friend worth having!
Still, Natsuki felt he owed him an explanation. Besides, Shiyōken could be a great technique for someone like Shino, who struggled with taijutsu.
Sure enough, when Shino saw the concept, the lenses of his sunglasses gleamed. "Natsuki, your brain is really something else. I can't believe you came up with this. Shiyō no Jutsu could definitely make up for my weaknesses in close combat."
Natsuki grinned. "By the second of next month at the latest, you'll see the results. Just wait."
The second of next month?
Shino had a realization. He figured Natsuki probably had a habit of staying up late to study jutsu every first of the month. Maybe his inspiration peaked on those nights.
Meanwhile, the biggest challenge Natsuki faced was still his lack of foundational knowledge.
As the saying goes: even the most skilled cook can't prepare a meal without ingredients. No one can create something from nothing. That's why Natsuki borrowed jutsu from others in the first place.
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