7 Why Are They Getting Chummy?
10 advanced chapters on my Patreon: Fiction Haven
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One month and a half went by rather quickly. Things were going all right with Team 7, but that was not noteworthy. Kagebunshin no Jutsu had been proven to be a cheat key to someone like me. Using clones every day to expand my knowledge and train my Chakra control, I improved by leaps and bounds. Learning Jutsu was a quick affair for me.
As of the moment, I only had E and D Rank Jutsu in my repertoire. In addition to the Jutsu I had learned in the academy, I had mastered Shunshin no Jutsu and Doton: Shinjū Zanshu no Jutsu. Higher-ranked Jutsu had to be bought and I was not that enthused to spend my money on mainstream Jutsu scrolls at the moment. As short as the list was, the Jutsu were still dangerous in my hands.
With that said, it was time for our Jōnin Sensei, Kakashi, to do his job properly. As someone who had copied a lot of Jutsu, he needed to impart some of his knowledge. Other than Ninjutsu, I was also satisfied with my Bukijutsu. I still couldn't control my weapons with Chakra Strings, but I could hit my intended targets with staggering precision. I could utilize Shūriken and Kunai as if they were extensions of my body.
My Taijutsu was already above average since day one and I kept perfecting it with the help of my clones. Kagebunshin might not have helped me train my physique, but it allowed me to observe the flaws of my movement. I dissected my Taijutsu every time I sparred with my clones while they were doing their best to not get hit. It was taxing since I also had to deal with the flurry of memories coming from my dispelled clones.
The highlight of my improvement was Fūinjutsu. I absorbed knowledge regarding Fūinjutsu like a sponge. Sarutobi didn't hold back in providing me with books containing the theories of Fūinjutsu. If I categorized Fūinjutsu mastery as Beginner, Advanced, Adept, and Master; I was already at the Advanced stage. I was close to reaching the beginning of the Adept stage.
Fūinjutsu was akin to programming. Each sequence, command, and code produced different results. Its concept was akin to Hand Seals but more deadly. Experimenting with Hand Seals wouldn't cause you to die, but doing it with Fūinjutsu was asking to die by explosion. The reason why I could improve quickly was that hundreds of my clones had fallen victim to my failed seals.
It was worth the trouble, of course. I could create gravity seals and storage seals easily now. I could sell those, so the last half a month had been profitable, to say the least. I was also in the middle of developing a seal that would help me control my Chakra. Perfecting it would be a lifetime effort, but I would be able to apply it to my body in a month.
"Why do you like to think so hard, Naruto-kun?"
A girl's voice brought me out of my musing. Turning my head to the owner of the voice, I found a curious blonde poking my cheek. A sigh escaped my mouth. Today was supposed to be my free time. I had gone to Konoha Park to look for some tranquility and inspiration, but the blonde menace was coincidentally having a picnic with her family there.
"I don't think too much, Ino. You think too little."
"I am not an airhead. I graduated third in class, remember?" Ino crossed her arms and huffed. "Besides, you used to not think much. I wager that you even barely thought!"
"That is not a good thing to say to your friend, is it, Ino-chan?"
Ino turned to the man who had kindly reprimanded her, the head of the Yamanaka Clan, Yamanaka Inoichi. She huffed but still apologized to me sincerely. Inoichi smiled at his daughter's behavior. He seemed to also know that his daughter talked smack just to get my attention.
Why do these kids like to bother me these days, anyway?
Inoichi turned to me and asked, "Why don't you join us, Naruto-san? I assure you that you are not a bother to our family."
"Thank you for the offer, Inoichi-san, but I will be too focused on working on my seal to contribute to the conversation. I don't want to be rude to you and your family," I declined politely. I didn't want to socialize.
"Then, put that thing down for a while and join us. You have the rest of the day to yourself and we will only be here for an hour, at most," Ino huffed.
I weighed on my decision for a while before deciding to agree to join the family. Ino wouldn't stop bothering me even if I declined. Creating a clone, I handed him my sealing scroll and instructed him to resume my job. I scooted over to the Yamanaka family as my clone took my previous spot. Ino immediately took the spot beside me.
"How has life been treating you, Naruto-san?" Inoichi asked like a therapist would to his patient.
"Harsh as ever, but I can manage," I replied nonchalantly.
"Glad to hear it."
The Yamanaka housewife, Mihana-san offered me a sandwich, which I gladly accepted.
"How is the Petunia you bought two weeks ago?" she asked.
"As healthy as the day I bought it."
"You take care of it well, don't you?"
"Of course, he does," Ino chimed in and grinned. "I often pay a visit to make sure he doesn't slack off!"
"You have always been complaining about Sarutobi-san whenever you come to my apartment," I pointed out.
"Hey, I did take care of your flowers!"
Not wanting to argue with the blonde menace, I just nodded in agreement. It somehow got her more riled up, eliciting a laugh from her parents.
I swear, these kids must have a few screws loose in their heads.
We spent close to an hour having an amiable chat. Inoichi was a good conversation partner, but I had to be careful of what I said around him. He was trying to dissect me with his words. I had nothing to hide other than my reincarnation, but I didn't like having someone being nosy with my personal life.
"It has been nice spending time with you, Naruto-san, but I am afraid I have to excuse myself," Inoichi said as he stood up.
"Quite a demanding job you have in the T&I, Inoichi-san," I remarked.
"It is indeed. Ha-Ha-Ha."
Before Inoichi left, Mihana-san who had been busy tidying up her stuff also stood up.
"I am going to man my shop as I made a promise with a few customers yesterday. I will see you next time, Naruto-kun," she said with a smile.
"I will see you next time, Mihana-san."
I was waiting for the blonde menace beside me to follow along, but she didn't. Even when her parents were already away, she remained on my side.
"You told me that I would have the rest of the day for myself," I sighed.
"I also have the rest of the day to myself and I decided to spend it with you," she shrugged.
"Suit yourself."
Taking out another sealing scroll, I immersed myself in my study. Ino watched on the sideline for a while before eventually falling asleep on my shoulder. I didn't want to leave the park yet, so I laid her head on my lap. When I was satisfied with my work, I carried her home. The bloody blonde pretended to be asleep so that she didn't have to walk.
The next day came and I wasn't too enthused by what we were going to do. We had just helped the Fire Daimyo's wife catch her cat, Tora a few days ago. It was not that hard, but I would like to have a more mundane, slow-paced mission; so I could compensate for the free time I had lost the day before.
"Today, we are going to help a rice farmer reap his corps!"
Fortunately, Lady Fortuna was smiling at me today. As soon as we got to the rice field, I made thirty shadow clones that immediately got to work. Kakashi had already given up on telling me not to use Kagebunshin as I had always ignored him, so he only shook his head at me. Surprisingly, this time, Sakura and Sasuke also created clones.
"Ano… clones are not allowed," Kakashi reminded.
No one listened to him. I smirked. The defeated look on his face elated me. I sat down under the nearby tree and then enjoyed the scenery. I was about to take out a book about Chakra manipulation when the rest of Team 7, including Kakashi, intruded on my space. I barely held back a grimace and it made Kakashi smile gleefully.
"Uh, I made cookies. Do you guys want to try?" Sakura said nervously.
"I brought senbei and tea from home. I figure you guys will like it," Sasuke grunted, shocking me to my core.
"I also happen to bring some mochi. Do you guys want some?" Kakashi added with mirth.
Looking at them for a moment, I sighed in defeat and eventually took out the croissants that I baked in the morning. Their eyes lit up. I knew these bastards were up to no good. They had been eyeing me for the last month whenever I secluded myself and enjoyed my snacks while studying. Well, at least, I got to enjoy their snacks too. I especially liked Sasuke's tea.
"So, what do you think about hanging out at the Yakiniku restaurant, Naruto?"
"Hn. Kakashi is on this also."
My snacks should have been their purpose, so why were they trying to rope me into a conversation? Even Sasuke spoke!
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Honorary Mention:
Faisal Salih
Florin Durbaca
Friday
Luck George
