Yuzuki sat cross-legged on the floor, rolling the water clone scroll in her hands. The fire crackled softly in the corner of her room, casting flickering light on her face as she stared at the parchment. She had already learned its uselessness firsthand
The jutsu itself wasn't bad, but it didn't work for her. The failed attempt was still fresh in her memory—the way the clone had collapsed into a puddle, the way her chakra had fought against the water itself. Then, without hesitation, she held it over the flames
The scroll caught fire instantly, curling at the edges as the ink blackened and turned to ash
{You're not returning them?}
Indra's voice was amused, but with a hint of curiosity
"We can make new ones" Yuzuki replied simply, watching the last remnants of the water clone scroll disintegrate
{How responsible}
She ignored the sarcasm, shifting her attention to the Shadow Clone scroll. But the moment she touched it, she paused
The texture of the parchment was subtly different from the others, newer, but deliberately aged to blend in. The ink had been written with an attempt to mimic old strokes, but Yuzuki wasn't so easily fooled. Someone had planted this scroll in the archives
She frowned, turning it over, but there was no indication of who had placed it there. Strange
"I'll figure it out later" she muttered, unrolling the scroll. She scanned the instructions, quickly realizing this jutsu was completely different from the Water Clone technique. No elemental requirement, just chakra molded into a physical body. It was perfect for her
With a sharp inhale, she weaved the seals and pushed her chakra outward
A puff of smoke burst before her, and when it cleared, an exact copy of herself stood there, blinking back at her
For a long moment, both Yuzukis stared at each other. Then, simultaneously, they grinned
{I have made a grave mistake allowing this to happen} Indra muttered
"You know" the clone started, crossing her arms "this is kind of amazing"
"We could do so much with this" Yuzuki agreed
The clone hummed in thought before brightening "Oh! Let's test something"
Without hesitation, she molded a small fireball and tossed it at the real Yuzuki, who caught it easily in her palm before tossing it back
{No... Stop this}
The real Yuzuki smirked "Huh, so you can use my fire chakra"
The clone tossed the fireball back. Yuzuki caught it
Then she threw it again. And again
What had started as a simple test quickly devolved into the two of them playing an increasingly reckless game of fireball catch, laughing as they passed the flaming sphere between them
Indra groaned {This is not how jutsu training is supposed to go}
"Relax" Yuzuki said, grinning as she tossed the fireball once more "What's the worst that could happen?"
She lobbed the fireball just a bit too hard. The clone caught it, only for the impact to stagger her slightly. Without thinking, Yuzuki reached out and smacked the clone's back in amusement
The clone immediately exploded into smoke
For a split second, Yuzuki felt a rush of memories, disjointed but familiar, seamlessly merging with her own. Her laughter cut off abruptly as the sensation hit her. It wasn't disorienting, but it was... strange. Like she had just lived two perspectives at once, but only one remained
She blinked "Oh"
Indra exhaled {Now what?}
Yuzuki frowned, running a hand through her hair "It created a tether to my mindscape"
Indra paused {What?}
"The clone" she clarified "When it dispelled, it sent everything back to me instantly. Not through normal chakra feedback, but through a direct link. It's a one-way connection, just strong enough to transmit memories"
Indra hummed {The one who created this jutsu was clever}
Yuzuki sat back, considering
{Think of the possibilities} Indra said, his voice laced with intrigue.
{You could be in multiple places at once. Train different skills simultaneously. Gather intelligence without stepping into danger. Send clones to handle tedious work while you-}
"It can't be filtered" Yuzuki cut in "That's a problem. And the equal chakra split is worse. The more I make, the weaker I get"
Indra exhaled, relieved {Good. The world is not ready for an army of you}
Yuzuki scoffed, but didn't deny it either
{Still, it's incredibly useful. It's almost a shame you can't use it to accelerate cultivation. That would be-}
"Impossible" Yuzuki cut in, smirking "Believe it or not, both body and soul cultivation require an actual body and an actual soul, which clones don't have"
{Unfortunate}
Yuzuki tapped her chin, her mind already moving "But... if I strengthen the memory tether, filter what comes through, change the chakra split so the main body keeps more power, and reinforce the durability..."
Indra let out a low chuckle {You might as well make a new jutsu altogether then}
Yuzuki grinned
Indra sighed {You're going to do exactly that, aren't you?}
"Of course I am"
Yuzuki sat cross-legged on the floor, rolling the shadow clone scroll in her hands. This time, she wasn't just going to use the jutsu, she was going to learn exactly why it worked
So the first step was breaking the technique down. She formed the standard shadow clone seal, slowly and deliberately
{This is a waste of time. You already know how to use it}
"I know how to do it. I don't know why it works" she corrected, starting over, but instead of the normal seal, she unraveled the jutsu in reverse. Indra had once taught her that every hand sign had distinct meanings, physical manifestation, energy flow, transformation, separation. Many sequences could be compressed if someone mastered the movement of their chakra. But if seals could be condensed, then the opposite had to be true
Indra sighed but didn't interrupt as she unraveled the technique
She added extra seals. More than necessary. An absurd amount, really. Slowly stretching the sequence apart, watching how the chakra changed at each step
{This is ridiculous}
Yuzuki smirked "I'd call it a method"
{Not a good one}
A pause.
{But... a method for sure. But what I mean that's actually ridiculous is the fact that you just turned a one-seal jutsu into a forty-seal one}
Yuzuki smirked "Now I can tweak things without breaking them"
Smugness radiated off her as she kept working. Now that she had the sequence stretched out, she could modify individual steps without breaking the whole thing. Carefully, she tested variations, replacing small portions of the chakra flow with fire element
The first attempt collapsed immediately, vanishing in a burst of flames. The second held its shape for a moment before the heat distorted it like a mirage, warping until it crumbled. The third created a perfect shadow clone... that immediately burst into embers the moment it moved
{I told you this wouldn't work}
Yuzuki narrowed her eyes, already adjusting the formula "I'm getting closer"
Fourth try
This time, the clone stood firm. She could feel the difference immediately. The clone didn't just exist, it felt connected to her in a way the previous ones hadn't, stronger and more stable
But when she dispelled it, her eyes narrowed. The returning memories were fractured, blurry, incomplete
Yuzuki frowned "Huh..."
{What?}
"The memory transfer broke" she muttered "It's... incomplete. I only got fragments"
{So adding fire interfered. Interesting}
"Annoying" she muttered "But fixable, it means I'm onto something"
{With enough trial and error, you mean}
She stretched, wincing slightly "Not today, though. This thing is a chakra sink"
{Oh? Giving up already?}
"I'd like to see you perform high-level ninjutsu with a chakra pool the size of a teacup" she shot back
Indra chuckled, clearly entertained
Yuzuki placed the shadow clone scroll on her desk, she still needed to figure out who had put it in the library, and picked up the last one
"Alright, let's see how fast I can move"
The first attempt at Body Flicker sent her straight into the wall. Face-first. The second attempt had her crashing into her desk. By the third, she figured out how to control her distance. The next few tries helped her adjust her speed. After about ten, she could almost turn properly without wiping out
{Hmph. I expected a lower ceiling for a technique this simple} Indra admitted.
{But its versatility is impressive}
"See? Not everything has to be complicated to be useful"
{This coming from the girl who turned a one-seal jutsu into forty}
Yuzuki flickered across the room, this time landing perfectly "Hey, it worked"
She considered pushing further, but her chakra was running on fumes. So she dropped onto her bed, legs crossed, and started meditating
{...Are you cultivating?}
"It refills chakra faster" she said, as if it were obvious
{You're supposed to rest}
"This is resting"
{That's not-}
Indra sighed. {You're impossible}
Yuzuki smirked
-=-
Sasuke sat in the middle of his room, silent but not at ease. The paper targets on the wall stared back at him, each marked dead center with a kunai or shuriken. Every shot perfect. Every throw practiced a hundred times too many. He'd hit the limits of repetition. At least for now
His hands rested on his knees, spine straight. He tried to breathe evenly, the way he learned would help focus. Meditating, technically. But his thoughts kept skidding
He could still feel the tension in his shoulders. The afterimage of thrown steel lingered in his muscles. He had trained, again. Hard, again. And he still didn't feel like he was catching up
From the room next door, a rush of heat suddenly pulsed through the walls, brief, but intense. A signature flare. Fire jutsu. Again
He opened his eyes
It wasn't just the chakra that caught his attention. It was the feel of it. Her fire didn't behave like his, back when he'd tried it. Hers wasn't brute force. It was precise. Alive. Like it responded to her before she even finished the seals. And more importantly... it was getting stronger
He listened closer
More chakra. A short pause. Then a thud. Something colliding with the floor, maybe a body. He frowned. Then, more noise: stumbling, a frustrated growl, another flare of chakra
He sighed and reached toward the side drawer of his desk. A small pair of wax earplugs sat inside, looking far too used for how new they were
"Again with the crashing" he muttered, pressing them into place "She's going to knock a hole in the wall at this rate"
But even with the earplugs dulling the sound, her presence still pressed against his senses. Loud, not because she was noisy, though she was, but because she was relentless
She never stopped. Every day, something new. Some weird experiment, some jutsu, some spark of chaotic genius. And somehow, it all worked for her
Sasuke looked at his hands
He trained the right way. Quietly. The clan's way. Discipline, repetition, mastery. He followed every rule. Threw every shuriken until his fingers bled. Hit every mark
And still...
He was Itachi's brother. Yuzuki's brother. An Uchiha.
All of that meant something. Carried weight
So why did it feel like it meant more about who he wasn't?
He leaned back against the wall, staring up at the ceiling
"I'm their brother" he murmured "But who is that supposed to make me?"
From the next room came another thud. A muffled 'ow'
He shut his eyes
Maybe tomorrow, he'd try something new.
Maybe
But not body flicker
-=-
The room was dimly lit, the soft glow of a single lantern casting flickering shadows against the walls. Papers lay neatly stacked on the low table before Fugaku, though his focus remained on the young man kneeling before him. Shisui had just finished his report, his expression carefully neutral, awaiting his clan head's response
Fugaku let out a quiet hum, fingers tapping lightly against the table's edge
"A thorough report, as always"
Shisui dipped his head slightly.
"I appreciate the praise, Fugaku-sama"
Fugaku set the papers aside, leaning forward.
"And Yuzuki?"
Shisui's lips quirked slightly at the shift in topic.
"What about her?"
Fugaku's gaze sharpened.
"Your assessment of her progress"
Shisui didn't hesitate.
"Genius might be an understatement"
He exhaled through his nose, as if still processing what he'd seen.
"Her ninjutsu alone is beyond what I expected. I watched her use techniques that should be beyond a child her age, and her genjutsu is almost... unnatural"
Fugaku narrowed his eyes slightly, noting the hesitation in Shisui's tone.
"You suspect she was instructed?"
"Yes" Shisui said.
"I would have suspected she had a Sharingan. But she doesn't. And yet, her control, her intuition in battle, they felt like someone accustomed to seeing through deception"
Fugaku remained silent, allowing Shisui to continue
"She doesn't act like a child" Shisui went on, more thoughtful now.
"Or rather, she doesn't want to. Itachi... he had to grow up too fast. But Yuzuki... she's different. She chooses to act mature, as if convincing herself that's who she is. And yet, in some moments, I see cracks in the act. A glimmer of childish excitement when she thinks no one is watching"
His expression turned wry.
"Like when she's playing with fire, quite literally"
Fugaku's gaze flickered downward, his thoughts momentarily drifting.
She isn't close to anyone besides Sasuke. Not him, not Mikoto, not even Itachi. The distance was subtle, but undeniable. He had known it for years, seen it in the way she never called them father or mother, the way she kept herself apart even within their home
He had thought, perhaps, it was just her nature. But now, he wondered. Was it something he did?
The weight of his own choices settled over him like a quiet storm. He had placed restrictions on her, for her own safety. But was that what had driven her away? The idea had crossed his mind before. Will his attempts to protect her be what makes her resent him? But the thought never got easier to stomach
He exhaled through his nose.
"She is progressing faster than expected"
Shisui inclined his head.
"That's an understatement"
Fugaku shifted the conversation.
"And the state of the clan?"
Shisui's brief amusement faded into something more serious.
"...Worsening"
Fugaku's fingers interlaced. That answer was expected, yet still unwelcome
"The tension with the village is reaching a breaking point," Shisui continued.
"And within the clan... the divide is growing. More of the younger shinobi are being pulled into it. The older generation refuses to let go of their resentment, and the younger ones are following their lead"
Fugaku closed his eyes briefly.
"Hn"
Itachi is already too involved. That, Fugaku had accepted. He had dragged his son into the shadows of war too soon, and he saw the consequences of that choice every time he looked at him
But Sasuke and Yuzuki...
They were strong. Their talent shone brighter than most. And that was exactly the problem. The stronger they became, the more valuable they were to the clan. The more likely they were to be used
He had already made one son a tool. Would he be forced to do the same to them?
"Fugaku-sama?"
Shisui's voice pulled him from his thoughts
"...Nothing"
He straightened slightly.
"That will be all"
Shisui gave a respectful nod, rising to his feet. But before he could turn to leave, he paused, reaching into his vest and pulling out a small scroll
"One last thing," he said, stepping forward and placing it on the table.
"Itachi asked me to return this"
Fugaku's eyes flickered to the scroll. It was unmarked, but the moment his fingers touched the material, he knew
Shadow Clone Jutsu
Itachi had already mastered this technique long ago. There was no reason for him to need the scroll again. And yet, he had taken it. Read it. Then returned it
Fugaku's grip on the scroll tightened slightly. His gaze remained unreadable, even as thoughts swirled beneath the surface
Shisui studied him briefly but said nothing
Fugaku finally looked up.
"Understood"
That was all
And yet, as Shisui turned and left the room, Fugaku remained seated, the weight of the scroll lingering in his hand
-=Chapter End=-
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