"So, what should we do?" his shadow clone asked the real Souji.
"..."
"Wait. Try using the Transformation Jutsu first."
"All right."
"Transformation jutsu." said the shadow clone.
Poff
The shadow clone transformed into Naruto.
[+1]
"..."
'Huh?'
"..."
"What's wrong? Why are you silent?" his Shadow Clone asked.
"..."
"Can you see the system notifications now?" Souji asked.
The shadow clone shook his head.
"When you use a skill, the system counts it." Souji said.
"Really? But what about me now?"
"..."
"What about your chakra?" Souji asked while searching for the data.
"..."
"What's wrong?" Souji asked curiously.
"..."
Souji's shadow clone closed his eyes and let his chakra flow out continuously until only a little remained.
"..."
"My chakra is regenerating." said his shadow clone.
Now, it was Souji's turn to be silent.
"..."
'What the hell?' Souji thought, feeling amazed and confused.
"..."
"Try dispelling yourself." Souji said.
"Are you sure?" his Shadow Clone asked. Souji nodded.
"All right, goodbye." said his shadow clone.
Poff
"..."
'I'm still alive...' Souji thought, breathing a sigh of relief.
"..."
"Wait a minute..."
Souji felt different.
'My chakra capacity has increased!'
The remaining chakra that his shadow clone had was now with him.
'Is it because there was only a little left? Could my body contain that chakra?' Souji thought.
Moreover, according to the information he had, his Shadow Clone's chakra could regenerate. Wouldn't that mean that his Shadow Clone wouldn't be able to run out of chakra normally?
"..."
'What if I dispel my shadow clone with its chakra gradually? From 5%, then 10%, and so on?'
"..."
'A good idea. If my body can't contain it, I just need to get rid of the chakra.' Souji thought.
'Alright, Shadow Clone Jutsu.'
Poff
"..."
"..."
———————————————————
At the Yamanaka residence.
"I'm home." said Ino.
"Welcome home, Ino." said Ino's mother, Noriko. Ino entered and hugged her mother.
"Mom, can I help you cook? Also, could you make extra lunch for me tomorrow? I want to practice with the others." Ino said.
"Practice together?" Noriko asked, looking at Ino.
"Weren't you saying that, you were good enough without needing to practice hard, when you refused to practice with your father?" Noriko asked again.
"Oh, come on, Mom. I'm more excited to practice with my friends."
"Your friends? Shikamaru, Choji, and Sakura?" Noriko asked.
"Shikamaru, Choji, Naruto, and Souji-kun." Ino replied enthusiastically.
"Ara?" Noriko said, covering her mouth. "So it's Souji-kun who makes you excited?"
"Eh? Is it that obvious, Mom?" Ino asked, flushing.
"I don't need the intelligence of a Nara to know that." Noriko replied.
"So, what about this 'Souji-kun'? Is he that handsome, making you this excited?" Noriko added, "Hm... Didn't you say you liked Uchiha Sasuke? Don't you like him anymore?"
"Well... I don't like Sasuke anymore." Ino replied. "Also, Souji-kun is much better than Sasuke. He told me not to be afraid of getting fat because he doesn't want me to look like a bamboo."
Hearing that, Noriko chuckled and said, "So that's your reason for not dieting anymore. I want to meet this 'Souji-kun.'"
"Really, Mom? Maybe I'll invite him sometime."
Then Ino added, "But it might be difficult because he's often with Naruto."
Noriko fell silent when Ino mentioned Naruto's name. She knew who Naruto was from her husband and knew that he was a Jinchuriki, not a demon fox. Unfortunately, Naruto's status was kept secret.
But Noriko was confused. If his status was kept secret, how could people know and call him a demon fox?
"..."
Noriko didn't want to think about it. She asked Ino again, "So, are Souji-kun and Naruto very close?"
Ino nodded. "Yes, because Souji-kun is Naruto's father."
"Eh?"
"..."
Then, Ino explained why Souji became a father to Naruto.
"..."
Noriko was amazed by what she heard. No wonder her child liked Souji. From what Ino told her, Souji really cared about his friends.
"In that case, let me talk to your father so Souji and Naruto can be invited." Noriko said softly to Ino.
"Really, Mom?!" Ino asked happily. Noriko nodded.
"Thank you, Mom! I love you!" Ino said, hugging her mother.
"I love you, too." Noriko said, hugging Ino back.
"..."
"..."
———————————————————
At the Nara residence.
"I'm home." Shikamaru said lazily.
"Welcome home." said Shikamaru's mother, Yoshino.
Shikamaru walked to his room, cleaned up, and changed his clothes. Then, he went to the kitchen. He saw that his mother was cooking.
"Mom, where's Dad?" Shikamaru asked.
"It seems he still has work. Why?" Yoshino asked, still busy cooking.
"Nothing." Shikamaru replied. "Mom, could you make extra lunch for me? Tomorrow, I'm going to training with the others."
"..."
Shikamaru saw that his mother had suddenly fallen silent and hadn't moved at all.
"Mom?" Shikamaru asked worriedly.
"Of course." Yoshino replied suddenly.
"I see, you finally want to move your body without me having to force you." She said, sighing.
Twitch
Shikamaru's mouth twitched at his mother's complaints about him.
"In that case, I'll make even more to thank your friends." Yoshino said happily.
"..."
What was wrong with his mother? Could she really happy because he decided to do some training?
Shikamaru sighed.
'Women...' Shikamaru thought.
"Shikamaru, it seems you're thinking something bad about Mom." Yoshino said, cutting vegetables loudly.
"Ugh, of course not, mom." Shikamaru said, shuddering.
'Haa...troublesome.' he thought.
"..."
"..."
———————————————————
[Ding.]
[Level Up.]
[Transformation Jutsu LV10 (MAX)]
"..."
Almost all of his extra skills reached level 10.
'System, Show my Extra skill.'
"..."
[Extra skill :
Chakra control LV 10 (Max)
Rasengan LV10 (MAX)
Mystical Palm LV1 (40/100)
Shadow Clone LV10 (MAX)
Body Flicker LV10 (MAX)
Clone Jutsu LV10 (MAX)
Transformation Jutsu LV10 (MAX)
Soul sense LV10 (MAX)
Astral Projection LV1 (10/100)]
"..."
'Ugh, there are still two skills that aren't maxed out.' Souji thought.
"..."
'Alright, then. I'll use my shadow clones. I'll use them to improve the remaining skills I have.'
Souji had tried using shadow clones before, and the results had been beyond his expectations.
He didn't remember how many clones he created to improve his skills. The chakra from his shadow clones increased his chakra capacity. He didn't know the limit of how much chakra he could hold. It's just that his [Chakra] attribute didn't increase at all.
'Well, it doesn't matter.' Souji thought.
"Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu."
Poff Poff Poff
"..."
How many shadow clones did Souji make?
There were a total of fifty, which was enough for Souji. He also had to be careful with the side effects of the Shadow Clone Jutsu, even though he hadn't felt those effects yet.
"..."
[+50]
[+50]
[Ding.]
[Level up.]
"..."
[Ding.]
[Level up.]
[Mystical Palm LV10 (MAX)]
"..."
[+50]
[+50]
[Ding.]
[Level up.]
"..."
[Ding.]
[Level up.]
[Astral Projection LV 10 (MAX)]
"..."
Finally, all of his extra skills are at level 10.
Still, he feels lacking, especially in combat. Without the system's help, he would be truly helpless in taijutsu. That's why he can now focus on Taijutsu. However, fighting only his shadow clones wouldn't give him much experience, and fighting Naruto would make him seem like a bully.
Should he ask Hiruzen when he could train with him again? To be honest, he learned a lot from sparring with Hiruzen in Taijutsu.
No matter how they mocked Hiruzen or his title, he was an excellent Hokage, and Souji had to admit it.
Unfortunately, he was weak in his leadership of the village.
"..."
'Again, no human is born perfect.'
"..."
If it were The Chad Chinaman, maybe Souji would take back his words.
"..."
"..."
———————————————————
In the Hokage's office.
"How is the situation on the border?" Hiruzen asked Shikaku.
"Not good. Iwa is conducting continuous guerrilla warfare. According to the reports I've received, Kusagakure and Takigakure may join the conflict." Shikaku replied.
"..."
"Are they likely to side with Iwagakure?" Hiruzen asked.
"Eighty percent." Shikaku replied thoughtfully.
"Is there a way to prevent them from joining this conflict?" Hiruzen asked, sighing.
"..."
"They will ask for compensation, and we really can't fulfill their demands. Even if we do, it can't be guaranteed that they won't betray us." Shikaku replied.
"..."
From the window, Hiruzen saw a messenger hawk.
"..."
After the hawk arrived, Hiruzen read the message it brought.
"..."
"Kusagakure and Takigakure are joining this conflict." he said to Shikaku.
"Immediately send reinforcements to the border and monitor Kumo's movements. They won't remain neutral in this conflict." he ordered.
"Hai." Shikaku responded, then quickly left the Hokage's office.
Sometimes, small things can have a significant impact on a situation. Had Danzo not sent three of his squads to their demise at Souji's hands, perhaps the conflict would not have escalated.
———————————————————
On their way home, Souji and Naruto sensed the village's tense atmosphere and accidentally overheard that the conflict between Konoha and Iwagakure was intensifying. Souji couldn't recall Konoha ever being in conflict with Iwa before. Could it be related to the incident where Kabuto accidentally killed Nono?
Souji wondered. But how could it escalate to this level? Was it because of him? A butterfly effect or something similar?
This means the world is no longer canon, and anything can happen now.
"Dad, are we going to war, too?" Naruto asked.
"The chances are slim, although it's still possible. But don't worry, your dad is here." Souji reassured him. "As long as I'm alive, no enemy will touch Konoha."
'As long as it's not at the Kage level.' Souji added in his mind.
"Why don't we have dinner at Ichiraku? You said you would take me there, right?" Souji suggested, changing the subject.
"Ah! That's right, let's go, Dad! I'll take you there." Naruto replied excitedly.
Souji followed Naruto as he talked about Uncle Teuchi and Ayame-nee.
After a while, they finally arrived at the legendary Ichiraku Ramen Shop.
It was the legendary place inhabited by the Sage of Six Bowls, Souji thought.
Teuchi greeted them. "Oh, welcome!"
"Naruto, huh? All right, and what about your friend?" Teuchi asked, looking at Souji. Unable to see his eyes, Souji thought, 'That must be Rinnegan...or maybe Ramengan?'
"I'll have the same as Naruto." Souji replied.
"All right, please wait a moment." said Teuchi, who then began preparing their ramen.
"Hehe, I'm so happy today. I can finally walk on trees." Naruto said.
Souji nodded. "If you become proficient at that, then I hope you can walk on water, too. If you manage to master it, I'll treat you to ramen. How about that?"
"Really?!" Naruto asked excitedly.
Souji nodded.
"Hahaha! I'll master it as soon as possible, ttebayo!"
It seemed that Souji would have to find some extra income.
'If I can earn a lot of money, then I won't have to bother with missions.' Souji thought. "Of course, missions are also useful for increasing my reputation.'
'But, what business? I don't have any business experience.' Souji thought.
Food? Souji shook his head. It needs capital and effort.
Medicine? No, I don't know anything about that.
'Entertainment?' Souji thought.
'Movies? Comics? Novels?'
'Aha! Light novels. How could I forget? But what about the story? Should I follow the original story? Or change it?'
'This is interesting.' Souji thought.
"Dad, what are you thinking about?" Naruto asked after seeing Souji remain silent for a while.
"Oh, I'm thinking about writing a story." Souji replied.
Teuchi, hearing Naruto call Souji "Dad," felt confused. 'Is his name "Dad"? Or is it what I think it is?'
"A story? Can I read it?" Naruto asked curiously.
"Of course, but I haven't written it yet. Maybe after we get home, we can buy lot of papers so I can start with it." Souji said.
"I can't wait to read it." Naruto said.
"Hey, don't have too high of expectations for my story."
"No way! Your story will definitely exceed my expectations! Ttebayo"
Hearing that, Souji smiled and asked, "Are you trying to encourage me now?" Souji said, ruffling Naruto's hair.
"Hehehe." Naruto felt happy about that.
"..."
"The order is ready." Teuchi said, carrying two bowls of ramen.
He placed them in front of the two of them.
"Finally! Ittadakimasu!" Naruto said, then ate his ramen voraciously.
"Ittadakimasu." said Souji as well.
"..."
'It's pretty good. Does this ramen have a buff or something?' Souji thought.
"..."
"..."