Black Cauldron Space

"Shimura!"

Having returned from the Ninja Academy, Shimura Kentei stood before the family gates and looked at the Shimura Clan crest, his heart filled with mixed emotions and misery.

Honestly, as a transmigrator, his starting position was not bad, but it definitely was not good either.

His old man might have been incredibly formidable in the original Naruto story, practically second only to one person in Konoha, but that was the future. The current Shimura Family was truly nothing special.

Although Sarutobi Hiruzen had become Hokage, the important positions in Konoha were still controlled by the Senju Clan. Even though the Senju Clan had lost the First and Second Hokage, two peak-level powerhouses, its foundations were still not to be underestimated.

Not to mention Mito Uzumaki, the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki. Aside from that Ninja World Dancing King who knew which hidden corner he was lurking in, she could be called the strongest of the current era.

Moreover, the Senju Clan's new generation had already grown up. Senju Tobirama's only son, Senju Tōsu, was not much weaker than Sarutobi Hiruzen. Then there were Senju Hashirama's eldest son and daughter, both formidable figures of their generation. Even Tsunade among the younger generation had matured, making the clan truly overflowing with talent.

His Shadow of Shinobi father only held the nominal but powerless title of Hokage's aide. It would still take quite some time before he could develop to the level he had reached in the original story. At the very least, he would first have to cripple the Senju Clan through schemes.

So, the current Shimura Family really was nothing special.

On the contrary, because of its connection to the Hokage, it was opposed by the ninja clan factions and in a very poor situation. Even his mother's death seemed to have been related to this.

Most critically, based on what he had observed over the past few years, conflicts had begun to arise between the Senju Clan and his father's group. This was a struggle for power.

The Senju Clan had likely realized that his father and the others were gradually slipping beyond its control, and it was waiting for an opportunity to replace them with someone easier to control. In other words, during the impending Second Shinobi World War, either the Senju Clan would decline and perish, or the Shimura Clan would be destroyed. The situation was incomparably dangerous.

Shaking his head and no longer dwelling on those matters, Shimura Kentei stepped through the gates and returned to his own residence.

Although his aptitude was terrible and he was not favored by his Shadow of Shinobi father—he had not even seen that father in years—his status as the Shimura Family's eldest young master was genuine. His treatment was naturally not poor, and there was none of that melodramatic nonsense about servants bullying him, depriving him of any chance to show off and slap faces.

Other than being strictly forbidden by that father from accessing the clan's ninjutsu inheritance, everything else was fine.

After returning to his room and shutting the doors and windows, he took a simple bath, then lay down on the bed and looked at the black cauldron-shaped birthmark on his palm.

This was a birthmark he had possessed since being reborn after transmigrating. He had not paid it much attention at first, but after refining his first wisp of chakra, he had gained a mysterious space, which he named the Black Cauldron Space.

"This time, I'll definitely become a real three-minute man!"

After muttering that resolutely, Shimura Kentei quickly fell asleep. His consciousness then arrived within the Black Cauldron Space and entered his duplicate body.

"Sister Keiko, begin!"

He nodded toward Shimura Keiko's duplicate, who stood nearby holding a Bright Silver Spear, signaling that she could begin.

The instant his words fell, countless spear flashes burst forth before him at astonishing speed.

Shimura Kentei reacted quickly, gripping a massive shield with both hands as he met the countless spear flashes.

Clang, clang, clang...

Dull impacts reverberated through the Black Cauldron Space. Shimura Keiko wielded the Bright Silver Spear in a fierce offensive, while Shimura Kentei's defense with the great shield was flawless.

Their back-and-forth clash continued for nearly three minutes.

Splat!

The sharp spearhead pierced through his left eye and passed through his brain, bringing the battle to an end.

Ignoring the pain of having his brain pierced, Shimura Kentei slowly dropped to his knees, using his only remaining arm to cover his lower half as he convulsed in agony.

This Sister Keiko duplicate was genuinely ruthless. She had first severed the left arm holding his shield, then stabbed him dozens of times, covering every vital point on his body.

The other wounds were one thing, but having the most fatal vital point of a man attacked was pain that truly could not be described in words.

Faced with that thrust that wiped out his entire bird's nest in one sweep, he really could not endure it!

"Sister Keiko, you're too shameless! This was clearly a pure taijutsu match, yet you used genjutsu again!"

It took him a long while to recover. Once he stood, Shimura Kentei looked at the expressionless duplicate young woman before him with resentful grievance. His gaze could not help falling on her completely bare body, especially those two dazzling Light Illusory Techniques that could easily blind a person.

That was right. This duplicate young woman, like him, was an honest person who enjoyed meeting others naked. The weapons in their hands were their only external possessions.

This Black Cauldron Space could duplicate other people and form duplicates of them within it.

The duplicates possessed everything their originals had, including physical qualities, techniques, memories, and so on.

Of course, that was all they possessed. They had none of the original person's consciousness or thoughts, and not even emotional fluctuations. Like robots, they merely followed his commands.

Even so, it was already absurdly powerful. Ever since he had created this duplicate of Sister Keiko six years ago, he had fought her in the Black Cauldron Space every night.

From being brutally killed in every imaginable fashion without even the power to resist at the beginning, he had now reached the point where he could hold out for nearly three minutes.

If not for her Light Illusory Technique being too dazzling, he could definitely have lasted a few seconds longer and become a genuine three-minute man.

Faced with Shimura Kentei's shameless accusation, Keiko's duplicate remained expressionless, without the slightest ripple in her cold gaze.

"Again!"

After recovering for a while, Shimura Kentei put down the great shield, picked up a greatsword from the side, and launched into a fierce battle with Keiko's duplicate.

This was one major feature of the Black Cauldron Space. The duplicates it created always remained in peak condition, suffering no depletion of stamina, chakra, or anything else. Even if they lost arms or legs, they could recover to full condition in an extremely short time.

The wound from having his head pierced had healed in only three seconds. Even his completely destroyed bird's nest had reappeared. This trait allowed him to battle endlessly without concern, accumulating combat experience and improving himself to the greatest extent possible.

This time, wielding a greatsword, Shimura Kentei displayed a completely different fighting style from when he had held the great shield. The sword weighed only one-tenth as much as the shield, allowing him to swing it extremely quickly and barely keep up with Shimura Keiko's attack speed.

Unfortunately, the vast gap between their strength still prevented him from becoming a real three-minute man.

The main issue was that Keiko's duplicate's Light Illusory Technique was simply impossible to counter. There was no way to guard against it.

He could not help it. It was simply a man's nature, and very difficult to control.

Still, he was quite satisfied with that. Otherwise, if he really could control such instincts, he would have to wonder whether something was wrong with him, such as having a twisted sexual orientation.

The fragrant yet miserable battle continued for a full ten hours. In the end, Shimura Kentei once again dropped to his knees in humiliation, silently swearing to himself.

Next time, I'll definitely get Sister Keiko a set of ninja tool clothing to duplicate along with her!

There was no helping it. Although the Black Cauldron Space could duplicate people and objects, it had certain limitations. It could not duplicate everything. If it was a person or another living creature, energy had to exist within it, such as a ninja's chakra.

Thus, if the target was merely an ordinary person, the Black Cauldron Space could not duplicate them or create a duplicate.

The same principle applied to ordinary objects, which could not be duplicated unless they were high-grade ninja tools like the greatsword and great shield in his hands, or the Bright Silver Spear wielded by Sister Keiko's duplicate. All of them contained large amounts of Chakra Metal.

If it was not a ninja tool, it could not be duplicated. Therefore, he and Sister Keiko's duplicate were still meeting naked, and she was constantly shamelessly using Light Illusory Technique during battle to distract him.

After estimating the time, Shimura Kentei's consciousness withdrew from the Black Cauldron Space and returned to his body. The moment he opened his eyes, he saw morning light streaming through the window into the room.

"Sister Keiko!"

His nose twitched as he caught a faint fragrance. Turning his head, he indeed found a beautiful figure kneeling beside the bed, engrossedly reading a manuscript.

She was the original body of the Keiko duplicate in the Black Cauldron Space, as well as his fiancée—the child-bride kind. She had even changed her surname to Shimura.

As the Shimura Family's eldest young master and the only son of the Shadow of Shinobi, it was perfectly logical for him to have an older child bride.

After all, if someone chopped him up one day, that would be a problem. It was necessary to have an older child bride in advance to preserve the bloodline, so even if he was truly killed someday, the Shimura Family head's line would not die out.

His Pot Kage old father had been quite self-aware in that regard, making preparations in advance.

Although those precautions made Shimura Kentei feel deeply miserable, they also came with happiness. Compared to his previous life, where he had remained a lonely bachelor until death, an arranged marriage in this life was far more enjoyable. Even dying beneath a peony flower would make him a romantic ghost!

"If you put all your energy into training, you would definitely achieve quite a lot in the future!"

Giving him a sidelong glance, Shimura Keiko continued reading the manuscript in her hands, titled "Ninpō Sōkyū."

Although her little fiancé's thoughts were somewhat filthy and evil, the books he wrote truly were exciting and captivating. The only issue was that they were rather explicit.

"If I didn't write these books, where would I get the money to support you?"

Rolling his eyes, Shimura Kentei was not embarrassed in the slightest as he openly got up and dressed.

She was his fiancée. What was there to avoid?

Besides, they had faced each other naked in the Black Cauldron Space for six whole years. They practically counted as an old married couple already.

As for the money he had earned over the years, although it was substantial, it was nothing compared to the six hundred billion Explosive Tags belonging to that angel young woman from the future Akatsuki Organization.

Even if each of her Explosive Tags sold for only one or two ryō, that was still six hundred billion ryō!

A full six thousand little targets—that was the true richest person in the ninja world!

Of course, there was no need to be intimidated by figures measured in hundreds of millions. The main reason was that the purchasing power of this currency was terrible. Leaving aside this real alternate world, even in the original Naruto story, an ordinary bowl of Ichiraku Ramen cost sixty ryō, while miso ramen cost ninety. Uzumaki Naruto eating a few extra bowls of ramen could make Iruka, a Chunin, cry out in pain, while Chōji could eat Asuma's wallet empty in one barbecue meal. That showed just how low the currency's purchasing power was.

Prices in this real Naruto world were similar to those in the original story, and the purchasing power of money was even lower. One egg cost eighty ryō, while a serving of plain rice cost thirty ryō. This purchasing power was truly touching.

The purchasing power of that currency could also be seen in ninja mission rewards. D-Rank missions paid between five thousand and fifty thousand ryō. That looked decent, but D-Rank missions were generally trivial tasks such as finding cats and dogs, weeding and removing pests from crops, cleaning trash from small rivers, or scrubbing toilets. When such minor work could earn a minimum of five thousand ryō, the purchasing power of that currency could be inferred from the baseline prices.

"That's true!"

Caressing the Bright Silver Spear beside her, Shimura Keiko very much agreed with what her little man had said.

Although these novels were quite explicit, such books had the greatest market, especially among ninjas who lived alongside slaughter and kept their nerves constantly taut. They were even more appealing to them, ideal for relaxation and cultivating one's temperament.

Thus, her little man's books had sold extremely well over the past six years. In the Land of Fire alone, the money he had earned was measured in hundreds of millions.

The materials for her Bright Silver Spear, which weighed one hundred and eight kilograms, alone had cost over ten billion ryō. Ninety-nine kilograms of it consisted of seven types of Chakra Metal.

Chakra Metal was exceedingly precious, countless times more expensive than gold, and generally sold by the gram. One gram cost one hundred thousand ryō.

Others only incorporated a tiny amount of Chakra Metal into their ninja tools. Even ninja tools forged entirely from Chakra Metal were very small.

It was not that ninjas could not wield heavy weapons. Their physical qualities far exceeded those of ordinary people, and with chakra enhancement, they could leap several meters or even more than ten meters high. Kicking through trees and shattering rocks with their fists was effortless. Yet even so, those chakra ninja tools were generally very small.

For example, Hatake Sakumo's White Fang short blade was forged entirely from Lightning Chakra Metal. Yet with that man's wealth and the Hatake Clan's resources, he could only create such a small blade, weighing less than three kilograms.

That was mainly because Chakra Metal was far denser than steel. Otherwise, that small blade would have been even lighter.

"You really set your sights on Uncle Hiruzen? Aren't you afraid he'll investigate and come after you?"

Putting down the manuscript, Shimura Keiko was astonished by her little man's nerve.

He was far too good at courting death!

She wondered whether he would leave her a widow because of it someday.

It would not be easy to find another man who could make money like this.

"You can eat carelessly, but you can't speak carelessly. When did I ever write about that old man?"

Having finished dressing, Shimura Kentei firmly denied it. He would absolutely not admit that the protagonist of his new book was modeled after the Third Hokage.

"Do I look like an idiot to you?"

She glanced at the protagonist's name in the manuscript, Sarutobi Hi no En, then looked at the little man before her, who was not shorter than she was. Shimura Keiko rolled her eyes speechlessly.

Not even an idiot would believe such self-deception.

"It just adds a little immersion!"

Pushing up his black-framed glasses with slight embarrassment, Shimura Kentei knew there was a risk in doing this, but the benefits were simply too great.

Writing purely explicit novels offered limited prospects. Only by appropriately adding famous real-life figures could he maximize the sense of immersion.

After all, everyone had a flame of gossip burning within them!

"We can't handle this on our own. This is Konoha, after all. We need to ask Father-in-law for help!"

Stroking the manuscript in her hand, Shimura Keiko understood that this book would definitely make a fortune, and it would surely become wildly popular in Konoha in particular.

But it was, after all, based on that Hokage uncle. Once he investigated, there would be no concealing it. They had to ask her father-in-law to intervene.

"That was my thought too, but don't give away too much profit. We need a lot of money to make our battle outfits."

Shimura Kentei nodded, agreeing completely with his fiancée's suggestion. He had even been considering the same thing.

However, if he wanted that father to act, he would definitely have to hand over a portion of the profits. He did not know how much that father would demand.

Hopefully, he would not open his jaws like a lion. They truly needed money right now, or he would not have risked writing this Great Liu Bei novel starring Sarutobi Hi no En.

All of a sudden, Shimura Keiko seemed very tired. She yawned and said, "I just got back from a mission. I'm exhausted. I'll sleep here for a while!"

She set down the manuscript, made no attempt to avoid him, and lay directly on Shimura Kentei's bed. Before long, she had fallen asleep.

"It's time to update the data again!"

Excitedly rubbing his hands together, Shimura Kentei took out a small medicine bottle, opened it, and placed it beside the beauty to deepen her sleep.

Only ten minutes later did he extend his hand toward Sister Keiko, who was sleeping like the dead, preparing to update the data of Keiko's duplicate in the Black Cauldron Space.

As for why he had used a colorless, odorless secret medicine to put her into deep sleep and completely deprive her of awareness of the outside world, it was mainly because the method of updating the data was somewhat improper.

(To comply with censorship, this book has created original illusion techniques such as Light Illusory Technique, Canyon Illusory Technique, Abyss Illusory Technique, and so on. Those who understand, understand. Those who do not are good children, and there is no need for them to understand. R!

Following the editor's suggestion, updates before release will be changed to two chapters a day, totaling over six thousand characters. That will not meet the ten-thousand-character daily update promised in the synopsis, but please rest assured that I have saved those chapters. Once the book is released, I will make up for them with continuous massive updates.

Also, before release, this book will update at twelve noon and six in the evening.

And one more thing: a new book needs everyone's care. If you think this book is written fairly well, please cast your precious votes. Thank you!)