Bug Body Refinement and Shadow Clone

"Good morning, Zi Xu."

"Morning, Hatsumi. Chino, you're here too. Morning."

After yesterday's planning and organizing, the three of them now shared a common secret, and their bond had unknowingly deepened. Even Chino, usually so aloof, seemed a bit warmer. But whether it was just their imagination or something else, the atmosphere on the streets felt strange as they arrived, and the adults around them seemed odd too. There was a faint, sweet scent lingering in the air.

"You remember what we discussed yesterday, right?" Zi Xu, seeing that Takeshi Goda hadn't arrived at the classroom yet, pushed down the strange feeling and asked in a low voice.

Hatsumi, shedding her usual timid expression, nodded seriously. Chino pressed her palms together and continued along Zi Xu's line of thought.

"Before we break free from Konoha's control, we need to act as normal as possible. The village's shackles won't be undone overnight, and finding a solution inside the village is nearly impossible. To seek a way out, we'll have to look outside. Of course, there's a simpler method—eliminate the one who controls the curse seal... but that's basically impossible for us right now." Ever since the Caged Bird Curse Seal was carved into her, Chino had never given up on the idea of removing it. Even though she hadn't found a solution yet, she had no intention of quitting.

"Right. The Ninja Academy only teaches us harmless jutsu and cultural classes. Our strength grows too slowly. If we want to keep getting stronger, we need to learn more powerful techniques." Zi Xu deeply felt the flaws in the Academy's system. Spending years just to subtly shape a child's worldview—given Konoha's current state, that policy was effective. But the problem was that Zi Xu wasn't really a child. After months of study, he'd already grasped everything the Academy had to offer. Staying any longer wouldn't teach him anything useful.

"That's true, but the Academy decides whether a student can graduate based on their performance. Still, the minimum is three years of study before graduation is allowed."

"But this is also our chance to get stronger. Just because the Academy doesn't teach certain jutsu doesn't mean we can't learn them." When Chino said this, Hatsumi caught on and spoke to Zi Xu.

"The jutsu I know all require Bugs to use, so I can't teach them to you. But my clan has a technique that uses Bugs to absorb Chakra and then release it, refining it to make it denser. There's also the Bug Body Refinement, where Bugs gnaw on the body to improve physical conditioning. Both of these I can use on you."

"The Hyuga Clan's Gentle Fist works best with the Byakugan, but it can still be used as pure Taijutsu. There's also Konoha's Shadow Clone Technique. My Chakra is too low right now, but with your Uzumaki Clan constitution, Zi Xu, you might find it easy to use. And according to my father, when you master the Shadow Clone Technique, you can learn the Multi Shadow Clone Technique. That one's listed as a forbidden jutsu because of its massive Chakra consumption, but it seems tailor-made for the Uzumaki Clan."

"Bug Body Refinement and the Shadow Clone Technique? I don't have much to offer in return, but I'll do my best to find a way to remove your curse seals." Zi Xu hadn't expected to get such unexpected help from these two kids. He might be a bit of a coward, but he always repaid a favor. He meant what he said.

Chino and Hatsumi just thought Zi Xu was joking. If it were that easy to find a solution, things would be simple. Deep down, even they knew the chances of removing the curse seal were slim. But they'd formed this fledgling group to keep from losing hope. Chino had seen too many of her clansmen either end their own lives or become dogs of the Main House after losing hope. She didn't want either option. She just wanted to be a bird that could fly freely out of its cage.

"Maybe I can use the power of the Demon Fruit to counter the curse seal. Like raising poison bugs—the Demon Fruit's rank should be higher than the curse seal's. But I still need to test if a clone can gain the Demon Fruit's power first..." Strange ideas popped into Zi Xu's head. If normal methods couldn't remove the seal, why not try fighting poison with poison? Use a stronger curse to overwrite a weaker one?

Still, hearing that Chino would teach him the Shadow Clone Technique made him happy. The Clone Technique taught at the Academy was just an illusion—no substance, useless for anything. But the Shadow Clone Technique was different. According to Chino, it was developed by the Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju. Compared to ordinary clones, it could take a hit, unlike the flimsy ones that vanished at the slightest touch. Because it was so effective, it had spread across the ninja world and become a staple technique.

What's more, mastering the Shadow Clone Technique could lead to the Multi Shadow Clone Technique. According to Chino, as long as you had enough Chakra, the Multi Shadow Clone Technique could theoretically create an infinite number of clones.

"If the Multi Shadow Clone Technique is that powerful, why not just use a swarm tactic in battle?" Zi Xu was puzzled. If it were really that strong, it would be unbeatable. There had to be some flaw.

"Let's start with the Shadow Clone Technique. The clones have substance, but you can't create too many at once. The Multi Shadow Clone Technique can theoretically create infinite clones, but your total Chakra stays the same. If your Chakra is 100, then creating one clone splits it 50-50 between you and the clone. Similarly, creating nine clones gives each one 10. The more clones you make, the less Chakra you have. It gets evenly distributed. The result is that if someone without enough Chakra uses the Multi Shadow Clone Technique, they'll likely be drained dry." Chino's explanation was thorough, clearly laying out the drawbacks of both techniques.

"Because you're from the Uzumaki Clan, you naturally have a huge Chakra pool. You should be able to master even the Multi Shadow Clone Technique. But it's a forbidden jutsu, and I only have the scroll for the Shadow Clone Technique. So mastering the Multi Shadow Clone Technique is up to you." Chino took a smaller scroll from her Sealing Scroll and handed it to Zi Xu.

"Thanks." Zi Xu accepted the scroll and thanked her. Hatsumi also pulled two pairs of bugs from her bag. One pair looked like rhinoceros beetles, slightly smaller, with horn-like protrusions on their heads and chests. Their heads had three small bumps in a row, and the front of their thoraxes had a T-shaped groove. Their backs were rough and dark. Their three pairs of long legs looked strong, each ending in a pair of claws, perfect for climbing. They were currently in Hatsumi's palm, raising their big horns to gently nudge her hand.

The other pair resembled longhorn beetles, elongated and cylindrical, with slightly flattened backs. Their antennae grew from bumps on their foreheads, allowing free movement and the ability to fold back over their bodies. Their claws were toothed, and they clung to Hatsumi's fingers, their antennae constantly probing forward.

Hatsumi handed the rhinoceros beetle-like bugs to Chino and Zi Xu, then explained:

"The Horned Beetle is for tempering the body. It'll keep hammering your skin with its horn. Since it's blunt force, there won't be any bleeding, and it'll release Chakra to heal the damage. This process helps Chakra integrate better into your body, improves control, and slowly boosts your physique. But the Chakra for healing is drawn from you, so keep an eye on your Chakra levels." Zi Xu watched the Horned Beetle on his hand, constantly poking him with its small horn, and worried a bit about its safety. Could this little guy hurt itself trying to poke through his thick skin?

Hatsumi carefully placed the longhorn beetle-like bugs into their hands. The little bugs seemed reluctant, rubbing their claws against Hatsumi's fingers before leaving.

"These are Refining Bugs. They're very gentle. They absorb your Chakra, refine it, and then give it back to you, improving the overall quality of your Chakra. The two types can work together. The Refining Bug will prioritize giving refined Chakra to the Horned Beetle, maximizing the training effect. You just need to inject Chakra into the bugs." Hatsumi explained patiently, clearly caring deeply for her Bugs and knowing them well. Being around them seemed to relax her.

"Uh, thanks." Both of them accepted the bugs Hatsumi had given them. After all, it was a training secret from the Aburame Clan—it had to have its merits.

"For now, only Zi Xu has a chance to learn the Shadow Clone Technique, but everyone can learn the Gentle Fist." Chino began teaching the Gentle Fist's techniques. She had no goodwill toward the Hyuga Main House. If the Gentle Fist didn't require the Byakugan to reach its full potential, she'd spread it everywhere and break the Main House's monopoly on the technique.

"The Branch Family's Gentle Fist includes acupoint striking, the Eight Trigrams Vacuum Palm, and so on. You can both learn these, though without the Byakugan, your accuracy will drop significantly. As for the secret techniques passed down orally in the Main House, I've never seen them used. If I get the chance, I'll try to learn them." After Chino outlined the Gentle Fist's main moves, Zi Xu felt a strange sense of familiarity, like he'd seen it somewhere before.

"Wait, isn't this the Eight Trigrams Palm, Tai Chi, acupoint striking, and the Void Palm? I should've studied martial arts back then. Maybe I could've combined it with Chakra to start my own school." He grumbled inwardly. But with his constitution, blending martial arts would definitely boost his lethality. After all, extreme defense inevitably leads to extreme offense.

"Fat Tiger's here. Let's talk after school. This weekend, I'll teach you the Gentle Fist." Chino pointed at Takeshi Goda, who walked in with a serious expression.

They immediately stopped talking. But none of them knew that Takeshi Goda was about to bring them some very heavy news.

------Author's Note------

A new book—begging for everything.