A Year

Early that morning, at a medium-sized Training Ground somewhere in Konoha, two Higashino Makotos stood facing each other.

Suddenly, one of the long-haired Higashino Makotos reached back to his Ninja Tool Pouch, then flicked his hand forward. Several Shuriken shot toward the other Higashino Makoto at high speed.

The Shuriken flew straight at their target, fast and true, with no curve to their trajectory. They lacked the flashy flourishes of the Uchiha Clan's style.

The defending Higashino Makoto held a Kunai in reverse grip in his left hand. Amid a clatter of metal, he knocked the Shuriken aside, drew the Kurogane Wood Short Sword from his back with his right hand, and clashed with the long-haired Higashino Makoto as he charged in.

Both attacked at incredible speed, every strike aimed at a vital spot, yet each blocked the other's blows. They kept changing positions, fighting first on the ground, then among the trees, then back down again.

For a while, their figures darted like ghosts through clouds of dust. Kunai and Shuriken flew everywhere, and the clanging never stopped.

Suddenly, the long-haired Higashino Makoto kicked his opponent away. As the other fell back, he swiftly flung four Kunai from both sides.

The long-haired Higashino Makoto quickly formed hand seals.

"Wind Release: Great Breakthrough."

A gale dispelled the attack, then swept the Kunai back toward his opponent.

The short-haired Higashino Makoto had intended to block the Ninjutsu with Earth Style Wall as usual, but this time he decided against it. Instead, he burst Chakra through his legs, dodged the technique at high speed, and used Body Flicker to appear behind his opponent. He drove his blade into the long-haired Higashino Makoto's back.

"Poof!" His opponent burst into a cloud of white smoke.

The short-haired Higashino Makoto let out a muffled groan and dropped to one knee. His left hand instinctively went to his stomach. He wasn't injured, but a sharp, painfully real ache pulsed there.

Both were Higashino Makoto, but one was a Shadow Clone. To tell them apart, the clone had used Transformation Jutsu to give himself long hair.

Shadow Clone was a fascinating technique. It could create one or more solid clones out of thin air using Chakra, and almost no one in the Shinobi World could tell them apart—not even Kaguya Otsutsuki.

Its drawbacks were that it couldn't withstand blunt force beyond a certain level, or slashes and stabs from ordinary sharp weapons.

It also divided the user's Chakra evenly among the clones. Before disappearing, a clone transmitted the pain of its injuries, along with its experience and memories, back to the original.

It was a good technique for gathering intelligence and misleading enemies, but it was best avoided by Ninja with too little Chakra or too little willpower to endure intense pain. Otherwise, they could end up getting themselves killed.

That was just the Shadow Clone Technique, which could only create a small number of solid clones. With Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu, an ordinary Ninja could easily get themselves killed.

There was a reason it was classified as a Forbidden Jutsu. It was simply too dangerous for ordinary Ninja to use.

Why was Naruto the only one who dared to use it like that? Because he had Uzumaki Clan blood—and, more importantly, at least two dads to help him bear the backlash.

Kurama: "???"

Asura: "???"

Ever since learning the Shadow Clone Technique, Higashino Makoto had been using his excellent Chakra control to gradually create clones with less Chakra, so they wouldn't divide his Chakra evenly and would become more practical.

At the same time, he regularly fought his clones to train his combat skills and reflexes, while also building up his tolerance for pain. So when he attacked, he really went for it, stabbing straight at vital spots.

Unfortunately, since the clones were himself, they knew each other's habits too well. The training improved his reflexes, but gave him very little actual combat experience.

But the pain he got back was just as intense.

After gathering up the Ninja tools scattered around, Higashino Makoto climbed to the very top of a tree and sat down. He took a sip of the nutritional drink Higashino Megumi had made for him, then gazed at Konoha in the distance, which looked much the same as ever, and pondered his next Training Direction.

More than a year had passed without him even noticing. He was now over five years old and had grown quite a bit taller.

Tensions in the Shinobi World were mounting. After his fifth birthday, his father, Higashino Jiro, had once again been sent to the border on a garrison mission.

His mother, Higashino Megumi, worked at the hospital as usual.

Over the past year, the four of them had occasionally gone on outings together, sharing training tips and honing their wilderness survival skills along the way.

But since the new school year began, Gekko Hayate had formally enrolled, while Uchiha Shisui, whose talent stood out, had begun training under the guidance of the clan's Ninja alongside other promising young members. They rarely had a chance to go out anymore.

Uzuki Yugao was no exception.

The adults understood the situation in the Shinobi World very well. No one knew when war would officially break out, so every clan with any sense had started intensifying the training of its younger generation, hoping they would survive the war.

People always said to rely on the team and trust your comrades, but every Ninja knew that when things came down to it, their own strength was the best way to stay alive.

Over the past year or so, Higashino Makoto had learned the basic Three Body Techniques, the standard Body Flicker Technique, basic Konoha Style Swordsmanship, and several Ninjutsu, Genjutsu, and the Shadow Clone Technique.

These techniques included Wind Release: Great Breakthrough, Earth Release: Headhunter Jutsu, Earth Release: Earth-Style Wall, Water Release: Water Formation Wall, and Genjutsu: Not Here Technique.

They were all common techniques, and the highest-ranked among them was only B-Rank. The Higashino Family were Commoner Ninja. Even with three generations' worth of accumulated knowledge, they didn't have any Ninjutsu above B-Rank, let alone a distinctive swordsmanship tradition like the Gekko or Uzuki clans were developing.

With Higashino Makoto's precise Chakra control, learning them hadn't been difficult. His body had also grown stronger day by day from absorbing White Natural Energy, and his Chakra Amount was quite substantial. At the very least, he wouldn't run dry after using a few C-rank techniques.

Of course, the highest-ranked technique he had mastered so far was the A-rank Rasengan. After all, it was the only technique in the original story whose principles and training method had been explained in detail. How could he not copy it, as a Transmigrator?

But by now, Higashino Makoto had noticed a problem.

Whether it was the Rasengan, which he couldn't use openly yet, or his other techniques, none of them seemed to fit the combat style he envisioned. The reason was simple: they were too inefficient.

Of the three disciplines—Ninjutsu, Taijutsu, and Genjutsu—Ninjutsu was the flashiest. It was also what most children imagined a Ninja should be like.

Who wouldn't want to wipe out their enemies with one dazzling, powerful technique, bask in their comrades' admiration, become Hokage, marry a beautiful, wealthy woman, and reach the pinnacle of life?

But the reality was that Ninjutsu consumed the most Chakra. With the pitiful reserves of an average Commoner Ninja, a Ninjutsu artillery style simply wasn't practical. They were better off using a technique to support their team, then standing aside and throwing Shuriken and Kunai. That was how they would fight for their entire lives.

Higashino Makoto had a natural way to cultivate Natural Energy. He was sure that as his training progressed, he'd never lack Chakra. Even so, he still wasn't impressed by Ninjutsu.

Unless you poured a huge amount of Chakra into a technique to expand its range and sweep the battlefield, ordinary Ninjutsu was unlikely to hit anyone. Ninja usually used it to launch surprise attacks or force their opponents to move.

The mighty Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique had even become a merciful technique. He'd never seen it burn many people to death.

Was Ninjutsu weak? No. Most Ninja had high attack power but low defense. Even a Kage Level Ninja would die if hit by a Great Fireball while completely unprepared. The problem was that Ninja moved so quickly that it was easy to dodge, which made Ninjutsu seem inefficient.

In the thousand years since Ninja first appeared, what had killed the most Ninja? Unremarkable metal weapons like Ninja swords, Shuriken, and Kunai.

Compared to killing an enemy with Ninjutsu that required hand seals, killing them with a Kunai was clearly faster and conserved more Chakra.

The path Higashino Makoto envisioned for himself was to master Taijutsu that was both swift and powerful. With Natural Energy continuously transforming his body, he believed he'd become stronger than anyone else.

Next, he would develop attacks that could be unleashed instantly through a Ninja sword or hidden weapons, complementing his Taijutsu and increasing his lethality.

In his mind, something like the Sword Qi from the wuxia novels of his previous life would suit him better.

And as it happened, the Shinobi World had techniques like that.

A typical example was the Wind Release: Vacuum Sword used by Jonin Shirakumo Hayama in the future, or the Wind Style Shuriken and Wind Style Kunai that Pot Kage Danzo coated with Wind Release Chakra.

Danzo could even form a sword directly out of Wind Release Chakra. That old schemer was certainly a shady character, but there was no denying that few in all of Konoha could surpass his mastery of Wind Release.

As it happened, Higashino Makoto had Wind Release Chakra, saving him the time it would have taken to cultivate its nature from scratch.

With that in mind, his next Training Direction was clear.

He should devote all his time to Chakra Nature Cultivation, drawing on the experience of those who came before him without being constrained by their methods, and developing a Combat Formula of his own.

With the foundation in Chakra Theory that he had been steadily building, along with the knowledge from his previous life, he was sure it could be done.

Of course, that didn't mean he should stop learning Ninjutsu. Just as mastering precise Chakra control made ordinary Ninjutsu easy to learn, reaching a high level in Nature Transformation would make it remarkably easy to learn advanced techniques of the corresponding nature.

A little extra preparation saved a lot of trouble later.

Besides that, he couldn't neglect Medical Ninjutsu. It was an extremely practical discipline, and would also deepen his control over Chakra.

After finishing his train of thought, Higashino Makoto had recovered his strength. He immediately put on his heavy Weighted Equipment and began working out again.

The metal bars slotted into his Weighted Equipment now weighed twice as much as they had a year ago.