Nature Integration

Ninjas refined chakra by combining spiritual energy and physical energy.

Sage Chakra, on the other hand, added energy from the natural environment on top of that. With all three united, the boost Sage Chakra gave to one's overall strength was practically the ninja world's Super Saiyan transformation...

Wu Yu was extremely tempted.

Although Mysterious Clone Tsunade had said that to cultivate Sage Mode, one's chakra had to have Stamina and Chakra Reserves of at least 9. Otherwise, it would be difficult to maintain the balance between Nature Energy and chakra, and one could easily suffer a fatal backlash—but that was for ordinary people.

But was Kaguya Otsutsuki an ordinary person?

She was the Rabbit Goddess, who wielded the Kekkei Mōra formed from the union of all seven Nature Transformations—water, fire, wind, lightning, earth, yin, and yang! Her realm even surpassed the Sage of Six Paths' Yin-Yang Release, which united yin and yang!

As long as it was a technique related to chakra, she should have been able to wield it effortlessly.

Mysterious Kaguya poured cold water on his hopes. "Even if that clone hadn't been dispelled just now, she still couldn't help. The chakra within her is like a flower in a mirror, a moon reflected in water... Fundamentally, it isn't the same as the chakra this world took from me..."

"So the chakra of the people I summon with Mysterious Clone is actually fake? It's fine for fighting, and they can help out too, but using it to strengthen myself is nothing but wishful thinking?"

Wu Yu scratched his head.

Pale moonlight streamed through the window. Mysterious Kaguya had cascading grayish-white hair, a white robe with wide sleeves, and an aloof, desolate aura. She looked just like a female ghost...

Under her gloomy stare, Wu Yu felt a chill crawl up his spine. Surely this progenitor of chakra hadn't lost her mind and decided to "take back" the chakra in his body that belonged to "her"?

"It's pretty late, huh? Are you hungry?"

Wu Yu changed the subject. "Come to think of it, do clones even need to eat... Damn."

He pulled out his wallet and checked it. His entire fortune now amounted to only around 400 ryō. The bank account his parents had left behind had been emptied at the beginning of this month. If he lived frugally, these 400 ryō would only barely last him another month. If he failed to become a ninja in tomorrow's exam, he would have to go work in a factory tightening screws...

"Clones probably don't need to eat. Hmm!"

Wu Yu tucked away his wallet and headed outside, only to discover that Mysterious Kaguya had floated after him as if she had automatic follow enabled. He hurriedly said, "You should stay—" Then he remembered how Mysterious Clone Tsunade had slipped out to drink earlier that day.

If "Tsunade" were discovered in Konoha, he might still be able to talk his way out of it. But if "Kaguya Otsutsuki," with a pair of Byakugan and a Rinnegan on her forehead, caught someone's attention, there was no telling what might happen...

After some thought, Wu Yu asked, "You should be able to pull off any kind of ninjutsu effect, right?"

Mysterious Kaguya came to a graceful stop and replied gloomily, "Provided there is chakra..."

What a resentment-filled tone!

Wu Yu looked at her forehead. The Rinne Sharingan that should have possessed nine tomoe now had not a single one. That was probably because her chakra was at zero, leaving her ocular power nearly nonexistent.

Out of options, Wu Yu simply said, "Then think of a way yourself. How can you make sure no one notices your existence?"

"..."

Mysterious Kaguya stared at Wu Yu. After a brief silence, her figure visibly became transparent before his eyes, until she finally vanished completely.

Where did she go?

Wu Yu looked around and joked, "Don't tell me your solution was to dispel the clone?"

I haven't even figured out how to use you yet. Don't leave!

"This is Nature Integration..."

A cold voice suddenly drifted out behind Wu Yu's ear, making the hairs on the back of his neck stand up.

Wu Yu whipped around, but saw only the door. No trace of Mysterious Kaguya could be found anywhere.

"By drawing upon Nature Energy... becoming one with it..."

Kaguya's faint voice came from the left one moment and the right the next, surrounding Wu Yu and rising and falling throughout the room, as though she were everywhere.

For an ordinary human to merge with Nature Energy was no different from courting death.

But Kaguya had an immortal body.

Wu Yu laughed in astonishment and could not help praising her. "As expected of the Sage of Six Paths' mom. That's incredible—you can even do that."

He had thought Kaguya's Nature Integration ability could only be used in those special dimensions of hers! Who would have thought... All he could say was that for the Rabbit Goddess, there was only what she had not thought of, never what she could not do.

Wu Yu went out at night in search of food and passed several streets... Not because he was picky, but because he did not have much money in his pocket. He had to tighten his belt this month and find somewhere cheap.

Hm?

At a street corner not far away, a small ramen shop called "Ichiraku" glowed with warm light. Through the curtain, he could see people eating inside. The one on the left wore orange pants—one glance was enough to tell that it was Naruto Uzumaki...

"Hagoromo... Asura..."

Wu Yu had merely stopped to take a few extra looks when he heard Mysterious Kaguya's voice whispering beside his ear, several times more resentment-filled than before.

"Shh! Calm down, calm down." Wu Yu spoke to the air. "Scaring me is one thing, but what if you scare some little kid passing by?"

He smiled at a little girl strolling along while holding her parents' hands, then headed straight for the Ichiraku ramen shop.

"...One day, I'll inherit the title of Hokage!"

Under the warm lighting, Naruto Uzumaki slurped up his ramen and grinned spiritedly at his teacher, Umino Iruka, sitting beside him. "And I'll surpass every single Hokage before me!—Hisss~~"

Umino Iruka, who was treating him to ramen, had been moved by his student's bold declaration. But then Naruto suddenly shuddered. Confused, he asked, "Naruto, what's wrong?"

Naruto Uzumaki hunched his neck. "Nothing. It's just that I suddenly feel kind of uneasy for some reason. How strange!"

Suddenly hearing Teuchi call, "Welcome!" he turned around to see a familiar-looking black-haired boy lifting the curtain and entering. His name seemed to be...

"Nakamori Wu Yu, right?" Umino Iruka said with a smile. "I remember you're a student in Mizuki's class? It's so late—aren't you resting yet?"

Wu Yu nodded. "Hello, Iruka-sensei."

He sat down on Naruto's other side and ordered the cheapest bowl of ramen. "Tomorrow is the graduation exam. I couldn't sleep, so I came out for a walk."

Naruto Uzumaki laughed loudly. "I remember now, you're one of those people from the next class who can't graduate—"

"Hey! Naruto!" Iruka cut him off.

Wu Yu merely smiled, unconcerned. Once the young, pretty waitress brought over his steaming ramen, he took a deep breath, picked up his chopsticks, and started slurping.

Iruka said earnestly, "Tomorrow's graduation exam won't be difficult for Wu Yu, but Naruto... that's hard to say. I'm really worried about you..."

Naruto Uzumaki protested, "Iruka-sensei, don't underestimate me!"

Iruka rubbed his forehead. This year's graduation exam was the Clone Technique, Naruto's weakest subject... But as a teacher, he couldn't exactly leak the exam questions to Naruto here. What a headache.

"..."

Wu Yu quickly finished both the noodles and the broth. Just as he stood up, he caught sight from the corner of his eye of a slender, pale hand emerging in the air and silently reaching toward Naruto's neck beside him.

Holy shit!

Startled, Wu Yu hurriedly reached out and pressed it down.

Naruto Uzumaki felt a pat on his shoulder. Turning around, he looked up at Wu Yu in confusion. "What is it?"

Wu Yu smiled faintly. "Good luck, Naruto!"

Naruto Uzumaki stared blankly as Wu Yu lifted the curtain and walked into the night. Beside him, Umino Iruka said, "Naruto, you think it's strange too, right? Someone who eats ramen that quietly is really rare..."

"That's not it, Iruka-sensei," Naruto Uzumaki said gloomily. "The way he looked at me was even rarer..." It wasn't that disgusted look, like he wanted me to disappear immediately!

Then he lowered his head and resumed slurping his noodles.

"I'm saying, could you at least restrain yourself a little?"

On the way home, Wu Yu only spoke to the air as if talking to himself after he felt he was some distance away from Ichiraku Ramen.

Mysterious Kaguya's indifferent voice came from the air. "The Nine-Tails is inside him... As long as we obtain that Chakra, we can definitely create the 'Sage Art Tailed Beast' you desire..."

Did you really need to tell me that?

With graduation season approaching, who knew how many pairs of eyes were watching Naruto Uzumaki? Especially that old man, the Third Hokage, who could keep an eye on Naruto anytime, anywhere through his crystal ball. Making a move on Naruto Uzumaki at a time like this—was she afraid of not being discovered?

Wu Yu gave her a dead-eyed look. "You're just a clone. Do you really need such a sense of ownership? Besides, you're a clone I summoned. Even if you reclaim Asura's Chakra, what does that have to do with your original body? Your original body, Kaguya, is still sleeping soundly inside the Fuinjutsu!"

"..." The air fell silent.

Did I hit a sore spot?

There was no more conversation along the way. Wu Yu strolled home, spent some time looking over the large scroll left behind by Mysterious Clone Tsunade, then lay down and went to sleep when drowsiness overtook him.

The next morning, Wu Yu stared at the ceiling for a while before saying, "Little Ye, are you still there?"

There was no response for a long time.

What the hell?

Wu Yu jolted upright and saw Mysterious Kaguya's long-sleeved figure slowly appear. After giving him an indifferent glance, her figure slowly faded away again.

Good, she's still here...

Wu Yu got himself ready and set off for the Ninja Academy. Today was the graduation exam.

Which meant that my most urgent task right now was to find a target that Mysterious Kaguya could draw enough Chakra from...

The large tiered classroom was packed with Ninja Academy students.

Boys and girls that age had far too much energy. Once gathered together, even the biggest classroom buzzed incessantly, enough to make one's head hurt.

Wu Yu simply hid by himself in a corner at the edge, waiting for his turn to take the exam in the small classroom next door.

Third time's the charm—or rather, this was already Wu Yu's third graduation exam. There was no novelty left at all, only the boredom of waiting... Just then, someone stepped into the row in front of him, blocking his view.

"Calm down!" Wu Yu looked at the newcomer and pressed a hand toward the air beside him.

Sasuke Uchiha frowned and snorted coolly. "Do I look like I'm not calm? You, on the other hand—I heard this is already your third time. Is there really any point in insisting on becoming a ninja?"

Wu Yu smiled. "How about we make a bet?"

As he spoke, he glanced toward the classroom entrance. It was Naruto Uzumaki's turn to go next door for the exam.

"..." Sasuke Uchiha did not respond, merely watching Wu Yu.

Wu Yu withdrew his gaze and smiled. "If I pass the graduation exam, then you... Your house is pretty big, isn't it? I'll move in with you. How about it?"