Misunderstanding Resolved

"..."

Tsunade sat up, showing little reaction to the kid's teasing. Once she sensed that some of her Chakra had returned, she rose to her feet and looked around.

It seemed they were upstream of the Naka River, in the woods northeast of the village. Further east lay the open wilderness, where Training Grounds 1 through 44—centered around the Forest of Death—were commonly used by Konoha ninja.

"That kind of 'clone'..."

Tsunade suddenly spoke, musing, "Was it some kind of 'Summoning Technique'?"

"Why would you think that?"

In the shadows of the woods, pale moonlight slanted across half of Wu Yu's face.

"..." Tsunade said, "There is a summoning technique that uses a Blood Contract to summon the souls of the dead into this world, then controls them as puppets with curse techniques."

She turned back and looked at him expressionlessly. "Don't you think its effects are very similar to your technique?"

Wu Yu smiled. "Am I dead?"

"..." Tsunade said nothing.

Wu Yu laughed. "You're talking about Impure World Reincarnation. It was in that huge pile of stuff 'you' wrote down for me."

As a doctor who wrestled with death for people's lives, Tsunade had read extensively. Naturally, she had seen the many ninja techniques recorded in Konoha, including Forbidden Jutsu. Though she would never practice Impure World Reincarnation, she had certainly read about it.

And under the original body's orders, Mysterious Clone Tsunade had written down every technique she knew.

"But that technique requires a living person as a sacrifice for the dead to descend. Does an innocent fourteen-year-old Ninja Academy student like me look like someone who could secretly get hold of a living human sacrifice in Konoha? The Anbu would've found the clues and hauled me away ages ago."

Hearing Nakamori Wu Yu say that, Sasuke Uchiha, standing in the shadows some distance away, found it utterly unbelievable. Every inch of you reeks of weirdness and absurdity, and you call yourself innocent?

Summoning the dead, living sacrifices—just listen to the things you people were talking about!

Wu Yu said, "Besides, since you received that clone's memories after it was released, you should know perfectly well... did I really place any kind of puppet-control effect on 'you'?"

"..." Tsunade remained silent, merely staring at Wu Yu.

"The true principle behind my special Clone Technique..."

Wu Yu stepped out of the shadows and into the moonlight.

"If you insist on asking..."

Tsunade stared at Wu Yu and saw him put on a resolute, serious expression as he said, "Then I don't know either."

Tsunade: "..."

"...?"

Sasuke had been quietly eavesdropping and listening attentively. He never expected that answer, and could not help revealing a speechless dead-fish stare.

Seeing that Tsunade did not seem convinced, Wu Yu raised both hands. "I really don't know! I just suddenly discovered this ability. If there's some problem with it, that's someone else's problem anyway—it has nothing to do with me. In short—I can summon clones who are 'other people, but acknowledge me as their original body.' That's all!"

What did he mean, other people who acknowledged him as their original body?

Sasuke Uchiha practically wanted to knock some sense into Wu Yu. Could something like that really still be called a Clone Technique?

Wu Yu said to Tsunade, "You're the First Hokage's granddaughter, the Third Hokage's disciple, the idol of all medical ninja, and one of the renowned Sannin. I don't want you to misunderstand me as harboring ill intent, so I'm willing to explain myself."

This woman had such an impressive background? Sasuke looked at Tsunade in uncertainty. Such a powerful expert, yet Wu Yu had subdued her so easily?

"How about this? Seeing is believing."

Wu Yu extended one index finger from each hand and said to the silent Tsunade, "You can borrow the power of that rabbit inside you. You should be able to clearly sense the flow of Chakra within my body..."

"Haotu," Tsunade suddenly said.

"Huh?" Wu Yu had just formed a cross Seal with his two index fingers. "Oh, looks like you've already named the little guy. Very good." Before his words had even finished, Tsunade began to change.

As Haotu's Chakra flowed through her body, Tsunade's ears sharpened like those of a forest elf, while dark crimson Sage Mode Markings swiftly appeared over her eyes and forehead.

"Wait." Haotu Mode Tsunade suddenly formed a Seal. With a Poof, her entire body transformed into a bald man with a face full of flesh. "If you don't want your information leaked by your own... so-called 'clones,' you'd better disguise yourself with Transformation Jutsu first."

"You care about me that much?"

Wu Yu smiled. "Could it be that what the clones return isn't just memories, but loyalty to the 'original body' as well?" Seeing Tsunade's gaze turn hostile, he changed the subject. "Why turn into this bald guy again? Do you know him well?"

"Very well. He's one of my biggest creditors."

Bald Tsunade snorted. "You too, kid over there. You know Transformation Jutsu, right?"

Suddenly called out, Sasuke Uchiha silently formed hand seals as well. With a Poof, a cloud of white smoke dispersed from his body, and he turned into a bald man identical to Tsunade's current appearance.

Wu Yu did not mind either and used Transformation Jutsu to take the same form.

Once the three bald men had gathered, Wu Yu formed a cross Seal with his two index fingers. Good—the instinct telling him, This move will work, had not vanished just because he was transformed—

Poof

A cloud of smoke abruptly appeared before Bald Wu Yu. When it dispersed, it revealed... well, Wu Yu did not recognize him anyway, but judging by the style of forehead protector he wore, he was a ninja from some minor village whose name Wu Yu could not recall.

This newly summoned Mysterious Clone was even more confused and at a loss than Mysterious Tsunade or Mysterious Kaguya. He blankly glanced at the three identical bald men surrounding him in a triangular formation, then suddenly vanished with another Poof.

Bald Sasuke said, "If that's all it is, then the Shadow Clone technique you used earlier combined with Transformation Jutsu could accomplish the same thing. It's nothing special."

Bald Wu Yu ignored him and only said, "Why did he dispel so quickly? Who was that guy's original body? Was his Clone Technique proficiency that bad? He couldn't even maintain it for a minute?"

Though that was what he said...

Yet inwardly, he was startled!

Because the instant that Mysterious Clone had dispersed, all its memories had returned to him!

"I see! There are two modes for the memory return of a Mysterious Clone..."

Wu Yu understood at once.

First, the original person of a Mysterious Clone appeared to be completely random—for the first try to be Tsunade and the second Kaguya had simply been his good luck.

Second, the duration a Mysterious Clone could be maintained depended entirely on the Clone Technique proficiency of its original person.

That random passerby from the little ninja village earlier had been unable to hold the clone for even a minute before it dispersed; Tsunade's limit seemed to be a little over one day and one night; as for Kaguya Otsutsuki, Wu Yu suspected that if she was willing, she could maintain it forever unless he dismissed her himself.

Lastly, when a Mysterious Clone dispersed, its memories might return directly to its original person, or they might return to Wu Yu's own mind.

The difference was that memories returned to their original person were likely like those from a dispelled Shadow Clone Technique—personal experiences, like playing a VR game.

But the memories returned to Wu Yu himself were like the less-than-one-minute memory he had just received: purely images and sounds from what felt like a surveillance camera's perspective, without any emotions or experiences.

"A trick combining the Clone Technique and Transformation Jutsu? No, definitely not..."

After releasing her Transformation Jutsu, Tsunade remained in her Sage-transformed Haotu Mode. Throughout Wu Yu's technique just now, she had carefully sensed the flow of Chakra within his body.

And what she sensed was... no Chakra movement at all.

Nor had even the slightest amount of Chakra been consumed.

Clearly, a special clone had been created, and there was even a trace of nearly nonexistent, lowly Genin-level Chakra within that special clone...

This simply defied all common sense. How could something truly be created out of thin air with no expenditure whatsoever?!

"What does his 'Clone Technique' use up, exactly?"

Tsunade stared at Wu Yu and silently pondered. The markings on her face, her pointed ears, and her other Sage Transformation traits gradually faded away.

"The misunderstanding's cleared up now, right?"

Wu Yu held out his hand toward Tsunade for confirmation. "Right?"

Tsunade nodded, then saw Wu Yu extend a hand toward her.

"The misunderstanding is cleared up." Tsunade reached out and slapped his hand, treating it as a high-five to seal the promise.

Wu Yu rubbed his reddened palm and smiled. "Then it's settled. I'm only explaining all this because I trust you, so you can't reveal my secret to anyone else."

Sasuke Uchiha was inwardly alarmed. Am I going to be silenced?

Tsunade glanced at Wu Yu. "This clone of yours..."

"I call it a Mysterious Clone."

"I can keep the matter of your Mysterious Clone secret," Tsunade said. "But you should know this yourself: since I could come looking for you because of suddenly received memories, others can naturally do the same. Even if you use Transformation Jutsu to disguise yourself every time you use this kind of clone, as long as you communicate with a Mysterious Clone, you will inevitably reveal information about yourself, which its original person may discover."

"We'll deal with that when it happens." Wu Yu waved dismissively. "Besides, aren't you here? I've told you so much already. If anything happens, surely merciful Lady Tsunade won't stand by and do nothing, right? What's more..."

He looked toward Tsunade's abdomen.

"Only now you know to call me Lady Tsunade?"

Following Wu Yu's gaze, Tsunade lowered her head to look at her abdomen as well. "You should know that I can't just ignore this, can I? This seems like..."

She reached out and touched her abdomen. "A creation like a Tailed Beast... it's too incredible. That Mysterious Clone you summoned... the one called Kaguya Otsutsuki—what exactly is she?"

"Stop calling them 'beasts,' it sounds awful. Rabbits are so cute."

Wu Yu said, "If they need an umbrella term, call them Spirit Immortals."

Jade Rabbit: [Wu Yu, you're so nice! Spirit Immortal, hehe, that sounds so nice!]

Haotu was also shouting excitedly within Tsunade's body: [Tsunade, I am the Spirit Immortal, Lord Haotu, personally created by Mother and named by Lord Wu Yu! Wahahaha~~]

I was the one who named you, wasn't I?

Tsunade grumbled inwardly, but still looked seriously at Wu Yu. "I 'was' your Mysterious Clone, so I understand very well. As long as you want to ask, a Mysterious Clone will tell you everything it knows—so you must already know perfectly well what kind of existence Kaguya Otsutsuki is."