The So-Called Clan

Night fell beneath a leaden sky heavy with clouds. Even the moonlight was shut out, and the dark tide of night filled the Uchiha Clan Compound with an oppressive gloom.

At Uchiha Kai's home, the boy stepped out of the bathroom and dried his hair. He heard water boiling nearby.

"It's dinner time, and I'm in a rush. Guess instant noodles will have to do." He stretched, took some vegetables and eggs from the fridge, then opened a cup of instant noodles and poured in the hot water.

"Ha, I've got a little time. Let's see how my training's coming along." The boy covered the steaming cup with his hands and muttered to himself.

Then his hands moved rapidly through a series of Hand Seals.

Ox—Dog—Dragon—Rat—Dog—Pig—Snake—Tiger.

"Shadow Clone Jutsu!"

With a bang, a cloud of white smoke burst into the room. Chakra drained rapidly from his body, and an identical version of Uchiha Kai suddenly appeared before him.

"Eh~" "Eh~" The two Uchiha Kais greeted each other at the same time. Even the way they waved was identical.

"Who are you!" "Who are you?"

"Who am I!" "Who am I?"

"I'm you!" "I'm you!"

The boy's playful mood took over, and he immediately began experimenting. He placed his fingers on the Shadow Clone's shoulder and pinched hard.

"Ow! That hurts! What are you doing, original?"

The Shadow Clone yelped in pain and immediately complained. His voice was so loud that the boy's ears rang.

"Hmm, just as I thought. A light hit won't dispel it. It's not like the ordinary Clone Technique, which only creates a fake image." The boy rubbed his chin, deep in thought.

"Obviously! And Shadow Clones feel pain too!" the clone shouted in shock, flailing around in a rather comical way.

"They can also distribute Chakra as needed, and they know all the Ninjutsu the original knows. Most importantly, when they're dispelled, their memories, senses, and even training progress are shared. No wonder this Jutsu is practically part of the Shinobi World's fundamental logic..."

The boy turned his head, completely ignoring the protesting clone beside him.

"Has nobody ever told you that you're a real jerk...?"

"Well, you've got independent thoughts, too. I wonder how those are generated. Am I really that unreliable?" Looking at the clone's restless, obviously clownish behavior, the boy couldn't help questioning himself.

"I'm your clone, so my personality naturally depends on you. I'm you, and you're me. What difference does it make?"

"Enough with the chatter. I gave you half my Chakra, and I still have to keep the Shadow Clone active. That's a pretty big drain for me right now." The boy waved a hand, telling him to stop talking.

"Now, for the final test." As he spoke, Uchiha Kai suddenly drew a Kunai and tensed.

"Wait, wait! You're not going to—!" The clone stared at him in shock.

The sharp Kunai plunged into the Shadow Clone's chest without resistance.

"Poof!" After a muffled thud, the clone vanished, his face twisted in agony. Only his resentful voice remained.

"You're that ruthless even with yourself... What a guy."

The next moment, as the Shadow Clone disappeared, a short memory surged into the boy's mind, along with a slight discomfort caused by the forced dispelling.

"Mm, not bad. Getting hit by a Kunai and dispelled only made me feel a little uncomfortable. And the memories don't come back as a full replay of the experience; it's more like watching a recording. Surprisingly useful."

"But the side effects are from dispelling just one Shadow Clone. If there were ten or a hundred, or even thousands upon thousands, the impact would be more than an ordinary person could bear," the boy mused.

"It's hard to imagine what Naruto Uzumaki must feel when he makes hundreds or thousands of Shadow Clones and then dispels them. Guess that's what you get when you're the chosen protagonist and Asura's reincarnation..."

After musing for a while, Uchiha Kai opened the panel and inspected it.

[Host: Uchiha Kai]

[Body: 4.3]

[Spirit: 6]

[Energy (Chakra): 125]

[Energy Control: Fire (Proficient) Wind (Beginner) Lightning (Locked) Water (Locked) Earth (Locked) Yin (Locked) Yang (Locked)]

[Special Talents: Sharingan (Single Tomoe), Proof of Sweat]

[Skills: Great Fireball Technique, Three Basic Ninjutsu Techniques, Genjutsu—Sharingan, Shurikenjutsu, Konoha Style Taijutsu, Shadow Clone Jutsu]

[Overall Assessment: A shattered piece of porcelain barely repaired, wielding a little power—a mayfly in a chaotic age]

After adding all twenty points of energy from the mission reward, Uchiha Kai's Chakra had reached 125. A new entry, Proof of Sweat, had appeared under special talents.

Its effect was astonishing. The boy had assumed the boost would be negligible, but after receiving the Shadow Clone Jutsu and testing it out, he found he could master it completely and cast it freely in just half an hour.

With his original talent, he would have needed at least half a day of focused study to fully grasp the Shadow Clone Jutsu.

Now, it took less than a tenth of that time. The gap was one most ordinary people could never overcome in their entire lives. It had elevated Uchiha Kai from a run-of-the-mill genius to a talent unrivaled in the Shinobi World.

"So years of hard work and perseverance are being converted into talent? Proof of Sweat really is a fitting name." The boy smiled with satisfaction.

"The future looks bright, the future looks bright."

He rubbed his hands together excitedly. The instant noodles were ready, too. He lifted the lid, and their familiar aroma wafted into his nose.

"Knock, knock, knock!"

The untimely knocking interrupted the boy's movements.

"Who could it be at this hour?" A little annoyed at being disturbed, he walked over and opened the door.

A middle-aged man stood outside, wearing a long robe and sporting short hair. He looked apologetic and carried several packages. A rich aroma wafted from one of the oil-paper wrappers.

"Haha, I hope you don't mind an old man knocking on your door so late," the visitor said leisurely.

"Of course not, Lord Yashiro. As long as I'm here, you can always knock on my door." Uchiha Kai answered respectfully.

"Did you come because of Uchiha Ko, Lord Yashiro?" The boy broached the subject without hesitation, meeting Uchiha Yashiro's gaze.

"Of course—no," Yashiro drawled deliberately.

"I've already looked into that bastard's case. You did nothing wrong—in fact, you handled it exceptionally well. You even took away the excuse some people in the village might have used to stir up trouble. The clan has every reason to praise you."

"So why would we blame you? The clan hasn't fallen so far as that," Uchiha Yashiro said earnestly.

"By the way, are you eating instant noodles again tonight? You're still growing. You won't get enough nutrition eating like that." The man tilted his head toward the steaming noodles on the table and spoke with concern.

"Ah, I added vegetables and eggs, so there's enough nutrition," the boy replied.

"Sigh, that's not what I mean. You're a ninja now. You should take better care of yourself. Staying home all the time and eating nothing but instant noodles is far too meager."

"Here, I got this from the famous beef shop in the village. Young people should eat more meat, right?" Yashiro smiled and held out the oil-paper package. The aroma grew stronger as it came closer.

"Thank you, Lord Yashiro. You didn't have to go to the trouble. Have you eaten dinner? Would you like to stay and join me?" The boy accepted the roast beef and invited him in.

"No, I've already eaten. Besides, I didn't come just on my own behalf." Yashiro declined, then opened another package.

"This is a small gift from the clan to congratulate you on becoming a Genin."

"This scroll contains several Ninjutsu the clan specializes in. If I remember correctly, you have Wind and Fire Chakra natures, right? Most of the clan aren't very skilled in Wind Release, so I found a practical Wind Release Ninjutsu that isn't too difficult to learn. It's recorded in here, too."