Looking Ahead to Forty Million

"Begin!"

The moment the words left his mouth, Nara Tsukimi formed a hand seal and summoned the Shadowkhan.

Summoning the Shadowkhan did not actually require a hand seal, but Tsukimi did not mind throwing out a little misdirection. After all, a ninja battle was a battle of information.

Eight figures rose from the shadows beneath Tsukimi's feet: four from the Ninja Tribe, two from the Samurai Tribe, and two from the Troll Tribe. If he wanted to unlock more of their power faster, he needed to use them in real fights, so he had no intention of hiding them.

The two Troll Tribe members guarded his flanks like low walls. The two Samurai Tribe members attacked head-on, while the four Ninja Tribe members spread out. The students watching were stunned. Even Takashi Murakami looked surprised.

"What are those things? Does that even count as ninjutsu?"

"I know the Nara's secret technique controls shadows, but I've never seen anything like this."

"No wonder Kakashi pays so much attention to him. He's incredible."

"Tsukimi looks so cool!"

Among the crowd on the field, Obito stared in astonishment. He remembered the big talk he had given Nara Tsukimi in the classroom yesterday, and, unusually for him, his face reddened.

There were only six shadows on enrollment day, and they were all the same kind. How strong are they in a fight? Was he hiding his strength? Kakashi's expression grew grave.

If Tsukimi had known what Kakashi was thinking, he would have said, You're overthinking it. The eight shadows looked imposing, but their strength scaled with their host's. He was not even at Genin level yet, so the Shadowkhan were weaker still. Their upper limit was not particularly high, either. They were simply good at startling people the first time they appeared.

That was exactly what had happened to Asuma. When Takashi Murakami called for them to begin, he was about to charge, only for his opponent to spring this on him.

In the blink of an eye, the Samurai Tribe members had reached Asuma. Since this was a test, the Shadowkhan carried no weapons. The one on the left threw a right punch, while the one on the right swept out with his left leg. The four Ninja Tribe members moved to circle behind Asuma.

Asuma was the Hokage's son, and his fundamentals were solid. With no time to think, he caught the left samurai's fist, shifted his grip an inch forward, and seized the wrist. He timed a kick to the right samurai's knee, sending him stumbling back several steps. Asuma was not done. He pulled the left samurai toward him and drove his right fist at him.

He had blocked and controlled the one on the left, repelled the one on the right, and followed through with a strike—all in an instant. His fist landed on the left samurai with a poof, and the shadow's body dissolved like a wisp of smoke.

Delight flashed across Asuma's face, but before he could attack again, the four Ninja Tribe members reached his back. All four struck at once. Two seized his wrists and arms, while the other two pinned the backs of his knees.

Asuma tried to wrench himself free, but the samurai in front had already closed in. He slipped his arms beneath Asuma's and locked down his upper body. Meanwhile, the samurai Asuma had dispersed re-formed, stepped forward, and pinned his shoulder joint. Working together from front and back, the six shadows held Asuma fast. He could no longer break free.

Takashi Murakami called out, "Stop. Nara Tsukimi wins."

Ninja Tribe (20%)

Samurai Tribe (18%)

Troll Tribe (18%)

Not bad this time. All three tribes gained six percent toward unlocking. That's much better than the last three. Looks like I should spar more often.

At the teacher's call, Tsukimi released his chakra, and the eight shadows returned to the darkness. Once freed, Asuma steadied himself and rolled his shoulders before stepping forward to make the Seal of Reconciliation with Tsukimi.

But as they made the seal, Asuma's other hand clenched into a fist. His ears were red, and his eyes were full of frustration. He pressed his lips together for several seconds before speaking.

"I'll beat you next time. Just wait."

"All right. I'll be waiting." Tsukimi smiled gently and thought nothing more of it.

As a ninja, Asuma's talent was not exceptional, but he would make a dependable friend. He was still a proud, competitive, rebellious boy. Perhaps a little encouragement would even help him surpass himself someday.

Forty million ryō to look forward to? Sounds good to me!

In the Hokage's office, Hiruzen Sarutobi had watched the entire match through his crystal ball. He was surprised, too.

"So this is the mutated Shadow Secret Technique Shikaku mentioned? Yin Release chakra taking physical form? He really is a genius."

When he saw Asuma lose to Nara Tsukimi, Hiruzen Sarutobi chuckled softly. Young people needed setbacks. Perhaps this one would keep the boy from always butting heads with him.

On the field, Kakashi had just finished his own match. Already at Genin level, he had beaten Genma Shiranui with ease.

After the match, Kakashi went over to Tsukimi and struck up a conversation.

"I paid close attention to your technique during the fight. I noticed a few weaknesses."

Obito and Asuma, who were standing nearby, immediately turned to listen. Obito had seen Tsukimi's strength and wanted to know what to watch for if they met in a practice match. Asuma had just lost to Tsukimi and had not yet had time to reflect on the fight, so he wanted to hear Kakashi's opinion first.

"Oh? Let's hear them." Tsukimi was curious about Kakashi's assessment himself.

"First, your technique looks powerful, but from what I saw, the individual shadows aren't very strong. Seeing them for the first time can throw off someone's judgment. Second, they can't take much punishment. Asuma took one out with a single punch."

Tsukimi nodded lightly, unbothered by the exposure of those weaknesses. The Shadowkhan's shortcomings were obvious: limited strength and limited durability. Anyone who missed them the first time would catch on after a second or third encounter.

Judging by what Tsukimi knew of the Shadowkhan from Jackie Chan Adventures, their strength would top out at Tokubetsu Jonin level—perhaps only Chunin. Early on, they could overwhelm opponents with numbers, but the stronger he grew, the less useful they would become.

What Tsukimi truly cared about were the boosts to nine abilities that the Shadowkhan provided, the Shadow Realm behind them, and Ultimate Darkness—a move that could cover the entire Earth.

"This was only a test. If you haven't solved those two problems by our next practice match, you won't be able to beat me."

Tsukimi nearly laughed. The little white-haired kid did not mince words. Then again, being Genin-level at five years old gave Kakashi every right to be confident. In terms of his own strength alone, Tsukimi had not reached Genin level yet.

It had only been a few days since he put on the Tara Mask. He had not fully absorbed the boosts from the three tribes. Once he adjusted to them, he would be able to defeat Kakashi even without the Shadowkhan.

"I'm looking forward to fighting you." I hope you like the surprise I have in store.