After leaving the Hokage building, Kazekaze sprinted all the way home. Once he shut all the doors and windows of his bedroom, he initiated his fifth check-in!
[Check-in system cooldown complete!]
[Please confirm: Proceed with check-in?]
Was that even a question? Of course it was [Yes]! And then— Kazekaze sat cross-legged on the tatami mat, pressed his palms together, and began his usual ritualistic nonsense.
"I offer up ten years of Uchiha Madara's lifespan in exchange for one pull of peak luck..."
But this time, his attitude was much more relaxed. If he got something good, great!
"I've already pulled like a god so many times. Even if I get a dud this time, it's no big deal." He muttered to himself, adjusting his expectations.
[Check-in successful!]
[Congratulations, Host! You've received a reward package!]
[Open now?]
"Open!"
Kazekaze confirmed mentally—he was already completely familiar with this process.
As the system's prompt—[Reward Package Opening!]—sounded in his head, countless ninjutsu, kekkei genkai, and rare abilities flashed across his vision like a flickering lantern carousel.
[POP!]
Within two breaths, the screen froze, gleaming with dazzling light.
[Congratulations, Host! You've received the "Naruto Exclusive Gift Pack"!]
Kazekaze:"???"
What the heck? Naruto Exclusive Gift Pack? What kind of item was that? Was it something only Naruto could use? Or... would it give him Naruto as a summon? What was this, a character-raising gacha game now? If they were gonna do that, couldn't they at least throw in Hinata, Kushina, or Kaguya?
[Open Naruto Exclusive Gift Pack?]
"Open."
Kazekaze grumbled in his mind, then selected to open it. He wasn't sure what it was, but it wasn't going to hatch any eggs just sitting there. And then— When the package finally opened, Kazekaze realized he had completely misunderstood.
[Package opened!]
[Congratulations, Host! You've obtained: Shadow Clone Jutsu Lv10, Rasengan Lv10!]
"Ohhh!"
As he saw the rewards, Kazekaze immediately understood. So "exclusive" referred to Naruto's signature jutsu. Even though neither jutsu was invented by Naruto in the original series, they had become his signature combo. Calling them "exclusive" actually made sense.
More importantly— This time there were only two jutsu, but both were insanely powerful.
Take the Shadow Clone Jutsu, for example. It created physical clones using chakra. Each one had its own independent consciousness, and could take hits. And once dispelled, all memories and experiences would return to the original! Unlike the Water Clone Jutsu, it had no distance limitations! For his upcoming mission, it would be a massive upgrade.
As for Rasengan—say no more. Ever since Naruto learned it, most of his major enemies had been sent flying by one.
"And on top of the basic Rasengan, Naruto even developed..."
Giant Rasengan.
Super Giant Rasengan.
Tailed Beast Rasengan.
Planetary Rasengan.
And so on…
And so on…
No exaggeration—mastering just these two jutsu was a qualitative leap in Kazekaze's overall strength!
"Just imagine..."
Kazekaze sucked in a cold breath, stunned by his own imagination. His chakra reserves might not be huge, but he had Hashirama's chakra (*you know like his Hashirama's chakra skill is not the same reserve of his own*) ! He could casually create over a hundred Shadow Clones, have them open the Gate of Limit, then bombard the enemy with Rasengan Barrage. Just visualizing it gave him chills of delight.
"But now that I think about it..."
He quickly shook his head. "If a hundred Shadow Clones all opened the Eight Gates... and then dispelled... I'd probably drop dead on the spot."
With that sobering thought, he reluctantly scrapped the idea.
"It's almost 8 o'clock."
Kazekaze glanced at the time and remembered his appointment with Tobirama. He jumped out the window and dashed to the agreed-upon training ground. Sure enough, Tobirama was already standing before a wooden post, arms crossed. From the look of it, he had been waiting a while.
"You're here, Kazekaze." Tobirama's deep voice echoed, his expression several shades more serious than usual.
"Yeah, I'm here."
'Why does this exchange sound so weird...?' Kazekaze couldn't help but mentally complain.
"You'll be leaving for the border outpost tomorrow." Tobirama paused briefly. "To help you carry out your mission better, I plan to spur you forward— with my ninjutsu— Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
From Tobirama's perspective, the Water Clone Jutsu was completely inferior to his own Shadow Clone Jutsu, whether for combat or intelligence gathering. So he planned to teach Kazekaze his signature technique tonight.
"Shadow Clone Jutsu?" Kazekaze blinked—he hadn't expected Tobirama to actually want to teach him that.
Unfortunately— He didn't need it anymore. Because he had… Already mastered it!
"That's right. This is a ninjutsu I invented—dividing chakra evenly to create physical clones with independent consciousness. Once dispelled, their memories return to the original. No exaggeration—when it comes to intelligence gathering, nothing beats the Shadow Clone Jutsu. And the one who created it... is me!" As Tobirama declared this, his voice was filled with pride.
He was sure any shinobi—especially a seven-year-old—would be deeply impressed. But what Tobirama never expected—was Kazekaze just standing there, completely calm. Looking like he was about to say, "Oh wow, that's so cool."
Tobirama:"???"
Did he not explain it clearly? Did Kazekaze not understand? But he was a genius, wasn't he?
"Kazekaze, did you not get it? I said—Shadow Clone Jutsu creates real physical clones! They have independent thoughts, and pass their memories back to you after dispelling!" Tobirama even raised his voice, pounding his words like they were gospel.
Seeing Tobirama's expectant face, Kazekaze had no choice. He widened his eyes dramatically, opened his mouth into a huge "O", and gasped like he'd just seen a ghost.
"Woooow, that's amazing!"
But this kind of acting wouldn't fool a toddler. Tobirama was even more mentally shattered. Did this brat even know how revolutionary the Shadow Clone Jutsu was?
'I invented that, dammit!'
Just as Tobirama was losing his mind—Kazekaze dropped the act. He brought his fingers together in a cross seal and formed the hand sign. Then—"Shadow Clone Jutsu."
POOF!
POOF!
POOF!
…
As clouds of white smoke erupted, more than a dozen Kazekaze clones appeared before Tobirama.
Tobirama: "!!!"
Once again— Tobirama was stunned.
Again.
And again.
And again.