Chapter 37 – A Blessing in Disguise, A New Skill
The serene waters of the Konai River shimmered under the sunlight, its broad surface carrying the figures of three boys and one girl—some standing, some lying down.
The freshly-formed Water Clone, "Taichi," stretched his limbs experimentally before walking over to where Yōhei was lying flat on the surface. He lifted the bamboo basket from Yōhei's back and slung it over his own shoulders.
"How about now? Without distractions, won't your training go a bit faster?" the clone asked before heading further downstream to continue clearing the riverbed.
"Do your best, Yōhei-kun!" Saori cheered from nearby. She then bent down with renewed focus to pick up more trash. After all, the mission itself was already heavy enough. Even with Taichi's Water Clone lending a hand, it still required the caster's direct control. Splitting focus between two tasks would never be as efficient as having two separate people.
Watching his teammates quietly shoulder the burden for him, Yōhei suppressed the emotions surging in his chest and turned his full concentration back to practicing the Water-Walking Technique.
On the riverbank, Captain Yamaguchi reclined against a large stone, observing everything. He couldn't help but nod approvingly, pleased that the squad members supported and encouraged each other.
The only thing that surprised him was just how skilled Taichi was with Water Release. His chakra control and mental strength were remarkable—after all, a Water Clone was not the same as a Shadow Clone. It lacked independent will, meaning it had to be directly manipulated at all times. The effective range of that control depended entirely on the user's spiritual stamina.
Morning gradually slipped away, punctuated now and then by the occasional splash. After eating the rice balls they had prepared beforehand, the three continued their "grand task."
By the noisy hours of the afternoon, after a whole morning of practice, Yōhei finally managed to stand on the water's surface. His stance was still shaky, and each step forward had to be taken with utmost caution.
Even so, he had begun shuffling along the shallows, picking up trash as he went. Being able to contribute to the mission filled him with motivation. No longer was he just an onlooker helplessly watching his companions work.
From a distance, Taichi—still busy with his own part—noticed Yōhei's determined efforts and smiled in satisfaction. A teammate who understood their struggles and pushed himself harder to help… that feeling was the truest reward of camaraderie.
By the time the sun began to sink, scattering crimson rays across the Konai River, the three of them collapsed onto the large stone at the bank, utterly spent. To speed up progress, Taichi had even split off a second Water Clone in the afternoon. He hadn't anticipated how exhausting it would be to control two clones at once. At this point, his head felt as though it were splitting from the sheer strain of chakra consumption. Still, the mission was finally completed right on time.
At that moment, their squad leader reappeared in a blur, materializing beside them. Yamaguchi's eyes widened slightly as he glanced at the spotless riverbed. He had expected the cleanup to drag on until nightfall, not to be finished by sunset.
He didn't pry further, instead asking, "Well? How are you holding up? If there's no problem, let's head back—we can still make it in time to submit the mission today."
The three exchanged weary looks, then pushed themselves upright. Their actions alone made their answer clear.
Seeing their weary faces, Yamaguchi turned toward the Mission Hall, deliberately controlling his pace so that the three exhausted genin could keep up.
Mission Hall
Inside, Captain Yamaguchi carefully demonstrated to his team how to submit a completed mission. After going through the procedures, they finally received the day's payment—5,000 ryō.
By rule, half went to the captain, while the rest was split among the squad members. But when it came time to hand Yōhei his share, he shook his head.
"I didn't really contribute today. Most of my work was done by Taichi. I don't feel right taking money I didn't earn."
Taichi and Saori exchanged a look and nodded. It was fair. Contribution should match reward; if they were in Yōhei's shoes, they would have made the same choice.
So the two of them split the 2,500 ryō, each walking away with 1,250. A full day's labor for such a small sum—barely enough to cover simple meals.
"That's enough for today," Yamaguchi concluded. "Go home and rest well. We won't be taking missions tomorrow—use the time to train and absorb what you've learned today. Our next meeting will be the morning after tomorrow, at 9 o'clock, same place, Mission Hall. Dismissed."
With that, he vanished in a flicker, leaving the three standing in silence.
It was Taichi who broke it first:
"Come on, let's head back. I'm dead tired—I really need some rest."
"Yeah." ×2
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Back Home
After throwing together a quick meal to fill his stomach, Taichi collapsed onto his bed. The searing pain in his skull still hadn't subsided, a splitting headache from the day's effort.
It reminded him of what he'd once read about Shadow Clones—the recoil effect when they disperse. Maybe Water Clones weren't quite the same, but the strain on his mind couldn't be that different. No wonder the Multi Shadow Clone Technique was ranked a forbidden jutsu. It really was dangerous.
But his suffering wasn't without reward. His efforts to maintain the Water Clones had unexpectedly triggered his panel, unlocking two new skills: Chakra Control and Chakra Shape Transformation.
[Congratulations! By sustaining Water Clones for an extended duration, you've unlocked Chakra Control Lv5 (0/800)]
[Congratulations! By stabilizing Water Clone form over time, you've unlocked Chakra Shape Transformation Lv6 (0/1000)]
Both unlocked at relatively high levels—Lv5 and Lv6. But it made sense. His foundation wasn't from scratch. Medical ninjutsu relied heavily on precise chakra control, and Taichi's medical ninjutsu was already well-trained.
As for Shape Transformation, nearly every elemental jutsu demanded both Nature Transformation and Shape Transformation. He had been practicing it all along, even if indirectly.
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Name – Matsushita Taichi
Profession: Genin Lv1 (64/100)
Talents: Diligence Makes Up For Lack Of Talent, Scholar, Enhanced
Age: 7
Constitution: 19
Strength: 20
Agility: 18
Spirit: 23
Chakra: 13,100 (15,400)
Attribute Points: 13
Skill Points: 14
Elemental Nature Transformations
Fire: Lv6 (835/1000)
Wind: Lv6 (373/1000)
Water: Lv5 (593/800)
Yang: Lv6 (455/1000)
Core Skills
Chakra Shape Transformation Lv6 (0/1000)
Chakra Control Lv5 (0/800)
[Other Skills…]
Evaluation: First day on missions and already tired like a dog. You've got a long way to go, kid.
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The panel hadn't changed much overall, but those two new skills were a major breakthrough.
Chakra Control was straightforward: fine-tuning the flow of chakra within the body. Since unlocking it, Taichi could clearly feel the difference. A jutsu now consumed about 5% less chakra, while its power and precision increased by 5%. That trade-off wasn't just "1 + 1 = 2." The higher the jutsu rank, the more significant the difference would be.
Chakra Shape Transformation, on the other hand, governed the very form and structure of techniques. At higher levels, a simple single-target attack could be reshaped into wide-area destruction. The pinnacle of this skill lay in the countless variations of the Rasengan.
Thinking of the potential these abilities opened, Taichi felt a surge of eagerness to train right away. But his body wouldn't allow it. His head throbbed with each breath, making even moving unbearable.
He sighed.
Yes—he'd have to be careful. Especially once he learned the Shadow Clone Technique. Even with his unusually high spiritual power, today had nearly broken him. For an ordinary genin, attempting this would already have been fatal.
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