I forced myself to stand while still trying to shake off the sensation.
My body wasn't tired, nor was my chakra drained. With the clone returning, my chakra reserves had even increased from their near-depleted state.
But mentally, it felt like a weight had settled over me, simply from processing everything the clone had experienced during its training session.
However, I wasn't about to let that slow me down.
Stepping into my mindscape, I conjured a mental clone and immediately felt the familiar dip in my spiritual energy.
The clone looked at me.
"Study the execution of B-rank techniques."
Its expression shifted slightly. "Which ones?"
"All three."
I gestured toward the space around us.
"Take what I've learned today. Break down the activation chains of the techniques, particularly the stages between chakra manipulation and release. I want to understand how each stage contributes to the final effect."
The clone nodded.
"Then determine how much of that process can be transferred to my threads." I paused. "Don't simply reproduce the techniques. I want the underlying method."
The clone understood immediately. "Reduce the casting time."
"Exactly." I looked toward the distant mountains of the mindscape.
"Hand seals are useful for understanding the foundational structure, but they're still sequential. My threads don't have to be."
The clone's eyes narrowed in thought. "If the processes can be separated, they can potentially be performed simultaneously."
"That's what I want you to find." I said and extended a single chakra thread from my fingertip. It hovered between us, perfectly still.
"For every B-rank technique I've studied, determine which stages can be prepared beforehand, which can be performed simultaneously, and which must remain sequential. Then find the shortest possible chain from chakra manipulation to release."
The clone nodded. "And if I find that certain stages can be maintained independently?"
"Then determine whether they can be assigned to separate threads."
A faint smile appeared on his face. "So you're trying to turn the casting process into parallel execution."
"Yes." I dismissed the thread. "Reduce the time between intention and release. I don't care if the technique takes longer to master. Once I understand the process, I want to be able to execute it faster than someone relying entirely on hand seals."
The clone turned away. "How long?"
"Until you understand it."
He stopped. "That's vague."
"It's supposed to be."
He sighed and walked toward the mountains.
I watched him disappear into the distance before closing my eyes and returning to reality.
The mental clone would do what it was created to do.
Study, deconstruct and refine what I already knew, and when it returned, I wouldn't need the entire experience, only what it had developed.
Heh. Mental clones are still better than Shadow clones when it comes to learning new techniques.
…
With that settled, I walked back into the house, picked up a few essentials and placed them inside my storage pouch.
At this point, I was looking forward to what poison Aiko might have cooked up and how my body would react to it.
Voluntary poison training. Because apparently that was the sort of idea I considered reasonable.
I couldn't resist the smirk that made its way to my face. I needed resistance.
Non-lethal exposure first, then gradual escalation.
A shinobi didn't always die from a kunai or jutsu; sometimes death came from something invisible, something swallowed, inhaled, or injected before the fight had even begun.
This was a necessity in this world where a shinobi could kill you by slipping an insect into your nose and straight to your heart.
I get the shivers just thinking about it. But I digress, Poison art is one sure way to kill an enemy.
The idea came to me in the quiet moments between plans…like all the best ones did.
I pushed the door open and stepped outside, the morning air cool against my skin and I allowed myself a moment to enjoy the feeling before refocusing.
Time to go find Aiko. Let's get poisoned.
…
Konoha: Civilian District
Main Lotus Store, Third Floor Hall
Sunlight streamed through the wide windows of the top floor, illuminating the shelves stacked with scrolls.
Yet now, it was the stillness in the hall that pressed down like a waiting breath.
Aiko sat at the table, her hands crossed over her chest, a faint tension in her shoulders. "He asked me to poison him."
The words weren't loud, but they lingered for a while.
Daichi blinked first, leaning forward slightly, "Come again?"
Hina's brow barely twitched. She was already studying Aiko's expression.
"He requested it," Aiko repeated, slower this time. "According to him, it's voluntary exposure. Controlled. He calls it resistance training."
Daichi scoffed, shaking his head. "Of course he does." He crossed his arms. "Not even back on his feet a full day and he's already out here playing mad scientist with his bloodstream."
Aiko didn't laugh. Neither did Hina.
Hina said nothing at first. She pulled out a blank scroll which she set on the table and picked up a brush.
"Details,"
Aiko answered without delay. "Low-dose paralytic. Mild tremors, possible nausea. I'll monitor the entire session. He insisted it be done today."
Hina stopped mid-stroke. "Today?"
Aiko nodded once. "He's on his way here now. He said he wanted to see how his body reacts."
Hina was silent for a moment. "And what poison are you using?"
"A paralytic extracted from a plant native to the Land of Rivers," Aiko said. "I studied its properties and diluted it heavily. At this concentration, it should only leave him with slight tremors, and a bit of nausea."
Daichi muttered under his breath, "Sounds like a fun date."
Hina ignored him. She dipped a brush in ink and began sketching a quick chart. "If he's planning repeated exposure, then his internal systems will eventually adapt. But you'll need to vary the compounds. No point in building tolerance to a single root extract."
Aiko paused as her expression turned dumbfounded and she asked hesitantly. "You…you're not going to stop me?"
Hina looked up, eyes cool but thoughtful. "No."
She rolled the scroll shut and tied it. "Murakami doesn't make casual decisions. If he asked for this, it's because he's already planned steps ahead."
Daichi shrugged. "Just hope one of those steps doesn't involve one of us dragging him to the hospital half-conscious."
Hina stood and moved to the window, watching the buzz below. "He's pushing his body to evolve. That's fine. But I want records. Dosages, reactions, timing…everything. If he's gambling with his system, we'll be the ones cleaning up if it goes wrong."
Aiko gave a tight nod. "I've already started documenting. I'll handle the first dose today. He'll be under watch the whole time."
Daichi grunted, heading toward the stairs. "Well, if he starts convulsing, call me after he stops drooling."
"Wait, Daichi." Aiko stopped him and turned to Hina. "You're really not going to try to talk him out of it?"
Hina's eyes didn't leave the window. "If I tried to stop Murakami from every reckless idea he had, we'd never get to where we are today."
There was a short pause before she continued.
"But if he asked you to do this," Hina added, "it means he trusts you. That's not nothing."
Aiko's expression softened. "I'll be careful."
"Make sure of it," Hina said. "We can't afford to lose him. Not now. If anything happens to him—"
She didn't finish as footsteps echoed in the stairwell.
Daichi glanced over his shoulder towards the door. "Speak of the devil…"
Hina stood a little straighter, folding her arms. Aiko exhaled softly and turned toward the entrance.
The door creaked open, and Murakami stepped in, not a trace of weakness on his face. Just that familiar calm in his eyes that they were accustomed to.
In the past, Aiko and Daichi might have mistaken that calm for him being lost in thought, perhaps already several steps ahead of everyone else.
But they knew better now.
That look meant he had already made his decision.
Once Murakami set his mind on something, words alone were rarely enough to change his course.
And as though to prove them right, "Morning everyone," he greeted simply with a smile and turned to Aiko. "Let's begin."