Naruto: Stormbreaker Chapter 87

I sat on the only chair in my flat, looking proudly at the eleven plates laid out in front of as I began my feast. The people of Konoha had been unusually generous over the past few days whenever I ditated outside in my usual park. I'd beco a minor attraction, with residents gathering to watch quietly. Sotis children even playfully imitated . They seed convinced I was training seriously to beco a monk, so naturally, I embraced the role wholeheartedly.

I bought a third-hand monk robe, made a few careful adjustnts, and now it fit perfectly. This only made the crowds more enthusiastic. Apparently, they found my dedication charming, or perhaps amusing. On one morable day, an actual passing monk had even nodded respectfully in my direction, as if acknowledging a fellow devotee. At that mont, I'd wondered if I really had the potential to beco a true monk soday. However, recalling a vague mory from my past life of an Akatsuki mber tossing around monks like laundry quickly changed my mind. Perhaps I wasn't quite cut out for that path.

Still, this newfound popularity translated into extra ryo, enough that I could afford to feast like a king once or twice a week. My al today was exceptionally delicious. Thanks to steady practice and the consistent use of shadow clones for cooking and cleaning, my culinary skills had vastly improved. Using clones was practical since the mory kickback from mundane tasks was minimal, and it freed up ti for serious training.

Earlier this morning, I'd left a shadow clone to handle the cooking while I trained outside. The clone had stared at indignantly for about ten solid minutes, silently protesting his assigned chore. Eventually, he'd surrendered to logic once he realized that he would technically be the one to eat the food. When I returned ho, his greeting was predictable, a defiant middle finger raised high. Honestly, it had beco a standard greeting between my clones and , and I never took offense, how could I, when technically it was myself doing it, to myself????

I was in the middle of my hearty al when suddenly, a strange sensation gripped . I paused, chewing slowly as a vague feeling of unease crept into my chest. It felt as though I'd lost sothing or forgotten sothing important, but no matter how hard I tried, nothing specific ca to mind. I sat perfectly still for several minutes, ntally checking every aspect of my schedule. There was training with Master Shuzo later today, but I still had a bit of ti before I had to be there.

"Hmm…" I murmured to myself, glancing around the small flat uncertainly. When nothing obvious presented itself, I shrugged my shoulders and returned to eating, ignoring the nagging feeling.

Once I finished, I made a quick hand sign and created a fresh shadow clone. The clone appeared, looked at the ss on the table and floor, and groaned in exasperation.

"Seriously? Clean after yourself, asshole!" he snapped.

I simply smiled and raised a middle finger. "I have training in fuinjutsu. Can't afford to be late. Get to it."

My clone scowled, muttering sothing under his breath, and returned my gesture grudgingly as he began cleaning.

With a smug grin, I left the flat and headed toward the secret compartnt within the academy library.

My training session was quiet as usual, filled only with the gentle sounds of ink scratching paper and the occasional creak of old wooden shelves while master Shuzo browsed them. I sat at a familiar scroll table, carefully working through another chakra-related seal for the third attempt. Master Shuzo had made it clear my previous handwriting looked like it belonged to a drunken monkey. Apparently, he hadn't ant that as a complint, which confused . Monkeys are aweso, and drunken ones are even more so. Sun Wukong cos to mind.

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Master Shuzo stood silently behind with arms crossed, examining my progress. Occasionally, his gaze drifted to the advanced fuinjutsu shelves as though waiting for one of the scrolls to spontaneously combust or sothing equally alarming.

After what felt like an eternity, I finally completed a seal attempt that looked acceptable. Master Shuzo studied it quietly, then lifted his eyes, gazing intently over my head. Five minutes passed without a single word. Finally, puzzled and concerned he might've fallen asleep standing up, I turned slowly to see what held his attention. He was staring thoughtfully at one of the shelves labeled "Interdiate Seals."

Another few minutes slipped by in total silence. A sudden worry began to creep in. Perhaps the venerable Master Shuzo had finally passed on peacefully, still standing upright, like the legendary Whitebeard did.

I cleared my throat carefully. "Master Shuzo? What next?"

He blinked, startled from his trance, and briefly looked around with evident confusion. A small sigh escaped , saddened by how harshly age treated even brilliant minds. Master Shuzo was a genius in his field, able to visualize seals as three-dinsional patterns within two-dinsional space. However, occasionally he would experience these troubling episodes, becoming disoriented or montarily forgetting his surroundings. He always recovered, but each ti it happened, I glimpsed a shadow of sadness in his eyes. Growing old truly was cruel.

I briefly recalled my previous life, one where I'd never even had the chance to grow old. Perhaps in this life, I'd finally experience the full journey. Hopefully, it would be a happy and fulfilling one.

Without saying a word, Master Shuzo turned abruptly, fetched a scroll from the interdiate shelf, and placed it carefully in front of . The intricate lines and complex arrays of symbols imdiately captured my attention.

"Control Enhancent Seals," he said quietly.

I raised an eyebrow skeptically. "Sounds complicated."

Ignoring my remark, Master Shuzo continued calmly. "You've proven yourself ready. This is your next step. These seals go beyond simple storage seals or explosive tags. They're about shaping your chakra, guiding it precisely. If you intend to move from basic seals to truly responsive and advanced ones, this is where it begins."

I studied the complicated array. "What exactly does it do?"

"This," Master Shuzo replied, tapping the scroll gently, "is what separates soone rely using seals from soone who masters them. Control Enhancent Seals refine your chakra flow. They allow you to control objects and chanisms seamlessly. You give the command, the system responds instantly. You adjust slightly, and it reacts imdiately."

I leaned forward, intrigued. "So they're used to enhance precision when controlling chakra threads?"

"More than that," he said firmly. "These seals will allow you to manage multiple systems simultaneously. With enough practice, controlling two, three, or even more seals at once will feel as natural as breathing. Eventually, you could command an entire array of traps as easily as if controlling a single object."

I frowned slightly, puzzled. "But why start with sothing this advanced?"

"Precisely because it's advanced." He carefully set the scroll down again. "Most shinobi in Konoha never progress beyond basic tags and simple seals. But you're not like most shinobi. If you're serious about reaching the next level, you'll eventually have to control several complex seals simultaneously. Achieving that kind of precise coordination starts right here."

Understanding slowly dawned on , and I nodded thoughtfully. "So this is laying the foundation."

"Exactly," Shuzo said patiently. "You'll use this for chakra-guided traps, advanced weapons, and eventually, anything new you might create. Precision and responsiveness start with mastering this."

"And what happens if I ss up while practicing the seal?" I asked cautiously.

He paused briefly, clearly choosing his next words carefully. "The seal might burn out without causing any major issues. Or it might just stop responding. However," he said slowly, clearly avoiding ntioning sothing worse, "I will personally oversee your training. I'll ensure that nothing too disastrous occurs." His eyes scanned the library's reinforced walls. "And the protective seals here should be sufficient if sothing goes badly."

My eyes widened with alarm, but Master Shuzo gave a mischievous smile, clearly enjoying my reaction.

"Right," I mumbled nervously, "that's reassuring."

Master Shuzo tapped the scroll once more firmly. "Begin by morizing each component. Draw them separately first, with care."

Determined, I grabbed a fresh paper, preparing myself ntally. "Alright then, let's get started, Master Shuzo!"

Master Shuzo settled into the seat next to , watching intently as I began to work.