Chapter 15: Chapter 15: Shadow Clone Practice
The next day, after the weekend had ended, Natsuro's shadow clone arrived at school as usual. He walked to his seat, maintaining his usual low profile and sat next to Naruto, who was typically late, so Natsuro often went unnoticed.
He was perfectly fine with this. Every day, he quietly absorbed various kinds of knowledge. He hadn't finished reading the textbooks provided by the school yet, and once he was done, he planned to ask Iruka-sensei for some additional reading material.
As a ninja teacher, Iruka should know a lot about useful books for ninjas. Even if they weren't part of the curriculum, he surely had some recommendations.
"Good morning, Natsuro!"
At that moment, Natsuro heard a cheerful voice calling him. He stopped and turned to see Ino waving at him with a smile.
"Good morning, Ino" he responded with a smile of his own. Although he preferred staying in the background, it was nice to have someone show concern.
People around them were surprised. When did these two become so friendly? However, they didn't make a fuss about it.
He took his seat and noticed the empty space next to him. He sighed, thinking that Naruto would likely greet him.
But there was a problem: given Naruto's tendency to be late, could he expect him to arrive earlier? They often arrived at school at different times.
As expected, Naruto arrived just in time, looking out of breath, probably having overslept.
"Morning" Natsuro said without looking up from his book once Naruto sat down. It wasn't that he was ignoring Naruto; it was just simpler this way.
"Morning!" Naruto replied enthusiastically. It was rare for anyone to greet him like that, and he wanted to get closer to Natsuro. However, seeing how focused he was on his studies made him reluctant to disturb him with his own small issues.
Soon, class started. Although Natsuro had already studied the material being taught, he still listened attentively.
Whenever he heard a different interpretation or better insight, he shifted his focus from his book to the lesson, taking notes on new perspectives.
These were all essential parts of his growth as a ninja. Even though he knew the plot and many advanced jutsus from his previous life, they were still beyond his reach at the moment.
Natsuro was currently building his foundational knowledge. One day, when he completed this foundation, it would lead to unexpected gains.
Class ended quickly, and it was time for extracurricular activities, typically overseen by Iruka. He closed his book and got up from his seat.
Naruto followed him but noticed that Natsuro's route seemed a bit different today.
"Natsuro, where are you going? The extracurricular activities are over there" Naruto asked, puzzled.
"I'm heading to the restroom. You go ahead" he replied, feeling a bit troubled. If Naruto stayed with him, it would be challenging to perform the shadow clone transfer. He needed to find a secluded place to dispel the shadow clone.
"Okay, see you later" Naruto said, scratching his head.
He breathed a sigh of relief. Finally, he reached the restroom, ensuring it was empty before dispelling the shadow clone, which vanished in a puff of smoke.
Soon, the real Natsuro found a hidden spot, feeling quite pleased. The shadow clone's time had even some remnants left, and he had intended to come earlier. However, after catching a whiff of his own sweat, he hurried back home to freshen up before coming to school.
At this point, he had received all the information from the shadow clone's experience. He saw Ino and also noticed how the shadow clone interacted with people. Since the shadow clone was an extension of himself, the main body would have similar experiences. Essentially, they were the same person.
With a sense of satisfaction, he headed towards the extracurricular activity area. His shadow clone practice had been a great success.
Regarding Ino, he had no particular thoughts at the moment. After all, with his twenty-something-year-old soul, viewing six-year-old Ino was like looking at a small child. He had no interest in lolis or anything of the sort.
As for his physical endurance for extracurricular activities, he found that the intensity was more of a rest for him, so he had no issues.
"Natsuro, you're finally back. Why were you so slow?" Naruto greeted him upon his return.
"Uh, had a bit of a stomach issue" he replied, turning his head. He couldn't tell the truth; once he was more proficient with the transfer, things would speed up.
"If you're not feeling well, you should rest more" Ino suddenly chimed in from the side.
"Yeah, I know" he nodded.
"Good" Ino said with satisfaction before running off to join her group.
Naruto looked at Natsuro with some envy.
"There's no need to envy me. There are actually quite a few people in this class who don't hold any ill will towards you. It's just that you haven't interacted with them" he remarked, looking at the other students.
"Really?" Naruto scratched his head, glancing around at his classmates. Despite Natsuro's words, he still wasn't very confident.
He sighed. It wasn't that they had ill intentions; it was more likely that their parents had advised them to avoid Naruto as much as possible. After all, it was understandable.
If Natsuro had been in the dark about the plot, he might have had similar reservations about letting his own child interact with Naruto. The answer was obvious.
However, he spotted a lazy figure and said, "For example, that guy over there."
"That one? He seems to sleep a lot in class" Naruto noted, seeing the student who was sitting nearby and had caught his attention.
"Yeah, you could give it a try" Natsuro suggested. Shikamaru was known for his sharp mind, so he wouldn't have any special opinions about Naruto. Given Shikamaru's lazy nature, he probably wouldn't cause trouble unless Naruto approached him first.
He vaguely remembered that in the original story, Shikamaru was often a frequent sleeper in class but got along well with Naruto, even if Naruto didn't notice.
If Naruto managed to befriend Shikamaru, the rest would follow easily. Choji would be simple enough, and Neji might be more challenging but manageable. Kiba and Hinata were also feasible targets.
So, making friends was certainly doable.
As for himself, he didn't see much need to make many friends himself. After giving Naruto some advice, he focused on his own tasks. While school extracurricular activities were a break, there were still things he could do during the rest period. Time was precious and shouldn't be wasted.
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone