Chapitre 6: An unexpected surprise
"Yasuke, are you joking?"
"Wait! Is that... Shadow Imitation Technique?"
Yasuke's joyful voice echoed, and just as Shikaku was about to question it, he saw a shadow suddenly emerge under his feet, which made him fall silent because that was the sign of being caught by the Shadow Imitation Technique!
As Shikaku's shadow connected with Yasuke's, even Tezo wore a stunned expression, clearly unable to comprehend how Yasuke's Shadow Imitation Technique had managed to bind Shikaku.
Being familiar with the Shadow Imitation Technique, Shikaku closed his eyes to sense what had happened. Soon, he opened them and fixed his gaze on the shuriken not far away. Then, with a wry smile, he said to Tezo, "Tezo, look at Yasuke. That kid had it all planned out from the beginning. His Shadow Imitation Technique was set up in three stages, and your shadow was just a part of his strategy!"
"Is he really that good?"
Listening to Shikaku's explanation, Tezo felt like he was dreaming, looking at Yasuke with disbelief.
Yasuke, in front of his elders, naturally had to maintain a humble image. So, after smiling, he explained to Tezo, "Uncle Tezo, the first time I used the Shadow Imitation Technique was mainly to get Uncle Shikaku close to you. You see, the Shadow Imitation Technique has a limited range, but if I connect to your shadow first and then to Uncle Shikaku's, wouldn't that force Uncle Shikaku to jump towards those shuriken?"
As he spoke, Yasuke pointed to the shuriken behind Shikaku, and Tezo showed a look of sudden realization.
Those shuriken were the ones Yasuke had thrown at the beginning, posing no threat to an elite like Shikaku.
But who could have imagined that Yasuke's strategy ran so deep, calculating not just the landing spots of the shuriken but also forcing Shikaku to jump towards them to evade.
So, upon understanding the reasons behind Shikaku's defeat, even Tezo's gaze towards Yasuke changed, now resembling the look Shikaku had earlier, completely seeing him as a "prodigy."
"Shikaku, your Nara clan is on the verge of rising!"
With a mix of envy and admiration, Tezo sighed and smiled wryly, thinking why there was no prodigy like Yasuke in the Akimichi clan.
Shikaku, hearing Tezo's exclamation, smiled proudly.
Taking out a scroll from his pocket, Shikaku gave Yasuke an appreciative look while saying, "Well, Yasuke, let's say you won by a stroke of luck this time. The scroll is yours, but remember to train diligently, okay?"
"Got it!"
Receiving the scroll from Shikaku, Yasuke's eyes lit up with joy as he quickly stored it in his ninja pouch.
Just as Yasuke, filled with enthusiasm, was about to head home and start training the Nara clan's secret techniques, Shikaku's stern voice rang out again.
"But Yasuke, remember, you won this time by sheer luck. You must train hard. Our Nara clan's Shadow Imitation Technique is indeed powerful, but if you're as careless as you were now after binding someone, hmph! The one who loses will be you!"
With a cold snort from Shikaku and a sudden "smack" sound, Yasuke saw his Shadow Imitation Technique binding Shikaku's shadow break, sending chills down his spine.
From that moment, Yasuke realized why Shikaku had said those words after his victory.
Indeed, as Shikaku mentioned, the Shadow Imitation Technique was formidable, but one must not underestimate the many strong opponents in the ninja world because of it.
Take, for instance, Nara Shikamaru from the original storyline, who faced life-threatening situations several times due to overreliance on the Shadow Imitation Technique's power.
So, Shikaku's stern admonition was a wake-up call for Yasuke. After Shikaku's strict reprimand, Yasuke felt not the slightest resentment, only deep gratitude for Shikaku's guidance.
"Uncle Shikaku, thank you for your guidance!"
"I will train even harder and strive to become a ninja like you!"
Everyone loves to hear compliments, and Shikaku was no exception.
Sure enough, after Yasuke's words, Shikaku smiled again, walked up to Yasuke, and gave his shoulder a firm pat.
"Alright, Yasuke, you've been training hard for a long time. You must be tired. Go home and get some rest!"
"Got it, Uncle Shikaku!"
Stretching his sore wrist, Yasuke sighed both at the prowess of the jonin and at his own weakness.
In fact, even if Shikaku hadn't reminded Yasuke not to get cocky over a small success and had he not realized the significant gap between himself and a jonin, Yasuke was already planning to train hard once he got home, aiming to gain the strength to stand toe-to-toe with a jonin. In his sparring with Shikaku, Yasuke had fully grasped his shortcomings and the strength of a jonin.
Originally, Yasuke had somewhat looked down on the jonin who appeared as mere extras in the original storyline. However, seeing Shikaku, a ninja known for his intelligence, overpowering him with just physical prowess and no chakra, Yasuke couldn't help but feel disgruntled and set his short-term goal to become a jonin.
As Yasuke was bidding farewell to Shikaku and Tezo and was about to head home, Tezo's voice stopped him.
"Uncle Tezo, is something wrong?"
"Nothing much, just a little something to give you."
Hearing Yasuke's question, Tezo smiled and tossed Yasuke a scroll, saying, "Uncle doesn't have anything fancy. Our Akimichi clan focuses on our secret techniques, so consider this scroll a gift. Remember to follow Uncle Shikaku's advice and train your clan's secret techniques first before moving on to what's in this scroll, okay?"
"Got it!"
Nodding earnestly, Yasuke was surprised by the unexpected bonus.
Especially when he opened the scroll and skimmed through it, discovering it contained the training method for the Shadow Clone Technique, Yasuke hurriedly thanked Tezo and dashed home, eager to master the so-called "cheat" technique of Shadow Clones.
After Yasuke left and his figure gradually disappeared, Shikaku sighed, "Tezo, are you preparing for that plan?"
"Yeah, our Akimichi clan doesn't have a genius like Yasuke, so we have to plan early."
Sighing, Tezo recalled Yasuke's performance and smiled, then half-jokingly and half-seriously said, "Shikaku, remember to nurture Yasuke well! We owe too much to his father, Lunay. Besides, with such remarkable talent, if your Nara clan doesn't intend to nurture Yasuke, don't blame the Akimichi clan for stepping in!"
"Hahaha, as if that's possible!"
"Starting tomorrow, the Nara clan's resources will be directed towards Yasuke!"
"Tezo, you'd better go back and think about the talents in your Akimichi clan!"
As Shikaku finished speaking, Tezo put on a troubled expression, making Shikaku laugh again.
Meanwhile, Yasuke, who had hurried back home, silently opened the two scrolls he had painstakingly acquired, even as the heads of the Nara and Akimichi clans discussed him.
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État de l’alimentation hebdomadaire
-- Classement
Power Stone 
-- Power
stone