Chương 24: Chapter 24: Clone Control

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

Morning.

At the Ishikawa household, in Kiyoshi's room, a series of wooden clones dissipated one by one.

By using his wood clones, Kiyoshi had managed to almost fully learn the Genjutsu techniques recorded on the scroll.

As he put away the Genjutsu scroll inherited from his great-grandmother, he released his wood clones, and his mind was flooded with the experiences and memories they had gathered while practicing the various Genjutsu techniques.

To avoid any unexpected side effects, Kiyoshi had carefully dismissed the clones one at a time.

But even then, the overwhelming amount of information merged together, leaving him feeling dizzy and lightheaded.

"Phew... I think I rushed it a bit too much."

Feeling exhausted, Kiyoshi rubbed his temples with a wry smile.

"Getting all my clones to work together on a single jutsu is one thing, but practicing dozens of different Genjutsu simultaneously is on a whole other level."

"The chakra expenditure and physical fatigue aren't the main issues. It's the mental strain from absorbing so many different Genjutsu at once. The information overload is just too intense."

"If I'd taken a more cautious approach and spread out the reabsorption over a couple of hours, I wouldn't have ended up in such a mess."

He let out a deep breath and held up his right hand, causing thick wooden branches to emerge.

In the blink of an eye, they morphed into a new wood clone.

"Alright, I'm leaving the house to you today. I need some sleep."

As he lay down, Kiyoshi knew that if he lost consciousness, his wood clone would vanish.

But this wasn't a case of passing out, he just needed some rest to restore his mental strength, which was quite different.

---

Two hours later.

"Aaaah—!" Kiyoshi stretched with a lazy yawn, now fully refreshed. "I'm back to full health."

Instead of dismissing his wood clone, he simply fist-bumped it to reconnect, receiving the memories the clone had gathered.

He raised an eyebrow, intrigued. "Oh? Kurenai-nee went out?"

Noticing that his grandmother was still resting, he decided not to linger inside and instead headed out for a walk.

With a flourish, he extended his hands, transforming them into branches that sprouted two more wood clones alongside the first, making a total of three clones.

"There are the puppet blueprints I designed on the table, along with that storage scroll filled with materials from Tenten's family. I trust you guys can handle it. I'm leaving it all to you."

"And remember to keep an eye on Grandma too—I'm heading out."

Seeing the three clones, identical to himself, Kiyoshi left the work to them without a second thought.

With his perfectly restored Yang Release power, he could recover not only physically but also mentally, and he was back to his energetic self without a hint of the earlier exhaustion.

Humming a tune, hands casually tucked in his pockets, he strolled away.

The blueprints for his new type of puppet were already detailed down to each part, so with three clones working together, the project should be completed pretty quickly.

Worst case, he could check their work when he returned and fix any mistakes or issues.

Watching their carefree original body leave, the three clones exchanged glances, their mouths twitching.

"Wow, even the most ruthless boss isn't as bad as you. Truly worthy of being... me."

"Less talking, more working!"

"Let's go, fellow comrades! Let's give it our all!"

---

"Ah, nothing beats a bit of sunlight to clear the mind."

In the streets.

Basking in the sun, Kiyoshi walked with a content smile on his face.

As a Wood-Wood Fruit user, he could absorb energy directly through photosynthesis. This ability could even replace normal food intake for maintaining his physical health.

In other words, Kiyoshi could essentially live without eating.

Yet, he still enjoyed savoring delicious food and didn't want to give up on such a simple pleasure in life.

So even though he hadn't eaten since the day before, he felt no hunger.

As for the famous Ichiraku Ramen, of course, he'd tried it.

It tasted decent, but didn't live up to the hype, so he seldom went. Maybe everyone just has different tastes.

To him, grilled meat sounded way more appealing than Ichiraku Ramen.

"Kiyoshi!!"

Suddenly, a familiar voice, filled with delight, called out from behind him.

Before he could react, a shadow blurred toward him like lightning, moving at incredible speed thanks to the Body Flicker Jutsu.

Kiyoshi's eyes widened, but it was too late to dodge.

With a thud, he was knocked down, landing flat on the ground.

A playful, lively figure straddled him. "Heh, finally caught you again, kiddo..."

A mischievous face hovered close, eyes gleaming with excitement. In her hands, she held skewers of dango, her lips still glossy from the snack.

She wore denim shorts and a white T-shirt, which did nothing to hide her well-toned curves.

Her legs, firm and full of energy, pinned down Kiyoshi, who, at only eight years old, was no match for her strength.

She looked down at his face, her gaze intense.

Licking her lips, she chuckled. "That Kurenai is so overprotective of you! She treats me like some kind of threat, won't even let me visit you at her place these days."

"Your big sis Anko absolutely adores you, you know that, right?"

At that moment, Kiyoshi felt the eyes of passersby fixated on them, some with expressions of curiosity or surprise.

Sweat beaded on Kiyoshi's forehead as he struggled to breathe, managing to gasp, "Anko-nee, it's been a while... Could you let me get up first?"

Oh no!

This wild, shameless woman had always had her eyes on him.

There'd be no escaping from her today.

---------------

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Chương 25: Chapter 25: Double Illusion

"Whoosh—"

In the outskirts.

A small stream flowed gently nearby.

All around, towering trees formed a dense forest.

Having barely managed to shake off Anko's relentless teasing, Kiyoshi fled here in a bit of a mess.

"She's a true maniac," he muttered, wiping imaginary sweat off his forehead.

His face was covered with an embarrassing mixture of lipstick smears and saliva.

There was no need to ask who was behind it all.

Although Anko kept saying she liked him, Kiyoshi knew better. Was that really affection?

More like a craving for his physique and his boyish looks!

"If only my little buddy was stronger, and I didn't have to hide my Wood Release, I'd teach that woman a thing or two."

Feeling somewhat annoyed, Kiyoshi crouched by the river to wash his face.

"Come on, buddy, don't let me down."

A thin line of water splashed.

The young eagle still had time to grow, wobbling as if it were ready to take flight.

"You've done well so far, the rest just takes time."

In a few years, what would Anko be? No trouble at all.

After finishing his "Water Release," Kiyoshi felt much better and tilted his head, considering, "Since I have nothing to do, maybe I'll go find Tsunade-nee."

He closed his eyes slightly.

An impressive sensory ability.

In an instant, he sensed the whole of Konoha, easily locating Tsunade's familiar chakra signature, strong and close to him.

"Hm?" Detecting something unusual, Kiyoshi squinted slightly, a mocking look flashing in his eyes.

On the outside, however, he remained calm.

"Heh, Kiyoshi?"

A chilling killing intent filled the air.

A shadowy figure suddenly appeared before him, wielding a blade that gleamed coldly, swinging it straight down at Kiyoshi.

It was as if they wanted him to know they were testing him, gauging his strength.

"Zzzt—" In the blink of an eye.

Kiyoshi seemed frozen in place, stunned, unable to react.

The sharp blade sliced through his shoulder with precision.

In an instant, his whole body split in two.

Yet, no blood spilled.

Instead, his form dissolved into a dark mist.

In the next moment, the mist gathered, and he reappeared a few meters away, unscathed.

"What!?" The shadowy figure, masked and clad in black, stared at him in shock.

Holding his blade, he couldn't believe his eyes as Kiyoshi stood there, unharmed.

"Damn… an illusion!"

His expression changed as he instinctively leapt back, hands forming a release seal.

"Release!"

"Whoosh…" Sure enough, the thin figure before him vanished.

But now it reappeared several meters to his right.

Thwip! Thwip! Thwip!

Three shuriken tore through the air, flying at him with lightning speed.

"So fast, when did he even…?"

Seeing this, the masked figure felt a chill in his heart.

"Clang… clang…" His blade swung repeatedly, blocking the incoming shuriken.

Kiyoshi reached into his tool pouch.

Grabbing a well-maintained kunai that gleamed in the light, he charged at the figure, shouting, "Who are you?"

"Heh, overestimating yourself…" Seeing Kiyoshi rush at him with a kunai, he mockingly smiled.

He had let his guard down earlier.

But a mere kid who hadn't even killed anyone before?

Lacking any real combat experience, this brat decided to fight him?

Without hesitation, he moved forward.

"Ah…"

Seemingly frightened by the intimidating killing intent, Kiyoshi skidded to a halt mid-charge.

He trembled, his face paling.

"A kid's still a kid, scared stiff by such a small display."

The masked figure smirked in satisfaction.

But as he neared, he saw something unexpected—a strange smile on Kiyoshi's previously frightened face.

Kiyoshi pointed around them, gesturing for him to take a look.

"Damn it… How is this possible!?"

The masked figure's eyes widened.

A quick glance around sent chills down his spine.

All around him, countless images of Kiyoshi filled the scene.

Countless, densely packed, easily in the thousands.

"Another illusion? Release…"

He instinctively bit down on his tongue.

With the sharp pain and the taste of blood in his mouth, the numerous images vanished from all sides.

Relieved, he managed a small smile behind his mask.

However—

The smile on his face froze in the next instant.

His limbs were suddenly bound by massive vines that had emerged from the ground.

Behind him, a giant carnivorous flower grew, blossomed, and then swallowed him whole.

"Ahhh—"

His scream echoed in terror.

He lost consciousness, sinking into endless darkness.

"Thud—"

The masked figure's eyes rolled back as he collapsed.

Standing there, having never moved from his spot, Kiyoshi kept his hands in his pockets. "Too easy. Just a double illusion, and he's done for..."

"Clearly not much of a pro."

He didn't bother to wonder who the masked man was.

He didn't need to, it was obvious. It was either Hiruzen or Danzo who had sent the guy to test him.

Now, at least, he had some backing as Tsunade's student. There was no longer a need to keep such a low profile.

"Hm?"

Several meters away, a white-clad figure watched from a hidden perch on a tree branch, perplexed.

"What… just happened?"

Having observed the entire scene, he realized that the little brat, who couldn't have been older than eight or nine, hadn't moved from his spot the entire time.

The masked man, who had appeared and rushed at him, had somehow managed to collapse on his own, screaming as he fell.

---------------

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