"Yo, main body."
Standing in the office was not an ordinary shadow clone.
This one possessed an actual physical form—like Wood Release clones or Earth Release clones.
It was a higher-tier clone technique: a Nature-Release Clone.
Uchiha Yuan had poured half of his total chakra into this clone, then reshaped its appearance.
The result:
A young man in his early twenties, silver-haired, sharp-eyed, handsome, with a gaze like drawn steel.
Yuan had modeled him after a character from his past life—Sakata Gintoki from the anime Gintama.
Yuan nodded in satisfaction.
"From now on, your name is Gintoki. I plan to make you the future leader of Grass Village."
The clone dipped his head. "Understood."
He was, after all, Yuan's own extension—he understood perfectly what his creator intended.
The two exchanged a look—then performed Transformation Jutsu simultaneously.
Yuan transformed into Gintoki.
Gintoki transformed into Yuan.
Kana Uzumaki blinked in confusion. "My lord… why switch appearances with your clone?"
Yuan—now wearing Gintoki's face—replied calmly,
"I'm going personally to the western border to meet the Rain shinobi. There are things I must confirm for myself."
He turned toward Wind-Leader Ōno.
Ōno stepped forward respectfully and handed him a Grass-nin forehead protector.
Yuan tied it around his head as he spoke:
"Ōno. Gather the shinobi. We depart for the western border immediately."
"Yes, sir!"
Ōno vanished with Shunshin.
Yuan looked at Kana again.
"You must behave as usual. No one can suspect anything."
Kana lowered her head. "Yes. My lord, please… take care. May fortune guide your blade."
In the next moment—Yuan vanished completely.
Kana moved to the window.
Outside, on the village square, she saw Grass shinobi rushing in from every direction—summoned by Ōno's emergency signal.
At the front stood Yuan—disguised as Gintoki—side by side with Ōno, both wearing grave expressions.
Kana's gaze lingered on the figure wearing Yuan's chakra.
His chakra felt like sunlight—warm, bright, immeasurably vast.
Compared to his blazing presence, the chakra of the Grass shinobi were mere flickering candles.
But what shocked her most was this:
She sensed the exact same chakra in multiple Grass commanders.
In other words—
many of Grass Village's "leaders" were actually clones of Uchiha Yuan.
My lord… whatever you plan to accomplish, I sincerely hope you succeed.
Soon, more than two hundred Grass shinobi had assembled.
Faces tense, postures rigid—everyone knew an emergency summons meant serious trouble.
But some couldn't help staring curiously at the "new" man beside their leader.
Who's he?
Never seen him before…
A wanderer Kusa-nin?
If he stands beside Ōno-sama, he must be strong…
Ōno stepped forward.
"We have received an urgent report from the western border outpost. A unit of several hundred Rain shinobi has crossed into our land!"
An uproar erupted.
"Damn those Ame-nin!"
"They think Grass is easy prey?"
"Teach them a lesson!"
Ōno raised his hand for silence, then gestured toward Yuan.
"This is my ANBU captain, Gintoki. He will serve as deputy commander for this operation."
Yuan—wearing the Gintoki face—swept his gaze across the ranks.
Wherever his eyes passed, shinobi instinctively stiffened, spines straightening under the weight of invisible pressure.
"Move out."
With a single command, two hundred Grass shinobi leapt into the air and vanished into the forest.
Only Yuan and Ōno remained—then they, too, flickered away.
"The main body finally left…"
Back in the leader's office, Kana stood by the window, still staring at the direction Yuan disappeared.
Suddenly—
"Yo~"
A lazy, almost teasing voice sounded behind her.
Kana turned in surprise—
To see "Uchiha Yuan" lounging back in the chair, feet propped on the desk, eyes half-dead—
the unmistakable expression of a man who desperately needed sugar.
"Gintoki-sama…? What are you doing?"
The clone gave her a dead-fish stare. "Sugar. I need sugar. Kana-chan, fetch me a slice of cake. With cream."
Kana just froze.
From the moment she met Yuan, he had always been cold, composed, intimidating.
This… dead-eyed slacker version of him was beyond anything she imagined.
"Gintoki-sama… if you act like this, people will notice. When the lord returns, he'll be angry."
But she couldn't help it—her eyes softened with amusement.
She had grown accustomed to Yuan's cold mask.
Seeing this expression on his face was… almost adorable.
The clone waved dismissively.
"Relax, relax. I am Uchiha Yuan. And as a clone, I represent the main body's will."
He leaned back dramatically. "And right now, Silver-san reaaally wants dessert."
Of course, Yuan could never have predicted this outcome.
Shadow clones carried their creator's mental imprint.
But when Yuan formed this special clone, he had been thinking vividly about Sakata Gintoki.
Thus, the clone manifested with the exact personality Yuan remembered.
Kana smiled helplessly. "I understand. Please wait a moment."
A few minutes later, she returned—only to find the clone holding a crudely carved wooden sword.
The words "Lake Toya" were etched on the blade.
"Gintoki-sama… here is your cake…"
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