[ Location: Civilian Hotel - Vivan's Room ][ Date: Day 4 of 5 - 10:00 AM ]
The hotel room was crowded.
There were five of me.
"This is weird," Clone 1 said, touching his face. "Do I have a mole there? I never noticed."
"Focus," I snapped from the bed. "We have 48 hours left in this dimension. We need to maximize gains."
I looked at my clones. My Spirit (120) and Body (40) was high enough to sustain four of them without me passing out, provided we didn't do anything crazy like fight a Kage.
"Assignments," I ordered.
Clone 1: "Read Advanced Occlumency. Memorize every shielding technique."
Clone 2: "Practice Energy Control. Levitate that coin until you can do it with your eyes closed."
Clone 3: "Work on Illusion. Make that apple look like a grenade."
Clone 4: "Meditate and try to sense the ambient chakra in the village and expand our Remote Viewing range."
"What about you, Boss?" Clone 3 asked, juggling the apple.
"I," I stood up, grabbing my wallet, "am going shopping. We need better gear."
"Loot goblin," Clone 2 muttered.
"I heard that."
[ Location: Konoha Weapons District ][ Time: 2:00 PM ]
The Ninja Tool Shop was busy. Genin were buying shuriken. Chunin were buying scrolls.
I walked to the counter. The shopkeeper looked bored.
"I need something specific," I said, leaning in. "Chakra Metal."
The shopkeeper laughed. "Restricted item, kid. Military personnel only. Show me a Jonin ID."
'Restricted. Of course.'
I focused.
'Mental Arts: Illusion (Level 2).'
[ Ability Active: Cognitive Shift. ]
I pulled a blank piece of paper from my pocket. To me, it was paper. To the shopkeeper, I projected the image of a signed authorization scroll with the Hokage's seal.
"Is this sufficient?" I asked, pushing the paper forward.
The shopkeeper blinked. His eyes glazed over slightly as the illusion took hold.
"Ah," he nodded, his voice monotone. "Authorization confirmed. Lady Tsunade's signature. Very good."
He reached under the counter and pulled out a long, black case.
Inside was a sleek Chakra Sword. It was a straight-bladed ninjato, the metal dull grey and heavy.
"This conducts chakra perfectly," the shopkeeper said, running a finger along the flat of the blade. "Channel enough energy into it, and it will cut through steel like butter."
"I'll take it," I said, dropping three gold coins.
I grabbed the sword and walked out, instantly storing it in my Inventory.
'Magic wands are great for range. But if someone gets in my face? I need something that can channel a Telekinetic slash without shattering.'
[ Item Acquired: Chakra Sword (Grade A). ]
[ Location: Training Ground 3 ][ Time: 4:30 PM ]
I was walking back when I heard shouting.
"RASENGAN!"
Boom.
A tree exploded.
I stopped. In the clearing, Naruto was training. He was alone. His right arm was still bandaged, but he was trying to form a ball of spinning energy in his hand.
It flickered and died.
"Damn it!" Naruto yelled, kicking the dirt. "Why won't it stay?! What happened?"
I watched him.
'System. Observe.'
[ Target: Naruto Uzumaki ][ Status: Recovering. ][ Chakra Control: Terrible. ]
[ Willpower: SS-Tier. ]
I walked into the clearing. "You're forcing it."
Naruto spun around. "Suit-Guy! You're still here!"
"Leaving tomorrow," I said. "You're trying to crush the energy and you have massive chakra. You have to let it flow."
"Flow?" Naruto scratched his head. "Pervy Sage said to rotate it!"
"Rotation is part of it," I said, dropping my shopping bag. "But look at your intent. You're angry. You're frustrated about something."
Naruto looked down. "I couldn't stop him."
"Not yet," I corrected. "But power isn't just about how much gas you have in the tank. It's about how you drive the car."
I held out my hand.
I used Telekinesis.
I spun the air above my palm. Dust and leaves gathered, forming a tight, spinning ball.
[ Ability Active: Telekinesis (Vortex). ]
"Whoa," Naruto gasped. "Is that a Rasengan? I don't sense any chakra?"
"It's just wind," I said (technically true). "But look. I'm not squeezing it. I'm guiding it."
I dissipated the ball.
"Don't fight the power, Naruto. Guide it. Like water."
Naruto stared at his hand.
He closed his eyes. He took a deep breath.
He formed the ball again. It spun and it stayed for five seconds before popping.
"Better!" Naruto grinned. "Thanks, Vivan!"
[ System Notice: Willpower Increased (+1). ]
'helping him grind gives me stats. This kid is a cheat code.'
[ Location: Hotel Room - The Trap ][ Date: Day 5 - The Final Night ]
I dispelled the clones.
RUSH.
Information slammed into my brain.
Days' worth of reading, practicing, and meditating hit me all at once.
My head split open.
I fell to my knees, clutching my skull.
"Gah!"
It felt like a migraine with teeth. But as the pain faded, the knowledge settled.
[ System Notice: Proficiency Gained. ][ Occlumency Level Up! Level 4 -> Level 5. ][ Illusion Level Up! Level 2 -> Level 3. ]
"Worth it," I wheezed.
Suddenly, the hair on my arms stood up.
[ Remote Viewing (Passive): Threat Detected. ]
I felt them.
Twelve heat signatures surrounding the hotel.
'Root. Danzo is making his move. Is it because of phoenix vial?'
"They're coming," I whispered.
I looked at the window.
I couldn't fight twelve Anbu without blowing up the hotel and alerting the whole village and I couldn't run; they had the perimeter sealed and it will affect shikamaru.
"Okay," I said, checking my watch. "Time for the Trojan Horse."
I formed the Tiger Seal.
"Shadow Clone Jutsu."
Poof.
One clone appeared.
He looked at me. "I assume I'm the bait?"
"You're the guest of honor," I said. "Sit on the bed and look helpless."
The clone sat down.
Now I had to hide.
Real Root agents would spot a transformation or a genjutsu if they looked closely.
I had to disappear.
'Telekinesis: Flight.'
I floated up to the darkest corner of the ceiling.
'Magic: Disillusionment Charm.'
I tapped my head with my wand. My body took on the texture and color of the shadows around me.
I became a human chameleon.
'Occlumency: Void.'
I suppressed my mental signature.
To a sensor, I was a rock.
The room looked empty, save for the Clone sitting on the bed. Since Shadow Clones split chakra perfectly evenly, he looked exactly like me—a civilian with a massive, untapped energy reserve.
Smash.
The window shattered. Smoke canisters rolled in and sleeping gas filled the room.
The Clone coughed once and slumped over, feigning unconsciousness.
Three Root Anbu dropped from the ceiling. They grabbed the Clone, threw a sack over his head, and vanished out the window. They didn't check the corners. They had their prize.
I watched them go from the ceiling.
[ Location: Root Headquarters - Interrogation Cell ][ Time: 2:00 PM ]
The Clone woke up. He was strapped to a metal chair in a dark, damp room.
Danzo Shimura stood in front of him. Bandaged eye. Cane. Looking like the definition of 'Sinister Bureaucrat.'
"You are awake," Danzo said. His voice was dry. "The Merchant."
"You know," the Clone said, testing the bonds. "For a secret base, your ventilation is terrible. Zero stars on Yelp."
Danzo narrowed his visible eye. "Your medicine. The regenerative fluid. Where is the source?"
"My grandfather," the Clone lied.
"We searched your room," Danzo said. "We found nothing. No vials. No formula. Where is it?"
"It's in a safe place," the Clone smiled. "A place you can't reach."
"We have ways of extracting information," Danzo signaled an Anbu, who stepped forward with a glowing hand (Mind Reading Jutsu). "We will peel your mind apart layer by layer."
"Go ahead," the Clone said. "Look inside."
The Anbu placed his hand on the Clone's head.
He frowned. "Lord Danzo... there is no mind. It's... empty. Just chakra."
Danzo's eye widened. "What?"
"Pop quiz," the Clone grinned. "What happens when you pop a balloon?"
POOF.
The Clone exploded into a cloud of white smoke.
The Anbu stumbled back, coughing.
Danzo waved the smoke away with his cane. He stared at the empty chair.
"A Shadow Clone," Danzo hissed, his grip tightening on his cane. "He played us."
[ Location: Hotel Room - Konoha ][ Time: Simultaneous ]
I dropped the Disillusionment Charm.
The memories hit me.
I saw the cell and saw the path they took through the sewers.
I saw the entrance to the Root base (under the Naka Shrine).
[ Map Updated: Root Headquarters Location Acquired. ]
"Gotcha," I whispered. "Now I know where you live, you old mummy."
I grabbed my bag.
"Time to go."
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