Therefore, you could use your clones to attend classes. As for later training, both your main body and the clones can work together to complete it. That way, exhaustion won't accumulate excessively and transfer back to the main body, causing it to collapse under the strain.
Looking at the tightly packed schedule of his life, Xia Li let out a quiet sigh. Since when had he become so cautious? Unfortunately, without any cheat abilities, the future could only be written by his own hands. As long as he could still see the path ahead, giving up was not an option.
However, today was an exception.
Xia Li waited until his shadow clone dispelled itself before leaving the room. Today was a special day—he decided to treat it as a holiday and give himself a break.
Holding his pocket money, Xia Li walked along the familiar streets of Konoha, thinking about what kind of gift he should buy. Today was Sinai's birthday. If the gift were too expensive, people would criticize him, and his allowance wasn't much to begin with, so he had to think carefully. Something practical? Clothes? A scarf?
He looked up at the blazing sun overhead, thought for a moment, then dismissed the idea. It wasn't the right season.
So what should he give?
What about buying food he usually didn't eat and cooking a meal for his mother? But… he wasn't very good at cooking. That was troublesome.
As Xia Li pondered, his gaze caught sight of a flower. He stopped and turned toward a flower shop. After a moment's thought, flowers seemed like a perfect choice. They weren't expensive, and Sinai wouldn't have any use for them later anyway. Besides, flowers had meanings, didn't they? Surely there was one that represented mothers.
With that thought, Xia Li walked into the flower shop.
"Oh? Are you here to buy flowers, young one?" the aunt watching the shop asked gently when she saw him.
"Hello, Auntie. I'd like to ask—what kind of flowers should I give my mother for her birthday?" Xia Li asked.
"Oh? You're buying flowers for your mother?" The woman looked surprised, then smiled warmly. "What a thoughtful child."
"I think I've seen you before!" A blonde girl beside her suddenly spoke up, staring at Xia Li as she tried to remember. But no matter how hard she thought, she couldn't place him.
"Hello. I'm Xia Li from the Xinhogawa family. We're in the same class," Xia Li said. He had seen Yamanaka Ino before but hadn't greeted her. They didn't really interact in class, so there was no real connection. If Ino weren't one of the Konoha Twelve, he probably wouldn't have remembered her at all.
"Oh, right! You were sitting in the back of the classroom with that blond boy, weren't you?" Ino's eyes lit up.
"Yes."
"Hmph, I knew it. If you're buying flowers for your mom, carnations are the best choice—as long as they're not white," Ino said confidently.
Xia Li looked at Ino, then turned to Yamanaka-san, seeking confirmation. Ino was still young, after all—what if she remembered wrong?
"That's right," Mrs. Yamanaka said with a smile. "Carnations represent gratitude and sincere love. Giving them to your mother means wishing her youth, happiness, and good health."
She looked at the child before her with fondness. As a mother herself, Xia Li's actions earned him a lot of goodwill.
From Ino's perspective, however, Xia Li's need for confirmation felt like a lack of trust—minus points for that.
"Then… I'll take one, please," Xia Li said shyly. He was only buying a single flower. His allowance wasn't much, and he'd only started receiving it after enrolling in school. He also still needed to buy a cake. "Please help me save a bit."
"Well, since you're Ino's classmate, I'll give you a discount," Mrs. Yamanaka said. "Ino, pick one for your classmate."
"…Alright." Though she was a little unhappy about not being trusted, Ino still chose carefully. After a while, she selected a carnation, wrapped it, and handed it to Xia Li.
"Thank you," Xia Li said solemnly as he accepted it.
"Huh? No—uh, I should be the one thanking you," Ino said awkwardly, clearly flustered by his serious gratitude. The slight irritation she felt earlier faded away.
Mrs. Yamanaka laughed at the scene—it was quite amusing.
"Oh, Auntie, do you know where a cake shop is?" Xia Li asked. Though he knew the village well, he wasn't familiar with many shops. He'd never had pocket money before, after all.
"A cake shop? That's quite far from here. Since you're Ino's classmate, why don't you let Ino take you?" Mrs. Yamanaka suggested.
"No, I know most of the village. If you tell me the location, I can find it," Xia Li tried to refuse.
"Oh dear, you might get lost. And Ino has nothing to do staying here anyway. She can take a walk with you," Mrs. Yamanaka said.
Ino didn't object—in fact, she looked eager. Wandering around the shop was boring; she'd wanted to go out for a walk for a while now.
"…Alright." Seeing this, Xia Li didn't refuse further.
Chapter 13: Ino–Shika–Cho
Along the way, Xia Li and Ino barely spoke. One walked ahead, the other followed behind.
Those who led the way often glanced around, only to reluctantly look forward again—they had to guide the path, after all.
"It's still early. I don't need to go back so soon," Xia Li finally said quietly from behind.
"Huh? What do you mean?" Ino turned around, blinking with anticipation.
"It means you can play whatever you want," Xia Li replied simply.
"Really? That's great!" Ino cheered and immediately ran off to the side, no longer suppressing her urge to play.
Xia Li followed silently, watching her back. Honestly, he thought the Ino–Shika–Cho formation was truly impressive.
Individually, the three clans didn't have overwhelming influence in Konoha, but together, their unity formed a power that couldn't be ignored.
What pleased Xia Li most was that these families weren't dark or cruel, nor did they look down on others because of their status. Even the new generation of Ino–Shika–Cho were still just children. As for Shikamaru's reputation—aside from Shikamaru himself, few truly understood it. With his intelligence, even if no one told him, he'd figure it out eventually.
The combination of mind, shadow, and force was rare not only in Konoha, but across the entire ninja world.
Xia Li believed Ino–Shika–Cho worked because Shika was smart enough, and Ino and Cho trusted him completely. On top of that, they got along naturally.
First came Akimichi's interference, then Yamanaka's mental disruption and control, allowing Nara's Shadow Possession to fully restrain the enemy—finally followed by Akimichi's overwhelming power. The result was perfection.
At first glance, Akimichi seemed replaceable—just find a ninja with strong offensive jutsu. But in reality, that wasn't the case.
The key lay in inheritance.
Akimichi techniques weren't difficult to pass down, and even early on, their dual-wielding strength was terrifying. With that physique, even an average jōnin would struggle to knock one down in a single punch. Their weakness—lack of agility—was perfectly compensated for within the Ino–Shika–Cho formation.
As for other ninja lineages, even powerful shinobi couldn't guarantee equally powerful descendants, nor that they could use strong jutsu early on. Forced integration would cause output gaps, and adding a fully grown ninja would introduce coordination issues.
In Xia Li's view, the Nara clan was actually the most unstable—because they were both intelligent and wielded shadow techniques. Who knew what surprises might emerge in future generations?
Still, for now, the inheritance was secure.
Shikamaru would become the next great "Shika."
Choji would be the next "Cho."
And Ino would be the next "Ino."
Yes—despite appearances, "Ino" represented the pig, "Shika" the deer, and "Cho" the butterfly. Linguistically, "Ino" could indeed mean "boar," while "Cho" meant butterfly—despite Choji's size.
Ino really was cute as a child. All twelve of them were, really. As long as kids didn't cause trouble, they were lovable. Xia Li's thoughts drifted again.
"Are you done playing?" he asked after a while, glancing at the time.
"Oh… right." Ino stopped, suddenly realizing she had something to do. Embarrassed, she scratched her head.
"It's getting late," Xia Li said, pointing at the sky.
"The cake shop's just ahead!" Ino said quickly, cheeks flushing as she hurried forward. Sure enough, it was close.
Seeing the shop, Xia Li finally relaxed. He'd been here before but hadn't realized it was a cake shop.
"Wait here for a bit," Xia Li said.
"Okay." Ino nodded, kicking a pebble absentmindedly as she waited.
Once she stopped moving, fatigue set in. She sat down to rest.
Why isn't he out yet? she wondered.
After a while, Xia Li emerged carrying a box.
He sighed quietly—custom cakes took time, and it was already too late. He'd had to buy a ready-made one.
Seeing Ino sitting there startled him. Thinking back to her energetic running earlier, he realized—she was finally tired.
"You took forever," Ino complained, rubbing her sore legs.
"Tired?"
At that moment, something appeared beside her—a pastry. Normally, she wouldn't be interested, but now she swallowed instinctively.
"Is this… for me?" she asked hesitantly.
"Thanks for leading me all that way."
Ino's face turned red. She was tired and hungry—she quietly accepted the cake and ate.
"Didn't you buy it for yourself?" she asked between bites.
"I'll eat with my mom at home," Xia Li said, lifting the box.
After she finished, Xia Li asked, "Can you still walk?"
"I think so…" Ino said uncertainly.
"Then take this," Xia Li said, handing her the box.
Before she could react, he turned around and crouched slightly.
"…You're going to carry me?"
"It's getting late. Get on."
"…Okay." Carefully holding the box, Ino climbed onto his back.
"Ready?" Xia Li asked.
"Mm."
He stood up smoothly, supporting her legs.
"If I'm too heavy, just put me down," Ino said.
"Lighter than I expected," he replied, walking steadily.
For a moment, Ino felt like she saw her father's silhouette—and quickly shook her head.
Still, she smiled.
This felt… reliable.
Chapter 14: Birthday
Back at the Yamanaka flower shop, Mrs. Yamanaka sat outside, glancing at the darkening sky.
Why hadn't Ino returned yet?
Just as worry crept in, she spotted her daughter—being carried by Xia Li.
"What happened?!" she panicked. "Did Ino get hurt?!"
She rushed over.
"Mom! I'm back!" Ino called cheerfully as Xia Li set her down.
Seeing no injuries, Mrs. Yamanaka sighed in relief, then scolded, "How could you let someone carry you like that?"
"…I couldn't walk anymore~" Ino said sweetly.
"Then you must've had a lot of fun," her mother said knowingly.
Ino fell silent, cheeks flushing, turning her head away—as if her mother was absolutely right.
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