Chapter 128: Joint training?

In one of the many training grounds nestled within the renowned village of Konohagakure, a group of boys embarked on a unique and challenging endeavor. Striving to master the elusive art of transformation jutsu, each determined to unravel the secrets of this fundamental technique on their own.

Under the dappled sunlight filtering through the vibrant canopy overhead, the boys assumed their stances, their brows furrowed in concentration. With a collective inhalation, they channeled their chakra, the invisible life force that flowed within them, preparing to manipulate their very essence.

As they performed the intricate hand seals, their movements mirrored one another in a synchronized rhythm. Their fingers danced through the air, tracing the ancient patterns handed down through generations. Sweat trickled down their foreheads, evidence of the mental and physical exertion required for this seemingly simple yet profoundly transformative jutsu.

Silence enveloped the training ground, broken only by the faint whispers of wind through the leaves and the hushed mutterings of the boys as they invoked their intentions. Their minds focused, they yearned to transcend their current forms, to tap into the vast reservoir of possibilities that lay dormant within.

One by one, the boys attempted the transformation, their expressions a mix of determination, frustration, and anticipation. A surge of chakra coursed through their bodies, attempting to mold their shapes according to their will. Some stumbled, their forms flickering for mere moments before reverting back to their original state. Undeterred, they tried again, their resilience bolstered by the indomitable spirit of Konoha's shinobi.

Among them, a young boy stood at the forefront, his resolve unyielding. Sweat-soaked and fatigue creeping into his limbs, he mustered every ounce of focus and determination he possessed. As he completed the final seal, his chakra surged with newfound intensity, shimmering around him like an invisible ethereal cloak.

Homura: "Naruto, focus. You need to not get distracted. So empty your mind of all useless thoughts"

Homura told Naruto as the latter tried to concentrate in order to weave chakra while trying to avoid losing focus.

Naruto: "I am doing that already!"

Homura: "Naruto who are you going to try to transform into?"

Naruto: "…Shikamaru."

Shikamaru: "Me?!"

Shikamaru blurted out in a daze of surprise, prior to Naruto choosing him he had chosen to transform into Akamichi Choji, who was sitting right next to him; eating a bag of chips-

Homura: "Alright then close your eyes."

Naruto:"…"

Naruto closed his eyes as he remained perfectly still while the fingers in his hands were locked to form a hand seal.

Homura: "Naruto I think your main problem is that you use too much chakra, the transformation jutsu may become strange if you put too much chakra or don't properly focus on who you want to transform into."

Naruto:"…Ok?"

Naruto was a bit taken aback by Homura's mention of him pouring too much chakra while performing ninjutsu; not because what Homura said was profound or Naruto had no idea of what Homura was talking about, but he knew that Homura was a bit of nerd when it came to topics related to chakra.

Homura:"To begin with there are 13 trillion cells coursing through the human body as explained in the textbook, but that's wrong."

Naruto: "Huh?"

Homura: " They are old research but more current research put it at at least in the 30 trillions cells. That course through humans body which gives us energy. "

Naruto:"(Trillion how much is that? How many fingers do I need to count)"

Homura: "But you don't need to think about that."

Naruto: " I-I don't?!"

Homura: "Of course! Since we are children, the number of cells within our bodies are different from normal adults and keep increasing as we age."

Naruto: "You don't say…(How long do I have to listen to this? The last time I asked Homura to teach me he gave me an entire book he wrote for me to read.)"

Homura: "Good, Naruto. I see that you read my notes."

Naruto: "Of course! (Of course, I didn't…that stuff is still under my bed.) But I don't think we have enough time for all that."

Homura: "You may have a point. But I may have an idea on how to help you."

Naruto: "Really?"

Homura: "Yep, just mold chakra and I will tell you when I feel that you have to stop before you mold too much."

Naruto: "Alright let's do it now!"

Homura could simply grin at the sight of Naruto's persistence and the fact that he had so much chakra, if it were him, he'd have to wait another five minutes in order to even attempt at casting this simple jutsu once again.

However, using the sharingan he could see more or less how much chakra Naruto was using, even if he could probably not fully gouge the amount.

Naruto was not the first person Homura had used to see their chakra, since normally chakra remains invisible and can only be perceived with certain types of doujutsu.

In fact, Homura had tested his doujutsu on some of the genins around the village while they were training to see if he could copy their ninjutsu but sadly, few genins train in learning different types of attack type ninjutsu, and much less elemental release ninjutsu.

And the few whom he saw using fire release, didn't work either.

Homura did not have mastery over fire release to be able to fully copy their fire ninjutsu, it didn't help that that ninjutsu was more or less the same as the fireball jutsu.

Fortunately for Naruto, a basic transformation jutsu was easier for Homura to understand more or less how much chakra was needed for him to tell if Naruto was using too much chakra.

He had never experienced Naruto's problem.

Usually, Homura failed to perform ninjutsu because he had not used enough chakra or something similar.

Never, it occurred to him to think that he failed in his attempts because he had tried to use too much chakra.

Naruto due to having the nine tails sealed inside of him, was probably used to use more chakra to perform regular ninjutsu than most children.

Some jutsu did benefit from having a lot of chakra dumped into them, however, in most cases, it made it harder to control and caused more problems.

Usually, chakra has to be weaved for a specific purpose.

The chakra Homura used for activating his sharingan was not the same or similar to the type of chakra that he weaved for performing wind release ninjutsu or fire release.

Weaving or applying chakra for different purposes was a basic trait of using chakra and hand seals that any shinobi would know about, such as using it on their legs to try to enhance their speed or achieve similar effects when applying to other body parts.

But such a process was difficult for most cadets to use because they lacked the proper chakra control to maintain it for too long or apply it properly.

Chakra control wasn't something expected of third years students or in the previous grades too, focusing too much on chakra control wasn't exactly a problem to most children, since children have very little chakra.

And chakra control depended heavily on each student's aptitude, it wasn't exactly something that could be uniformly applied to all students.

At least when compared to a regular adult, or those close to becoming genins.

[ 2 hours passed as Homura and Naruto remained in their training regiment as the other boys were now resting. ]

Naruto: "*Huff* *Huff*…One more time…

A tired Naruto looked back at Homura as the latter put his hand on his right shoulder.

Homura: "I think that's enough for today."

Homura then pointed at the others resting on the others resting and eating and talking to each other.

Naruto: "N-no! One more time! Just one more time! I think I am getting closer."

Homura:"…alright."

Homura tried his best to appear as if he understood Naruto's plight, but deep down he knew that one afternoon wouldn't change anything.

Besides Homura could see chakra but not sense it, he could only tell Naruto to relax at times, but Naruto's issues were far too much that a one tomoe sharingan could easily spot.

And Naruto was not book smart and too young to properly feel his own chakra so that he could gouge how much he needed it to properly need it.

As things stood, they would need another week or so to help Naruto.

Not that he was planning to do that or could do it even if he wanted it.

As Naruto attempted to perform the transformation jutsu, an unexpected result unfolded. Instead of transforming into a different person, he ended up resembling a chubbier version of Shikamaru. Kiba burst into laughter, unable to contain his amusement.

Kiba: "Hahaha! Naruto, did you try to transform into a fusion of Choji and Shikamaru? That's hilarious!"

Choji, still feeling a bit drowsy from the chips he had consumed, snapped out of his fatigue-induced haze.

Choji: "Hey, I'm not fat! Just a little...uh, sturdy."

Shikamaru, ever the observant one, chimed in.

Shikamaru: "Maybe you should lay off the chips for a while, Choji. It might help with your transformation jutsu next time."

Choji, not wanting to stop from munching on his favorite type of treat, defended his chip-eating habits.

Choji: "Nah, that would be impolite. Homura went through the trouble of bringing these chips for us. I should finish what he brought."

Homura beamed with delight, pleased with Choji's response.

Homura: "You're absolutely right, Choji! It's the least we can do. Keep enjoying the chips, my friend. Always remember your president cares for you! Always vote for Homura. "

Choji simply nodded as he continue munching with a happy look on his face.

Shikamaru:"…right."

Shikamaru couldn't shake off the feeling that something was off about Homura's behavior. They rarely spent time together outside of the academy, and seeing him so friendly and accommodating was unusual. However, all Shikamaru could manage to say was a simple word to show that he agreed.

Shikamaru (thinking to himself): Something's not right about Homura. He's being way too nice. Giving us free snacks…that never happened. He definitely wants something…Is he trying to secure more votes for the next election? He's definitely going to need it… But for now, whatever it is, I'll just go along with it. munches on a chip

Little did Shikamaru know that Homura had ulterior motives hidden behind his friendly demeanor, plans that were unfolding silently in the background. Meanwhile, Homura positioned himself between Naruto and Kiba, preventing any potential confrontation. To Shikamaru, it seemed like everything was just as it always had been.

Shikamaru: "I still can't believe you decide to run for class president and much less win…what exactly did you do?"

Homura surprised by Shikamaru's question, didn't know how to truly answer such a weird question, lying to Shikamaru was not easy.

So it had to be more or less true.

Homura: " Y-you know, it just felt like the right time. And I thought the class could use some real changes for once…Vote Homura, for next year as well. "

Kiba: Vote for you? You must be crazy.

Choji: Did you vote Kiba?

Kiba: I-I mean, not for Homura though. I only found out he was running during the voting process. Not that I was going to vote for him anyway.

Homura:"Eh….Is that so Kiba?"

Homura's voice changed as his glare towards Kiba intensified, turning somewhat more insidous, making the latter shudder a little.

Naruto: "Yikes…Homura is mad now."

Homura: "What?! I am not mad."

Homura said in a slight confused manner.

Naruto: "You are mad. When you get mad your voice changes it becomes a bit scarier."

Homura: "Huh? "

Homura was confused about the statement in regard to his voice. The voice he had chosen prior to reincarnation was more or less the voice he imagined he would have, but just like the markings on his cheeks that he put on his character customization screen, not all characteristics were translated to real life the same as he had hoped.

The same process was true for the voice he had chosen, in fact the voice he borrowed was the voice of a fictional character called Ryo Bakura.

Sadly, it was not the normal Bakura who was a kind soul, but his twisted evil alter ego who was practically a sadistic/cruel demon or at the very least a malevolent spirit.

However, Homura's voice didn't seem to reflect that choice very well.

He didn't normally sound like the kindhearted version of Bakura at all.

Rather he usually sounded more or less like a certain P*kemon trainer from Masara town.

But unknowingly to Homura, his voice would become deeper, and closer to the person whose voice he copied as long as his demeanor would change to be become more serious.

However, that was just a natural phenomenon he had no control over, and he was not able to notice.

Shikamaru: "You really never noticed that? "

Asked Shikamaru as he got closer to Homura and Naruto's location.

Homura hearing that statement couldn't help but scratch his head in confusion with his left hand, having no idea if he was being made fun of; or if there was some actual truth to the observation being made by his classmates.

Homura:"…I really never thought of that…but I don't really sound that creepy, right?"

Shikamaru: "More than creepy, you sound almost like a completely different person."

Naruto: "No I think he still sounds like Homura but with a cold or something…"

Homura: "Nonsense, now I know that you guys are messing wit-!"

???: *Bleurp!!!!*

Before Homura could finish his statement a loud sound interrupted him.

All the boys look towards the person in question who was the cause of that noise, and it was immediately Choji who was lying flat on the ground with several bags of chips nearby his location.

Choji: "Guys…I think I ate a bit too much…I am sleepy."

Kiba: "That guy…*sigh* We told him to not eat so much, no wonder he is getting fatter lately."

Contrary to was often believed, Choji had few opportunities to put up weight even if he ate more than the other boys, the training at the academy was harsh enough that unless one was genetically predisposed to having a large frame; it made it hard for most children to not be fit.

Even Choji who was part of the Akemichi clan, was at the end of the day no different than most children in the physical sense, it probably was a sign that he had yet to truly the body fat necessary for using the partial body transformation technique that was so heavily guard by his clan.

Nonetheless, as his physique was getting bigger, it could show sign that his body was slowly being molded to use that jutsu either voluntary or not.

Choji: "…I am not fat"

Shikamaru: Well, whatever it is getting late, My mother doesn't like me being late for dinner. We should get going.

Naruto: "Eh?! But I am this close to getting it right, I can feel it."

Kiba: "Stop lying! I have not seen you do anything different since we started, I don't what nonsense Homura told you but you're a fool for believing him. "

Naruto: "Shows how little you know, mutt-face! Dog sniffer!"

Both Homura and Shikamaru silently nodded in agreement to Naruto's last comment, since they had both witnessed that strange scene many prior.

Kiba's face became bright red by Naruto's last comment.

Kiba: "D-dog sniffer?! That's it, you're asking for it sh*t for brain-!"

Homura: "Enough! I thought you guys had become friendlier because of…"

Suddenly Homura forgot something that seemed to be important, as he tried to remember something. He remembered Naruto meeting or saying something about someone; but then all thoughts he had on that matter disappeared.

Leaving rather confused.

It was the first time since he obtained C, that he felt this way.

Homura forgetting something was normal but in mid-thought, he was not so sure.

Kiba: "What!? What are you talking about?!"

A part of Kiba's reply seemed to be not just asking because he felt impatient but because he too seemed close to remember something but ultimately has no idea of what it was as the strange feeling he felt, ultimately vanished.

Shikamaru: "Anyway, we should probably choose who will help to bring Choji home, I can't do it on my own."

Stated Shikamaru as he was quite tired from training and it was going to be a rather long trip for one person alone.

Kiba: "Hmph! I am not carrying. I told him to not stuff his mouth as much as he did!"

Hearing Kiba's rant, Homura could only wonder why he even decided to invite Kiba, or why their relationship seemingly had improved, but soon he remembered that Kiba was from the Inuzuka clan.

The Inuzuka clan, may not have been a clan with outrageous powers, but they still were quite powerful and renown within Konoha, they were the among the few clans that used animals as partners; and were terrific trackers.

Besides those things, they seemed no different than any other clan.

They didn't seem to have a specific affinity or some peculiar genetic mutation that made them a threat to other shinobi.

However, since the Inuzuka seemed to have a rather impressive for the mastery of the transformation jutsu, and could combine with their canine partners easily; Homura, rather, C, theorized that they may have had powerful knack for using jutsu heavily dependent on the Yang affinity.

And even if it turned out to be a stretch, having access to the Inuzuka DNA was still worth the trouble, and Kiba was the only member of his clan that Homura knew of; and was able to approach without rousing suspicion.

So although, Choji was the only one that seemed to have taken the bait, and ate too many chips for anyone to get suspicious of foul play by Homura's hands.

Ultimately, his main target had been caught in his trap.

Homura: "It's my fault…*sigh* I will carry him to his home myself."

Homura stated as he feigned annoyance regarding the entire ordeal.

Shikamaru: "You?"

Said Shikamaru in a surprise voice, not just him but all the boys were surprised to hear that, but not Choji as he already fell asleep.

Homura: "Yes, me! I am the one who invited you all, and I mostly just helped Naruto with his training…and besides I am the class president…Just remember to vote for me next year if I do that."

Naruto: "Hahaha. Now, that makes sense. "

Kiba: "Ha! Typical…"

Shikamaru: " *chuckle* Here, I started to almost think you changed…Good to see your still yourself."

Homura: "Well, I may need the votes…I don't think that the same people who voted for me this year, will vote for me next year. Just because I said I believed we should be treated better and have better training conditions, people want me to actually make those things happen…Brats. They really know nothing about politics. *sigh*"

All in attendance besides Homura, could not help but roll their eyes at Homura's weird statement; it was far too late to argue and unlikely to change Homura's opinion.

While he pretended to be annoyed he was really glad to have been elected as class president.

He was able to tamper with the class setting which allowed him to get Haruno Sakura alone by tricking her to think that Sasuke called her to meet in secret after class by forging a fake love letter; which he then proceeded to knock her out and leave her body in her assigned seat. 

By the time she woke up he was long gone with both the letter and several samples of her DNA, the next day she went on to bother Sasuke which did not end well.

Homura has no idea what kind of story her mind concocted, since she didn't tell anyone about the letter she may have thought it was all a dream or she fell asleep waiting; but since there was no proof of his involvement besides  extracting the said information through genjutsu, which was unlikely; he didn't really care.

And now he had Akamichi Choji DNA within his grasp...if he played his cards right; there was only one more target remaining.

However, that one was very elusive since they were several years younger than Homura.

So, he planned to check the public library; but for him to obtain records of the village and clans,  he need to be a shinobi or have a pass from an academy teacher which he intended to get as class president.

He hoped that this would be the last step he needed to complete his collection before graduating. 

chapter end.