Stalking Shadows

After their early morning sparring and training, Haruto and Daichi returned to their apartments to refuel. The day had only just begun, and Haruto's body was craving the energy it had burned. He made a very large breakfast—piles of eggs, grilled fish, and rice—for himself and Daichi. It was nothing fancy, but it was hearty, giving them the fuel they'd need for the day ahead. Daichi devoured his plate quickly, wiping his mouth with a satisfied grin before heading out to his next activity.

"See you at dinner?" Daichi called out as he left.

Haruto nodded, already thinking about his next steps. "Yeah, I'll see you then."

Once Daichi was gone, Haruto split his focus once again, creating a shadow clone to head to the library. The clone's mission was simple: locate any D-rank genjutsu techniques that might be useful. While the clone wasn't going to learn anything just yet, Haruto's photographic memory ensured that once the clone dispelled, he would have the information stored perfectly in his mind. After visiting the library, the clone would head directly to the hospital to continue his work under Shizune and Tsunade's guidance.

At the hospital, Haruto's clone found himself running into Shizune. They exchanged friendly greetings as they usually did, but before the conversation went further, Haruto's clone decided to be upfront, in his usual straightforward manner.

"Just so you know," Haruto said with a small smile, "this is a shadow clone."

Shizune blinked, a little surprised but quickly impressed. "A shadow clone? You're using that just to do hospital work?"

"Yeah, the real me is off doing some training," Haruto's clone replied with a casual shrug, as if it was no big deal.

Shizune shook her head, half in disbelief and half in admiration. "That's pretty amazing, Haruto. But aren't you worried about overloading yourself with too much information at once?"

Haruto's clone gave a relaxed grin. "Not really. I can handle it. It's all part of my training."

They continued to chat as they worked, discussing their various duties at the hospital. Haruto's clone noticed that Shizune seemed to be enjoying the conversation more than usual, and more than once, she reached out and touched his shoulder as they laughed and joked together. He caught himself noticing just how beautiful her smile was.

"You've really got the hang of things here," Shizune commented, as she finished a few tasks. "Tsunade's going to be impressed when she hears about all this."

Haruto's clone smiled back, genuinely enjoying the back-and-forth. "Well, I try to keep up. You make the job easier, Shizune."

Her smile grew even wider, and Haruto's clone couldn't help but feel a little rush from the exchange. It was clear that their dynamic was becoming more than just professional. Still, he had work to finish, so he kept his focus, though her presence lingered in his thoughts.

Back in the woods, Haruto was having a very different kind of fun. After setting up his traps, he spent the next few hours honing his stalking skills, getting as close to animals as possible without them noticing. He crept silently through the forest, tailing a wild boar, a fox, and even a few deer. His focus was on chakra suppression, using every bit of stealth he'd learned to blend into the surroundings.

It was a satisfying challenge—he found it almost exhilarating to walk behind a target without being detected. The game of staying unseen made him smile, and it served as a perfect break from his usual training routine.

After stalking training session Haruto decided to check on the traps he had set earlier in the forest. He navigated the woods with ease, moving silently, his senses sharp. As he approached the traps, a satisfied grin spread across his face. He had managed to catch a few rabbits, and to his surprise, one of the traps had even snared a fox.

"Not a bad hunt," he muttered to himself with a smirk.

Without wasting any time, Haruto activated his Chakra Scalpel. The blade of chakra formed swiftly in his hand, precise and sharp as ever. Over time, he had become incredibly proficient in using it for tasks like this. He effortlessly gutted and skinned the animals, his hands moving fluidly, each cut clean and efficient. At this point, he could have amazed professional butchers with his speed and accuracy.

The once medical-only technique had adapted to so many uses in Haruto's hands. He separated the pelts and meat in no time, leaving behind clean carcasses for scavengers. It was almost like second nature, and it made him think, I could give some butchers a run for their money.

Once finished, Haruto packed up the meat, giving the pelts a quick inspection before deciding what to do with them later. His mind briefly wandered to his plans for the rest of the day. He still had some training left, and of course, his shadow clone was at the hospital, but for now, his focus was on making sure he got back in time to prepare the meat for later.