6 - Actually, That Was Just a Clone

On the morning road, Yuto Souta walked alone, his small backpack slung over his shoulder, his pace slow and steady.

Orochimaru had left.

Before departing, he'd left a few things behind.

Three scrolls.

One contained a Wind Release technique: Wind Release: Gale Breakthrough, a B-rank jutsu and an advanced version of Wind Release: Great Breakthrough.

Another held a Fire Release technique: Fire Release: Grand Fire Dragon Technique.

The last was the most basic of all: the Three Basic Techniques.

Normally, Orochimaru's behavior was nearly impossible to predict…

But now, it was clear this conversation was just the beginning for the two of them.

Those two scrolls alone proved Orochimaru hadn't given up.

"Souta! Morning!"

A slightly nervous voice called out from the roadside.

It was a spiky-haired boy standing by a utility pole, a not-so-natural smile plastered on his face.

"Morning," Yuto Souta replied flatly, his gaze toward Obito Uchiha tinged with a hint of oddity.

This guy usually didn't set foot in the classroom until the bell rang…

Showing up this early today? Probably because snapping that Hyuga kid's arms yesterday kept him up all night.

Yuto Souta understood.

After all, before his full descent into darkness, Obito was a straightforward, sunny kid.

"Heh heh!"

Seeing Souta return his greeting, Obito brightened up and hurried over.

"Souta… I wanted to talk to you about something," Obito whispered, leaning in close.

"What's up?"

"Well… could you teach me how to train?"

After a moment of hesitation, Obito blurted it out.

He'd thought about it all night.

He didn't know why Souta always kept such a low profile…

But Souta must have his reasons, right?

With Souta's strength, even if his academic scores were as bad as Obito's, he'd surely rank high in practical lessons.

And yesterday, if it hadn't been for him, Souta might not have had to reveal his abilities.

That left Obito feeling down.

A five-year-old's heart is just that simple.

Right now, Obito had one thought.

He'd humbly ask his clanmate for guidance, so that next time something like this happened, he could repay the favor…

"Train?" Yuto Souta blinked, caught off guard.

He was a total athletic failure!

Ask him how to speed-read a book, and he could whip up ten thousand tricks.

But training…

Yuto Souta felt a pang of melancholy too.

The system's main mission was to get him to graduate quickly.

The system shop was still waiting for him to unlock it…

And all that hinged on boosting his life energy and chakra capacity—his two key stats.

Training was indeed urgent.

Obito's eyes grew more hopeful.

Yuto Souta's heart grew more conflicted…

Suddenly!

A spark of inspiration hit him, and a bold idea took shape!

"Obito… I really don't know how to explain training to you."

"But if you're willing…"

As Yuto Souta shared his idea, he pulled out the scrolls Orochimaru had left him that morning.

Orochimaru was right.

The ninja academy had little to offer him.

The Will of Fire?

Nine years of moral education classes had that covered!

With time tight and tasks pressing, it seemed he had only one path left.

Skip class! Train!

And best of all, drag Obito along to keep each other accountable!

His gaze flicked to the system panel.

The ninjutsu inventory had updated.

[Fire Release: Grand Fire Dragon Technique Lv1 (0/100), Wind Release: Gale Breakthrough (0/100), Three Basic Techniques (0/100)]

Silently allocating 20 research points to the Three Basic Techniques, Yuto Souta's tone turned mysterious.

"Actually, the me that goes to school every day? That's just a clone."

"What you saw yesterday was my real self, by chance. Now, if you're up for it…"

"We can train together."

Train together, skip class together.

Obito's eyes lit up with hope once more!

What could be more thrilling than this?!

"Really?! Souta!" Obito's voice brimmed with excitement and gratitude!

He hadn't expected his clanmate to treat him this well.

Not only had Souta helped him in a fight, but he'd even shared such a big secret!

He couldn't let Souta down…

And so.

On the morning road to school, two figures walked as usual.

They were clones—both created by Souta alone.

Their steps were oddly in sync…