Disclaimer: I do not own any of this.
-------------------------------------------Shattered Illusion : Copy Of a Ninja : Chapter 01
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When the lift finally came to rest, the vista that it revealed was startling.

Stretching a quarter kilometre in each direction was a natural ledge formation that was invisible from the ground, a natural illusion; from the ground, it appeared as little more than another section of the cliff-face.

A roaring waterfall tumbled down the far side, rushing over the moss-covered stones to collect in the clear blue pool at the bottom. It was deceptively deep, as Naruto could attest to, having many times leaped from the top of the waterfall to tumble, laughing, into the pool below.

From there, it leisurely wound its way through the clearing before disappearing once more into the mountainside.

The stream itself was densely populated with trout, they had been introduced as the main food source. As such, the exit contained a fine wire mesh enclosure. This kept the fish contained within the stream.

The ground was covered in a lush green grass, overgrown now, but that could be fixed easily enough.

Near the base of the falls a staircase had been carved into the mountainside. It threaded its way up the mountain to the head of the falls, and another ledge.

Smaller than the first, it was a training area, with a storehouse at one end, full of all of the various tools that a ninja required.

He had spent the majority of his time while staying here on this ledge. Either watching his guardians flow through the forms, or training under their careful guidance.

Reflection could come later though. First, he had to get the house liveable once more. After seven years of neglect, he was sure that it would require a thorough cleaning.

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The house was typical of those ninja favoured. Utilitarian, it was composed of an upper and lower level, each separate from the other. The lower level was on the floor of the ledge, it contained the bathing and toiletry facilities. His memory had not done it true justice. It was very spacious, especially after the cramped confines of his apartment in the village.

The upper level, or living area, was built into the side of the mountain. It had an open plan, the living room as the centrepiece. There were few decorations there, just a simple sofa and table setting.

A few pictures hung on the walls, Naruto when he was younger, the third Hokage holding a grinning child in his hands. And finally, a group shot of a younger Naruto with his two guardians, standing before the waterfall, they looked so happy.

Moving along, Naruto found himself facing the single bedroom, still cluttered with all of his guardians possessions. They had no relatives, and as such it had all been left to him. There was quite a store of money there also, lodged in a cleft under the floor of the bed, he would need it during his stay, as one could not survive on fish alone. A small kitchen was along the other side of the lounge with a large fridge freezer combination.

That reminded him, he would have to go and start the generator. The supplies would only stay fresh so long as they were kept refrigerated. Picking up the fuel, Naruto did just that.

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With power restored, Naruto set to making the place liveable again. He made four clones for the task, one to handle the bottom ledge, one the top, one the lower floor of the house and one the upper. With the cleaning in hand Naruto himself sat in seiza, calming himself with the smooth patter of the falls.

"We have arrived."

Good. I grow tired of the constant travelling. There are things that you must know before we begin. Concerning the nature of our bond.

"I have never really thought about it before. The only reason I even knew about it was due to talking with the third, my guardians never mentioned such things"

That is of no consequence. All that matters is that you learn the necessary information.

To begin with, you and I are no longer truly separate entities. The fourth Hokage destroyed my physical body during our battle. Usually this would send my soul back to the kami plane, where I could create a new one. The fourth would not allow this however, he captured my fleeing soul and bound it to yours.

This was not without consequence.

My spirit vastly overshadowed that of a newborn human, normally it would have consumed your body within seconds. To prevent this the seal was put in place, cutting the link between your body and my spiritual energy. It could only be accessed when your mindset mirrored my own, something that could not happen for many years. A baby has no need for anger, hate, or the desire to kill. This allowed your body to grow stronger, to be able to cope with the strain.

Even so, the energy in your body is still vastly inferior to the energy of your spirit, which is really a composite of each of our souls. This is the reason that you have such a hard time controlling your chakra for any length of time. A normal person, even one with a bloodline limit, generally has an equal proportion of body and spirit energy. And both grow at the same rate. This makes combining the two energies simple. With such a large difference like you have, the balance is infinitely harder to maintain. It is your main problem, your body energy will never equal your spirit, but the stronger your body energy grows the easier it will become to control that balance.

"What are you saying?"

Unless you start to seriously strengthen your body, you are always going to have problems with maintaining any jutsu for a significant length of time. The problem also limits the power behind each jutsu, as without precise control there will always be minute deficiencies present. It is your decision, as you can still learn the techniques, they will just not be as strong.

"No thanks, I guess I will be looking at some very hard work for the next few months."

Correct.

Satisfied with the decision, Naruto picked his way up the stairs to the upper ledge. He had training to plan.

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-------------------------------------------Done. Comments Welcome.