Surprisingly, I managed to make it in time for the special, longer, New Year update. In the mean time, this author desperately needs to do my homework and continue preparation for Orientation.


Waking up the next morning is disorientating, because there's a sense of lost time.

The alarm clock rings at 9, but she can't recall hearing it.

A glance at said clock shows that it hasn't reached 9, quelling the worry she originally felt.

She remembers thinking listlessly, and randomly brainstorming most of yesterday away.

Scattered pieces of paper on her table and floor prove it.

She also remembers walking out, to the library to borrow some books.

The assortments of opened books and unravelled scrolls on the bed prove it.

Looking down at the book open on her lap, it's safe to assume she fell asleep reading.

Recent Medical Advances, Complied By Tsunade Senju.

While she is thankful, she snorts at the books title.


Sakura dresses sedately, in no particular hurry.

While she's in the bathroom, brushing her teeth, the alarm goes off.

Make it stop its ruckus, she thinks, and a chain duly shoots through the wall.

There's a most ear hurting screech of bending metal, and to Sakura, it means only one thing.

Rinsing out her mouth, she leaves the bathroom, feeling quite displeased.

Perhaps projecting an aura of sheepishness, the chain quickly relinquishes his grip on what used to be her alarm clock.

Much, much later on in life, she would recall fondly that this was the 'Naruto' chain.

For now, she's merely upset, and resigned.

She walks over to the nearest clock shop, and gets herself a durable looking alarm clock with an equally loud ring.

It's in the mercantile district, and people are still pointing.

The mutters are quieter, so it must be just her being sensitive.

Yes, I don't have parents anymore.

Does it matter?

When she gets back to her house, she adds the purchase to her accounts.

In the relative comfort of her home, she has the urge to never go out again, at least not until they forget about the entire thing.

Still, lunch is in order, and it's not polite to be late.

It is a political gathering, so while the other clan heirs and children may not realise, Sakura does.

She can't say she likes it, but if she makes allies, all the better for her.

Walk.

Don't think.

Instead of turning left, she turns right, going in the opposite direction.

It's not much better.

She sees eyes through windows, the suffocating mass of presences that are there, yet so tiny.

As if a colony of ants were scurrying up and down the trunk of a massive tree, peeping out from behind leaves.

Yet turning, there is no one.

Resolutely, she walks on.

A circle, she tells herself.

Perhaps it's the fact that she's walking in a circle, though possibly, it's the fact that the wall in front of her has a circle on it.

A fan, she corrects herself.

A tall and stately lady steps out of the compound, elegantly dressed.

A floral kimono, the same fan printed unobtrusively on the back.

Moments later, a pair, brothers, tumble out, dressed casually.

It would be slightly later that she wished to remember the two as the loving pair they were.

She continues walking onwards, because it's already 12.30.

The same pair, rush past her, their mother calling futilely, exasperation clear in her voice.

The taller male, turns, his brother crashing head first into him.

They laugh, and Sakura smiles at their bond.

"Oh, look, it's Sakura-chan!"

She blinks, looking at the child in front of her.

Their eye levels don't meet, and she's embarrassed to say she's the shorter one.

He waves his hand in front of her face, voice cheery, "Hello! Do you remember me? I can't play today though, Imma gonna go for a party with my Nii-chan! And my Kaa-chan too!"

Uchiha, Sasuke, her brain supplies helpfully, and his corresponding chain acts like a puppy too.

Sakura blinks again, before smiling gently, "Sasuke-san, right? I'm meeting Nara-sama for lunch today, so I can't play either. Another day?"

His black eyes twinkle merrily, though he pouts, "You sound just like Nii-chan. He's forever promising to train me, but every time I ask, he pokes me in the forehead, and tells me he's busy."

Her gaze slides over to the male a distance away.

He notices her attention on him, and he walks up to them.

"It's a pleasure to be of your acquaintance, Haruno-san."

Poised and polite, it's not just him being the heir that she's sure of.

There's something else, the way he carried himself.

"Likewise, Uchiha-san."

She pauses for a moment.

"Is it possible, by any chance, that you all are attending the clan gathering in the Nara Compound?"

"That would be correct, Sakura-chan. You must have been invited by Shikaku-sama?"

Their mother catches up then, her painted lips lifted into a deceiving but equally lovely smile.

Sakura dips her head, and Sasuke grins, "Ooh! Then we can play there! Where are your parents, Sakura-chan? We can leave the adults to do all their stuffy stuff and we can go play ninja and my Nii-chan will win because he's the bestest ninja around!"

There's an almost awkward pause as Mikoto-sama and Uchiha-san register his words, but Yuurei has always been protective of the younger ones.

"Best, Sasuke-san, not bestest. We should walk a bit faster, if not we'll be late. And we wouldn't want that, right?"

A whoosh of breath that they exhale, quiet but so loud.

He chirrups an affirmative, before challenging her to a race.

Not letting her turn him down, he zooms off into the distance.

She takes off after him, the sad, apologetic and heavy gazes on her back.

But that's alright.

He's young, she thinks.

And then again, so was she.


It's misleading.

The first 150 pages were on high mortality rates before the introduction of chakra being used as a medical tool.

The next 50 an introduction on what chakra could be used as, alongside the now fast paced medical developments. The next 20 are then filled with select examples of the techniques used most frequently nowadays.

Then, Lady Senju presents the interlinking chakra wheel, and goes on to further dissect chakra. Which parts are used in healing, how natures affect healing, adaptability of different natured chakra together, how everything comes together, the like.

Beforehand, through the Academy textbook, she already knew that Chakra was composed of physical energy and mental energy. These two energies when moulded in balance, would form chakra. Depending on the elemental inclination of the user, the neutral chakra would then be able to form into either fire, wind, lightning, earth or water natured chakra.

Though not specifically stated, certain users with Kekkei Genkai, (apparent blood mutations) genetic traits were able to simultaneously mould 2, (or more, she assumes) elements together to form an entirely new element.

The notable example stated was Shodaime Hokage, Hashirama (Quaintly enough as she notes) Senju, with the Wood Release Style.

Lady Senju delves deeper into the theory of the 'neutral' chakra. The physical, life, Yang Chakra, and the mental, form, Yin Chakra. Drawing on how Yin and Yang are meant to be dark and light, she refers to how Yin is the power of thought, and Yang is the power of form.

In this sense, Yang would by right be the chakra that, from a medical perspective regenerates the physical flesh.

Yin is then the chakra that restarts the system, bringing the new cells and tissues back to life.

This, she states is paradoxical, because the darkness does not bring light.

She quotes an old tome, on the existence of a Yin-Yang Style, Onmyoton.

"The Rikudo Sennin had so great a mastery as the progenitor of Chakra usage that he could create form out of formlessness, and then, breathe life into it. This style was known as the Yin-Yang Style."

She then theorises, that the formless, would refer to the dead, Yin type chakra. The breath of life, would then refer to the living, Yang type chakra instead.

Lastly, this chapter closes in saying that Yin type chakra was not (Here, the word necessarily seems to be implied) Yin Style, and neither is Yang type chakra Yang Style.

Personally, Sakura thinks there's potential to it.

The people here are quite spiritual, and they believe in a myriad of gods and mythical creatures.

With the frankly, terrifying existence of chakra, she's disinclined to discard such possibilities.


They break off with each other at the gate, Sasuke and she, Mikoto-sama and Sasuke's brother.

One group of adults speaking business and politely trying not to be hostile.

One group of children aimlessly playing happily, not knowing all the heavy handed politics.

"So, what did you think of my Itachi-nii, he's cool, right?"

She scans the crowd for Shika-chan's mane of spiky hair.

"Mm. He's strong. His chakra feels carefully controlled. He loves you a lot, doesn't he?"

"You think so? Sometimes I feel as if he's avoiding me because he thinks I'm burden."

Originally uncertain, she repeats it more firmly.

"I'm pretty sure he loves you very, very much, Sasuke-san."

He grins, showing perfectly white teeth.

"You sound like my mom too, but with the –san."

In the crowd, she spots a head of platinum blonde hair.

Just like Yamanaka-sama.

"Does it make you upset, Sasuke-chan?"

Her voice is tinged with teasing, and he rises to the bait.

"Don't call me –chan!"

His tiny hand clenches into a fist, raising itself playfully to hit her.

She laughs.

Before the fist bops her on the head, a voice cuts in, a hand closing around Sasuke-san's.

"What kind of gentleman are you? Hurting someone with your fist, how uncouth!"

She recognises the same blonde hair, even as the girl flips her pony tail back.

A smile is directed at her, a hand extended that she takes.

"I'm fine, but I thank you for your aid."

Sakura smiles back at the girl, then at Sasuke, reassuring.

"You have lovely eyes. I'm Sakura, and you would be?"

Dramatically, the girl presses a hand to her chest, "My, my, such a charmer. Well, learn from pretty boy here, a true gentleman he is."

She isn't sure if the blonde is jesting or not.

"How troublesome. Sakura-nee, this is Ino Yamanaka, and this is Akimichi Chouji. Ino, for your information, Sakura is female."

'Ino' whirls on Shika-chan with all the righteous fury of a female burning from social embarrassment.

"No harm done, it's a pleasure to meet friends of Shikamaru. I'm Haruno Sakura."

The plump child is clearly shy, perhaps because of his weight.

Maybe clan techniques cause his bulk, or require the bulk?

The 5 of them chat, and hang about.

Occasionally meandering over to the buffet tables, Akimichi-san proves to be a good, and knowledgeable judge of the food served.

"My tou-chan cooked that. Eat it with the plum sauce, it's good! Crispy on the outside, and juicy on the inside, it's filling too!"

Sasuke-san enjoys it, the crispy dango that is.

"I didn't know dango could be savory too, Itachi-nii likes the sweet and chewy kind and I don't like it that much because-"

"Breathe, Sasuke-san, if not you'll choke.

Akimichi-san beams at Sasuke's frantic yabbering and eating, because indeed, he looks like he's enjoying himself.

"It's an Akimichi specific recipe, you won't find it anywhere else."


Regarding the descriptions of the various techniques, Lady Senju likens most to an extension of their (meaning medics') will.

The chakra scalpel, for one is a quasi-solid structure of chakra.

It doesn't break the surface skin, going straight for tendons, bones and more importantly, the chakra system.

This was a breakthrough for the medical community, because the scalpel was simply a generic term.

In theory, anyone with sufficient chakra, and chakra control would be able to make a weapon of any shape and any size, choose what to cut through, and choose what not to.

Sakura knows little of chakra control, but since the world hasn't been subjugated, she assumes no such person exists.

Next, not cutting surface skin completely removes the possibility of infection because of surgery, thus, vastly increasing survival chances.

Derived from the chakra scalpel's 'solid chakra' theory, the poison extraction technique would involve surrounding a volume of fluid, inserting it into the target's body and drawing out the poison.

Thanks to the invention of such a technique, even without the antidote, people poisoned could expect to live much longer than they originally would have.

It was still advised that they be dosed an antidote.


The last group of children she is introduced to are the Inuzuka, Hyuga and the Aburame.

The Inuzuka are the only major clan with a female head. Additionally, they have a female heir. Her future classmate, Inuzuka Kiba, was said heir's younger sibling.

His nin-dog, Akamaru is white furred with brown ears, and, "For now," he assures me, tiny enough to sit on top of his head.

The Hyuga Clan is another clan with a female heir, but male head. Her classmate is the elder one, but somehow not the heir.

After exchanging word with both sisters, Sakura figures it's not the difference in strength, but in confidence and resolve.

Hinata, the older one, has dark blue hair cut short. She fidgets, stutters and is fairly meek.

Hanabi, the younger one, who clearly looks up to her older sister, is louder and more dynamic. With long, brown hair, she is unfailingly polite, their characteristic pupil-less lilac eyes without a flicker of emotion.

Byakugan, the All-Seeing-Eye.

She wonders if they can see her chains when she doesn't deploy them.

"Hyuga-san, would you be willing to activate your Byakugan? I'm curious as to something."

Hinata-san complies, forming her hands into a seal of some sort.

She feels no outward expulsion of chakra, but the veins around Hinata-san's eyes bulge.

"How far can you see?"

Sakura turns purposefully, pointing in a random direction, "Is there anyone there? Like really far far away?"

"Right now, I can only see around up to 20 metres away, but I can look through bushes and trees. So up to my limit, there isn't anyone there."

But she has some confidence in her abilities, because she doesn't stutter.

"That's really cool! You won't get into trouble telling us this…right?"

She giggles, "Not at all Sakura-san, you're a comrade, and you're just asking because of curiosity."

Sakura wills a chain, her new 'Hyuga, Hinata' chain, to wave at her.

"Oh!"

Hinata waves back enthusiastically as everyone looks at the now visible chain.

"You must have really good chakra control to make such a precise shape, Sakura-san!"

She files this away, demurring over it, "I've been practising."

Her first impression of Aburame-san is that he has little tact.

"I fail to understand why a civilian would be present at such a gathering. Nonetheless, it is a pleasure to be of your acquaintance. Why? Because you will be one of our classmates, and you are likely to take over the reins of the Haruno Merchant Guild with your parents' passing."

She watches Sasuke's eyes widen, and Shika-chan's narrow, Ino-san steps out, ready to reprimand Aburame-san.

"It's true. I too, wonder why I was invited. Perhaps it is because Nara-sama is my proxy. Perhaps they intend on naming me as their Civilian Ambassador. Perhaps…I have been brought here on purpose, to be intimidated? I do not know, Aburame-san. Would you be so inclined to theorise any reasons?"

Her next impression is that he is socially stunted.

"I apologise. I seem to have insulted you in some way."

"It's perfectly alright, no harm done."

There's an awkward pause, as Sakura continues to assess him.

"Your chakra is like a cacophony, Aburame-san. It's like a gathering of many untraceable, unnoticeable tiny little signatures. Is this your natural chakra, or that of your colony?"

His hands are in his pockets, voice muffled by his trench coat and eyes covered by shades.

"My colony represents my chakra, the only purpose of my chakra is to feed my colony. My colony in turn allows itself to be used. For some reason, they avoid you, yet are attracted to you."

Kiba-san cuts in, "Woah Shino, are you trying to hit on her?"

His voice stays a perfect monotone, even as Shikamaru shifts slightly.

"You misunderstand my words, Kiba-san. I am merely stating an observation."

Her final impression is that he is observant.

"You hurt your finger, Sakura-san. I believe within the past 2 days. Why? Because the band aid covering the wound is small, but clearly fresh."

Suddenly all the attention is on her finger, and she silently applauds him.

"That is true, I hurt my finger yesterday. Did anything in particular make you notice my injury?"

"Indeed, that is an apt assumption. As is so happens, there was. When my parents and I walked in, we were received by Nara-sama. He pointed me towards where Shikamaru-san, Ino-san and Chouji-san were. I noticed that he had a band aid on as well."

The air is driven out of her lungs.

"Oh, does he?"

"I welcome either Hinata-san or Hanabi-san to check with their Byakugan."

Once more, Hinata complies.

She notes, curiously though, faintly, that she turns to face the house.

"Shino-san is correct. N-nara-sama has a band-aid on his r-right hand."

"Which finger is it, though?"

Her voice sounds far away.

"The i-index finger."

The tree was swaying, but Sakura was still on her feet.


Now that she thinks, her chains resemble the theory behind the chakra scalpel.

It passed through the glass screen, pillow, table and bed unharmed, but could also be solid enough to grab things.

However it was also different in a sense.

The chakra scalpel was formed through the continuous emission of chakra.

Her chains simply were.


Shikaku expected the day to pass uneventfully.

Hoped to get through lunch without any clan getting angry.

He did get that wish, but he didn't expect the children to burst in shouting that Sakura had fainted.

Tsume is the first one out the door, hand glowing green.

He's the next, because not only is he the host, Sakura is his guest.

"Kiba, move her into the shade, right now!"

Her son scurries to obey.

As she runs diagnostics, he questions the kids, "What happened?"

Shikamaru shakes his head, "We don't know. We were just talking about random stuff, and she was about to say something when she suddenly fainted."

He turns to Chouza's kid, who dutifully rattles off the short list of foods Sakura ate, "Crispy dango, with plum sauce, almond cookies, tuna sandwiches and some cut pineapple. Sasuke had dango, Shika had the cookies, I had the sandwiches, and Ino ate some of every fruit. We're all fine."

"Mikoto can ya go get her medical file? Chouza, I need you to see if any of her allergies match up with any of your secret ingredients."

At Tsume's go ahead, they shift her into the house.

The Inuzuka Clan head barrels ahead, and Shikaku only just stops her in time.

"That's Yoshino's room."

Suddenly the hallway's quiet, and Tsume judges his reaction.

"Sorry dude. Yoshino-chan means a lot to all of us. She'll come home soon."

He hums, before pointing at the door next to it.

"It's either Shikamaru's or mine. All the other rooms haven't been cleaned in a while."

He knows that a while has been a long time.

Since Yoshino left for her mission, no one has actually taken the time to clean the rooms.

Personally, he can't bear to.

In his head, despite her fiery attitude, Yoshino was still the picture perfect housewife who would clean the home and cook his meals.

"I don't get it though. All her vitals check out. Pulse is even, no heart murmur. The kids didn't say she had breathing difficulties before she fainted, so even allergies are unlikely."

Her eyes narrow, and she shoots a look at the Hyuga Clan Head.

Hiashi's veins bulge, and he focuses on her chakra network.

"There isn't anything irregular in her system. But there's a mass of chakra behind her. Shikaku, is there anything that could be the cause of it?"

He shakes his head, because his bed is just that.

A bed.

Oh if only he knew what that child was.

Almost gentle, Tsume turns the kid over, and Hiashi tries to feel for the source.

"It's an extension of her chakra system. It's faint, but fairly large. There, but just evading my sense. It's almost as if it's sentient, trying to avoid my detection."

"I don't care about some crazy new mutation or Kekkei Genkai, you all can sort that out on your own later, all I want to know is if it could be the cause of the pup losing consciousness. So is it?"

Another shake of the head, and Mikoto-san and Chouza's allergen check comes up empty.

Tsume orders everyone but Mikoto out, "We're going to check her for rashes or hives, or possible symptoms that this is a new allergy."

When they are actually allowed back in, they get another pair of shaking heads.

Lunch has just about ended, and most clan heads politely excuse themselves, taking with them at least a worried child.

"I'll stay to take care of the pup. You probably don't wan' the hospital medics poking at her, right?"

He nods mutely.

Poking was one thing, but he was worried about the extension that Hiashi saw. While he would trust the Hyuga Clan Head to a certain extent, he didn't trust the hospital to keep it to themselves. The Hokage would know. And if he knew, some way, the elders would find out. Danzo, in particular, he was worried about.

"Kuromaru, stay here and watch the pup. Alert me if anything happens, alright, boy?"

The dog, gruff just his owner, but loyal to a fault.

Find out?

Why does it matter?

Are you not a loyal little Shinobi?

"It's Sakura."

So?

"Sakura."

Who is completely unrelated to you.

"Her parents…"

Are dead, end of story.

"…"

My, are you having a guilty conscience?

What did you do again?

"Nothing!"

Mm…sounding a bit defensive there, even though it's true.

In hindsight, when Shikaku looked back, he wasn't sure when Sakura began to matter.


Sakura had a theory.

If chakra was a balance of Yin and Yang, and this balance was not called Yin-Yang, then chakra was a homogenised mixture.

Natures would be added to the Pure chakra, and the chakra would become flavoured in a sense.

Thus, if Yin and Yang energies were mixed in an equal ratio, being direct opposites, would cancel each other out.

This neutralisation process forms chakra.

So an elemental Kekkei Genkai would stem from the ability to simultaneously mould the natures into a singular nature, then introduce this to the Pure chakra, and then release it.

As a blood trait, such an ability was interesting, because this would imply genetic heritage, and not mental will being the cause.

Of course, had it been mental will, the amount of strain would be gargantuan.

However, using techniques is an active skill, so they can consciously choose to mix, or keep the elements separate.


When Sakura wakes up, the evening sun filters through brown curtains she can't remember hanging.

The fuzzy warm blanket that hangs snugly on her shoulders isn't hers either.

And the buckwheat pillow she just got off, the quiet whispers that reveal its contents, she would never buy.

If she did, she would never get out of her apartment ever again.

"We know who you are, World-walker."

Her heart jumps into her throat, "Who-" and she catches sight of the dog beside her (the?) bed.

"All the nin-creatures know. You whom the world so actively rejects. You whom the worlds curse, yet bless, and yet they so desperately cry out to you to save them. World-walker. I welcome you to your latest, and likely, shortest life."

"…Thank you?"

The dog laughs, an odd barking sound.

"Sleep, Walker. Wake when you have rested. I must go and alert my partner that you have slipped into natural sleep."

She feels a paw with slight claws pressing into her hair, coaxing her gently.

She feels lighter, yet heavier with an acknowledgement of her existence.


"Oh, has she? That's good. Alright, then let's go back. Shikaku, make sure the kid drinks enough fluid and hear her end of the story. If she felt dizziness then it was probably heat stroke. You might also want to check out Hiashi's chakra extension thing. The Byakugan don' lie."

He bids the Inuzuka Clan Head good bye, and turns towards the staircase.

Shikaku senses his son hiding by the door way.

True enough, his spiky head of hair soon pops out, "Otou-san, is Sakura-nee alright?"

He nods his head, "Tsume-sama said to just let her rest."

"Oh…"

They play shougi to pass the time but half way through their ninth game, Shikamaru's head gently lolls against the table, hands folding beneath the weight of his head.

Once more, like a few day ago, he carries Shikamaru to bed.

The lazy brat sleeps on his side so he doesn't have to untie and retie his hair every day.

He pulls off the black elastic, placing it on the side table.

Picking out the thinner blanket from the pile Shikamaru leaves them in, Shikaku drapes it over him, knowing it'll be kicked off in the middle of the night.

He closes the door to his son's room with a faint tinge of melancholy, looking at the room down a door.

Yoshino, you're supposed to do that. Not me.

Nonetheless, he walks past that door, entering his room.

The golden glow of the sun bounces off Sakura's pink hair.

It's the shade of the rose pink clouds, he notes.

He's not that sure what he should do, and what he shouldn't.

In the end, he leaves a glass of water by the bedside, and retreats to the living room.


When she wakes up again, rested, it's dark enough that the moon is hung high.

The moonbeam catches on a glass of water on the table.

She drinks gratefully, before swinging her feet over the edge, bare feet coming into contact with a cool wooden floor.

Locating her sandals, she slips them on, strapping the Velcro.

She folds up the blanket she used, setting it at the foot of the bed, before straightening the pillow.

Taking hold of the empty cup, she slips out of the room, closing the door behind her.

There's light coming from downstairs, and she heads towards it.

When she sees Nara-sama sleeping at the table, she feels slightly apologetic.

It must have been his bed I hijacked.

She does the dishes, the cup she used, a pair of cups stained with tea, and a pair of plates with residue bread crumbs.

The trash bin has a pair of take-out boxes.

She tracks the passing of time, but she's not hungry.

When she re-emerges from the kitchen, the living room clock tells her it's 11.

Shall I attempt to carry Nara-sama?

Should I wake him?

In the end, the decision is taken from her, because he wakes up.

He blinks, vision still blurry when she bows, but she attempts to slip out through this door as well.

"Sakura?"

She freezes, hand on the door knob.

"Thank you for your hospitality, Nara-sama. I apologise for imposing."

She dips her head, turning the knob.

"It's dark. I'll walk you home."

Sakura shakes her head.

"It's late, you're clearly tired, Nara-sama."

He waves her off, hands forming a cross seal.

There's a soft poof of smoke.

"My shadow clone will walk you."

She scrutinises their chakras but can pick out no difference.

"Good night then, Nara-sama."


Konoha at night is very different from Konoha in the day.

For one, it's dark, and for the next, the Red Light District comes alive.

Alongside that, most gangs have fights around this time, and most organised crime happens around this time.

Sakura finds this out the literal way.

Having not known the row of shops next to the mercantile district were Red Light District shops, they, meaning she and Clone!Nara-sama end up walking through it.

"Isn't it a good thing I chose to make a clone?"

She shrugs uncomfortably, "They probably wouldn't have done anything to me."

But she knows how very far that is from the truth herself.

Behind dark shades, she can see eyes leering.

Walking down the streets, a gathering of gang members approach them.

Once someone recognises Nara-sama, they are quick to divert paths.

"Nara-sama. This clone, the chakra is spilt equally, right?"

"Yeah."

A quarter through.

"Then do you have your own chakra system? If you used a technique, would your chakra replenish?"

"No. If I use up all my chakra I'll disperse."

"Then if you are killed as a clone, does your chakra return to the original?"

"Unless the original is on the scene and purposefully gathers it before it dissipates, it wouldn't."

Half.

"Are there different kinds of clones?"

"Mm. I'm a Shadow Clone. It's a Konoha-specific clone, created by the Niidaime. There are the Water Clones of the Mist, Sand Clones of the Sand, Earth Clones of Rock to name a few."

"How do you tell a clone from the original then?"

"For most clone types, the original will be significantly more powerful than the clones."

3 quarters.

"What about Shadow Clones?"

"Every clone will disperse if hurt."

There's no more talk after that, till they part at her door step.

"It's probably meaningless, because Nara-sama won't hear it, but thank you, anyway. Sleep well."

"Shadow clones pass their memories on to the original upon dispersal."


He walks back slowly, across the rooftops.

Mentally, he gives his clone the command to disperse.

The gang members are released from the grasp of his Shadow Bind.

He sleeps well that night, knowing he doesn't have to wake up early to do the dishes.


Multiple major info-dumps, and this author's botched attempt at warmth ends up as fairly dark humoury angst.

Happy New Year, dear readers, and thanks for all your support!