Hearing this, Naruto raised his left hand and scratched the back of his head, looking slightly embarrassed as he replied, "No, no, Principal! Ever since that war ended last time, for some reason, every time I use Shadow Clones there are some side effects."
"Right now, five shadow clones is already my limit!"
Hearing that, Rengoku couldn't help feeling curious and immediately asked, "Oh? What kind of side effects?"
Naruto's bright smile suddenly turned a little blank.
"It's like… when the shadow clones disappear, the pain they feel right before dying gets sent straight back to the original body."
"Last time one of my shadow clones was killed, and that awful feeling came back to me all at once. I ended up throwing up right there."
As he said this, Naruto seemed to recall the nauseating scene from before and couldn't help shivering.
"But my dad told me that this kind of situation is actually normal."
"After all, a truly skilled Shadow Clone user should know to cancel the clone before it faces a deadly threat. Otherwise it can cause extremely serious mental strain."
"I just don't know why I didn't have this problem when I first learned Shadow Clones."
Naruto himself looked a little puzzled.
The doubts in Rengoku's mind only grew stronger.
So he waved toward Sasuke again.
"Have you ever fought Naruto when he was using the tailed-beast cloak?", Rengoku asked.
Sasuke nodded and said calmly, "We fought, but I wasn't his opponent at all."
"Uncle Minato told him not to use the Nine-Tails' power casually."
"But once I obtain the Mangekyo Sharingan, even a tailed beast won't be my opponent!"
A thoughtful look flashed through Rengoku's eyes.
Involuntarily, he recalled the Dragon Vein battle from five years ago.
For most people, that event had happened a full five years earlier.
But for Rengoku, it felt as if only a few days had passed.
'During that battle, what exactly did Otsutsuki Hagoromo take from Sasuke and Naruto's bodies?'
'Could it be that the chakras of Indra and Asura have been forcibly extracted?'
Thinking of this, Rengoku's gaze grew deeper. He turned to Naruto again and asked, "Naruto, have you mastered Sage Mode?"
Naruto immediately showed a proud expression when he heard that. He even patted his chest hard and answered loudly, "Of course I learned it!"
Then Rengoku shifted his gaze to Sasuke and asked the same question.
"And you, Sasuke?"
Sasuke gently shook his head and explained:
"Lord Orochimaru once told me that I don't have talent for senjutsu. If I want to learn it, with my situation I can only rely on the engraving method."
"But the engraving method isn't mature yet. Right now it's too dangerous for me."
"My chakra still isn't enough, so I plan to wait until I awaken the Mangekyo Sharingan before considering the engraving method."
Seeing how calmly and rationally Sasuke accepted that Naruto was stronger than him, without showing any discomfort or dissatisfaction, Rengoku became even more certain about the guess he had made earlier.
A person's chakra was limited. Sasuke hadn't fully matured yet, so even if he could learn Sage Mode, he wouldn't have enough chakra to convert.
That was the reasoning.
But Sasuke being this rational was clearly abnormal.
Rengoku said to him, "Sasuke, regarding your issue, I'll discuss it properly with Itachi first. Then I'll give you an answer."
Although Sasuke looked completely confused at the moment, he still nodded obediently.
"Alright, Shishou."
After that, Rengoku slowly swept his gaze across the other students present.
Satisfied with their performance and in a very good mood, he smiled and announced, "It's been a long time since we gathered together. I'd like to invite everyone to eat hot pot tonight. Don't forget to show up on time."
It was currently the afternoon, about two hours away from dinner.
When Naruto heard that Rengoku was treating everyone to a meal, his excitement exploded instantly. He waved his arms around and cheered, "Whoa! That's awesome! Long live the Principal!"
Naruto had always loved lively gatherings, so a group dinner like this was naturally very appealing to him.
The others also smiled and responded, saying they would definitely come on time.
Rengoku waved to them and said, "Alright then, I'll head back and change clothes first. See you tonight."
Just as Rengoku was leaving, Karin, who had been quietly standing nearby, suddenly hurried after him.
Seeing this, Shion looked puzzled and couldn't help calling out, "Hey, Karin, you?"
Hearing Shion's shout, Karin stopped and turned around. She mischievously made a funny face at Shion, then proudly flashed a big V-sign toward Yakumo.
Shion's expression became a little blank as she stood there quietly, her gaze fixed on Karin not far away.
Others might not know about the special feelings Karin held for Rengoku, but Shion knew it very clearly.
And the one who had noticed it earliest besides her was Yakumo.
At this moment, when Yakumo saw Karin's triumphant smile and the delighted look on her face, a wave of shock rose in her heart.
'No way… could it be that Karin really…'
———
At the entrance of Uchiha Rengoku's house—
A petite figure suddenly ran out of the courtyard, happily shouting, "Nii-san!"
The moment Ryuri saw Rengoku returning from outside, she rushed over without hesitation and leapt straight into his arms like a light butterfly.
"Hey!", Rengoku instinctively opened his arms and caught Ryuri steadily, then lifted her and spun around once.
After he stopped and gently set Ryuri back down on the ground, he began carefully looking at this younger sister who had suddenly grown five years older.
(Rengoku went to another timeline. For him only two days passed, but five years passed in this world. So everyone else aged +5 years, but Rengoku did not.)
In the past, because of her physical disability, Ryuri had always looked like a child.
Now she had completely grown into an adult.
After all, Ryuri was originally only five years younger than Rengoku. And during the time Rengoku had been in another timeline, five years had quietly passed here.
So Ryuri's age had already caught up to Rengoku's physical age.
They were both twenty-one.
Even so, Ryuri's height had not changed very much.
Her figure was small and delicate, with a slender frame. She naturally had the gentle appearance of a refined young lady.
At this moment she wore a light-colored dress. The hem of the skirt swayed gently in the wind, like a blooming flower, giving off a fresh and elegant aura.
Sunlight fell across her smooth long hair, reflecting a faint golden glow that made her look especially charming and adorable.
Standing behind Rengoku, Karin was actually younger than Ryuri, but she was noticeably taller and her figure was more full.
Just as Rengoku was carefully looking at his sister, Ryuri mischievously blinked at Karin behind him, a faint teasing glint appearing in her eyes.
Seeing that, Karin didn't back down at all. She lifted a delicate hand and made a playful V-sign, smiling brightly and happily.
═❀═❀═❀═❀═❀═❀═
[email protected]/AmbitiousTranslator
🥳Joining P@treon keeps me motivated and eager to work diligently, so please consider joining.🥰 You can access upto 20 advance chapter through P@treon.