Naruto: Unlocking Kaido Template

"Good morning, Zixu."

"Good morning, Hatsuizumi. Chinano is here too—morning."

After yesterday's planning and organization, the three of them now shared a common secret, and their bond had unknowingly deepened. The usually indifferent Chinano seemed a bit more approachable today.

However, whether it was just their imagination or something else, the atmosphere on the streets felt off. The adults around them seemed strange, and a faint, sweet scent lingered in the air.

"Do you remember what we discussed yesterday?" Zixu asked in a low voice, noticing that Gouda Takeshi had yet to arrive in the classroom. He pushed aside the strange feeling gnawing at him and focused on their plan.

Hatsuizumi had lost his usual timid demeanor and nodded seriously. Chinano clasped her hands together, following up on Zixu's words.

"We should act as normal as possible until we find a way to free ourselves from Konoha's control. Breaking free won't happen overnight, and searching for a solution within the village is difficult. If we want a real chance at removing the seal, we'll need to look beyond Konoha."

She paused for a moment before adding, "Of course, the easiest way would be to get rid of the one controlling the curse… but that's impossible for us right now."

Since the moment she was branded with the Caged Bird Seal, Chinano had never stopped looking for a way to remove it. Though she had found nothing so far, she refused to give up.

"You're right," Zixu agreed. "The Academy only teaches us non-lethal jutsu and academic subjects. The growth in strength is minimal. If we really want to get stronger, we need to learn more powerful techniques outside of school."

He had long realized how inefficient the Academy's curriculum was. The system seemed more focused on shaping students' loyalty than their actual strength. From Konoha's standpoint, this was effective, but Zixu wasn't a child in the true sense.

After spending just a few months here, he had already grasped everything the Academy had to offer. Staying any longer would be a waste of time.

"That's true," Chinano admitted. "But the Academy decides graduation based on performance. Even the most gifted students won't be allowed to leave before three years."

"But this is also an opportunity for us to get stronger," Hatsuizumi added. "There are jutsu we can learn that the Academy doesn't teach."

At his words, Zixu's interest piqued.

"The techniques I've learned require insects, so I can't teach you those," Hatsuizumi continued. "But my clan has a technique that allows insects to absorb chakra, refine it, and then return it, making chakra purer and denser. There's also the Insect Strengthening Technique, where insects gnaw on the body to enhance physical endurance. Both of these could work for you."

Chinano nodded. "The Hyuga Clan's Gentle Fist is most effective when combined with the Byakugan, but it can still function as a pure taijutsu style. Also, there's the Shadow Clone Technique. I don't have enough chakra to use it effectively yet, but with your Uzumaki heritage, you might have the stamina to handle it.

"My father once told me that if the Shadow Clone Technique is mastered, it leads to the Multiple Shadow Clone Technique. That one's a forbidden jutsu because of how much chakra it consumes, but… for someone from the Uzumaki Clan, it might be perfect."

"Insect Strengthening and Shadow Clone Technique?" Zixu muttered. "I don't have much to offer in return, but I'll do my best to help you remove the curse."

Both Chinano and Hatsuizumi thought he was joking. If breaking the curse was that easy, someone would have done it already.

Still, even if they knew the chances were slim, the reason they had formed this small organization was to keep hoping.

Chinano had seen too many Hyuga lose themselves to despair—some ended their lives, while others became obedient dogs of the main family.

She refused to accept either fate.

All she wanted… was to be a bird that could escape its cage and fly freely.

"Maybe I can use a Devil Fruit's power to counteract the curse," Zixu thought to himself. "Like curing poison with poison. A Devil Fruit is definitely higher in rank than a mere cursed seal… but I still need to test if my clones can inherit a fruit's power first."

This was a crazy idea. But if normal methods wouldn't work, then why not fight one curse with another?

For now, though, what excited him the most was the Shadow Clone Technique.

After all, the standard Clone Technique taught at the Academy was a mere illusion—nothing more than a visual trick.

The Shadow Clone, however, was different.

According to Chinano, it was originally developed by the Second Hokage, Senju Tobirama. Unlike ordinary clones, Shadow Clones had physical form and could withstand actual damage before dispersing.

The best part?

Once someone mastered the Shadow Clone Technique, they could potentially learn the Multiple Shadow Clone Technique.

As long as their chakra reserves were sufficient, the technique had no limit on how many clones could be created.

"Since the Multiple Shadow Clone Technique is so powerful, wouldn't it be enough to just use human wave tactics in actual combat?" Zixu was a little puzzled. If this technique was really that powerful, wouldn't it be invincible? There had to be some kind of flaw.

"Let's start with the basics." Chinano's voice was calm as she explained. "Shadow Clones are physical entities, but you can't make too many at once. In theory, the Multiple Shadow Clone Technique can create an unlimited number of clones, but your total chakra remains the same.

"If your chakra amount is 100, then when you make one Shadow Clone, the chakra between you and the clone splits evenly—50 each. Similarly, if you make nine clones, each clone gets 10. The more clones you make, the less chakra each one has, since it's evenly divided. The real danger is that if someone without enough chakra uses Multiple Shadow Clones recklessly, they'll burn through their reserves fast and pass out from exhaustion."

She paused for a second before continuing, "But since you're from the Uzumaki Clan, you naturally have a massive amount of chakra. You should be able to handle the Multiple Shadow Clone Technique. That being said, it's a forbidden technique, and right now, I only have the scroll for the regular Shadow Clone Technique. If you want to master the stronger version, you'll have to figure it out yourself."

Hyuga Chinano pulled out a small scroll from a sealed scroll and handed it to Zixu.

"Thanks." Zixu took the scroll and nodded in appreciation.

At the same time, Aburame Hatsuizumi pulled out two pairs of insects from his backpack.

One pair resembled rhinoceros beetles, slightly smaller in size, with a distinct horn on their cephalothorax. The center of their heads had three tiny protrusions in a row, and a T-shaped groove ran along their pronotum. Their dark backs gleamed slightly, and their three pairs of strong, long legs ended in claws, perfect for gripping surfaces. Right now, they were in Hatsuizumi's palm, raising their large horns and gently nudging his hand.

The other pair looked like longhorn beetles—elongated and cylindrical, with slightly flattened backs. They had antennae protruding from their foreheads, which could rotate freely and cover their backs. Their claws had a tooth-like attachment, allowing them to grip firmly. At the moment, they clung to Hatsuizumi's fingers, their antennae twitching as if exploring their surroundings.

Hatsuizumi handed the rhinoceros beetle-like insect to Chinano and Zixu, then explained, "This is a Horned Beetle, used for body conditioning. It repeatedly strikes your skin with its horn. Since it's a blunt impact, there won't be any bleeding, and it'll release chakra to help heal any minor damage. During this process, your chakra circulation improves, integrating better with your body. This helps refine chakra control and gradually strengthens your physique.

"But keep in mind, the chakra needed for healing is absorbed from you. If you're not careful, you could run low on chakra, so monitor your reserves."

Zixu studied the tiny beetle in his palm as it started tapping his skin with its little horn. He couldn't help but wonder if this tiny guy would hurt itself trying to condition his skin, given his toughness.

Hatsuizumi then carefully placed the longhorn beetle-like insect into their hands. The small bug rubbed against Hatsuizumi's fingers, almost as if reluctant to leave.

"This one is a Refining Beetle, a very docile insect. It absorbs your chakra, refines it, and then returns it to you, making your chakra purer and more efficient. These two insects work best when used together. The Refining Beetle will prioritize supplying purified chakra to the Horned Beetle, maximizing the training effect. All you need to do is channel your chakra into them."

He spoke with such patience and understanding that it was obvious—Hatsuizumi genuinely cared about his insects. This was his world, and being surrounded by them seemed to make him relax.

"Uh… thanks." Zixu and Chinano accepted the insects without hesitation. After all, this was an Aburame Clan training method—if anyone understood chakra refinement, it was them.

"For now, only Zixu has the chance to learn the Shadow Clone Technique, but all of us can train in Gentle Fist," Chinano continued naturally.

She had zero fondness for the Hyuga Clan's rigid hierarchy. If it weren't for the fact that Gentle Fist was designed to be most effective with the Byakugan, she would've gladly spread it around to break the clan's monopoly on its techniques.

"The Gentle Fist techniques available to branch family members include Acupoint Strikes and Eight Trigrams Empty Palm. You can learn both, but without the Byakugan, your accuracy will be significantly reduced.

"As for the secret techniques only passed down to the main family… I haven't seen them personally, but if I get the chance, I'll try to learn them."

After introducing the fundamentals of Gentle Fist, Zixu couldn't shake a weird sense of déjà vu.

"Wait a minute… isn't this just Baguazhang and Tai Chi with some acupressure thrown in? And the whole 'striking with chakra' thing kinda reminds me of Fa Jin…"

A ridiculous thought crossed his mind.

"If I had studied martial arts properly back in my old world, maybe I could've combined them with chakra and created my own damn fighting style."

He wasn't joking. With his insane durability, if he did combine real-world martial arts with chakra-enhanced strikes, the raw destructive power would be off the charts. Extreme defense naturally led to extreme offense.

His thoughts were interrupted when Chinano suddenly pointed toward the classroom door.

"Fat Tiger's here. We'll talk after school. I'll teach you guys Gentle Fist this weekend."

Zixu turned to see Gouda Takeshi walking in, his face unusually serious.

They immediately dropped the discussion, sensing that something big had happened.

At that moment, none of them realized that Takeshi Gouda was about to deliver some heavy news.

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