After accepting the payment, the middle-aged shopkeeper’s expression improved slightly, and he asked if Luke wanted any additional services.
“Would you like me to hire a Ninja to deliver the items to your home?”
“No thanks, I’m out of money.”
Luke touched his deflated money pouch, feeling particularly heartache.
Hearing the words “out of money,” the middle-aged shopkeeper immediately lost interest, not even bothering to spare him a glance.
Luke took a deep breath, fastened the sword at his waist, then his arm muscles bulged as he strained to lift the leg weights. His face contorted in pain, veins bulging, as if mustering all his strength just to barely lift them.
“So heavy.”
Watching Luke stagger out, the middle-aged shopkeeper shook his head. This was a classic case of sacrificing comfort for pride—a young man not knowing to protect his back properly would understand the consequences when he grew older.
A man’s back is incredibly important!
…
A hundred kilograms was nothing compared to pirate Luke’s daily training routine. The main reason Luke bought these leg weights was that they could be worn constantly. This peculiarly heavy metal didn’t exist in the pirate world—even Seastone wasn’t this dense.
After exiting the shop, Luke wiped nonexistent sweat from his brow, reflecting on whether his earlier performance had any flaws.
Although it was a hundred-kilogram object, the leg weights were shaped conveniently for carrying. As a robust young man who worked with metal year-round, he should be able to lift them… right.
After a brief self-reflection, Luke found a deserted alley to put on the leg weights. Instantly, his legs felt significantly heavier.
Swinging his nimble arms and twisting his flexible torso, Luke felt as if his upper and lower body had become disconnected.
Seems like I’ll need to buy weights for my arms and torso too, otherwise the imbalance is too severe, Luke thought to himself. But considering his empty wallet, he shifted his perspective.
Couldn’t adapting to this imbalance itself be a form of training?
Then there’s no need to rush—after all, rushing wouldn’t help anyway.
His personal funds were nearly depleted. The family’s money was controlled by his mother, with spending decisions made by his father as head of household.
Thinking about his parents gave him a headache. Living with family while keeping secrets was inconvenient, and since he wasn’t a Ninja, his metalworking business operated from home, requiring reporting every time he went out.
If only he could learn the Shadow Clone Technique, things would become much more convenient.
Ordinary Clone Techniques were not only rigid but would disappear at the slightest impact, whereas the Shadow Clone Technique operated with consciousness independent of the user’s main body, possessed some resistance to damage, and when dispelled, the clone’s memories and experiences would return to the main body—making it one of the most practical Ninjutsu.
Particularly since the Shadow Clone Technique was only a B-rank Ninjutsu, its storage restrictions were relatively less strict. Due to its convenience, it was highly sought after by Ninjas and had already spread throughout the ninja world. Many Chunin knew it, let alone Jonin and above, making acquisition relatively less difficult.
But it was still a registered technique within the village. Luke pondered and realized there really weren’t any legal ways to obtain the Shadow Clone Technique in the short term.
But no matter—if legal channels won’t work, we can always take the illegal route!
Seeing that it was still early, Luke calculated the time and guessed where that person might appear, then turned and headed toward the Death Forest.
……
The depths of the Death Forest served as the venue for ninja exams and were inhabited by some fierce beasts, making it off-limits to civilians. However, the outskirts had no such restrictions and were quite popular with families for picnics and outings, as well as Ninja Academy students practicing Ninjutsu after school.
Luke walked to the riverbank and kicked an inconspicuous tree a few times. After a few breaths, a muffled male voice came from the tree.
“Chuan Luke?”
“It’s me. Come down for a moment.” Luke kicked the tree a few more times, causing it to shake with his movements. Soon after, a figure swiftly descended and landed steadily on the ground.
The person was tall and slender, with spiky white hair and dressed in ninja attire. He wore a Konoha Ninja headband on his forehead, with one eye and most of his face covered by a mask. The visible eye couldn’t be described as dull, but it certainly lacked any spark.
Without a doubt, this was Hatake Kakashi—the famous chakra measurement unit in the Naruto world, the man who could fight anyone to a standstill.
He was also Luke’s close friend.
……
Luke was acquainted with the previous Team 7—Hatake Kakashi, Uchiha Obito, and Rin—mainly because he had persistently inserted himself into their circle to build familiarity.
After the White Fang’s suicide incident, Luke hurried to comfort Kakashi, spouting words about recognition and friendship, managing to console him in his grief and confusion, thus becoming a publicly acknowledged friend of Kakashi.
He had also hinted to Kakashi and the others not to go to the Kannabi Bridge, but without sufficient reasons, his warnings were vague. Coupled with the fact that he was in the village during the war while Team 7 was fighting outside, unable to communicate in real-time or grasp the immediate situation, he ultimately failed to change the course of history.
Even if he could have changed it, considering Madara and Zetsu were lurking in the shadows, determined to achieve their goals, he might have ended up getting himself involved as well.
Although Obito was merely an acquaintance, who knew if Madara might impulsively decide to use Luke as an extra sacrifice for Obito’s sake.
Kakashi ended up just as devastated as in the original storyline.
Six years ago, on the night of the Nine-Tails attack, after Namikaze Minato and Kushina passed away, the once-genius Kakashi had turned into the despondent figure he was now. Despite having the potential to reach Kage-level strength through proper training, he had stagnated.
It couldn’t be helped—his father died, his best friend died, his almost-girlfriend stabbed herself, and his master and his wife were gone. For a time, Kakashi even believed he was a jinx and grew somewhat distant from Luke as a result.
According to the normal timeline, it wasn’t until four years later, under the Third Hokage’s guidance, that he became a teacher and mentor to students. His strength began to fluctuate again, but having missed his developmental period, when he led Team 7, this former genius who became a jonin at twelve struggled fiercely against Zabuza and was later instantly defeated by his former junior, “Itachi.”
Though Uchiha Itachi was a cheat in his own right.
Kakashi leaned against the tree trunk, holding a book in his hand—the famous “Make-Out Paradise.” His gaze fell on the sword at Luke’s waist for a few seconds before shifting away, his tone indifferent.
“What is it? Speak.”
After a moment of consideration, Luke decided to be straightforward: “I want to learn the Shadow Clone Technique.”
You must be dreaming.
Kakashi shot Luke a look that clearly questioned his intelligence and firmly refused, “You don’t have the capability to use the Shadow Clone Technique.”
The Shadow Clone Technique was among the more difficult B-rank techniques, requiring precise division of chakra to execute. Luke simply didn’t possess enough chakra to perform it, let alone divide it to create clones.
“How would you know I can’t use it without checking first?” Luke stared at Kakashi, his tone serious.
Kakashi fell silent for a few seconds, tucked his book away, and pressed his palm against Luke’s chest. His brow furrowed involuntarily.
According to his perception, Luke’s current chakra reserves slightly exceeded the average level of a Chunin—already quite impressive.
“Your current chakra level is about one-fifth of what I maintain daily. How did you manage that?”
Good, good—finally an accurate measure of his chakra capacity.
0.2 Kaka.
“I know my talent is limited, so I squeeze out time every day to refine chakra until I pass out. Ten years of this routine, and I’ve finally stabilized at this level,” Luke declared with solemn conviction. “For people like us, who else can we rely on but ourselves?”