Chapter Ninety-One: The Slacker

The next day, in the bedroom of the Kato clan's territory, the sun was already high in the sky, yet Kato Gofu remained in bed. Only last night had he returned to the village of Konoha, and today he had resolved to slack off and skip work entirely. After all, he had originally requested a leave of up to seven days from Shimura Danzo, and today was only the fifth; there was no need to hurry. People are not machines, and even machines, after prolonged operation, require rest. If someone remains tense for too long, it's as if the spring inside a clock has been wound too tightly, liable to snap at any moment.

Kato Gofu planned to report back to the Spring Base tomorrow to terminate his leave. Lying in bed, he had long since woken up, stirred by his habitual internal clock. Yet he refused to rise, staring blankly at the ceiling, his thoughts drifting aimlessly.

‘How pleasant it is to laze about like a salted fish in bed. Is there anything more delightful? Yes—never getting up at all…’

Sunlight streamed in through the window, warm and gentle, making him even less inclined to leave the comfort of his blankets. The birds outside in the courtyard chirped incessantly, their calls soothing and lazy, further encouraging his indolence.

This morning, not only did Kato Gofu skip his daily report to the Spring Base, he also neglected his usual morning training, which he had diligently pursued every day. He did not deliver breakfast to Tsunade, as had become his routine; he intended to let that tigress go hungry for once, since she had acted out and raised her hand against him yesterday.

‘No justice at all… It’s one thing to get physical, but what’s worse is that last night, Tsunade wouldn’t even let me step foot inside her home. She deserves to go hungry—no food, no feeding.’

‘Though, starving her too much isn’t good either. She’s at a critical stage of secondary development in certain key areas. If I shrink the future cafeteria for my own children by starving her, the loss will be mine to bear…’

Kato Gofu reached out from under the covers, letting his hand bask in the sunlight as he gauged its warmth and attempted to estimate the time. He decided to remain in bed a while longer; it was barely ten o'clock, still early for lunch. At least he finally ceased his idle daydreaming, ending the chaotic stream of thoughts in his mind.

Though his body remained languid and prone, his usual intelligence overcame his slacker spirit, and he began to consider serious matters. He closed his eyes and immersed his soul in his inner space, summoning the ninja system, which had lain dormant for some time. He intended to resolve the issue of combining the Shadow Clone Technique with the Soul Clone, and, should he have surplus attribute points, allocate them accordingly.

Ninja System

(omitted)

Physical Attributes: Stamina 64, Strength 62, Spirit 76, Speed 64

Special Constitution: Life Activation Constitution (Inactive 33/500)

Chakra Attributes: Wind 66, Lightning 43, Earth 39, Water 0, Fire 0, Yin 76, Yang 64

Ninjutsu: … (omitted) New additions: Shadow Clone Technique and Medical Ninjutsu: Palm Sage Technique.

The Shadow Clone Technique requires little explanation; it was the ninjutsu Kato Gofu had focused on learning and practicing recently. As for the Palm Sage Technique, he had a foundation from Tsunade's tutoring, and his daily exposure to healing and medical practice at the Spring Base further solidified his grasp. He made use of his downtime there to master the Palm Sage Technique.

His special constitution—Life Activation—rose from inactive 1/500 to 33/500. Spirit and Yin attributes increased from 75 to 76, the result of his unwavering diligence and daily practice of the Soul Cultivation Technique. Wind attribute rose from 65 to 66, courtesy of daily Wind Release training. Stamina and Yang increased naturally from 61 to 64, and Strength from 60 to 62; these three attributes grew organically.

Kato Gofu deduced that these changes related to his Life Activation constitution. Though the ninja system listed it as inactive, bodily transformation is never instantaneous but a gradual process. Having absorbed those special soul fragments at the Spring Base, his body underwent tangible changes. The specific manifestations—Strength, Stamina, and Yang—grew naturally as he assimilated the soul fragments, though the rate of growth had begun to slow.

This lazy ninja system didn’t even provide a manual, nearly misleading him again. Kato Gofu had previously assumed the Life Activation constitution would only be effective once it reached 500 and was fully activated.

After reviewing his data in the ninja system, Kato Gofu began to consume attribute points, researching and simulating the combination of the Shadow Clone Technique with the Soul Clone.

…

Time passed unnoticed, until the sunlight streaming into the room was nearly at noon's angle. Kato Gofu, still lying in bed like a salted fish, finally opened his tightly shut eyes. Eventually, he decided to get up, leaving the warm cocoon of his bedding behind.

He paid no mind to his unclothed state, first forming seals to manipulate his chakra and create a Soul Clone, then, according to the requirements of the B-rank Shadow Clone Technique, he formed a shadow clone. Without stopping, his original self, soul clone, and shadow clone simultaneously formed a more complex series of hand seals, each guiding their own chakra along matching frequencies and pathways.

Kato Gofu’s soul clone drifted to his shadow clone, beginning to merge within it. He recalled his earlier, languid state and the intention behind this special clone technique, and voiced the name that had suddenly flashed through his mind:

“Spirit Shadow Salted Fish Clone Technique.”

Before long, the soul clone vanished, fusing with the shadow clone, giving rise to a brand new clone.

Ahem, an unclothed salted fish clone appeared…

Only now did Kato Gofu realize he had gotten out of bed without dressing, and the two naked versions of himself regarded each other awkwardly, each surreptitiously glancing at the other's brother.

‘Hmm, not bad, quite perfect…’

By now, the sun was nearly at its zenith, its rays only reaching a small patch near the bedroom window, though the interior was all the brighter for it.

Outside in the courtyard, the birds were chirping even more cheerfully and loudly than before. With a soft “pop,” Kato Gofu dispelled the Spirit Shadow Salted Fish Clone Technique.

…

He quickly dressed and tidied his appearance, refraining from forming seals to activate the Spirit Shadow Salted Fish Clone Technique again, instead immersing his soul once more in the ninja system.

He had only just solved the issue of combining the soul clone and shadow clone, burning through triple the usual attribute point budget and simulating four times before successfully developing the Spirit Shadow Salted Fish Clone Technique.

Fortunately, his recent journey outside Konoha had been fruitful, leaving him with ample attribute points. Even after developing the new technique, he had enough left for another round of enhancements.

After assigning points, his ninja system read as follows:

Ninja System

Name: Kato Gofu

Ninja Rank: Jonin

Affiliation: Hidden Leaf Village

Physical Attributes: Stamina 64, Strength 62, Spirit 76, Speed 69

Special Constitution: Life Activation (Inactive 33/500)

Chakra Attributes: Wind 69, Lightning 43, Earth 39, Water 0, Fire 0, Yin 76, Yang 64

Ninjutsu: Wind Release [Wind Blade Technique, Wind Breath Technique, Wind Light Technique, Great Breakthrough, Wind Senbon Technique], Lightning Release [None], Earth Release [Small Swamp Technique, Earth Wall Technique], Medical Ninjutsu [Basic Medical Ninjutsu, Palm Sage Technique, Yin Healing Destruction], Three Body Technique [Transformation Technique, Substitution Technique, Clone Technique], Shadow Clone Technique

Taijutsu: Basic Taijutsu, Basic Swordsmanship, Shuriken, Kunai

Secret Techniques: Soul Cultivation Technique, Spirit Shadow Salted Fish Clone Technique

Speed increased from 64 to 69, Wind attribute from 66 to 69, while other attributes remained unchanged, leaving a reserve of just over 100 attribute points for emergencies.

After organizing his ninja system, Kato Gofu experimented several times with the Spirit Shadow Salted Fish Clone Technique in his clan’s small training ground.

Overall, he was quite satisfied with this newly acquired secret technique, as it fulfilled his initial expectations.

However, before heading out at midday to meet Tsunade at Konoha Hospital for a lunch date, he noticed something unusual while tidying his appearance in the mirror.

…