Naruto: Clan Simulation and Bloodline Evolution from Scratch

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*****

Hiruzen Sarutobi furrowed his brows tightly.

He had just invested in Ximen Zhen—yet now the boy had suddenly fallen seriously ill?

Was it Hiruzen's misfortune, or was the boy just too fragile?

He picked up the letter and examined it closely. Gradually, the frown on his face began to ease.

With his wealth of experience, Hiruzen immediately understood what illness Ximen Zhen had contracted.

"Nightmare Syndrome, huh..."

The Shinobi World had no official term like "Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder." The older generation of ninja simply referred to extreme fear-induced chakra loss of control as Nightmare Syndrome.

In truth, it wasn't really a disease. It was simply a symptom of a ninja being unable to properly regulate their internal chakra.

Since Konoha's establishment and the founding of the Ninja Academy, all children with chakra had been required to undergo basic education.

Even those with the poorest aptitude had to spend a few years in the academy learning how to control chakra and grow accustomed to its flow within the body.

So nowadays, it was extremely rare to see cases of Nightmare Syndrome in Konoha.

Yet Ximen Zhen just happened to tick all the boxes: newly awakened chakra, psychological trauma, and no one to guide him. That's how the old symptoms resurfaced.

Hiruzen set the letter down, lit his pipe, and began thinking about how to resolve the situation.

Before Ximen Zhen's creativity dried up and he could no longer write, Hiruzen had no intention of letting him suffer from such a minor problem.

Besides, the solution was quite simple—have someone teach Ximen Zhen how to control his chakra.

Once he got the hang of it, he wouldn't lose control during moments of emotional stress.

The only remaining issue was Ximen Zhen's identity.

He wasn't a ninja and was too old to attend the academy, so Hiruzen couldn't assign a real shinobi to teach him. That would be a waste of precious manpower—and go against Konoha's system where ninja earned jutsu by completing missions.

But assigning the task to a dropout who never made it to genin? That risked ruining Ximen Zhen's foundation entirely.

As he pondered, a knock came at the door.

"Come in," Hiruzen called.

Nara Shikaku stepped into the office.

Hiruzen's eyes lit up immediately.

If Danzo Shimura was his black glove—handling things he couldn't be associated with—then Shikaku was his white glove, the one he trusted with delicate, personal affairs.

Thirty minutes later, Shikaku returned home, one hand propping up his chin, looking deeply troubled.

That same gloom hung over him well into the evening, even after his son, Shikamaru, came home from school.

Shikamaru pretended not to notice, but Shikaku had been waiting specifically for him. He dragged his son into a game of shogi.

They played until midnight. Finally, Shikamaru, barely able to stay awake, surrendered and said, "Dad, if you want me to do something, just say it. Don't torture me like this. I'm still growing, you know!"

"You little brat. Your father just wanted to bond with you…"

"Yeah, right."

Shikamaru rolled his eyes. Seeing this, Shikaku dropped the act.

"Fine. Looks like I can't fool you. Actually, the Hokage wants you guys to do him a favor."

With that off his chest, Shikaku went off to cuddle with his wife and rest, leaving Shikamaru with a face full of misery—now infected with his father's troubled expression.

Even the next morning on the way to school, Shikamaru still looked terrible.

"Shikamaru, did you eat something bad?" Choji asked kindly.

Ino Yamanaka, who happened to pass by, teased, "He probably got wrecked a hundred times playing shogi with Uncle again, right?"

Shikamaru shot her a glare, ready to say something sarcastic to provoke her.

The three—Ino, Choji, and Shikamaru—had grown up together as close friends, so some banter and mockery between them was nothing new.

But just as Shikamaru was about to speak, he paused. Staring at Ino's face, his eyes lit up.

Ino, who had mentally prepared herself for his usual sharp-tongued jab, was stunned when Shikamaru instead leaned in close to whisper something into Choji's ear.

The two boys kept casting glances at her and chuckling suspiciously, leaving Ino with a deep sense of being excluded.

"Hey! What are you whispering about? Tell me!"

Ino, frustrated, chased after them. Shikamaru grabbed Choji, and the two ran off, only making her more curious.

All day long, Ino couldn't focus. She was so distracted that she didn't even feel like squabbling with her best friend Sakura over Uchiha Sasuke.

After school, Shikamaru and Choji were still acting mysteriously, walking off with their arms around each other's shoulders.

Unable to hold back, Ino secretly followed them—until they arrived at the entrance of Ximen Zhen's house.

By now, it had been two days since Ximen Zhen acquired Uzuki Yugao's pheromone data, and his home had completely changed.

The front gate had been refurbished. A canopy had been installed in the courtyard, with four tables and a dozen chairs beneath it.

Around the tables sat a group of elderly folks, sipping tea and chatting. A bunch of children played joyfully outside the house, while inside, Ximen Zhen listened attentively to one elder's story.

The whole scene exuded warmth and harmony—like a fusion of a nursing home and a kindergarten.

Choji blinked and whispered, "You think Ino will fall for it?"

"Probably," Shikamaru replied, though reluctantly. "That Ximen Zhen is actually kind of good-looking."

Even though he wasn't thrilled about it, Shikamaru had to admit it.

Yesterday, his father told him that Konoha now had a dashing young writer—just a year older than them. Shikamaru hadn't believed it.

But now, seeing Ximen Zhen's calm, composed face—one so similar in age to his own—he knew this guy had an extraordinary mindset.

Unfortunately, Shikamaru and Choji weren't into literature. They were only here to fulfill a mission from the Hokage: to teach Ximen Zhen the basics of chakra control and ninjutsu.

But Shikamaru wasn't about to do that kind of troublesome work himself. What if Ximen Zhen was a slow learner? What a drag.

So he came up with a plan—to push the task onto Ino.

The only problem left was how to get her to willingly accept the job.

Luckily, he already had an idea.

Hearing the faint footsteps behind them, Shikamaru pretended not to notice and smugly said, "He's writing a novel about the Uchiha clan, you know. Even Sasuke's brother and parents are included."

"If Ino finds out, she'll be dying to be part of this."

Choji squinted with a goofy smile.

He trusted Shikamaru 100%—all he had to do was go along with the plan.

So he added, "No way, this job's just for us. It's our chance to earn some pocket money... Ow, my ears!"

Ino had them both by the ears, triumphant as she smirked and said, "Caught you! Now spill it—what's going on?!"

(End of Chapter)