Naruto: Reborn in Konoha, Starting with the Drop of Asura's Chakra

"…Lord Zabuza!"

After an unknown amount of time, Haku regained consciousness.

Since he wasn't knocked out again this time, Haku's first reaction upon waking was to check Zabuza's safety.

Though the sky was dark, a bonfire burned not far away.

By the light of the flames, Haku quickly spotted Zabuza bound nearby.

Seeing that Zabuza was still breathing, Haku, who had been overwhelmed with fear, finally let out a sigh of relief.

"Awake?"

A voice reached Haku's ears.

Following the direction of the voice, Haku saw a masked man holding a skewer of roasted food approaching.

Haku didn't need to ask to know that this masked man was the "Kirigakure Anbu" who had ambushed him.

The repeated waking and blacking out before must have been his doing as well.

Seeing that the man hadn't taken Zabuza's head or sealed their bodies and minds to take them back to Kirigakure, Haku realized the man must have some purpose.

Haku quickly said, "Sir, may I propose a trade with you?"

"Funny, I was thinking of making a deal with you," Yagyu said as he sat down in front of Haku. "What do you have to trade?"

"I am a descendant of the Yuki clan and possess the Ice Release Kekkei Genkai. I am only fifteen years old," Haku said, attempting to sell himself. "If you spare Lord Zabuza, I am willing to become your tool. You may treat me however you wish!"

Even if that meant killing, Haku added silently to himself.

If it meant saving his benefactor, Haku was willing to set aside his kindness and become an emotionless tool of slaughter.

"Such touching loyalty. It's clear he has become the light of your life," Yagyu said with a chuckle. "But I'm not interested in tools that aren't loyal to me, so I refuse."

Before Haku could offer more, Yagyu continued, "I can spare Zabuza, but you must assist me with an experiment."

"No problem. As long as you spare Lord Zabuza, my body is yours to do as you please—even for human experiments."

"It's not a human experiment, just something requiring your cooperation."

Yagyu untied Haku and handed him the skewer of roasted food. "Eat this and recover. Then you'll be my test subject."

"Understood," Haku said.

Without resistance, Haku took the skewer, removed his mask, and began eating.

Once Haku finished, Yagyu pulled out a ninja pouch and threw it to him. Then, forming hand seals, he said, "Shadow Clone Jutsu!"

With a puff of smoke, a shadow clone possessing a large amount of chakra appeared beside Yagyu.

This clone wouldn't dissipate unless hit by fatal or heavy damage.

Haku's eyes gleamed as he observed the shadow clone.

Though the Shadow Clone Jutsu, developed by the Second Hokage, had become widespread across the ninja world due to its convenience, most villages still preferred their unique clone techniques.

For example, Zabuza and Kisame favored Water Clones, while Iwagakure's ninja often used Earth Clones.

Only Konoha ninja frequently used Shadow Clones.

Could this "Kirigakure Anbu" be from Konoha instead of the Mist?

If so, why wouldn't he kill them or take them back to Konoha?

Or could he be unaffiliated with any of the Five Great Shinobi Nations?

Curiosity about Yagyu's identity brewed in Haku's mind, but he dared not ask.

Yagyu's mask clearly indicated his desire for anonymity. Showing too much curiosity might spell certain death for Zabuza.

Haku obediently tied the ninja pouch around his waist.

Yagyu handed him a notebook and pen, pointing at the shadow clone. "You'll fight my shadow clone. Use only the weapons in that pouch—no Kekkei Genkai or jutsu."

"…Understood," Haku replied hesitantly, though he didn't dare to question further.

Haku and the shadow clone moved to an open area near the bonfire, their unstructured battle lit by its glow.

Like Yagyu's past battles with Sasuke, this was a fundamental test of skill.

The outcome was predictable—the shadow clone won.

The clone had cheated, activating its Sharingan and using its enhanced dynamic vision to exploit every opening, leaving Haku with numerous wounds before pinning him down.

Seeing this, Yagyu marked a line in the notebook and said to the clone, "Heal him, then continue."

After the shadow clone healed Haku, the battle resumed, with the same result.

Again and again, Haku was defeated, healed, and thrown back into the fray.

Every time Haku lost, Yagyu marked his notebook—sometimes horizontally, sometimes vertically.

After yet another loss, Yagyu made another mark, completing two sets of five strokes. Haku had now lost ten times.

Once the shadow clone healed Haku again, Yagyu dispelled it despite its large chakra reserves.

He summoned a new shadow clone, this time with chakra levels comparable to Haku's.

"Eat this, then continue," Yagyu said, tossing Haku a small pouch of soldier pills.

Though puzzled, Haku followed instructions, swallowing a pill before resuming the fight.

Despite the clone's reduced chakra, it still outperformed Haku, who failed to land a single hit.

The night dimmed Haku's abilities while enhancing the shadow clone's.

The cycle of defeats and treatments continued.

By the time Yagyu's notebook was one mark short of a fourth set, he was about to step in himself, believing the experiment had failed.

But just as the shadow clone defeated Haku again—

Flash!

A blue glow radiated from Haku's body, shining brilliantly in the dark.

Seeing the light, Yagyu's heart surged with joy.

It worked!

Not only could his shadow clone trigger the "loot drop" mechanic, but the rewards were his to claim.

As the blue orb drifted toward Yagyu's real body rather than the shadow clone, he confirmed that the system recognized him as the victor, whether it was through his clone or himself.

Furthermore, the loot drop rate depended on the strength and method of the victory.

Defeating stronger opponents, even through unconventional means, increased the chances of obtaining valuable rewards—like Kurenai's verbal surrender or Zabuza's knockout.

Weaker opponents, however, yielded lower rates unless the system's "loophole" was exploited.

And now, Yagyu had discovered it: the shadow clone hack.

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