My Techniques are a bit off

"Knock, knock, knock."

Link rubbed his eyes and glanced at the clock. It was just past seven in the morning. Looking toward the window, he yawned and asked, "Ensui-sensei, what's so urgent this early?" While speaking, he got out of bed.

"Sorry, sorry..." Nara Ensui casually pushed open the window and climbed into the room. Though he apologized, his face showed no trace of remorse.

"Milk? Soda? Juice?" Link walked to the refrigerator and opened it.

Ensui waved his hand to decline and said, "I know you just got back from a mission yesterday afternoon, but there's something waiting for you."

"Another special mission?" Link asked, shaking off his drowsiness and focusing.

"Do you remember the gold mine mission in the Land of Rivers?" Ensui asked.

Seeing Link nod, he continued, "The gold mine's operation is going smoothly, but the Land of Wind wants to negotiate gold prices. Our previous client has requested us again to escort him to the Land of Wind for the talks."

"So, this is a village-assigned mission?" Link asked calmly.

"Exactly," Ensui confirmed. "That merchant has been making waves lately. He's quite willing to spend generously."

"An A-rank mission."

"And he specifically requested for you to join this mission."

Link thought for a moment before asking, "When do we leave?"

"Two days from now. The client is currently in Tanzaku Town," Ensui replied, providing the time and location. "This time, the likelihood of combat is low, but the client..."

There was no need to explain why the client was willing to pay A-rank mission prices. Last time, the mission was supposed to be low-risk, but they nearly lost their lives in the Land of Rivers. It wasn't surprising the client was now more willing to pay up.

"That's all," Ensui said vaguely, trusting his mature subordinate to understand. "If there are no further questions, we'll prepare to depart for Tanzaku Town in two days."

Seeing Link nod, Ensui vanished in a flash.

Link didn't bother closing the window. The weather was pleasant, with a gentle breeze carrying the warmth of early spring.

"I should probably buy some new clothes..."

He thought as he washed up. His growth spurt recently had been quite impressive. At seven years old, he was barely 120 cm tall. By the time he graduated at nine, he hadn't even reached 130 cm. For two years, his growth was stagnant—likely due to his relentless training and lack of proper nutrition.

However, over the past year since graduating, he had shot up to 144 cm. Growing over ten centimeters in a year was incredible. Some might cry tears of envy.

At only ten years old, not even a full decade of life behind him, his growth trajectory suggested he might eventually reach 180 cm if things continued.

Height wasn't the only area of growth. His muscle development had been remarkable. Clothes purchased just two months ago now felt tight. Thanks to the overuse of the Delicate Illness Extraction Technique in his training, he'd developed muscles that seemed out of place on his short frame.

Combined with his still-small head...

"Gulp."

After finishing his morning routine, he found that his shadow had already prepared breakfast. He downed a large glass of milk and let out a satisfied burp.

Unlike Naruto, Link wasn't particularly fond of milk, but everyone said milk helped with growth, so...

After breakfast, he grabbed his wallet and set out for the commercial district to buy new clothes and maybe some sweets. It had been too long since he'd last had roasted chestnuts.

"Swish."

Ensui reappeared, his voice trailing behind. "Oh, right—"

He paused, staring at the shadow that was currently helping Link put on his shirt. His expression grew complicated as he added, "Nara Shikaku wants to meet you."

Ensui had only learned last month about Link's peculiar ability to manipulate shadows, which had become apparent during a mission where Link used it to kill an enemy and save another Konoha ninja. The news had spread, and it wasn't long before Shikaku, one of the previous generation's Ino–Shika–Cho trio, decided to talk to the boy.

Link smiled awkwardly, taking the sleeve from the shadow and sending it back to his feet. "When?"

"It's not mandatory. Whenever you're free, you can visit the Nara clan compound," Ensui replied. His gaze lingered on the shadow briefly.

Frankly, controlling one's shadow to such a degree was eerie, even for a Nara.

"Alright. Should I prepare a formal letter of introduction?" Link asked with a straight face.

Ensui rolled his eyes. "What do you think this is, ancient times? Just go directly." He started to leave but couldn't resist glancing back at the shadow.

So strange. Just one more look.

With mixed feelings, he disappeared again.

"So it's finally come to this."

Link wasn't surprised. He had been anticipating this. His displayed abilities were too diverse to avoid scrutiny.

The overlap between his shadow-based skills and the Nara clan's techniques was too significant to ignore. That it had taken this long for someone to confront him was only due to the cautious protection afforded by Hiruzen and the village's moderates.

However, that protection wasn't indefinite. Sooner or later, questions would need answering.

"Squeak."

Stretching, Link heard his clothes groan under the strain. The fabric clung tightly to his noticeably muscular arms.

Looking into the mirror, he couldn't help but think of another small, muscular figure with a K on his name—a certain bald hero with a beautiful wife and a life full of sacrifices.

"I really shouldn't keep bulking up like this."

The thought crossed his mind, leaving him conflicted.

While muscle strength contributed to physical power, for a ninja, chakra capacity was tied more to stamina than sheer muscle mass. Overloading on muscle alone would lead to diminishing returns.

Cardio, digestion, and a balanced physique were just as important.

Oh, but if you happened to be a Senju, Uzumaki, Uchiha, or the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki?

Then never mind.

~~~

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