Naruto: My Clones Can Evolve

The young woman froze, about to speak when she suddenly felt Genzuki's chakra.

A tidal wave of pressure crashed over her, making the so-called Charcoal Kage hesitate.

"...I apologize. I lost my composure," she sighed, sinking back into her seat. "My name is Shirai Yuri. I am... the Kage of this village."

Kageyama, standing beside them, understood exactly how dangerous it was to make Genzuki angry.

But he also knew why Yuri had such a strong reaction to bloodline abilities.

He leaned in and whispered to Genzuki, "Lady Yuri's parents were killed by a shinobi with a Kekkei Genkai."

Genzuki nodded and gave a small smile. "Relax, I'm not that easy to anger."

『Ding! New mission: Join the Charcoal Shinobi Village. Reward: Earth Clone Jutsu, 2,000 reputation points!』

Genzuki chuckled. Joining the village had already been part of his plan.

It was the perfect stepping stone to fully integrating into this world. Otherwise, even with power, he'd be nothing more than a wandering hermit.

He turned back to Shirai Yuri.

"Lady Kage, I'd like to officially join your village."

Yuri blinked, clearly confused.

This boy—who was undeniably stronger than her—wanted to join a tiny ninja village like Charcoal?

With his level of talent, even the Leaf Village would fight to recruit him.

"I don't understand," Yuri admitted.

"Don't worry, I have no ulterior motives," Genzuki reassured her with a smirk. "If I had bad intentions, do you think I'd bother going through formalities?"

"...He has a point," Kageyama muttered.

With the chakra he possessed, Genzuki could crush both of them combined.

Yuri and Kageyama were just former elite jōnin from Iwagakure. Neither had true Kage-level strength.

In reality, the title of "Kage" was just ceremonial—"village chief" would have been more accurate.

"Genzuki, we would be honored to have you," Yuri said sincerely. "Having someone of your caliber here is a great privilege."

"Then I'll be in your care, Miss Yuri."

Hearing him say her name like that gave Yuri a strange feeling.

This boy was barely a teenager, yet somehow, she almost felt flustered.

"A-Alright, I'll arrange your living quarters and assign you to a team," she said, clearing her throat.

Genzuki nodded in satisfaction and, without a second thought, walked out of the office.

『Ding! Mission complete! Rewards delivered!』

『Congratulations! You have learned Earth Clone Jutsu!』

『Ding! Unique talent, Shadow Link, activated! Earth Clone has evolved to match the host's level! Host has inherited all abilities of the Earth Clone!』

"Show me my stats," Genzuki commanded.

[Earth Clone]

[Rank: Jōnin]

[Talent: Earth Release Mastery]

[Abilities: All A-rank and below Earth Release jutsu]

Genzuki nodded in approval.

With this, he now had three types of clones, further increasing his combat power.

And he noticed something else—every time he gained a new clone, his chakra reserves doubled.

This had to be the system's "infinite stacking" mechanic.

His next step? Finding more clone jutsu to exploit.

Stepping outside the Kage's office, he officially became part of the village.

"Right, I still haven't opened my ninja equipment package."

Finding a secluded spot, Genzuki accessed his system and opened the package.

『Ding! Package opened. Equipment automatically equipped!』

[Jōnin Combat Suit: Enhances defense and slightly increases chakra reserves]

[Ninja Footwear: Slightly increases movement speed]

[Unlimited Tool Pouch: Contains kunai, shuriken, flash bombs, explosive tags, etc. Never runs out]

[Unlimited Storage Scroll: Capable of sealing objects and jutsu. Infinite space available]

"Now this is some high-quality loot."

Genzuki had expected some basic gear, but everything was practical and valuable.

Admiring his freshly equipped attire, he brushed a hand through his silver hair, feeling quite pleased with himself.

Just as he was about to revel in his new look, a commotion erupted near the village gates.

A squad of shinobi rushed past him, heading straight for the Kage's office.

"Lady Yuri, there's a problem outside!"

Yuri and Kageyama immediately rushed downstairs.

"Could it be… Iwagakure again?" Yuri asked.

The reporting ninja nodded grimly.

Yuri let out a frustrated sigh, biting her thumbnail.

Genzuki raised an eyebrow.

Why were they acting like the entire village was in danger just because Iwagakure showed up?

Shouldn't the Charcoal Village and Iwagakure be on good terms?

There was definitely something going on here.

"Miss Yuri, biting your nails is a bad habit for a leader," Genzuki teased.

Yuri flinched and sighed. "Those bastards… they're back."

"Care to explain?"

Genzuki was curious now.

"The Daimyō of the Land of Earth has been trying to seize this coal mine," Kageyama explained. "He's not happy that we're selling resources to the Land of Snow at such a low price."

"Is the price really that low?"

"For greedy people like them? Yes," Yuri said coldly. "But the people of the Land of Snow need this coal to survive the winters. Raising prices would be condemning them to death."

Genzuki smirked. At least she has business ethics.

"But what does Iwagakure have to do with this?"

"You don't understand," Kageyama sighed. "To establish Charcoal Shinobi Village, we borrowed a lot of money from Iwagakure… but the funds actually came from the Daimyō."

"And now that the mine is profitable, he wants to cash in on the debt?"

Kageyama nodded. "The Daimyō is demanding full repayment now, or he'll seize the mine. And to make sure we comply, he's sent a squad of Iwagakure shinobi."

Genzuki instantly understood the situation.

The Daimyō never intended for them to repay the loan.

He just let them develop the land and waited until it became profitable—then swooped in to take everything.

It was a textbook political scam.

Too bad for him, though—he had no idea who he was messing with.

"A squad of Iwa-nin is already outside, demanding we immediately settle the debt," Yuri muttered, fists clenched.

Genzuki casually stretched, feeling the residual fatigue from using the Eight Gates vanish.

"Lead the way, Miss Yuri," he said with a grin. "I'll go handle these Iwa-nin."

A Few Minutes Later – Charcoal Village Gates

Hundreds of Charcoal shinobi had gathered outside the gates.

Genzuki immediately recognized the headbands worn by the approaching group—Iwagakure.

At the front stood a smug-looking young noble dressed in extravagant robes, accompanied by a sharp-eyed, silent warrior.

"Who are those two?" Genzuki asked, his gaze locking onto the silent one.

Something about him felt familiar.

And his chakra presence was far stronger than anyone else here.

"Katō, the Daimyō's son," Kageyama replied. "And behind him—that's Shō, known as the 'Explosion Shinobi.' He possesses the Explosive Release Kekkei Genkai."

Genzuki's eyes widened slightly.

So that's who he is—one of Iwagakure's infamous demolition experts, like Deidara.

"Oi! Charcoal bumpkins!" Katō shouted arrogantly. "Today's the day you finally hand over this mine! Unless, of course, you've miraculously gathered all the money you owe?"

"Arrogant bastards," Kageyama muttered, clenching his fists. "They keep coming here to harass us, day after day."

"Stay calm, Kageyama," Yuri warned. "I'll negotiate. Lord Ōnoki won't ignore this situation forever."

With that, she stepped forward.

"Lord Katō… this mine is crucial to the survival of countless civilians. Can't we have more time?"

Katō sneered.

"Absolutely not! You've delayed payment far too many times! Either hand over the mine today, or pay now," he said smugly. "If not, well… my friends here might have to start taking control of things by force."