KONOHAMARU SHIPPUDEN

The moon bathed the Sarutobi compound in silver light, long shadows stretching from the high walls. In a secluded corner of the training grounds, young Konohamaru knelt, his brow furrowed in concentration. In his hands, he held a smooth grey stone, a vibrant green leaf, and a simple stick—ordinary objects he intended to transform.

"Alright, let's try this," he muttered, his voice a determined whisper. He gently set aside the stick and leaf, focusing on the cool, smooth stone. Its surface felt worn by time and the elements.

Yosh, let's pump some chakra into this rock… and transform! he thought, channeling his inner energy. Closing his eyes, he pictured the desired change, feeling the familiar warmth of chakra flowing through him and into the stone.

A moment stretched, thick with anticipation. Then, Konohamaru gasped. The stone pulsed with life, morphing before his eyes. In an instant, it had become a miniature version of himself, complete with spiky hair and a swirling monkey tail—a perfect copy, but made of stone.

Konohamaru's eyes widened. He'd done it! He'd used his chakra to transform inanimate matter into a living replica. A wave of pride and awe washed over him. He scooped up the tiny figure and held it at eye level. "Alright, little dude, show me what you got."

He set the miniature Konohamaru on the ground and watched as it mimicked his every move. He jumped, it jumped. He spun, it spun. He even tried a few basic taijutsu stances, and the stone copy followed with surprising agility.

A mischievous idea sparked. Konohamaru grabbed the stick and leaf. "Transform!" he muttered, focusing his chakra. The stick elongated into a miniature staff, and the leaf became a tiny green vest that fit snugly around the stone figure's torso. "Looking good!" he chuckled.

"Wait a sec," he said, pinching a strand of his own hair. He channeled a bit of chakra into it, visualizing replication. As he released it, the hair transformed into another perfect copy of himself.

"The f—" Konohamaru began, stunned.

"freak, it actually worked!" the clone finished, a look of bewildered surprise on its face. "And not only that, but my chakra's like, exactly the same as yours, the original. Seriously, this is… kinda creepy." The clone stretched, testing its newfound existence. "This is… seriously messed up, but effective, I guess."

Konohamaru stared, a mix of awe and slight panic. He'd accidentally unlocked self-replication… with a rock, a stick, a leaf, and a hair. "I didn't just get reborn as a monkey," he mumbled, "I think I accidentally became Sun Wukong… and he's having, like, a total existential crisis."

Konohamaru watched his doppelganger, a perfect miniature down to the stubbornly upturned cowlick. The tiny clone was attempting a handstand push-up, wobbling precariously. "He's… really going for it," Konohamaru muttered, scratching his cheek. "Gotta give him props for that."

The mini-Konohamaru, mid-wobble, glared.

"Shut up! I'm concentrating here!" he squeaked, collapsing into a heap. "And FYI, keeping my balance at this size is, like, way harder!" He puffed out his tiny chest. "Physics, dude!"

Konohamaru blinked. "Right. The tiny one can also talk." He turned to his full-sized clone, who was meticulously examining his fingernails. "So… now what?"

The clone shrugged, then paused. "I guess… existential crisis time?" He looked at his hands, a flicker of unease crossing his face. "I mean, am I really me? Or just, like… a super good copy?"

"Less deep thoughts, more action!" Konohamaru clapped his hands. "Shurikenjutsu time!" He grabbed a handful of shuriken, tossing half to his clone. The mini-Konohamaru, still dusting himself off, snatched a tiny kunai from his miniature pouch.

At the target range, Konohamaru launched a shuriken, hitting the bullseye. His clone followed suit, hitting the bullseye of the target next to his. "Bullseye!" the clone declared. The mini-Konohamaru threw his kunai with a mighty heave. It bounced harmlessly off the target's base and landed with a plink in the dirt. He scowled.

"Aerodynamics are a pain!"

"Right, aerodynamics," Konohamaru repeated, fighting back a grin. "Okay, time for a spar!"

They moved to the training ground's center. Konohamaru and his clone faced off, adopting identical taijutsu stances. The mini-Konohamaru, perched atop a rock, yelled, "Fight! Fight! Fight!" in a surprisingly deep voice.

The spar began. It was… awkward. Every move Konohamaru made, his clone mirrored. Punch for punch, kick for kick. It was like a totally out-of-sync dance.

"This is… seriously inefficient," the clone commented as their foreheads bumped during a simultaneous headbutt attempt.

"You're telling me," Konohamaru groaned. He tried a feint, a jab to the left followed by a right hook. The clone, anticipating perfectly, mirrored the jab… and then, inexplicably, tripped over his own feet while attempting the hook, falling face-first into the dirt.

Konohamaru stared. The mini-Konohamaru burst into laughter. "Physics strikes again!"

The clone pushed himself up, spitting out dirt.

"I… guess I don't have your… experience with gravity yet," he mumbled, then sneezed, sending up a small cloud of dust.

Seizing the opportunity, Konohamaru performed hand signs. "Earth Style: Mud Wall Jutsu!" He channeled his chakra, but something felt off. The ground crumbled, sending up a choking cloud of dust instead of a wall. Blinded, he didn't see the punch launching at him like a catapult.

He landed with a thump in a pile of leaves, dazed. The mini-Konohamaru ran over, poking the clone with his tiny kunai. "You okay? Did you see stars? I bet you totally saw stars!"

Konohamaru offered his clone a hand. "See," he said, suppressing a smile, "you have my memories, but you haven't, like, actually lived them. You know how to fight, but you haven't developed the… you know, the on-the-spot stuff."

The clone took his hand. "So… I'm basically a textbook fighter?"

"Pretty much," Konohamaru agreed. He looked at the mini-Konohamaru, who was now building a miniature mud hut. "Though I think he's got a better handle on physics than either of us."