Naruto: Under the Banner of the Clans

It had been more than a week since the incident with the Heavenly Tribulations and the meeting with the mayor.

Fang Qin had successfully concealed the truth from the mayor and had chosen to believe in Akeno.

The city had been surprisingly quieter, with fewer incidents and abductions, and the young ninjas had all reached Qi Condensation, which was an incredible feat, even for geniuses blessed by the heavens.

As the sun reached its peak, Akeno had arranged group duels of three with Chikara, Kaede, and the others.

While they trained and fought, Akeno was trying to recreate one of the divine techniques that the Second Hokage would later create in the future.

A technique that any good reincarnator mastering chakra should be able to use.

The Multi-Shadow Clone Jutsu.

Attack, defense, learning. This technique was divine in every respect.

With this technique, Akeno could learn and master all techniques much faster. Multiplying his efforts by five, ten, or even a hundred times.

The only limit was the user's chakra quantity.

But for now, Akeno had to create this technique, which was easier said than done.

Chakra was a new concept for him, and he had to start from scratch in his mastery. But he was fortunately assisted by Kaede, who had a rich base in jutsu.

Having spent her life learning the sealing techniques of her clan, the cloning technique didn't seem impossible.

Thus, in his moments of calm, Akeno quietly grew stronger without needing to risk his life seeking treasures and other inheritances.

Away from the prying eyes of the sect, away from the problems of the nobles and clans of the Empire, away from all trouble except for the mayor, who needed to be watched.

But even the mayor couldn't do much. As long as he believed that Fang Qin had broken through to the seventh level, he would not do anything extreme.

It was an atmosphere conducive to the development and perfection of his abilities and strength.

Just perfect.

"Alright, you can stop now. I think that's enough duels for today. Go back to the branch and continue cultivating," said Akeno.

"But we were just starting to have fun!" protested Kaede, always brimming with energy.

"Yeah! We can keep going!" added Renji.

Watching the two complain alongside the others who were out of breath, Akeno sighed in resignation. "Kaede, help me with the multi-shadow clone technique. You can continue fighting with the others when they've regained their energy."

Kicking a stone on the ground with a pout, Kaede still came over to Akeno's side to help, knowing she was the only one in the group who could.

"And what about me? I'm still full of energy," said Renji eagerly.

"You can train your ninjutsu on your own until you're exhausted. The more you train, the more you'll improve your chakra control, the power of your jutsu, and increase your spiritual energy.

And by the end, you shouldn't be as energetic as you are now," Akeno replied without looking at him, focusing on Kaede's and his notes on the multi-shadow clone technique.

After several attempts, the only progress had been creating a few intangible clones with no substance, incapable of attack and without even half the user's chakra.

It was a technique that would later become mandatory to obtain one's diploma at the Konoha Ninja Academy and become an official genin.

A simple basic technique.

But it was already an improvement in the search for ninjutsu.

...

After several hours of tests and improvements, the group returned to the city to head back to the branch.

On the way, Akeno noticed that the guards were still as vulgar as usual, but they no longer threatened the defenseless inhabitants.

An improvement in itself...

Entering the branch, Fang Qin was no longer there. Since his supposed breakthrough through the Heavenly Tribulations, the branch master had secluded himself in his quarters to avoid showing himself too much in public and accidentally revealing the truth.

Akeno knew he had to improve as quickly as possible to be able to defend himself against enemies like the mayor.

Before learning chakra, it had been clearly impossible for him to catch up to the mayor's powers in a short period, but now it was possible.

He just had to learn the multi-shadow clone jutsu, train his chakra to increase its quantity, and break through to the sixth level of cultivation.

And if that wasn't enough, Akeno had another plan. Although risky, it could allow him to gain terrifying strength in the blink of an eye. But it wasn't recommended for now.

Heading to the courtyard, the branch's instructors and several disciples waited patiently for his arrival.

The instructors were between Bone Strengthening and Organ Fortification, with only a few disciples who had broken through to the Body Forging stage.

Today, Akeno had promised to teach his understanding of the sect's sword technique. The Hundred Lotus.

The Hundred Lotus sword technique was a technique taught to the sect's disciples, blending the gracefulness of movement with the sharp precision of a blade.

It is said that at the highest level of understanding and mastery of this technique, one could see a hundred lotuses blooming within the swordsman's range, and anyone stepping on one of the lotuses would be within reach of the blade.

Of course, the Hundred Lotus was a sub-technique of the sect's true technique, the Thousand Lotus, only taught to the true elites or elders of the sect.

For Akeno, it was impossible to obtain such a technique. But he didn't lose hope of mastering the Hundred Lotus technique perfectly.

Approaching the crowd, Akeno could see his roommates in the audience.

Although the Yang brothers were not swordsmen, they both wanted to see Akeno's understanding of the sword art and had come to accompany Xu Jié, who dreamed of improving his understanding of the technique.

Seeing everyone so attentive and patient, Akeno felt a certain pressure rising within him.

It was like giving a presentation in front of an entire class. He didn't want to embarrass himself.

Drawing his blade, he began by demonstrating the technique with a few movements and patiently explained everything he had understood about this wonderful and deadly art.

...

Meanwhile, a few days' journey from Hope City, a group of about twenty cultivators from the Liu clan had set up camp to rest from the journey between Glory City and their current position.

Liu Mei, the youngest in the group, stood out compared to the others.

She was the one giving the orders despite the age and experience difference with the rest of the group.

They were on their way to Hope City, then to cross the border and continue west to reach a supposed tomb of a powerful cultivator that their clan had discovered.

Each team member was ready to die to retrieve this inheritance and protect the young Liu Mei, who was the genius of their clan.

By the fire, Liu Mei continued to review all possible errors and countermeasures with her team members to anticipate every eventuality.

It was her first time crossing into the Empire of Chaos.

The territory of the beast-men.

Unlike the human world, the beast-men world was unified under one empire.

Their Emperor stood out for his strength and thus maintained the union of the various races under his rule.

Respect came first from strength.

During this more than risky journey, Liu Mei was sent to gain experience and to solve the challenges found in the tomb.

Often, inheritances were guarded by traps, puzzles, or restrictions that could range from age to cultivation level.

Thus, a significant part of the weight of this journey rested on her shoulders.

But for her clan, she was ready for anything.

"Miss, are we going to pass through Hope City or bypass it?" asked a clan member.

Looking at the map, Liu Mei responded calmly and seriously. "We'll bypass it. We must remain as discreet as possible, without being noticed by the Empire or the Thousand Lotus Sect."

...

In a dilapidated building in the forest east of Hope City, several men in hoods and entirely black robes gathered, filling the single room of the wooden building.

Some had bloodstains on their robes and pendants hanging from their necks.

"So the mayor wants us to reduce our activities?" one of them murmured.

"This is unacceptable! We have an agreement with him, and we can't stop everything because a rebirth-stage cultivator is lingering around not wanting to leave!" another exclaimed, his voice full of hatred.

"True, we're close to the goal; we urgently need children and in large quantities," said another, his voice calmer and his expression thoughtful. "The problem remains Fang Qin."

"We can kill him! By the time the Thousand Lotus Sect notices, we would have gotten what we want!"

"And how do you plan to kill a rebirth-stage cultivator!? Remember, he's not the only cultivator in that small branch of the sect. We must consider his disciples, all loyal to Fang Qin and ready to die for him."

"So what do you suggest? Sit idly by!?"

"As for Fang Qin, we can leave him to the mayor. He'll have no choice but to fight for us if he doesn't want to fall. All we need to do is deal with the rest."

"What are you thinking?"

"We must aim smartly. Fang Qin is a difficult target, but his young protégés..." he said with a sinister smile. "If we kidnap them, we'll force Fang Qin out of hiding."

"We need children anyway. So why not target Fang Qin's young disciples?

They're perfect!"