And now, a question arose.
How does one develop a new jutsu in the shinobi world?
Nara Kazuki had no experience with such things—but no matter. He had Kakashi nearby. So, with Konoha still some distance away, he figured he might as well ask.
"Developing a jutsu? Well… it's both simple and complex," Kakashi began with his usual cryptic non-answer, leaving Kazuki rubbing his temples.
"The essence of jutsu development," Kakashi continued more seriously, "is understanding your own elemental chakra nature. Then you combine that with shape transformation. When I created Chidori, it was built around the lightning element's absolute speed and piercing force. I channeled all of that into my lightning chakra—that's how Chidori came to be."
It sounded profound, but to Kazuki, it was still vague—as if someone had just thrown him into a boss fight after the tutorial.
Still, Kazuki picked up the key concepts:
Mastery of chakra nature. Shape transformation. Conceptual fusion.
It all sounded a little... esoteric.
"My best element's probably Fire Release," Kazuki mused aloud on the cart. "Pure fire techniques have insane damage output, too..."
So what does fire truly represent?
High heat. Destruction. The ability to ignite and consume. Temperatures high enough to melt metal.
Most Fire Release jutsu in the ninja world were based on those properties.
But if you took it further—symbolically—fire also meant civilization, the torch of progress, mankind's earliest tool.
Could he develop a Fire Release technique based on devolution? Something that engulfs enemies and drags them back to their primitive instincts?
Kazuki gave it a try, intrigued.
And immediately almost blew the cart to pieces.
If Kakashi hadn't sensed something wrong and kicked Kazuki clean off the wagon, all three of them might've been reduced to ash.
"What the hell is with me and explosions lately? I don't even have Explosion Release!" Kazuki groaned, rubbing his bruised backside.
"Creating jutsu is risky. Be more careful," Kakashi snapped, glaring. He'd dumped all his savings into the goods in this cart—if it got destroyed, he'd personally jam a One Thousand Years of Death up Kazuki's—
Kazuki gave an apologetic nod.
If he had slapped a Titan sticker on an AK skin and then reverted it to base form, his roommate would've sued him for emotional damage.
Still, Kazuki fell into deep thought again.
High heat. Burning. Destruction. Those angles had been mined dry. Could he perhaps fuse kotodama—the power of words—into a technique?
He shook his head.
No way.
Even just whispering a single syllable had once caused a serious temporal anomaly. He now understood two such syllables, and already he was starting to worry that each use chipped away at his sanity.
"The sun... no, too ambitious. But what about... explosions?" A new idea flickered in Kazuki's mind—but before he could experiment, Konoha came into view.
He shelved the thought for now.
Once they rolled into the village, the gate guards gave them strange looks—Kazuki was hauling a full cargo cart.
They didn't even report to the Mission Hall first.
Their client, Kazahana Nadare, was dead. With no one to contest the outcome, the mission couldn't possibly go awry now. Kazuki was perfectly at ease.
A generous, quiet client who dies before payday. Rarer than gold.
After selling the goods, the team made an extra 100,000 ryō. Not much—but considering it was pure profit, no one complained.
Even Guy grinned ear to ear with his cut.
"We're even on expenses now. I'll split the mission reward next, so no one has to run to the Mission Hall," Kazuki yawned, already feeling the fatigue set in.
His clone had returned, dumping the memories of training back into his brain—along with the exhaustion. Overusing Multi Shadow Clone Technique was still risky. Prolonged use could kill a person.
Luckily, Kazuki had only ever maintained one extra.
Kakashi and Guy had no objections. Kazuki handed over their cuts from the mission reward and headed to the Mission Hall alone.
"Excuse me, I'm here to repo—eh?" Kazuki blinked.
Standing beside him was a familiar figure.
"Ah, Kazuki-niisan?" Uchiha Shisui greeted him with a look of surprise. Kazuki's eye twitched. Of all people...
"Well hey there, Shisui." Kazuki smiled. The last person he expected to see at the Mission Hall today.
Konoha was a big place, after all.
What drew his attention more than Shisui, though, was the boy standing next to him.
"Yo, Itachi."
"Hello, Nii-san." Uchiha Itachi greeted him politely, voice clear and soft.
Kazuki's gaze warmed.
This version of Itachi—young, innocent—was still... salvageable.
Before the Night of the Massacre. Before he became... complicated.
Sure, the series later gave all kinds of whitewashing reasons, but even those always felt uncomfortable. The way anime tries to redeem certain antagonists often felt like watching someone slap you with a smile.
"You guys on a mission?" Kazuki asked, curious. Itachi was still just a kid—barely tall enough to carry a full mission pack.
Hopefully it was a real mission, and not... training in the home of some crazy elder yelling about becoming Hokage and whispering subliminal manipulation techniques.
Danzo Shimura. Now there was a piece of work.
A man who never appeared in the early story but suddenly became Konoha's scapegoat the moment things went sideways.
"Yeah. I'm letting Itachi get early exposure to shinobi life," Shisui replied with a warm grin. Itachi looked genuinely excited.
Kazuki gave a silent nod.
Of course.
This was the shinobi world. The rules of childhood didn't apply.
Itachi's physique at this age might already surpass some national athletes in his previous life.
This chakra… it really was the world's most overpowered fertilizer.
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New translation : Naruto : I Got "Return by Death" Kind Of Cheat
New story translated ! This one is interesting, give it a try !