On the way home, Fujimoto Tōma reviewed the day in his head.
If he was being honest, there hadn't been much to gain yet.
The Academy's first lessons were exactly what he'd expected. Mostly village history, basic rules, and carefully sanitized explanations meant to ease children into the idea of chakra without overwhelming them. Actual chakra extraction would come later, once curiosity had been fully hooked.
Until textbooks were distributed, there wasn't much he could accelerate. After that, self-study would cover the gaps.
As for techniques like the Three Basic Jutsu, those were still far off. In a time of peace, the first year was deliberately light. Theory, physical conditioning, and patience. A year set aside to let children naturally build a chakra foundation.
Tōma glanced at the sky.
Still early.
His mother's shift likely wasn't over yet.
The Academy schedule really was relaxed by shinobi standards.
Still, remembering her words that morning, he didn't linger. Slinging the new books over his shoulder, he jogged toward home. A few kilometers at most. Nothing strenuous. More of a warm-up.
Sometimes he forgot just how high the baseline physical conditioning in this world was.
"I'm home."
He unlocked the door and called out, a habit his mother had drilled into him.
Then he froze.
Fujimoto Sana was already there, smiling warmly at him. The table was covered in dishes, steam still rising.
"Welcome home!"
"Mom…?" Tōma blinked. "Didn't you have work?"
"I took off early," Sana said proudly. "It's your first day at the Academy. Of course I came home."
Something softened in Tōma's chest.
From infancy onward, he'd watched how much she carried for this household. Even with memories of another life, accepting her as his mother had come naturally.
There had never been a moment of doubt.
"…Thanks," he said quietly.
After a pause, Sana's smile faltered.
"I'm sorry, Tōma. I can only do this today. From now on, you'll still have to go to and from school alone. Other kids get picked up, but I…"
Her voice trailed off.
"It's okay," Tōma said immediately. He stepped forward and hugged her without hesitation.
She laughed weakly. "Honestly… being comforted by my own child. That's embarrassing."
Then she straightened, forcing energy back into her voice. "To make up for it, you can ask me for anything you want."
Tōma thought for a moment.
"I… don't really want anything right now."
That only made her look more troubled.
She really wanted to give him something.
"Oh! Right," she said suddenly. "Your teacher talked about ninja history today, didn't he? So… do you want to become a shinobi, Tōma?"
"Yes," he answered without hesitation. "I want to become the strongest shinobi."
Sana's eyes lit up.
"Then you can tell me what jutsu you want to learn! I still have a few… connections."
She stopped mid-sentence.
Wait. That didn't sound right.
Even if she said that, Tōma shouldn't realistically know many techniques yet. And she herself had been out of service for years. As a former genin, her personal jutsu list was limited.
Would she need to ask former teammates? Teachers?
That felt like trouble.
"Ninjutsu…" Tōma said after a moment. "If I had to choose, I'd want to learn the Shadow Clone Technique."
Sana stared.
"…Shadow Clone?" She frowned. "Why that one? It's not easy, and more importantly, it's not very useful in combat."
Tōma scratched his cheek.
"Well, I once saw a jōnin use it. Real clones, not illusions. I thought it was really cool. Whether it's useful or not doesn't matter. I just decided I wanted to learn it someday."
It was a lie.
A necessary one.
He had no intention of using Shadow Clones for direct combat. That was Uzumaki territory. Splitting chakra like that was a luxury he didn't have.
What he wanted was the experience feedback.
And in terms of difficulty, Shadow Clone sat at an interesting crossroads. Officially a B-rank technique, yet Naruto had learned a more advanced version overnight. The rank reflected chakra demand more than complexity.
Shadow Clones divided chakra evenly, but Tōma was certain that division only applied to activated chakra, not the body's entire potential energy.
Which meant this technique was nearly useless for anyone below jōnin in combat.
A clone that couldn't cast jutsu, shattered after a hit, and only knew taijutsu wasn't winning any battles.
Perfect.
Because Tōma never planned to fight with them.
One clone. Maybe two. Nothing extreme. No mass production. No overloading his body. Just careful accumulation.
Still, Sana hesitated.
"This opportunity isn't easy to come by," she said. "Using it for Shadow Clone feels like a waste. I could use it to get you several C-rank jutsu instead."
Her meaning was clear.
The favor tied to her late husband was limited. Once used, it was gone. Asking for a B-rank technique like Shadow Clone would burn it completely.
"Tōma," she said gently, "are you sure?"
He blinked.
Wait.
This wasn't hypothetical?
"You really can get it?" he asked.
Seeing his reaction, Sana sighed.
After a long stretch of soft pressure, persistent explanation, and unwavering insistence, she finally gave in.
"…Alright. Shadow Clone it is," she said reluctantly. "But don't regret it later."
"I won't!" Tōma beamed. "Not ever. You're the best, Mom!"
That smile made it worth it.
Sana chuckled, shaking her head. Strength or not, potential or not, none of it mattered as much as that.
"Come eat," she said. "Before it gets cold."