Naruto: reborn as an Uzumaki

Akane shifted closer, her arms wrapping around Kenshin as she rested her head on his chest. The steady rhythm of his heartbeat beneath her ear brought a soft smile to her lips.

"So… did you like it?" she asked teasingly, though there was a hint of genuine curiosity in her tone.

Kenshin sighed softly, his hand lightly resting on her hip as he pulled her closer. "I do," he admitted, his voice calm but firm. "But you're overdoing it, Akane. You need to have some restraint."

Akane tilted her head slightly to look up at him, her pout returning. "Restraint?"

"Yes," Kenshin said, his tone slightly exasperated but still gentle. "Think about it—if we're somewhere we can't do this, you won't be able to sleep. You're making yourself too reliant on it."

Akane's pout deepened, but she didn't argue. Instead, she nuzzled closer, her voice muffled against his chest. "It just feels so good. And that's saying something, considering what I went through in the other life."

"I know," Kenshin said, his fingers brushing through her hair soothingly. "But we also need to be careful."

Akane chuckled softly, her breath warm against his skin. "You're worried about what people will think?"

Kenshin shook his head. "Not about that. It's about avoiding unnecessary complications. The fewer people who know, the easier it is for us to keep things… peaceful."

Akane sighed but didn't push back further. Instead, she tightened her hold on him, her tone turning softer. "Alright, kid. I'll try to be more mindful."

Kenshin smiled faintly, pressing another gentle kiss to her forehead. "That's all I'm asking."

He slowly sat up, stretching before glancing at Akane. "Alright, get up. You have training with Kakashi, and Aunt Yukari's probably awake by now."

Akane groaned lightly but nodded, sliding out of bed and pulling off her pajamas without hesitation. Kenshin let out a soft sigh, fixing his pants and muttering, "I'll see you downstairs." He stepped out of her room, heading to his own to change.

Once dressed, Kenshin went downstairs to freshen up before heading to the kitchen. There, Yukari was gracefully preparing breakfast.

"Good morning, Aunt Yukari," Kenshin greeted.

"Good morning, Kenshin-sama," Yukari replied, her tone as polite and respectful as always. "Please, take a seat at the table."

Kenshin complied, sitting down as Yukari turned to him with a small smile. "Would you mind waking your sister? Breakfast is almost ready."

Kenshin nodded and was about to leave when he saw Akane walking toward the bathroom, muttering something under her breath.

"My mouth's all sticky…" she grumbled, her tone half-amused and half-annoyed.

Kenshin raised an eyebrow. "Be quick. Breakfast's almost ready."

Akane shot him a teasing look over her shoulder. "You unloaded a lot today, so my mouth is all sticky. I need a moment to clean up properly. Otherwise everything is gonna taste like your sperm. Not that I hate it, but it's gonna feel really weird." With that, she disappeared into the bathroom.

Shaking his head, Kenshin returned to the kitchen to help Yukari. By the time Akane joined them, the food was already on the table, and they all ate together.

After breakfast, Kenshin and Akane stepped out of the house together, Yukari standing by the door to see them off.

"Take care, Kenshin-sama, Akane-sama," Yukari said warmly as they walked away. Once they were out of sight, she closed the door, looking around the pristine home.

"This house is always so tidy," Yukari mused aloud. "Not much work to do… Oh, but Kenshin-sama's bed was really wet and smelly yesterday." She sighed, remembering the snowfall that had prevented her from drying the sheets.

Her cheeks turned slightly pink as she thought about the reason, as the smell was something she was familiar with. But she quickly pushed the thought aside, as it'd be crossing a line she shouldn't cross.

"Maybe I'll put them out under the sun today. But first…" She yawned softly. "I need a nap." Deciding to rest before starting her chores, Yukari made her way to her room.

Meanwhile, Kenshin and Akane strolled through the quiet Uchiha compound.

"So, what's your plan for today?" Akane asked, glancing at her brother.

Kenshin hesitated for a moment before lying smoothly. "I'm thinking of working on something. Something to complement my Wind Chakra Mode."

Akane raised an eyebrow. "You're really leaning into wind release, aren't you? The way you're cooking up jutsu, you're gonna make Kakashi-sensei look lame."

"It's my strongest affinity," Kenshin replied nonchalantly. "Of course, I'm going to build around it. But that doesn't mean I'm ignoring the others. I'll use fire and earth when the situation calls for it."

Akane stretched her arms above her head, a playful smirk on her lips. "You should do that. And work on your taijutsu, too. Maybe practice with Kaede. You can go at her with lethal intent, and she won't even care. If anything, she might enjoy it."

Kenshin nodded thoughtfully. "That's a good idea."

Akane stretched her arms again, a confident glint in her eyes. "You should do that. I'll keep doing my best too. Hopefully, I can surprise you during the exams."

Kenshin gave her a small smile. "Looking forward to it."

As they reached the entrance of the Uchiha compound and stepped into the bustling streets of the village, Akane turned to him. "Well, this is where we part ways for now. I've got things to work on, and I don't want you peeking at my new jutsu." She smirked, clearly excited about the element of surprise.

Kenshin nodded, watching as she headed off. "As you wish, nee-san. Good luck," he called after her before turning in the opposite direction.

While Akane made her way to Kakashi's apartment to drag him to the training grounds, Kenshin headed toward a quieter training ground near the Yamanaka residence.

He had no intention of sharing his struggles with Akane. His PTSD and therapy were things she didn't need to know.

Once Kenshin arrived at the secluded training ground, he took a deep breath and centered himself. His mind wandered to an idea he'd been contemplating: creating wind clones.

Recalling what he knew from the show and what he's learned in this life, he understood that water and earth-based clones were more stable and easier to create due to the nature of their chakra.

Water, being liquid, and earth, being solid or semi-solid, allowed for easier molding into a tangible form. This is why they were common in villages that focus on those two natures.

In contrast, natures like lightning, fire, and wind were far more volatile and intangible, making them challenging to work with.

Still, he knew it wasn't impossible—Kakashi's lightning clones were proof of that. Although Kakashi was a prodigy, and developed it himself.

Kenshin began by forming the hand seals for the standard water clone technique, switching the seals associated with water for seals associated with wind intending to replicate the process but with wind chakra.

He let his chakra flow steadily, focusing on shaping the volatile wind into a stable form. The first few attempts resulted in nothing but a sharp gust dispersing in all directions.

"Alright," Kenshin muttered to himself. "So, that did something. Maybe add a few more seals and tweak the sequence."

He tried again, this time adding some more seals for better control and visualizing the wind chakra solidifying as he molded it into a clone. After a few dozen more tries, a faint outline began to appear—a hazy, unstable figure that quickly dissipated.

Kenshin frowned but wasn't discouraged. "It's a start," he murmured, already strategizing how to refine the process further.

"At this rate, I should be able to figure out a basic idea in a few hours. Maybe if I make a few hundred clones it'll be easier." Kenshin thought, forming the hand seal for the shadow clone jutsu and making a few hundred clones.

The clones all got to work, attempting to create a wind clone and sharing whatever discovery they made, being sure to relay it quickly and one by one so that the main Kenshin doesn't get overwhelmed by the inflow of information.

Despite their efforts, after a couple of hours, the most he could produce was a faint, unstable figure that flickered before dissipating within seconds.

Frustrated but unwilling to push himself too hard, Kenshin lay down to rest. He had therapy with Suu later and couldn't afford to arrive completely spent. After about half an hour, he stood, feeling a bit more refreshed, and created a single shadow clone.

"Keep practicing," he instructed. "And keep the info to yourself for now. I'll check up on you after the therapy."

The clone nodded and returned to the task as Kenshin headed toward the Yamanaka residence. Entering the flower shop, he spotted Ino tending to the vibrant blossoms.

"Ino," he greeted, stepping closer, "is Suu-san home?"

Ino turned to him with a bright smile. "Kenshin! Yeah, she's upstairs in the office. She's been waiting for you all morning."

"Thanks," Kenshin replied with a small nod before making his way upstairs.

As he opened the door to Suu's office, he found her seated at her desk, dark circles under her eyes and an air of exhaustion surrounding her. Kenshin's gaze softened slightly as he stepped inside, closing the door behind him.

He raised an eyebrow, surprised by Suu's condition. "What happened?" he asked, concern in his voice.

Suu sighed, rubbing her eyes. "After I came home from your place last night, I dove straight into preparing for today's therapy. I worked through a bunch of simulations to help you become desensitized to it.

But I may have spent the whole night for that. I'll probably go to sleep after lunch." She admitted with a tired yawn, before getting up from her chair.

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