Naruto - Azure Awakening

Kaoru sat cross-legged on his bed, the Shadow Clone Jutsu scroll spread open on his lap. He hand clenched the edges and was looking down on it like it was some kind of priceless treasure. Finally. He had been obsessed with this jutsu ever since he arrived in this world, and now, now he had the real thing right in front of him.

"Alright, let's see what I'm working with."

His eyes darted over the lines of text, absorbing every word like a starving man at a feast. The basics weren't surprising - he already knew how it worked from Naruto. Shadow clones weren't illusions; they were solid, fully functioning copies that split his chakra evenly. The real advantage was obvious - when they dispelled, all their experiences came back to the original. Training, scouting, multitasking, this technique was an absolute cheat code.

"I knew all that already, but seeing it written out like this… damn, it's real."

What he didn't know were the finer details - the way chakra had to be molded just right, not just split but duplicated, reconstructed into separate bodies. The scroll described how most shinobi instinctively controlled chakra within their own bodies, but Shadow Clones required something extra: a seamless externalization of chakra, shaping it into an identical vessel.

"So it's not just dumping chakra into a copy and hoping for the best. If I mess up the division, I could make a deformed clone, or worse, one that just collapses immediately."

He skimmed down to the risks, already knowing what to expect. Chakra exhaustion? Obviously. Mental strain? That too. But then he caught something that made him pause.

Excessive use can cause cognitive dissonance, chakra instability, or loss of self-awareness in extreme cases.

Kaoru's grip on the scroll tightened.

"Cognitive dissonance? They mean memory overload, right?"

He had never thought too deeply about how Naruto used Shadow Clones without frying his brain. From the anime, it seemed like second nature to him. But the reality was different. The human mind wasn't built to process multiple perspectives at once, and if someone went overboard, they could end up losing track of which thoughts belonged to them and which came from the clones.

"So if I overuse this, I might start feeling like one of my own clones instead of the original? …Yeah, that's horrifying."

Still, despite the risks, his excitement only grew.

"None of that matters. I need this. This jutsu is a straight-up game changer."

Itachi was right not to let him waste money on it, but now that he had the scroll, there was no way he wasn't at least reading it. He wouldn't practice it here, he had promised after all, but he could study the theory, commit every word to memory, and prepare for when he finally got the chance to use it.

Kaoru closed the scroll carefully and after moving it to his storage seal he leaned back against the wall. His eyes were burning with determination, but there was also a hint of concern.

'I can't rush this. I need to take it slow, learn it properly, and test my limits. Besides, with my chakra reserves, I doubt I can summon many shadow clones to begin with.'

The scroll didn't say how much chakra was safe to split, and that made Kaoru suspicious. It wasn't about percentages - if it were, the scroll would have at least mentioned a rough guideline. Instead, he had a feeling it was about something deeper.

'Maybe it's not about my own chakra at all… maybe there's just a minimal threshold that can't be split further. If I push past it, I could injure myself, or worse.'

He exhaled slowly. No, he wasn't going to be reckless with this. His life was too important to endanger by rushing.

'Whatever. I'll worry about it later. Right now, I need to focus on tomorrow's fight.'

Even if Hyūga Yuki wasn't stronger than him, that didn't mean the match would be easy. Akatsuchi had been stronger than her, and she had still won. That meant she had something beyond raw strength, something Kaoru couldn't afford to underestimate.

'No mistakes. No carelessness. I'll fight with everything I've got, but I must also test my dojutsu against Byakugan. Who knows when I'll get another chance like this.'

Hyuga with Byakugan was an excellent sparring partner for someone whose fighting style revolved around projectiles such as Kaoru's high-density water needles. That's why he wanted to fight Yuki and was not going to attempt to finish the fight quickly. With that thought, he shut his eyes, pushing the excitement of the Shadow Clone Jutsu to the back of his mind. Tomorrow's battle came first.

<<<>>>

The arena buzzed with anticipation as Kaoru stepped onto the battlefield. His cyan eyes gleamed in the sunlight. Across from him stood Hyuga Yuki, while most people might have thought that she'd lose, Yuki did not think so. She had faced worse odds and come out on top.

She was already in her stance, feet planted firmly, arms raised in the unmistakable Gentle Fist position. Her pale lavender eyes locked onto Kaoru, veins at the edges of her temples bulging slightly - the Byakugan was active.

Kaoru had no intention of underestimating her.

Even though she wasn't a main-branch Hyuga, she had defeated Akatsuchi, someone physically stronger than her. That meant she wasn't just relying on textbook Gentle Fist strikes - she was smart and adaptable.

The judge raised his hand.

"Begin!"

The moment the signal was given, Kaoru flickered backward.

Yuki dashed forward, her movements fluid and controlled. Kaoru had expected this, Hyuga were always close-range fighters. She wanted to get in range to shut down his chakra network, and if she managed that, the fight would be over before it even began.

But Kaoru wasn't about to let that happen.

As he moved back, he activated his Suijingan. The moisture in the air stirred, and in an instant, thin, dark-blue needles materialized around him.

"Lingering Death."

Yuki's Byakugan immediately picked up on the attack, her eyes shifting between the needles and Kaoru's stance.

Kaoru watched her closely. 'How will she react? Does she retreat? Does she deflect? Or… does she charge forward anyway?'

Yuki chose the latter.

Rather than retreat, she twisted her body, using her superior vision to slip between the gaps in the needles. Kaoru smirked.

'So, she's not just fast - she's got insane reflexes, too.'

It was impressive, but there was one problem with her strategy.

She was closing the distance too quickly.

Kaoru's hands flickered through seals. 

"Water Release: Water Clone!"

A second Kaoru materialized beside him and immediately leaped forward, intercepting Yuki before she could reach the real him. She reacted instantly, twisting mid-air to strike the clone. Her chakra-coated palm met its chest - water exploded outward, drenching the battlefield.

Kaoru's Suijingan flared.

'Perfect.'

He extended his fingers slightly, manipulating the water that had just splashed onto the ground. In an instant, multiple needles started rising from the puddles around Yuki.

But she was already moving.

She pivoted on her heel and spun, 

"Eight Trigrams: Palm Rotation!"

A sphere of chakra burst from her, sending Kaoru's water needles scattering in all directions. He narrowed his eyes.

'Not bad. She's got the defense, too. But I thought this technique was only taught to main family members, she probably learned it like Neji'

But even though Kaoru compared her to Neji, he had realized something important from that brief exchange.

Yuki was strong, but she wasn't Neji-level strong. Her rotation wasn't large, and her technique wasn't perfect - it was just enough to repel projectiles, but it wouldn't hold against continuous pressure.

In the meantime, Yuki was also analyzing Kaoru with her Byakugan.

'The battlefield is drenched - water from his clone, from his attacks, from the very air itself. But it isn't just water. It feels… connected.'

Her Byakugan saw chakra as clearly as day, but Kaoru's was strange. It wasn't just in his body - it lingered in the water scattered around the arena, like faint threads stretching out in all directions. Yet, there was no clear distinction between what was controlled and what was just there.

'It's like his chakra is everywhere the water touches, but unless he moves it, I can't tell which parts he's actually controlling.'

That realization sent a shiver through her. A normal Water Release user would have to actively mold their chakra to shape water, but it was like Kaoru had already spread his influence across the entire battlefield without doing anything at all.

'If I react only when I see him shape the water, it'll already be too late.'

Yuki clenched her fists as she saw Kaoru's lips curling into a grin. 'Let's see how long you can keep that up,' thought Kaoru and extended a hand, his Suijingan shimmering like frozen ocean water.

More needles materialized.

One after another, they formed from the water-soaked battlefield, hanging in the air like jagged shards of ice.

Yuki exhaled sharply, already recognizing the pattern. She shifted her stance, adjusting for another rotation.

Kaoru didn't let her breathe.

With a flick of his fingers, the needles shot forward - one wave, then another, then another. They weren't overwhelming in strength, but they were relentless, forcing Yuki to either dodge or burn through her chakra defending herself.

And just like Kaoru predicted, she spun - Palm Rotation.

Another burst of chakra repelled his attack, but this time, Kaoru kept going.

The moment her rotation ended, more needles were already flying toward her. She tried to spin again, but this time, it wasn't as clean, her form was slightly off.

Kaoru's eyes sharpened. 'She's already feeling it.'

Rotation was an excellent defense, but it burned through chakra fast. And unlike Kaoru who had to use negligible amount of chakra to form needles, Yuki was already feeling the exhaustion.

She was going to run out first.

Realizing this, Yuki changed her approach. Instead of spinning, she ducked under the next volley of needles and charged again.

Kaoru smirked. 'I was waiting for that.'

As she rushed forward, a thick tendril of water surged up from the ground, snaking toward her. She leaped to the side, dodging it - only to find another one already forming in her path.

Kaoru wasn't just attacking. He was shaping the battlefield itself.

The audience was murmuring now, realizing what was happening. Kaoru's water wasn't just coming from his techniques - it was recycling itself, shifting with his will.

Yuki gritted her teeth and kept moving, weaving through the shifting water, pushing forward despite the relentless assault.

Kaoru had to admit, she had guts.

'She won't retreat. She knows that if she steps back, I'll just do this over and over again.'

And yet, Kaoru wasn't trying to push her back. He wanted her to get close.

Just a little closer…

Yuki finally reached striking distance, her palm thrusting forward toward his chest.

That was when Kaoru made his move.

"Water Release: Water Guardian!"

A dense sphere of water surged around him in an instant, acting as a solid barrier. Yuki's chakra-infused strike met the surface and stopped. Her attack didn't pierce through.

Her eyes widened slightly, just as Kaoru smiled from inside the shield.

'Checkmate.'

From behind Yuki, the puddles of water she had ignored suddenly surged upward - thin tendrils wrapping around her legs, binding her in place.

The moment she had gone on the offensive, she had stopped dodging his lingering water traps.

And now, she was stuck.

Yuki exhaled slowly. Even with her Byakugan, she had missed the subtle shift in the battlefield.

She had lost.

Kaoru deactivated his shield, letting the water fall away. He stepped forward, looking at her calmly. "You fought well," said Kaoru.

Yuki stared at him for a moment before clicking her tongue and sighing. "I surrender."

The judge raised his hand. "Winner is Kaoru Takime from Takimura village!"

Cheers erupted from the stands, but Kaoru barely paid attention. He was already analyzing the fight in his head.

'The Byakugan is powerful, but it's not invincible. Yuki's biggest weakness was stamina. Gentle Fist is incredible in close combat, but against someone who refuses to engage, it burns too much chakra.'

As Yuki turned to leave, she suddenly stopped and looked at him. "Next time, I will get in range."

Kaoru grinned. "I'll be looking forward to it."

With that, the match ended.

Kaoru walked off the field, his mind already shifting to the next fight. 

'Itachi Uchiha… I'll have to do my best if I want to win'

**

A/N -

I've been working on the concept of Suijingan, and while I won't reveal more for now, you got a small glimpse of how it works. It will have its own arc in the future.

It may seem OP at the moment, but keep in mind that Kaoru is fighting genins/chunins who lack the strength to break his defenses. Just a few chapters ago, a single technique shattered Water Guardian and nearly killed him. Like how Neji dominated Naruto until Kurama's chakra came into play, dojutsu can be overwhelming unless the opponent is stronger.

You might have noticed Yuki using Palm Rotation, despite it being a main-branch technique. I didn't want to dedicate a whole chapter to the Hyuga, so I'll clarify here - I'm removing the unreasonable restriction on the branch family learning weaker techniques. Since the main branch controls the curse seal and can eliminate any rebellious members, deliberately weakening the clan makes no sense. Some techniques will remain exclusive, but not all.

Next up is Kaoru vs. Itachi, and I'm really excited to write it! Let's see how it plays out.

Character Notes:

Kaoru - Excited - 'I'm gonna be fighting against Itachi, hehe'

Tenma - ZZZZ - Has been on the way to the Noda Clan for over ten chapters…

**