Ryu was in the middle of morning practice when Dan came through the gate with the Nara guests. Shikaku Nara walked in first, calm as ever, with Shikanoboru beside him and a younger blind boy trailing just behind, listening to the yard as if he could map it from the sound alone.
Ryu finished the last motion of his set, rolled his shoulders once, and looked over. "Hello, Mr Nara."
Shikaku gave him a brief nod. "Morning."
Ryu's gaze shifted to the man beside him, and his mouth twitched faintly. "Oye, Noboru, fancy seeing you here."
Shikanoboru huffed. "The leader dragged me here."
That got a short laugh out of Ryu, and the tension in the yard eased by a fraction.
Shikaku turned slightly and placed a hand near the younger boy's shoulder, not pushing him, only guiding his attention. "This is Shikakage Nara."
Ryu looked at him properly then.
The boy was blind, but not fragile. His posture was straight, his body more solid than the average Nara's, and there was a disciplined stubbornness in the way he held himself that said he had spent far too long training alone because the world had left him too much time to think. He stood very still, listening rather than looking.
Ryu's eyes narrowed slightly. "You're more physically developed than the usual Nara ninja your age. Most are too lazy to train properly."
Shikaku coughed.
Shikanoboru cut in before the mood could stiffen. "There are not enough books for him and he has too much time on his hands. So he does push-ups, sit-ups, and anything else he can do without help."
Shikaku added, "He does that to make his body sturdier. He used to keep falling and getting injured."
That earned the smallest shift in Ryu's expression. Not a smile, but something close.
Then Shikaku's tone changed. "His parents both died on a mission. He was a ward of the clan until now; now he's yours. Please take care of him."
Ryu gave a single nod. "How different this boy is from the rest of his clan. He trained his body because he refused to become a burden."
Shikaku continued, "It took a lot to convince him to come. Shikanoboru was the one who got him here."
Shikanoboru scratched the side of his head. "I just told him this place was full of weird people like him. He seemed to take that as a recommendation."
Ryu gave him a look of mild approval. "A strong argument."
Then he looked back at Shikakage. "You are blind, stubborn, and clearly not afraid of training. Breaking the stereotype already. I like you already."
Shikakage angled his head slightly. "Thanks, I guess."
Shikaku let that pass before moving to the other matter. "He has also been told to keep your secrets safe. If you need to restrict his movements in the community, the clan will not object."
"That won't be needed," Ryu said at once. "I am sure he knows the weight of secrets."
His gaze remained on Shikakage.
"Some of my secrets may help him see through this world's darkness even without eyesight."
The boy went still at that, and Ryu saw the line hit properly. Not as comfort. Not as charity. As a possibility.
Ryu turned his head slightly. "Akihiro."
Akihiro stepped forward from where he had been waiting quietly nearby. He was blind too, and mute as well, with a small speaking device strapped to him.
Ryu said, "Akihiro is also blind like you. He is mute too."
Shikakage shifted towards the sound. "That is unfortunate. I really wanted to talk to him."
"You can," Ryu said. "I made something for that."
Akihiro pressed a button.
"HELLO."
Shikakage's face turned properly towards the voice. "A machine? That is useful."
Shikanoboru let out a low whistle. "That is a neat trick."
"It is more than a trick," Ryu said. "The device is my creation. I built it for him specifically, but it can help many others too. I am thinking of a public release later with more features."
Ryu looked at Shikakage and asked, "Can you use the shadow paralysis jutsu at all?"
Shikakage did not answer immediately. It was Shikaku who spoke.
"He can," Shikaku said. "He can use the paralysis effect of our shadow jutsu, but he cannot shape his shadow properly the way a Nara should. If someone steps into his shadow, or another shadow falls over it, he can catch them. But he cannot extend or guide it, so his reach stays limited."
Ryu's gaze sharpened at once.
That was the answer he needed.
He studied Shikakage again, now with the problem framed properly, and the pieces started falling into place.
"I think I know why you cannot change the shape of your shadow."
Shikakage's head tilted slightly towards him.
"Because you cannot see shadows, you first need to be able to sense the shape of shadows," Ryu said. "The [Hamura Sensing Method] may help with that. If you can learn to sense your own shadow precisely enough, you may eventually gain better control over it. You need to build the missing reference through sensing instead of sight."
Shikaku said nothing, but his attention sharpened.
Ryu continued, "Even if that does not work, you will be fine. I already have a perfect alternative for you. An attack jutsu centred around your current shadow paralysis. So either way, you are not stuck."
That made Shikakage go very still.
After a second, he asked quietly, "Can I really become a ninja?"
Ryu looked at him without softness, but not without certainty either.
"That question can only be answered by you," he said. "Are you ready to break the stereotypes again?"
The boy drew a slow breath.
"Yes."
Ryu nodded once, as if that settled the matter. "Good."
Then he added, "I already like your persistence, your refusal to give up, and your willingness to work hard. That puts you ahead of a lot of people."
A faint ease entered Shikaku's posture. It was small, but it was there.
Ryu glanced towards him. "How is your son?"
That drew a dry answer at once. "Lazy as ever. He goes after me."
Ryu followed Shikaku's line of sight towards the grass, where Naruto was trying to catch the hummingbirds hovering near him. Shikaku also saw him.
Ryu looked at him, trying to convey a message.
Shikaku gave the smallest nod and said, "I may send him here to check up on Shikakage from time to time."
Ryu smiled. They both understood what that really meant.
"Sure," he said. "I have very comfortable grass here. Naruto sleeps on it all the time. I am sure Shikamaru will appreciate a break here."
A short while later, Shikaku and Shikanoboru took their leave.
Before stepping out, Shikaku looked once at Shikakage, then back at Ryu. He did not say anything else. He did not need to.
After the gate closed behind them, Ryu turned back to the boy. "Welcome to the family. Get familiar with the place. Kaia will show you around later. She is Akihiro's sister and the same age as you, so you should get along well enough."
Shikakage gave a small nod. "All right."
Naruto had wandered back close by then, curiosity written openly across his face. He looked at Shikakage, then at Ryu.
"Who is he?"
"He is Shikakage Nara," Ryu said.
Naruto blinked once, then nodded to himself with complete seriousness. "Oh. He is our new brother."
For a second, the yard went quiet.
Shikakage turned slightly towards Naruto's voice and said, "Hello."
*
Inside the seal, Kushina blinked. "He really is a wonderful boy."
Minato smiled faintly. "Yes, one more family member for our boy."
*
Back in the yard, Kaori spoke from the veranda. "Boss, the council hearing!!"
Ryu looked down at himself. "I know. I need to change into a proper outfit."
Dan, already familiar with that tone, gave him a look. "A business suit?"
Ryu looked at him. "Not just that."
He closed his eyes and clapped his hands once and activated [Carbon Control].
Black carbon leaked from inside his sleeves, spread over his body, and shaped itself into a fitted white suit with sharp lines and a clean finish. Ryu has also learnt to colour. The material settled without crease or wobble, as if it had always belonged there.
Dan raised a brow. "Neat. Don't you need chakra to maintain it?"
"No," Ryu said. "Carbon atoms can lock into place. Once the structure is set, it does not need any more chakra to hold the shape. I told you before, this atom is one of the most versatile materials on the planet. All life is built on it."
Ryu said, "About the thing I asked you..."
Dan handed him what he had been working on earlier.
It was a chain lined all the way around with small diamonds.
Ryu put it on.
Dan looked at it, then at him. "That chain is worth four to five hundred million Ryo."
Ryu adjusted it once. "Maybe more if we do not disclose its secrets."
Then he reached under his shirt, pulled out the First Hokage's pendant, and laid it over the top of the diamond chain.
"This is better."
Kohinata replied, "Of course it is. The diamonds were not enough. Now you are wearing a political message too."
Kaori gave a slow nod. "A very expensive one. "It give a certain message... like... mess with me and a legendary sannin, a medical prodigy... two, actually, will bear a grudge... trust me... no ninja wants to mess with a medical ninja… even in peacetime."
Naruto grinned. "Cool."
Ryu looked at Naruto. "Yes, cool… but it's still not enough."
Ryu clapped his hands again.
This time ten large diamonds flew out from his pockets, suspended in fine carbon dust around them. The dust circled each stone, sharpened, hardened, and formed settings around them before the rings shot forward one by one and landed on his fingers.
By the time the last ring settled into place, Ryu looked less like a businessman and more like a rapper.
With the chain, pendant, and ten diamond rings on him, he was carrying well over a billion ryo in plain sight.
*
Kushina's eyes twitched as she said, "Not even all the ladies of the Leaf Village combined have this much jewellery."
Minato laughed, "Hehe... you are right. But he may be inviting trouble with this much show off."
Kushina said, "Now I understand... that jutsu is dangerous."
*
Dan stared at him for a moment, then let out a breath through his nose. "That get-up will make people uneasy."
"That is the objective," Ryu said.
Kohinata was still staring at the rings. "You are just carrying that much value around on your body?"
"Yes."
Kaori looked at him. "Why?"
Ryu flexed his fingers once and let the diamonds catch the light. "Because money itself is power. Those who vote against me need to realise who they are fighting against."
Nobody argued with that.
Naruto circled him once with open admiration. "You look amazing."
Ryu looked down at him with complete calm. "I know… But it's still not enough."
Ryu clapped his hands again and activated
Many eyes tensed up seeing Ryu activating this jutsu again.
*
Mainto said, "This kid..."
Kushina said, "Please, somebody tell him he is overdoing things."
*
Ryu puts his hand forward; vintage sunglasses materialise in front of him. A white overcoat materialised on him. Now Ryu looked more like a mob boss than a rapper or more like an admiral from another universe. and red flames are added on them and on his shirt as well;
Ryu said, "Now I am ready… Let's go."
A/N:
Thank you,
Zee B., El Gordo, Nova Gamer555, MrDragneel, Some guy, Dalton Harris, darklord413 ,Marco, Zarassa van Cresh, David Jenkins, Carlos Barker, Vernan Stapleton, Zelmanyr, Hugh Jass, Kenji Neyra, R3vo, Marco, Cash, Codesavage, Auzzo, McCallister Wilson, Timothy cordelle, Mason Erickson, Eymi Lopez, อวิรุธ อนุรัตน์, Vernan Stapleton, Monkey D. Murda
for supporting me on P@treon.
Please support me on P@treon. and leave a review on WN if you liked the story.
You can also support me via Gpay: pjpageturner@okaxis
Latest chapter on P@treon: Chapter 399 ~ Happy ending
A few free chapters are available for everyone to read on p@treon. com/PageTurnerPJ.
Your support is what gets this story going, so please like, share and review the story and add it to your library.
Free gift card for premium chapters for those who read the full author's note: https://www.patreon.com/PageTurnerPJ/redeem/AFE9D
Just give a review if you use the gift link