After saying goodbye to Kaito, Itachi flicked Sasuke's forehead in the bedroom and headed off alone to the clan meeting.
On his way through the courtyard, though, he stood there like an idiot for a full ten minutes.
Kaito didn't botherrrrrr figuring out what that was about. He simply assumed Itachi was admiring the masterpiece that was his sunflower sea.
Once Itachi had been gone long enough, Kaito didn't leave the house right away.
Instead, he slipped straight into the flower field to test the sunflowers' daytime effects.
Going outside now was basically inviting ANBU to tail him—especially with the Uchiha holding a clan meeting today.
He puhed through the gold and green until he found a quiet corner, then released his so-called "Left and Right Guardians."
Thanks to last night's eat-your-own-kind intimidation tactic, the two were completely silent today—trembling like cowards, too scared to even breathe loudly.
Kaito approved.
To reinforce the message, he casually snapped two nearby sunflowers, tore the blossoms apart, tossed them onto the soil, and stomped them into mush.
He pointed at the cruhed remains, then fixed his "guardians" with a cold stare.
"Stay quiet. Got it?"
"Use your abilities when I tell you to."
"And if you start yelling nonsense again—your ending looks like that."
The two sunflowers trembled so hard that a few petals fell off.
They didn't speak—just nodded repeatedly, as if they'd realized the human in front of them was far scarier than any zombie in a backyard apocalypse.
Kaito sat down in the flower sea, crossed his legs, and closed his eyes.
Then he began refining chakra.
Honestly, if he had even a basic cultivation method, he'd already have puhed straight into the next stage, cracked open the starter reward, and never looked back.
But he was stuck right at the entry threshold.
So for now, chakra training was still his lifeline.
Blue chakra gathered in his abdomen and spread through his limbs, threading smoothly through his body's pathways like flowing water.
And the speed—
It was insane.
Normally, it took him ten full minutes just to get things circulating properly.
Now?
The refinement speed had increased by nearly seventy percent.
Kaito's eyes flew open.
"…That much?"
He paused cultivation and tested again.
Even after stopping, the improvement stabilized at around fifty percent.
So basically—
As long as he didn't spam high-consumption techniques, his natural recovery combined with these two "guardians" meant he could fight for a long time without running dry.
The downside was obvious.
This boost only worked during the daytime.
Still, this was a good reward.
Yes, the sunflowers were absurd.
Yes, they were humiliating.
But they solved his current chakra shortage problem.
Kaito exhaled, then formed seals and cast Shadow Clone Jutsu.
Puff!
Ten clones appeared around him.
This was his limit.
Fugaku had warned him repeatedly: abusing Shadow Clones could get you killed. Even if you survived, the backlash when the clones dispersed—the mental shock and exhaustion—could crush most people.
But now?
When Kaito created ten clones, his chakra plummeted for an instant… then surged right back.
In less than a minute, he was full again.
He could've cast it a second time.
He didn't.
Instead, he flicked one sunflower lightly on the shoulder.
"Can you two… spit anything out?"
The sunflowers tilted their heads and looked at each otherrrrrr.
Then—
They opened their mouths and blasted Kaito's face with a storm of sunflower seeds.
A dense rain of seeds pelted his cheeks and forehead, bouncing everywhere.
Judging by the pile on the ground…
If he roasted these later, he wouldn't need to steal snacks from Sasuke for a long time.
He had achieved… seed freedom.
Kaito was not happy.
His temple twitched violently.
He grabbed one sunflower by the "neck" with one hand, his voice dropping dangerously low.
"I'm not eating this."
He drew a slow breath, barely holding back the urge to rip both of them off his shoulders.
"Give me something special."
"Don't tell me this is the only thing you can do."
That finally seemed to register.
The sunflowers nodded—then their bodies flared with blinding golden light.
Kaito saw white.
For a split second, it felt like someone had detonated a flash bomb directly in his eyes.
His rage spiked.
Both of you are getting plucked bald—
But after three seconds, the light faded.
And when his vision cleared, two golden orbs sat quietly on the ground in front of him.
His murderous intent paused mid-swing.
…Okay.
He could work with this.
Also, that flash effect wasn't useless. It could definitely blind enemies in a real fight.
Kaito convinced himself with impressive speed, then crouched down to inspect the orbs.
After three full minutes, all he'd confirmed was:
They were shiny.They were strange.They didn't do anything obvious.
Kaito pointed at one.
"What do they do?"
The sunflowers stared at the orbs thoughtfully, then nodded togethe like enlightened sages.
"Edible! The kids next door are crying with envy."
"Oof… that flavor—pure authentic."
Kaito: "..."
The air turned heavy.
The sunflowers' eyes darted away guiltily, their petals shrinking like they were bracing for execution.
Kaito stared at the orbs for a long moment, killing intent leaking off him in waves.
He had to fight himself not to destroy the two idiots on his shoulders.
Calm down…
They're useful…
You can't kill them… yet…
After several minutes of intense inner counseling, he picked up one golden orb and raised it toward his mouth like a pill.
But before it even touched his lips—
The orb dissolved into sparkling fragments and flowed straight into his body.
Warmth spread through him.
His cells felt… energized. Awake.
"Recovery…?"
Kaito's expression eased. He glanced at the second orb.
To test it properly, he pulled a kunai from his pouch and lightly sliced a shallow line across his arm.
Blood beaded up.
He activated the second orb.
It dissolved into light.
And the cut… sealed itself instantly.
Kaito's eyes narrowed in satisfaction.
"As expected."
It wasn't just "edible."
It was a healing resource.
For the first time all day, his mood lifted.
He turned and headed back toward the house, ready to share this brilliant discovery with his beloved little brotherrrrrr.
"My adorable little brotherrrrrr…"
"Come hee for a second."
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