Ren came back from the capital two weeks after the earthquake and things were finally winding down in the village. He got a stink eye from his clone who had to suffer through the crisis but his suffering was for the greater good so it didn't count.
Usually, he wouldn't be able to keep a clone summoned for two weeks straight. However, his existence was not only for Ren to evade the possibility of Danzo deciding to deal with him in a more permanent fashion. The more important reason was to test Ren's new seals.
The durability seal was something Ren worked on even before he got his hands on shadow clones. And when he finally managed to create something that worked, it turned out the seal also had an unexpected effect.
It kept the chakra contained within the shell of the clone, lengthening its 'lifespan' by a lot. Ren wanted to see if the clone would last for a few days but he was surprised that two weeks later, the clone was still going strong.
Normally, chakra leaks in a small amount from shadow clones at all times. They would run out of chakra in less than a day even if they don't use any technique. Anime didn't show this aspect very well and Ren understood why. Naruto was a cheater. Ren's bet was that his chakra was so powerful that this was not much of an issue for him. His clones could go for days. Normal ninjas, even jonin, were not so lucky.
Sometimes Ren just wanted to gently put his hands around that little overpowered brat's neck and... ahem, he was joking, of course. He meant to say he felt very slightly envious.
Yes. That was it.
Because of his clone's new longevity, Ren had to make another seal. He approached the clone and chuckled, "You don't seem like you enjoyed your time here. Anything important to tell me? You know, since I won't get your memories and stuff." He said as he fished out a paper tag with the other experimental seal.
"Sure," The clone shrugged and gave Ren a deadpan look, "Get fucked."
Ren almost choked on his spit when he heard that. Then again, that also meant there was nothing important to report so all was well.
"Leaving me here with Danzo's flunky following me like an overeager stalker was so not cool." The clone muttered and Ren threw him a wry look.
He knew it was not fun. That's why he delayed his homecoming as much as possible. Duh.
The clone did seem a bit frustrated and Ren wondered if it had to do with keeping him in existence for an extended period of time. Clones were not meant to exist for days on end and there was no documentation of the effects of it happening. This was practically uncharted waters for Ren. Every little detail could be important.
"That's the new seal?" The clone asked, pulling Ren out of his thoughts.
"Yup." Ren nodded and handed the paper tag to the clone. At the end of the day, the clone was still him so he too was a seal master and probably understood bits and pieces of the seal since it was done in Ren's usual sealing style.
"It's nice work." The clone praised with a nod, smiling a bit for the first time since Ren met him today and his eyes gained an interested gleam, "What did you name it?"
If Ren needed any confirmation that this was his clone, the look in his eyes when seals were mentioned was enough of a proof.
"Yin containment seal." Ren proudly replied. He tried to keep the name simple while also making it describe what the seal was supposed to do.
"Hah!?" The clone apparently disagreed, judging by that sound. "Are you mad? It sounds like something out of a cheap cultivator story! Oh, who am I kidding? Of course, you are mad." He huffed and put the tag with the seal on the table before he crossed his arms on his chest, giving Ren a stern look.
Ren couldn't help but think that having himself stare at him in this way was seriously weird.
"If you are going to do it, then do it properly. At least call it Nine Evil Sealing Yin Containing Dragon Lock Turtle Tiger Phoenix insert a mythical animal of your preference Super Profound Seal!" The clone had to take a deep breath at the end of that sentence.
Ren owlishly blinked at... himself and for a moment he wondered what was wrong with him. Because deep down, his thoughts subconsciously agreed with the clone before he managed to shake them off.
No, no, no. No way. Yin Containment Seal was a great name.
Ignoring that little inner turmoil, Ren politely smiled at his clone but in the corners of his mouth his smile was visibly a bit strained, "You are weird."
The clone instantly noticed it and chuckled, "I am you." He shrugged and Ren rolled his eyes at him.
"Hey you, nice to meet you. I am embarrassed." He retorted with a grin.
"Dad jokes? Really?" The clone raised an unamused eyebrow at Ren, making his grin disappear, "Am I usually that uncool? No wonder Naruto calls us 'uncle'. I am embarrassed too."
And Ren slightly flushed. Why was he inflicting self-burn on himself again? Okay. He had to admit that joke was... awkward. But it just came out of his mouth before he could think about it.
"That little vacation did you a world of good. I am glad." The clone said in a relieved voice, all remaining tension leaving from his shoulders.
"It sure did." Ren agreed, his embarrassment melting away.
Hell, he couldn't remember the last time he was this carefree. He will have to take vacations outside Konoha more often. Staying in this village was clearly not doing him any good. It wasn't just the village either. This entire world was just way too stressful.
Humming to himself, the clone saw that he was no longer needed here so he once again took the sealing tag, "Let's get this over with." He said and before Ren could react, the clone slapped the tag on his forehead, making Ren instantly freeze.
For a moment, Ren braced himself for an impact. Two weeks of memories should definitely knock him out. Especially if he wasn't prepared for them.
But fortunately, the Yin Containment Seal worked as intended and Ren relaxed when he received no memories from his clone. The purpose of the seal was to catch and contain the yin chakra leaving the clone, which usually returned to the caster, bringing with it the clone's memories.
Naturally, Ren didn't have the time to test it. The abrupt actions of his clone made Ren wonder if he wasn't growing a tad bit too reckless.
But that couldn't be it, could it?
Oh, well, it was probably Ino's fault. Hinata was too meek to corrupt him and having a natural mind-fucker as a student was a very convenient excuse.
Ren nodded to himself, deciding he should give Ino ten additional laps around the pond tomorrow. Teacher's privileges.
Maybe he could test if his new seal could counter the Yamanaka techniques?
Ren shook that thought off almost as soon as it appeared in his head. It was a good idea but testing it was just too dangerous. He didn't want Ino's spirit to be trapped within a seal. Explaining to Inoichi why there is nobody at home in his daughter's body would be a drag.
Besides, as much as he complained about Ino, he liked the blonde Yamanaka. At least, when she wasn't talking about Sasuke Uchiha. So, about thirty percent of the time.
God, how was he supposed to cure Ino of the illness known as childhood crush? He already tried having Hinata punch her in the face again but that only motivated her!
The more he thought about it, the more the reasons for his delayed return became apparent in his head and he had to resist the strong urge to create another clone before going to the capital again. Maybe he should make that ten additional laps into twenty? Just in case.
More running meant less downtime and less downtime meant Ino talking less about the Uchiha boy.
Prevention was very important, after all.
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