Naruto: My Clones Can Evolve

"Genzuki, neither I nor my men mean you any harm," Kageyama said sincerely.

"I'm not ready to trust you yet."

Genzuki glanced back at the children.

"As you can see, our village is gone, and these are the only survivors. Their safety is my responsibility."

From the memories he had inherited, Genzuki had never seen a headband with their symbol before.

That meant he couldn't just take Kageyama at his word.

"I understand… and I regret that we weren't able to arrive sooner," Kageyama said. "There have been many bandit attacks in this region lately—we were out on patrol because of it."

"Who exactly are you people?" Genzuki asked.

"We're from the Village of Charcoal Shinobi. We don't harm civilians—we came to help!"

At the mention of Charcoal Shinobi Village, Genzuki immediately understood the situation.

It was a small ninja village far from here, closer to the Land of Earth.

The fact that the villagers had never seen their headbands before wasn't surprising.

"I've heard of you before," Genzuki said. "But what if you're just impostors?"

Kageyama hesitated.

"Then I don't know how to prove our sincerity to you."

"You don't need to. Kageyama, you'll be my hostage," Genzuki said. "And I want all of your men to dismount and surrender their weapons."

"That's going too far, Captain!" one of the shinobi growled. "We're here to help!"

Genzuki smirked, turning to Kageyama.

"You should keep your subordinates under control."

"Enough. We'll do as he says," Kageyama ordered.

Genzuki finally felt at ease.

The truth was, if he were at full strength, he wouldn't have wasted so much time negotiating.

If his chakra reserves were topped up, he could have wiped them out in an instant—no hostage necessary.

『Ding! New mission: Escort the children to a safe location. Reward: Full ninja gear set, 10 experience books, 200 reputation points!』

"Even this counts as a mission? Guess I made the right call."

Five minutes later, the Charcoal Shinobi had dismounted and dropped their kunai and shuriken onto the ground.

"You can restrain me with a Water Prison, as long as I can breathe," Kageyama offered.

"No need."

Genzuki flicked his hand, and a stream of water wrapped around Kageyama's wrists.

"Water Style: Water Whip."

With his mastery of Water Style, he could freely control its form.

Then he turned to the children.

"Do any of you know how to ride?"

The children nodded.

"Good. Take their horses and follow behind us."

The shinobi could only watch helplessly as the children climbed onto their steeds.

Genzuki clapped Kageyama on the shoulder.

"Your men will walk in front. You and I stay in the middle. The kids ride behind us."

Kageyama sighed and relayed the orders.

And so, a rather unusual procession set off.

A single person had kidnapped an entire squad of shinobi.

Kageyama exhaled deeply. The Charcoal Shinobi Village's reputation was probably in shambles now.

"Kageyama, why don't you tell me why ninja in your village are riding horses?"

Along the way, Genzuki learned more about the village.

The Charcoal Shinobi Village was a small ninja settlement on the Land of Earth's border.

It had formed after the Third Shinobi World War, when a faction of Iwagakure ninja splintered off.

The Land of Earth was mountainous and rugged, making transportation a serious challenge.

That's why their shinobi relied on horseback.

Despite this, Iwagakure rarely had the resources to govern its farthest borders.

The area between the Land of Snow and the Land of Earth was both perilous and freezing due to the eternal ice of Snow Country's mountains.

That meant bandits and rogue ninja roamed freely, with no one to stop them.

Helping the helpless was why the Charcoal Shinobi Village was founded.

Now, they survived by exporting coal to the neighboring Land of Snow.

That's also where they got their name—Charcoal.

"Looks like we're here," Kageyama said.

At the end of the mountain road stood a massive black gate.

A faint scent of coal dust lingered in the air.

"Welcome to Charcoal Shinobi Village."

With their arrival, Genzuki saw no need to continue his hostage act.

He dispelled the water binding Kageyama.

"Captain Kageyama, no hard feelings, right?" Genzuki grinned.

"...It's fine," Kageyama muttered, rubbing his wrists.

Despite being a full-grown man, he had been completely outplayed by a boy.

The children, still excited from riding horses, stormed through the village gates.

The guards looked completely stunned but didn't dare to stop them.

Seeing the kids momentarily forget their grief, Genzuki felt a small sense of relief.

『Ding! Mission complete! Rewards delivered!』

A new option appeared in Genzuki's system panel—"Inventory."

Inside were 10 experience books, a ninja gear package, and his updated reputation points—210 in total.

"I'll check the loot later. Too many people around right now."

At that moment, a bearded shinobi guarding the gate stomped up to Kageyama, looking very confused.

"Kageyama, care to explain why a bunch of kids just stormed into the village?"

"Sigh. Yoshida… it's a long story," Kageyama groaned. "I need to see the Charcoal Kage. Immediately."

"The Kage's in their office! Just don't bother me—I need to find housing for all these kids!"

Yoshida shooed them away.

Kageyama dismissed his squad and motioned for Genzuki to follow him.

As they walked, Genzuki quietly observed the village.

The scent of coal in the air gave the place an oddly authentic feel.

Most of the people they passed weren't shinobi. They were miners.

The settlement clung to the mountainside, but despite the harsh conditions, there was life here.

"It's not a dead place," Genzuki murmured.

In the Naruto series, he had never heard of Charcoal Shinobi Village.

Perhaps the world he had entered was slightly different from the one he knew.

"Genzuki, when we meet the Charcoal Kage, please don't be too… disrespectful," Kageyama said cautiously.

Genzuki smirked.

"Oh? You need me to play along so you don't look bad?"

Kageyama sighed.

"Just try not to cause trouble."

"Sure. But I do have a question—does a village this small really deserve a Kage?"

Kageyama shot him a look but didn't argue.

They arrived at a mid-sized building that stood taller than the surrounding homes.

The "Kage Office," apparently.

Inside, a young woman sat at a desk, busy stamping paperwork.

"Kage-sama, I need a moment of your time," Kageyama said respectfully.

Genzuki raised an eyebrow.

He hadn't expected the Charcoal Kage to be so young.

And… a little too good-looking?

The woman looked up from her work.

"Kageyama, what is it?"

"I found this boy in a destroyed village," Kageyama said. "His name is Genzuki. I believe he possesses a bloodline ability… and an extraordinary talent."

The woman stood up, her gaze sharpening.

She locked eyes with Genzuki.

"What bloodline do you possess? Which clan do you come from?"

Her stare was intense, uncomfortably so.

Annoyed, Genzuki let a sliver of his chakra leak out, filling the room with oppressive energy.

"I didn't come here to be interrogated."