Sensing someone's presence approaching, realizing it was Kumo, I canceled my yin-yang wind clones.

The moment I did that, all the progress my clones had made became part of my strength.

'As expected, clones like these are a cheating without transcendence...' I thought.

Although with talismans I could achieve a similar result, it was, after all, an externally limited force in numbers and, not to mention that I needed to spend my weekly coins.

Currently, I'm earning a good amount of weekly coins every day, with the yin-yang wind clones, I no longer need to create wind clones with talismans. On the other hand, now is a good time to start trying to do the same with Lightning Style.

If I succeed in creating a jutsu or even a special characteristic with the yin-yang wind clone, it will be another way to strengthen myself.

With a click of the door latch, I saw Kumo enter with my body, looking for me.

"Big Brother?"

"I'm coming." I replied. She looked in my direction, opening the door even more, entered and stood not far from the door, seeming to want to tell me something. However, she opened and closed her mouth again before turning around and starting to leave when she realized I was already leaving too.

Picking up the plastic bowl I had left in a corner, I left and closed the Dojo. Not far away, I saw Kumo standing in the yard, lightly kicking the ground with her hands behind her back.

'What's wrong with her?' I thought with doubt.

Noticing my presence, she looked at me.

"You seem to want to tell me something, little one." I asked gently as I stood before her. "You know you can tell me anything, right?"

"I'm not little!" She argued a little fiercely, then sighed: "Big Brother... Do you think I'm strange?"

"Mm?" I raised an eyebrow. "Has someone told you something like that?"

"More or less." She replied vaguely.

"Not strange, different, yes." I replied.

She stopped kicking the ground and quickly grabbed my left hand while pulling me with force, looking into my eyes with her big round brown eyes. "What do you mean, I'm different?"

"Let me answer your question with another question." I said. "What do you think of Hanabi, do you think she's strange?"

She took a while to answer, seeming pensive.

A few seconds later: "Not strange. Different, yes... Ahh, so that's it?"

She seems to have understood what I meant.

"Yes, I think you understood." I smiled a bit as I said, "Your Kekkei Genkai is becoming more apparent, so you will become increasingly different from your peers. However, being different is not a bad thing. Remember this well, being different doesn't make you strange, but rather, someone special. Of course, there will be people who will speak ill of you or even make malicious comments, but understand, this only happens because either they don't understand you or because they are envious."

If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.

"They don't understand me or they're envious..." She murmured, then asked me, "So, what should I do so they don't think I'm strange?"

"There are several ways, but I'll give you two options. First, let them get to know you better, so they will understand that it's not that you're strange, but rather, different." I said softly. "Or, you can make them have no choice but to recognize your existence as someone special."

"I think Hanabi did something like that..." She murmured, then she smiled. "I understand and know what to do now, thank you Big Brother!"

She hugged me.

With my free hand, I embraced her, but soon she complained mischievously, "What a bad smell, you stink of sweat, Big Brother~!"

Then she stopped hugging me and ran off, leaving a chuckle echoing in the air.

"That girl..." I shook my head in helplessness.

Somehow, it made me laugh, remembering when she was just a five-year-old girl and told me something similar...

With a gentle smile, I continued to walk under the cold winter breeze.

"The weather is a bit cold, it might snow," I murmured, watching my warm breath create a visible mist.

━━━━

"Aizen, how did you grow so much?" Naruto asked me, passing his hand over my head and then arching his hand over his own.

Looking at Naruto, who was about 145 cm tall, about 15 cm shorter than me, I said, "Nothing special, just ate normally and trained a lot."

"Ate normally, huh..." Shikamaru looked at the lunch box I brought, muttering.

"How can it be normal, you eat even more than me, Aizen." Choji said, sounding a bit envious.

"Haha." I just laughed softly.

Putting my lunch box with five compartments, I felt like he was exaggerating, but it's okay.

If he looked at Hinata eating from a lunch box with five compartments, each compartment being almost two-thirds wider, maybe he wouldn't think I ate too much...

"Mm?" Hinata looked confused at me feeling my gaze.

"Did you make it today?" I asked, looking at the lunch boxes open on the table in front of her.

"Yes, how did you guess?" She asked, surprised.

"By the smell." I replied and saw her blush.

Finding her cute blushing like that, I smiled as my eyes narrowed and I tapped just below my lower lip with the chopsticks, which made her blush even more. Seeming to want to disguise her shyness, she asked me, "Want some?"

"Yes, and you can have some of mine too," I said, opening my lunch boxes and placing them neatly on the table in front of me.

"Psst, psst, it's hot in here, it's hot," Kiba said provocatively.

"What are you saying, Kiba?" Naruto looked at the window and it was snowing. "How can you be saying that when it's even snowing?"

"Naruto..." Kiba touched his forehead. "Sometimes, I think you do this on purpose..."

"Mm?" Naruto became even more confused, but he was ignored this time.

On the other hand, Kiba's provocation had an effect, at least on Hinata, who blushed even more as she handed me a meatball.

"Aizen, I made my lunch today, try it too!" Sakura said from the other side of the table, next to Hinata.

"It must be awful, you better try mine, Aizen," Ino said from my right side.

"What are you saying, Ino?" Sakura exclaimed. "What I make is much better than yours?!"

"What? You dare say that?" Ino said, pointing her finger at her. "Sa-ku-ra, we both know who cooks better, even if you say yours is better, touch your heart and say it again if you dare."

"You..."

"Girls, calm down first." I intervene calmly. "No matter the reason, it's not good to always be arguing. I've told you two before, right?"

"Yes..." Ino and Sakura respond in unison. Realizing this, they look at each other and huff at the same time before turning their faces away.

"Aizen, seriously, I don't know how you can handle this acting so calmly..." Shikamaru says to me as he rubs his arms.

"Is it that complicated?" I ask. "I even find it adorable."

"If you find it adorable, why did you interrupt?" Kiba asks.

"If they kept arguing, wouldn't they miss lunchtime?" I respond with the obvious.

For some reason, everyone looks at me with a strange look. Especially Kiba and Shikamaru. I even feel Sasuke's gaze from a distance.

As expected, they still don't understand.

Anyway, I go back to eating and Sakura, Hinata, and Ino share a bit of their lunches with me.

━━━━

Chapter 30 is already released on Patreon!

Patreon.com/WizardKiki