"Use it on a living person?"
Nagato was stunned when he heard Shin's words; he hadn't even considered that possibility yet.
Shin, however, was incredibly impatient. He walked directly in front of Nagato, his eyes burning with intensity. "Let's try it! Use me as a test subject. Nagato, your Chakra reserves are oceanic; if we can tap into that, we can instantly and massively increase everyone's combat power."
Nagato hesitated, looking at the sharp rod. "I'm happy that my Chakra could help everyone, but I don't have any relevant information in my mind about using it on the living. I don't know if doing this would harm you."
Konan stepped up and gently advised Shin, "Shin, don't be in such a hurry. Give Nagato some time to study it. It won't be too late for him to help us boost our Chakra once he fully understands this Ninjutsu's side effects."
Yahiko patted Shin's shoulder, offering a comforting grin. "Shin, we all understand your desire to become stronger so you can protect everyone. But don't push yourself too hard. Don't forget you're still a child! If anything happens, the three of us—your older brothers and sister—will always stand in front of you. Hahaha!"
Shin smiled awkwardly, scratching his cheek. "You're right. I was too impatient."
During these past months, spending every day with a monster genius like Nagato, Shin watched as the red-haired boy's strength grew exponentially. Shin was constantly being left further and further behind, even though he trained like a madman and had Kyosuke and the others' shared experiences as cheats.
And it wasn't just Nagato. Even Yahiko and Konan were true genius ninjas whose strength grew at a terrifying pace.
At times like this, Shin truly felt the crushing helplessness and despair of an 'ordinary' person in the ninja world. Despite giving it his all, he was still eating the dust of geniuses, watching their backs gradually disappear into the distance.
Not just Shin, but Kyosuke, Mishu, and Chisuke all felt this exact same pressure.
As they grew older, the native geniuses with inherited bloodlines and clan techniques entered their periods of rapid strength enhancement. The "hive-mind" was feeling the heat, and their own 'genius' personas were becoming increasingly difficult to maintain.
Although the current Nagato hadn't reached his peak strength, he had already surpassed an ordinary Jonin, and his raw Chakra reserves were simply terrifying.
If they could get Nagato's help and use his massive Chakra pool, Shin and the other four avatars' strength would take a massive leap forward, allowing them to leave their peers in the dust once again.
Nagato, being incredibly kind-hearted, was eager to help his precious companions. Over the next few days, he spared no effort in researching the Black Rods.
He soon mastered a safe application and excitedly went to find Shin.
"Shin! I've mastered this Ninjutsu. I can safely transfer Chakra to you now!"
At this time, Shin was practicing his sword techniques in a clearing outside the village. Masao the dog sat on a nearby tree stump, happily teasing the cat, Kanae, in his paws.
Shin sheathed his sword. Seeing the heavy dark circles under Nagato's eyes, he knew Nagato hadn't slept well these past few days. He felt deeply touched, but also a bit amused.
"Although I was in a hurry, I wouldn't have minded waiting a bit longer. You're our absolute strongest powerhouse now, so don't work yourself to exhaustion for my sake."
Nagato smiled warmly and handed Shin a small Black Rod, only about the size of a pinky finger.
"Just put it into your body. I will continuously provide Chakra, and you can freely use my Chakra through it. Of course, if the physical distance between us is too great, the connection might drop."
Shin held the Black Rod up to the light. "Is any location on my body okay?"
Nagato nodded. "Anywhere is fine, but it's best to embed it deeply in the thigh. The surgery is simple and safe, and it won't affect your movement or flexibility in combat."
"Makes sense. Let's go, let's go! Let's do the surgery right now!"
Seeing that everything was ready, Shin immediately grabbed Nagato by the wrist and dragged him toward the medical tent to find Konan.
Masao jumped off the stump, barking happily, and followed closely behind.
Konan had been diligently studying Medical Ninjutsu, so such a minor surgery was no problem for her. The procedure was swift and successful, and the small Black Rod was securely embedded in Shin's right leg.
Shin stood on the ground and tested his movement. There was absolutely no discomfort, and the receiver did not affect his mobility in the slightest.
"Shin, I'm going to start transferring Chakra now. Feel it for yourself. If you feel any pain or discomfort, you must tell me, and I'll cut off the connection immediately!"
Nagato reminded him sternly. Seeing Shin nod in confirmation, he closed his eyes and began to push his Chakra.
In an instant, Shin felt a majestic surge of energy flood his coils. It was gentle, yet overwhelmingly abundant.
"Is this what it feels like to be a true monster? This sense of endless power... this dense Chakra..." Shin took a deep breath, his eyes wide. "Nagato, I feel incredible right now. Increase the intensity!"
Seeing that Shin's body wasn't rejecting it, Nagato lifted his self-imposed restrictions and shared a massive portion of his Chakra directly.
"Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
Feeling the majestic Chakra boiling within him, Shin was vibrating with excitement. He formed the cross hand seal and directly created over a hundred Shadow Clones in a massive cloud of smoke.
"It's finally done!" Shin cheered. "I said in the past that training progress could be multiplied through Shadow Clones, but I didn't have nearly enough Chakra back then to make it viable. Now, I can finally do it!"
Nagato was thrilled to see Shin so happy. "I'm so glad I could help you. You were the one who originally taught me the Shadow Clone training method, and I've always been grateful."
Not long after they had first met, Shin had explained the concept of using Shadow Clones for memory-transfer training. In fact, Nagato had benefited the most from the theory, because he had the most Chakra and the Uzumaki physique to endure the massive mental exhaustion when the clones dispelled.
Next were Yahiko and Konan, but they had to strictly limit the number of clones, or their brains wouldn't be able to handle the backlash.
Shin, ironically, had the least Chakra of them all, so his own training method had been the least effective for him.
Nagato had actually felt incredibly guilty about that unfairness. So now, being able to share his Chakra so that everyone could progress together made Nagato the happiest of all.
Konan stepped up and reminded Shin firmly, "Even though you have Nagato's Chakra fueling the jutsu, you can't be reckless. Don't be too aggressive in your training volume, or the mental aftereffects of a hundred clones dispelling at once will fry your brain. It's a double burden on both the body and the mind."
After carefully dispelling the clones in small batches, Shin nodded. "Don't worry, I know my limits."
That night, deep within the shared dream realm, the atmosphere was explosive.
Shin stood with his hands on his hips, speaking proudly. "You all felt the massive amount of Chakra suddenly flood your bodies today, right? That's all thanks to me! Without me securing the hookup, you wouldn't be able to pretend to be geniuses much longer."
Mishu looked at Shin with undisguised envy. "With Nagato actively sharing his power, it's like having a bottomless treasure trove attached to your hip. It's safe, and you can spam powerful Ninjutsu. I'm practically drooling."
Chisuke adjusted his goggles, looking annoyed. "My teacher, Pakura, is often away on missions, so I have to train by myself in the desert most of the time! And I can't even learn her Scorch Style because it's a Kekkei Genkai! It's so miserable! If I could have a cheat code like Nagato, I'd die of happiness!"
Kyosuke scoffed defiantly. "Hmph! When I became Minato's disciple, you all came crawling to flatter me. Now you're all sucking up to Shin. You're so two-faced!"
Kiichiro lay on the metaphorical floor, lazily propping his head up with his right hand. He sighed indifferently. "Fine, fine. You're all amazing, constantly getting stronger and making the most glorious contributions. I'm the only useless one here, stuck guarding a crummy tavern and running a ledger."
Kyosuke walked over and patted Kiichiro's shoulder. "Don't worry, man. The Third Shinobi World War is rapidly approaching. The Ninja World will soon be plunged into absolute chaos, and that is when we'll be able to show off our true skills and make our moves."
Mishu nodded in agreement. "Kiichiro, you need to work hard to horde money. We must have a complete, fully funded base of operations before the war fully breaks out."
Chisuke grinned wickedly. "Yeah! Once the war starts, it will be a meat grinder. We'll be able to scavenge the battlefields to obtain all kinds of Bloodline Limits and conduct our own research."
Shin's eyes gleamed with ambition. "The Sharingan. Wood Release. Senju Hashirama's body samples... These are the ultimate prizes we absolutely must obtain. Kyosuke, since you're in Konoha, that's your primary mission."
Kyosuke felt the phantom surge of Nagato's Chakra still lingering in his spiritual body and smiled confidently. "Don't worry. I'll definitely complete the mission. Especially regarding the Sharingan... I know quite a few ways to get my hands on those!"