A long night had passed.
To the east of Konoha, the morning sun pierced the lingering darkness.
Rinjin shuffled through the streets, breath puffing white in the freezing air, shoulders hunched as he glanced around.
"Damn, it's cold! This crappy weather always reminds me of those blockheads from the Jashin cult. Guess it's about time I sent someone to check in on them... Wonder if they've managed to dig up Hidan yet."
Hidden Rain Village's technology was advancing fast, but one major headache loomed for Rinjin: energy shortages.
If only he had Hidan—now that would change everything. The guy was basically a walking, never-ending chakra generator! Capture him, hook him up to power Rain's grid, and everyone's happy. Plus, it'd keep Hidan from running around preaching Jashinism and murdering people left and right. Win-win.
Lost in these wild thoughts, Rinjin wandered up to Teuchi's ramen shop.
He pushed aside the curtain and stepped into the steamy air.
"Teuchi, your sensei wants a bowl of chashu ramen!"
"Yes, sensei," came the listless reply.
Spotting Teuchi hunched over the soup pot, sporting two massive dark circles under his eyes, Rinjin raised an eyebrow.
"What's wrong with you? You look dead on your feet."
"Sensei, what does it feel like to be in love?"
Whoa, now that's a topic that'll wake me up!
Feigning deep thought, Rinjin smacked his lips, frowned in mock seriousness, and flashed a confident smirk.
"Well, first, your heart starts pounding. Just seeing that person, your little heart goes thump-thump like crazy. Second, you can't help sneaking glances at her all the time. But the most important thing? You space out! Your mind just wanders uncontrollably. It's like tossing pig brains into boiling oil—everything just explodes into a mess."
He finished his speech, eyes sparkling as he looked expectantly at Teuchi.
Teuchi froze, stunned.
He nailed it! Could sensei really be some legendary love guru? But then, why can't my own pig brain figure out that Lady Tsunade has a thing for him?!
Shaking his head, Teuchi scooped out the noodles, tossed in veggies and meat, and set the bowl in front of Rinjin.
"Hey! Are you actually brain-dead? Where's my chashu?!"
Rinjin rapped his chopsticks on the table.
"Oh, sorry, sensei!" Teuchi apologized, flustered, and hurriedly dropped an extra slice of chashu into the bowl.
Staring at the two thick slices of pork, Rinjin couldn't help but laugh and sigh.
This kid's really out of it. Next time, maybe I'll take him to a pig brain hot pot joint.
After a hearty meal, Rinjin left Ichiraku and headed home.
With shadow clones on watch, things were under control. The two little brats were sprawled over the table, gnawing on pig legs with wild abandon.
Seeing this, Rinjin immediately entered Sage Mode and created a shadow clone infused with senjutsu chakra.
"Keep your sensory field up. Be ready for Black Zetsu."
After giving his orders, Rinjin slipped out again.
Ever since mastering the Multi-Size Technique, he hadn't really put it through its paces. Now, with Black Zetsu stirring up trouble, it was the perfect time to train—and maybe give that shadowy creep a real surprise.
...
Out on the endless sea of the Land of Water, Rinjin stood atop the waves, feeling chakra surge through his body.
In a flash, he formed hand seals and muttered a low command.
Snake—Ox—Tiger!
Multi-Size Technique!
Instantly, Rinjin's body ballooned outward, swelling to gigantic proportions.
In the blink of an eye, a towering giant—over ten meters tall—stood on the ocean's surface.
He flexed his massive fists, carefully taking in the sensations.
First impression: chakra burned away at a terrifying rate, almost as fast as his full-power Lightning Release Chakra Mode. Not that it was a problem for him.
Second: the sheer mass and weight gave him monstrous strength.
But—his speed had tanked.
Both his physical movement and nerve response had slowed by more than tenfold. Apparently, even his nerve endings had been enlarged, making the electrochemical signals crawl along his nerves.
"Well, let's try this!"
"Lightning Release Chakra Mode—activate!"
With a shout, brilliant blue lightning crackled across his giant frame.
He slammed a fist down at the sea.
BOOM!
The explosion sent waves crashing in every direction, water erupting sky-high.
But as he watched the rolling surf, Rinjin frowned.
Not good enough. Even with both Multi-Size and Lightning Release Chakra Mode active, his reaction speed was still less than a tenth of normal. On a battlefield, maybe this would crush weaklings, but against a speedster? He'd be target practice.
Just as he was about to drop the lightning mode, a strange, long-lost tingling shot up from deep in his muscles.
Huh??
Rinjin's eyes went wide.
What's this? Isn't this the feeling of getting physically stronger? I'm already tough as hell, and I can still get stronger? Does this mean Multi-Size really does scale up my cells?
Without hesitation, he raised his right hand, blue sparks dancing, and shouted:
"Hell Stab: One-Finger Nukite!"
His razor-sharp index finger jabbed straight into his own belly.
Blood spattered everywhere.
But feeling that old, familiar pain, Rinjin just laughed with wild delight.
Now this was interesting!
Multi-Size had enlarged his cells, nerves, and body—but his overall density had dropped!
What did that mean? He could bulk up—zap himself with electricity—grow even bigger—zap again—repeat. Like a squishy loaf of bread: squish it down, blast it with Doraemon's enlarging flashlight, squish again, enlarge again.
The possibilities made Rinjin's eyes shine with excitement.
He couldn't exploit this loophole forever, but if he kept pushing his body like this... just how tough could he get?
Grind! Grind like crazy! As long as I'm hard enough, nobody can touch me!
Just as his grin stretched to the limit, a deep rumble echoed from his gut.
Grrrrr~
He was starving.
A second later, Rinjin couldn't maintain the Multi-Size Technique any longer and shrank back to normal size.
"Totally forgot how many calories this thing burns. Rookie mistake. Man, is there any ninjutsu that turns chakra into food? Maybe I should learn from the Mount Myōboku toads and turn senjutsu chakra into toad oil... Wait, is toad oil even digestible? Or would it be like eating escolar—one bite and your sphincter goes on strike?"
~~~~❃❃~~~~~~~~❃❃~~~~
The story isn't over...
🤔 Want to know what happens next to the characters?
🤫 Eager to explore the untold secrets of this world?
✍️ Ready to read more of my wildest stories?
✨patreon.com/DarkGolds