Reborn!

42: In Konoha

"Sō, how have you been?"

Sōjirō turned around -- there stood Naruto in the middle of his apartment in the ANBU complex.

"Master," acknowledged Sōjirō as he retrieved a folder from a storage seal. "This report details all of the recent occurrences in Konohagakure."

Naruto accepted the document and skimmed through it briefly.

"Senju Tsunade has taken office as the Hokage. Thus far, she has ordered a cleanup of the medic corps and replaced half of the hospital's staff. I was informed that they were guilty of dereliction of duty, slander and unprofessionalism. She also managed to dig up an illegal drugstore hidden in the black market with Hatake Kakashi's assistance. The new envelope-passing fūinjutsu system has been very popular with the civilian upper class and immigrant workers. I have yet to release the military-use variation of this system. Master, do you think I should spread this technology sooner or later?" Sōjirō gave Naruto a brief rundown of the significant happenings of late.

"It would be counterproductive if Iwa decided that it was a good idea to wage war with other shinobi villages because of this. You'll have to spread it to every corner of the continent. We'll have it easier if we can contact them instantaneously," Naruto stated.

"I will see it done, Master," replied Sōjirō.

If Naruto noticed the slight tilt of the clone's lips, he did not point it out.

"I'll be counting on you. For now, though, take a break. I can deal with ANBU duties for a week. Relax and rest while you can," Naruto instructed, using Kage Henge no Jutsu to disguise himself as Takamatsu Sōjirō -- the false identity which eventually became this clone's name.

Sōjirō stood still, looking lost.

"By that, I mean you should find a place to curl up with a good book or choose a recreational activity with which you can while your time away. It isn't good to be high-strung at all times," elaborated the blond, feeling a bit awkward.

This was his clone. How could he not know how to relax? It was indeed hard to deny that Naruto tried to keep himself busy. There was always work to be done, and Naruto disdained the notion of slacking off while letting his clones slave away in his stead. However, he did not think his obsession was so bad that he did not even know how to spend his free time!

He would mess around with fūinjutsu...

"Oh.. that's work, too, isn't it?" Naruto mumbled distractedly.

"I will try my best," Sōjirō said with determination.

"You know what? Nevermind. Just do whatever you like to do. You're off-duty, so you can't do stuff like espionage or report writing, but I won't stop you from training or inventing new seals," Naruto conceded.

It would be cruel to force Sōjirō to waste away in some dark corner, even if it was only for a week.

It defeated the purpose of letting Sōjirō take a break too.

The taut line of Sōjirō's shoulders slackened.

"Thank you, Master."

Then the clone dropped the disguise so easily recognisable as an Uzumaki, becoming shorter in stature as his hair turned blond. If there was anything that differentiated him from Konoha's Kyūbi Jinchūriki, it was his lack of a mask. He did not look optimistic, happy-go-lucky or approachable. His entire demeanour was cold, neutral and inhuman.

Naruto found this sight quite jarring.

Naruto never thought his normal appearance could show such detached impassivity. He had opted for a bright and warm personality to match his sunshine-hued hair, but that wooden and lifeless look was not discordant with those features either. Naruto certainly did not think he was such an apathetic individual -- it was evident Sōjirō grew into a different person during their time apart. The odd part was that, while the other blood clones became attached to certain people and integrated with their roles, Sōjirō distanced himself from everything except his creator.