Chapter 12: Shadows strike
''Ugh... Why do I have to study...'' Kushina groans while reading on my couch
''What? Didn't my clone tell you? Stupid clone'' Basically calling myself stupid while sitting on the opposite end of the couch also reading. Today was Wednesday, one of my rest days.
''I made a plan for us to be on the same team when we graduate,'' I say as she looks up from her book, curiously
''Only 3 teams pass from one class, since there are 27 in most classes, it is a 66% fail rate. There always tends to be a tracker team, the main firepower team, and a miscellaneous team. The power team is what I'm counting on since to balance the teams they put the best kunoichi, best shinobi, and worst shinobi on one team. You will be put on that team if you become the best kunoichi and have enough power over your sensing abilities. Meanwhile, I will get the worst grades but enough to pass. This is why I want you to study'' I tell her my plan, to which she nods
''But still, studying sucks... And you don't have to try...'' I hear her grumble as she gets back to reading
''I'll teach you the shadow clone technique after this ok?'' I say to give her some motivation as she began studying harder.
The reason I'm doing this is of course to get on Jiraiya's team. Minato was the best in his year so that makes his team a 'power' team. Having Kushina on my team is a bonus too.
Jiraiya may act like an idiot, but he isn't a sannin for nothing, though he only becomes one later.
(Tomorrow, academy yard)
''Here'' My academy teacher hands me 4 kunai and shuriken
Today we were training with kunai and shuriken, me the clone that is.
''Alright, when you're ready'' He says as I hold onto all of them at once
Deliberately holding them wrong, I throw them at the 4 targets, completely missing 2 kunai and 2 shurikens while the other 4 hit the edges. The other students broke into laughter, but one yellow-haired kid seemed to be thinking about something.
The teacher marks it down ''Maybe you should try one at a time next time. Next''
I walk back into the crowd next to Kushina who was chatting with Mikoto, I sense someone looking at me and I instantly know who.
Quietly walking away from the two, I manage to sneak up on Minato, who looked around in confusion after losing me
''Don't start looking at me too'' Minato visibly jumps as he quickly turns around
He blinks as he realizes what I said ''What do you mean you too?''
''Do you really think no one notices you staring at Kushina all the time?'' I ask him as he blushes in embarrassment
''Sorry but I'm not into guys'' I say as he gets more embarrassed
''N-no, it wasn't because of that.'' He starts to regain his composure ''I saw you deliberately holding the kunai and shuriken the wrong way, so I was wondering why'' He replies
(I don't think even the teacher noticed but here is Minato noticing from 10 meters away. What are they feeding him...)
''Oh you know... because of this and that'' I say and he deadpans
''Well, if you're not going to tell me, at least spar with me'' He then says
(Nice, a sparring partner who happens to be a genius around my age, exactly what I needed)
''Eh, sure'' I reply and we agree upon sparring after the academy.
(Later)
Minato and I stand in the backyard of the academy in a ring with a Kushina clone watching from the sides, confused since she knows I'm a clone and I would get popped in 1 hit
''Alright, 3, 2 ,1 Begin!'' Kushina shouts as we both speed toward each other
I see him go for a right hook right off the start, just before the fist hits me in the face, I quickly duck down, surprising him, and I send my fist towards his solar plexus and land a powerful strike, knocking the wind out of him as he leans forward a bit, I take this chance and put power into my legs as I shoot up, my fist connecting with his jaw, sending him flying back.
The fight was already over as I see Minato coughing on the ground, I give a thumbs up to Kushina as I walked toward him
''Hey, bite me'' I show him my forearm as he looks up, confused, at me, blood trickling down the side of his mouth
''Just do it'' I nudge him as he reluctantly bites me, thinking it's some weird tradition of the Uzumaki, he is, however, surprised when he feels chakra flowing into his system and feeling his pain go away
Naturally, because of the bite, I *poof*
(3rd POV)
Minato looked around confused (Was that a clone?) He had heard of the multi-shadow clone technique after the village had given it to the Uzumaki months ago.
To answer his thoughts, Kushina walked over to him '' That was Heal bite, and yes that was a clone. Heal bite transfers a bit of our chakra to someone else to heal them'' Kushina clears his confusion
''I really lost to his clone...'' Minato lowly says to himself, but, as Yuki expected, this didn't deter him, it only made him want to be stronger
''Well, I gotta go now too, bye'' Kushina says as she waves and poofs away
Minato just blinks (Were they both clones the entire time?) He sighs and gets up to walk home. He was now a lot more interested in the mystery that is known as Yuki than before.
(1st POV)
748...
749...
750!
I yell in my mind as I collapse to the ground. Doing that many pushups strains me.
I breathe heavily on the ground for a few minutes
I look around the field I was in, Yuk's training everywhere, 100 to be exact, I found out that that is my safe limit, 120 leaves me drained.
After resting, I finish the remainder of the training
Little did I know, someone was spying on me
(Hokage's office)
(Hiruzen's POV)
(That class is sure turning out powerful. First, it was Minato who broke records, and now Yuki, who seems to be holding back a lot at the academy and has trained and mastered 3 elements. He even trains with a hundred shadow clones across many subjects every day.)
I think to myself while looking at Yuki Uzumaki through the crystal ball
(Well, I should get back to work) I think as I glare at the stack of paper on the corner of my desk.
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The question 'Why does Hiruzen not just use shadow clones?' Is a great question, that doesn't have an answer.
(Yuki POV)
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After training I sit to meditate to 1. rest after training and 2. possibly train my mind to be able to keep more clones active.
Unknown to me, another person gains interest in me.
(Later, night)
As I walk towards the clan compound through a forest shortcut, I think about random things aimlessly while looking at the full moon in the sky.
(Really need to work on that shadow clone limit, Naruto could summon even more than me, the guy who got the title of most unpredictable knucklehead ninja, this hurts even the tiny bit of pride I have.) I think
*yawn*
I yawn casually, coincidentally, I sensed something for just an instant, I get my guard up, but act like I'm still casually walking.
(Already wanting to kidnap me?) I think as I look around with my eyes, I spot a seal to the side and I recognize a distinct character that is placed in most chakra-containing barriers so that no one can sense chakra activity from the outside
Memories flash into my mind, my clone that was watching over me was taken out. Multiple ninjas with blank masks jump out of the shadows
(Root) I think as I quickly get into my taijutsu stance
The first ninja rushes towards me, sword drawn. I unseal my own sword as I switch into my kenjutsu stance, sending wind chakra through my blade I slash vertically at the air as a wind slice flies towards the ninja. Slashing horizontally, I send another one just after. The Root ninja dodges the first but wasn't ready for the second horizontal one, he still tries to block it with his sword. It was to no avail as the sword is cleanly cut through just like the ninja wielding it.
(Underestimated me, one down) I don't even look at the corpse that was split in two as 3 more Root gang up on me, on the left and right were ninjas forming hand signs, and the middle one was in a taijutsu stance rushing toward me.
I send a horizontal wind slash toward the two as they have to dodge, gaining me more time as I seal away my sword and settle in my taijutsu stance.
I recognize the ninja's stance as the Gentle fist. I quickly jump away but he follows after me
I send out two Chains into the ground as they appear around the ninja, forming a dome. The ninja tries to break through it to no avail.
-Chain barrier: Trap-
A barrier forms between the chains, meanwhile the other two weren't idle as they finish their hand signs
-Fire style: Great fireball-
-Wind style: Great breakthrough-
The wind adds fuel to the fire as a blazing wave of fire nears me
I send out more chains as I form a barrier around me
-Adamantine barrier-
I luckily form a barrier just before the jutsu hit me. As I waited for the jutsu to end, I manipulate the chains around the Gentle fist user to crush him, the barrier becoming smaller fast
-Chain barrier: Crush-
*plsch*
(Another one down) I think as the jutsu finally ends and I regain my vision
Another 6 Root ninja had appeared around me
(This is going to be tough)
(Clone POV, Minutes before)
(Weirdly, Danzo or even Orochimaru hasn't done anything, I should be ripe for the taking to them) I think as I sit in the corner of the compound with two seals placed on my head.
One seal is a custom chakra suppression seal, while a normal suppression seal would cut off your chakra, making you feel like you don't even have it and thus not have control of it, this one contains and conceals my chakra, making me invisible to a chakra sensor.
The other seal is a seal I made from scratch, the light distortion seal, as the name suggests, distorts light in a way to make anything that this is placed on invisible.
It does make it so that you yourself can't see anything either since it's centered around you, I can only see my very close surroundings which are very warped and twisted
(Maybe they won't even do anything at a-) My thoughts are cut off as memories rush into my head
(On second thought, I should get moving) I move my hand to remove the light distortion seal as I regain sight of my normal surroundings
I jump up and onto the compound wall and begin running through the trees toward Hokage tower
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A few minutes pass by as I reach the front of the tower, sending chakra to my feet, I run up the front wall toward the window in the Hokage office
*tap tap* I tap on the glass as I see Hiruzen look at me with surprise
He walks to the window and opens it as I jump inside
''Yo, no time to explain but the main body is about to be kidnapped'' I say straight to the point
Hiruzen blinks and is surprised but regains his composure ''So you're a shadow clone?'' He asks and I nod
''Alright, Eagle, Boar, go with him.'' He says to seemingly no one until two make Anbu appear next to me
''Yes, Hokage-sama'' They say in unison
''Cool,'' I say and jump out of the window, the Anbus following me
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''Hokage-sama, do you really believe what that child said?'' A voice sounds in the room
''Well, it's better to believe than pay for it later'' He says and sits back in his seat
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Meanwhile, on the other side of the village
(Original Yuki POV)
*pant* *pant*
Every time I kill one, 2 more come out of nowhere
Many Root ninjas were surrounding me in the forest
I hold my chains in a defensive position as I look a all of them
At some point, all of them decide to attack at once, some performing jutsu, some heading in for the kill.
I quickly put up a barrier, not allowing anyone in as I create 4 more long chains out of my back
-Chain attack: Meat grinder-
The four chains shoot forward and out of the barrier, stabbing a couple until they reach their max length. Spikes come out along the entire length of the chain, as they start to move and spin like a blender, ripping through those who weren't fast enough to react, those being in the minority, however.
Seeing that I got some distance from them, I retreat the chains back into me as I begin weaving through hand signs
Those who survived quickly shot forward from all sides
As I was just a second from using the jutsu, I get hit in the back of the neck and fell unconscious.
(3rd POV)
Most of the Root ninjas quickly disappear, sensing someone approaching
The few who remained were about to pick up Yuki but had to jump away as kunai and shuriken landed in their previous spot.
The two Anbu alongside Yuki's shadow clone appeared in the field, ready to fight, but the ninjas were already gone since they were given orders to retreat if anyone arrived.
''Masked ninjas...'' Eagle says to himself
Yuki's clone goes and picks up the original
''Welp, almost got kidnapped'' The clone says as the Anbus just sigh
They then head back to the Hokage tower
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''So, when u made it there, you saw 3 masked ninjas about to pick up Yuki but disappeared before they could.'' The Hokage contemplates
Yuki was laying on the couch in the office
''Send word to squads 3 and 7 to head there immediately to investigate'' The Hokage says
''Yes, Hokage-sama'' The two Anbus disappear
(Who would try to kidnap an Uzumaki...) The Hokage thinks in his office
Meanwhile...
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''7 low-ranks and 2 medium-ranks died? To capture a child...'' Danzo says, sitting on his throne
''And a few were spotted... This operation is a complete and utter failure...''
(A/N Yeah, I'm out of piled-up chapters so there may or may not be a chapter tomorrow, at least you got a double thicc chapter: 2512 words)