Chp-60: Magnetic Storm Infantry and the Caged Bird Plan

In the forest, the intense heat caused the leaves on the trees to curl.

The sounds of numerous shadow clones gritting their teeth and cheering themselves on filled the air. Between their hands floated glowing red molten iron, sizzling with heat.

"The main body needs our help, everyone; give it your all!"

"Got it!"

"Let's do this!"

...

Watching this scene, Hyuga Satoru nodded in satisfaction.

The so-called self-awareness of multiple shadow clones is, in essence, a deep manifestation of the main body's self-consciousness. Naruto often argued with his shadow clones because, subconsciously, he was filled with a deep sense of loneliness, leading his clones to argue back to alleviate his isolation.

From this perspective, Hyuga Satoru found it easy to control the consciousness of his shadow clones.

The method was simple: self-brainwashing.

By instilling capitalist values of hard work and dedication into his subconscious, the shadow clones, born from this mindset, became diligent and devoted, like hardworking labourers.

Over time, some of the shadow clones had completed their tasks, forging new tools from the molten metal.

These new tools were harder and more practical than the original ones. While Hyuga Satoru himself might not need them, the clones found them to be very useful.

Multiple shadow clones equipped with high-quality tools equal high-quality shadow clones, which equals a Magnetic Storm Infantry Corps.

In future battles against numerous enemies, they could compare the quality of their soldiers.

The molten iron in the clones' hands was forged into various weapons: ninja swords, arrows, higher-quality kunai, and shuriken...

The classification of troops began at this moment.

With the experience points already increasing by nearly 1000, Hyuga Satoru knew it was time.

After preparing himself mentally, he dispelled some of the shadow clones.

With the sound of multiple pops and the dissipation of white smoke, Hyuga Satoru clenched his teeth, sweat dripping from his forehead.

The instant feedback of memories and fatigue from the clones hit him like a tidal wave, overwhelming his brain. His face turned pale, and his collar was soaked with sweat.

"That was close..."

Hyuga Satoru panted heavily, a look of relief on his face.

"Good thing I planned to dispel them in batches. If I had dispelled them all at once, the feedback might have killed me instantly."

After recovering from the first wave, he dispelled the second batch of clones.

With the experience from the first time, the second time was much easier. He was now more adept at managing the volume.

Choosing to dispel them in batches was crucial, as, according to his calculations, he had created almost the maximum number of clones he could handle.

This put him under tremendous pressure.

If he were in battle, he wouldn't need to go to such extremes, as using nearly all his chakra to create multiple shadow clones would be suicidal.

By the time he finished, it was already dusk.

The forest was now filled with silence and darkness, with only the last batch of shadow clones remaining.

"Thank you all."

Hyuga Satoru smiled.

As the remaining clones popped out of existence with metallic clinks, the forest returned to its quiet, dark state.

Hyuga Satoru took a deep breath, savouring the final wave of feedback.

"A perfect conclusion."

He murmured to himself.

His experience points now stood at 15394, just 4606 points short of reaching level 4.

But now, Hyuga Satoru needed rest. He was at his limit, both mentally and physically.

Collapsing onto the ground, he panted weakly, his body drenched as if he had just been pulled from the water.

After resting for over two hours, he finally regained some strength, using a tree trunk for support as he staggered back home in the night.

...

He didn't remember how long he had slept, but the first thing he did upon waking was search for water.

His stomach growled with hunger as he consumed nearly all his stored food to regain some strength.

Leaning back in his chair, Hyuga Satoru rubbed his temples and sighed.

"I really don't want to go through that again."

He was thoroughly exhausted and needed a long time to recover.

This special training method could only be used safely within the village. If he encountered enemies outside, he'd be defenceless.

In the short term, he couldn't think of using this bug again.

It was too risky.

However, the rewards were substantial. The 3000+ experience points he gained would have taken over a month with his previous training pace.

As for the remaining 4600 experience points, he could reach level 4 in about two months with full-speed training.

Or even one and a half months if he pushed himself.

Of course, he had to consider mission time as well. The Hokage would certainly assign him tasks.

He could choose some simpler missions; the primary focus now was on training.

Having settled his plans, Hyuga Satoru turned his attention to another important matter: the Caged Bird Seal.

No one likes having such a thing on their body, especially someone like Hyuga Satoru, who had been educated in the 21st century.

Even if his electromagnetic power reached level 4, it might not be enough to deal with the Caged Bird Seal. Waiting until level 5 was too far off.

Hyuga Satoru couldn't wait that long.

"Orochimaru, I hope you haven't forgotten our cooperation."

Hyuga Satoru narrowed his eyes.

At this time, Orochimaru hadn't gone completely mad and was the best collaborator in Konoha.

Orochimaru was interested in the secrets of Hyuga Satoru's evolving body, hoping to find the path to immortality. Meanwhile, Hyuga Satoru sought Orochimaru's technical support to remove the seal on his forehead.

Both had their own needs, making them perfect partners.

"Having a scientific background in my previous life, I'm no stranger to experiments. Perhaps I can ask Orochimaru for a laboratory to study the nature of the Caged Bird Seal."

Hyuga Satoru muttered to himself.

He already had some hypotheses about the peculiar nature of the Caged Bird Seal, but more experiments were needed to validate them.

"But I can't go to him now. My body is too weak. If Orochimaru sees my state, he might get ideas."

"Having just returned from a mission, the Hokage probably won't assign me any tasks for a while."

"That gives me time to rest for a couple of days, at least until I'm back to most of my strength, before seeking out Orochimaru."

He pondered carefully and made his decision.