Chapter 51: A Little Trick for Using Shadow Clones

Time flies. Two months can feel short or long. For those who are idle and have nothing to do, it might be a lengthy period. But for Naruto, who was so immersed in his studies that he couldn't extricate himself, two months felt remarkably short.

During this time, under his mother's guidance and after devouring pile after pile of books, his sealing techniques had successfully reached an elementary level. This vast ocean of knowledge, he, Naruto, had painstakingly committed to memory bit by bit, burning the midnight oil with the help of 'himself'—there wasn't a shred of deception involved. Therefore, his elementary proficiency in sealing techniques was solid and could withstand scrutiny.

"Original, I've finished devouring 'Detailed Analysis of Wind Style Chakra Nature Transformation'. Shouldn't you let me rest now?" Shadow Clone Two-Naruto slammed the book in his hand shut onto the table and said in a deep voice.

"I've nailed 'Severing Contract Seal'! I want a break!!" Three-Naruto sounded the bugle call of resistance.

"What are you two protesting about? It's only been half a day! I haven't rested for a whole day, and did I say anything?" Shadow Clone One-Naruto slowly lifted his head from a pile of books, looking at the other two with an expression of utter disdain. A bunch of academic slackers! Not a single one of them was up to par.

Naruto (the original) looked up at the time. "It's almost dinner time. Who's making dinner this time?"

"Me, me!" One-Naruto was the first to raise his hand.

"Nonsense, you made lunch," Two-Naruto huffed. "I'll go!"

"Mother wants to eat yakitori." Three-Naruto's lips curved slightly upwards as he pushed up a pair of non-existent glasses with his middle finger.

"Dinner will be handled by Three-Naruto," Naruto (the original) said, then refocused his thoughts on the book before him.

Hearing this, Three-Naruto stood up and proceeded to strike various coquettish poses towards his other two companions.

Catching this scene from the corner of his eye, Naruto (the original) sighed inwardly. They were all his shadow clones, but how were they nothing like him? Not steady at all! So flamboyant! Hmm… their dancing isn't half bad, though.

His mother had told him about this little trick of using shadow clones for studying. However, this technique relied on exploiting the side effects of the Shadow Clone Technique, so very few people would actually use it. The Second Hokage, Senju Tobirama, had initially developed the Shadow Clone Technique primarily as a means of scouting enemy intelligence, leveraging the clones' expendability and their ability to share information with the original body. But when it comes to research, you never quite know whether surprise or accident will come first.

The power of the Shadow Clone Technique was undeniable; the Water Clones of Kirigakure and the Rock Clones of Iwagakure were testaments to how other villages recognized its value. However, its side effects were not to be underestimated. The instant a shadow clone was dispelled, the original body would experience the same pain and fatigue the clone had suffered. One or two clones might be manageable; most people could grit their teeth and endure it. But if the number increased beyond that, it was no longer something that could be overcome by willpower alone. The accumulated fatigue from multiple shadow clones dispelling at once could overwhelm even a ninja's chakra-enhanced physical recovery capabilities. Under conditions of extreme fatigue, a person's sympathetic nervous system activity would heighten, potentially leading to increased blood pressure, immense mental stress, and ultimately, sudden death.

However, none of the above applied to Naruto. With the enhancement of the Nine-Tails' chakra, his body's recovery ability was already superhuman. For him, there wasn't much difference between creating one or two shadow clones and creating over a dozen. Thus, for the past two months, he had been utilizing the unique properties of shadow clones to rapidly fill the gaps in his relevant knowledge.

Since the Sage of Six Paths had shared chakra with the world, after a thousand years of development, ninjutsu was no longer as simple as it had been in the beginning. Bizarre, dark, and lethal—such categories of ninjutsu had gradually developed and had become a major branch of the art. To fully understand the characteristics of all these ninjutsu was clearly impossible. But as long as one understood the underlying principles of related techniques, when encountering these baffling and bewitching ninjutsu, one wouldn't be so utterly helpless.

Beyond that, the extensive collection of books belonging to Uzumaki Kushina and Minato Namikaze had also greatly enhanced Naruto's strength. While knowledge couldn't directly be converted into power, knowledge could help one find the fastest way to improve one's strength. Regarding the application of Wind Style Chakra Nature Transformation, after in-depth study, Naruto now understood just how simple and crude his previous use of Wind-natured chakra had been. It wasn't that Uzuki Yugao-sensei or Jiraiya-sensei had taught him poorly. If their teachings had successfully taken him from 0 to 1, then the supplementation from these books was the process that took him from 1 to 4, or even 5. Both were very important.

Secondly, a more solid foundation of knowledge had also given him more ideas for his Kanshin-ryu swordsmanship. In his past life, although he had experienced many things, he hadn't lived for very long; one could even say he had died young. Kanshin-ryu had only been an embryonic concept that had vaguely formed after he had thoroughly mastered the Ashina Style. But before he could further develop it, his deceased adoptive father had suddenly revived, the Interior Ministry, which had been quiet for over twenty years, launched a massive invasion of Ashina, and there was the matter of severing immortality outside Ashina Castle—many things had happened, all concentrated within a short period. Thus, he had had no time at all to settle down and develop his own style. Though called Kanshin-ryu, it was more Ashina Style than anything else.

But now, things were different. Based on the ninjutsu of the Hokage world and combined with the swordsmanship of his past life, he was confident in saying that Kanshin-ryu was now a mature swordsmanship style—no longer a deceptive imitation merely trading on a famous name!

Konoha Main Gate!

"Kakashi, Obito, Rin, go home and get some good rest," Minato Namikaze said to his disciples. "It's a seven-day break, but if the front lines become tight, we could be recalled at any moment. You need to be aware of that!"

"Yes, Minato-sensei!" the three youngsters chorused.

"Minato-sensei! Minato-sensei!" Obito, wearing his goggles, suddenly called out to him. He winked and gestured, asking with a grin, "Did you forget something?"

Minato: "???"

"Minato-sensei, you're terrible! How could you forget that?" Obito couldn't help but pout.

"You said that if Obito didn't mess up this mission…" Rin, the only girl in the team, reminded him, her eyes crinkling into a sweet smile.

"I remember now!" Minato said, striking his palm with his fist as if suddenly enlightened. "I promised Obito that if he didn't mess up this mission, I would treat you all to a big meal."

"All you think about is food, you salted fish," Kakashi, standing nearby, couldn't help but huff.

"Don't tell me you don't want to eat." Obito got right in his face and abruptly made a scary expression.

"Let's go then. I'll go call Kushina," Minato said, watching this scene with an indulgent smile.

"It's been so long since I've seen Kushina-san," Rin said. Her smile gave off a very sweet feeling, and the two small dimples at the corners of her mouth were like magnets, irresistibly drawing Obito's gaze.

Dong, dong!

"No way, Minato-sensei, you don't actually have a key?"

"Ahaha…"

Outside the door, the faintly audible conversation made Naruto (Three-Naruto) somewhat puzzled. Mother's friends rarely seemed to visit.

"You are?" Opening the door, Three-Naruto looked at the four people before him in confusion. The three youngsters also looked with puzzled eyes at this person they had never seen before.

"Hm? Minato-sensei, this is your house, right? We didn't go to the wrong place?" Obito lightly nudged his teacher with his elbow.

[Minato-sensei.] Three-Naruto instantly understood the identity of the visitors. He stepped aside, clearing the way. "Please come in. Sister Kushina went out to buy ingredients." When outsiders were present, his mother usually had him refer to her as 'Sister.'

Seeing the group looking at him curiously, Three-Naruto smiled slightly and introduced himself: "Hello, my name is Uzumaki Naruto."