Shadow Clone Jutsu

After the physical training, the students sat on the playground without caring about their image.

Kitazawa looked at them and recalled the college fitness test from his previous life. Running a thousand meters had felt like getting hit by Tsunade's monstrous strength—he nearly died on the spot.

And yet these students, only six or seven years old, ran a thousand meters like it was nothing more than play.

All he could say was—chakra really is magical.

[Current task: Get first place in physical training.

Task reward: Konoha Strong Whirlwind.

The host has completed the task. Reward issued.]

Kitazawa nodded slightly after digesting the information in his mind. The Konoha Whirlwind series of taijutsu techniques was developed by Might Guy.

Konoha Strong Cyclone was an advanced version of the Konoha Great Whirlwind.

Kitazawa speculated that if he completed this series of missions, he might even unlock the legendary Eight Gates of Dunjia. Though the Eight Gates technique placed immense strain on the body, its power was undeniable.

Besides, in a true life-or-death situation—who cared about side effects?

"Now I'll announce the rankings." Kitazawa waited for everyone to catch their breath before continuing, "First place, Uchiha Sasuke."

"Sasuke-kun!" Sakura and the other girls couldn't help cheering excitedly.

But Sasuke couldn't feel happy at all. He came first in physical fitness training and earned a snack gift pack. By all means, it should have been double the joy.

Yet, something felt wrong.

How could a regular Chunin run that fast? Uchiha Sasuke sighed. Let them celebrate. For him, there was no joy.

"Second place, Inuzuka Kiba. Third, Aburame Shino… Ninth place, Uzumaki Naruto…" Kitazawa stopped after announcing the tenth spot.

The top ten were almost entirely made up of students from notable ninja clans. Except for Nara Shikamaru and Akimichi Choji, who had given up halfway through.

"Damn it!" Naruto grabbed his head in frustration, unwilling to accept the result.

He wanted to be the fastest ninja in the world, yet he only placed ninth.

Kitazawa glanced at him. Naruto had stamina, no doubt—but his technique was a mess. He was just charging forward blindly.

[Your lifelong enemy Uzumaki Naruto ranked too low in physical training. It's honestly embarrassing.

New task: Help Uzumaki Naruto reach second place in physical training.

Task reward: Shadow Clone Technique.]

[Do you accept?]

Kitazawa froze for a second, then quickly came back to himself. This was a great opportunity. The Shadow Clone Technique produced tangible, physical clones.

They could be used in combat, for training, or for gathering intelligence. And once dispelled, the clone's memories and experiences returned to the original body.

Its upgraded form, the Multiple Shadow Clone Technique, was basically Naruto's cheat code in the original series.

With his massive chakra reserves, Naruto could summon hundreds or thousands of clones—like constantly activating a multi-experience card.

But Kitazawa couldn't do that. His chakra wasn't even at one-fifth of Naruto's capacity. Still, performing the standard Shadow Clone Technique was within his reach.

But why was Naruto only required to get second place? Kitazawa rubbed his chin and thought for a moment before realizing the logic. The system probably assumes that I'm first.

So although the goal was to help Naruto take second, it was still Kitazawa himself who had to come in first.

"After everyone's rested, resume kunai throwing at moving targets," Kitazawa said. "Students who've mastered it are free to move around."

Uchiha Sasuke got up immediately and walked silently to the tree-climbing training area. He had failed physical training. Now, he had to complete the chakra control training.

Hinata and Ino exchanged glances and followed him.

"Naruto, come with me," Kitazawa called out.

"Teacher Kitazawa, what's up?" Naruto followed him, curious.

"I saw your performance during physical training. You shouldn't be ranked ninth." Kitazawa looked at him seriously.

"Really?" Naruto's eyes lit up. "I thought so too!"

Kitazawa chuckled. When it came to stubbornness and refusal to admit defeat, Naruto and Sasuke were two of a kind. No wonder they were half-brothers.

"In my opinion, you could definitely make it to the top three," Kitazawa said. "But do you know why you only ranked ninth?"

Naruto shook his head. 

"Because you were just running without thinking." Kitazawa explained, "You don't understand how to run properly."

"Can you teach me, Teacher Kitazawa?" Naruto asked excitedly, showing no frustration.

"Of course." Kitazawa smiled. "That's exactly why I called you over."

"Thank you, Teacher Kitazawa!" Naruto beamed. "Next time, I'll definitely come in first!"

"That might be tough." Kitazawa shook his head. "Sasuke isn't worse than you. But you have your own advantages—you've got great physical potential."

The Uzumaki clan was known for its strong vitality and chakra.

And Naruto, as the Nine-Tails' jinchūriki, gained rapid recovery in stamina and injuries thanks to the beast's chakra leaking out. Even though he hadn't formed a bond with the Nine-Tails yet, the tailed beast's passive influence still worked.

They arrived at a quiet training area within the school. It was the same place where Sasuke, Hinata, and Ino practiced tree climbing.

"Sasuke!" Naruto suddenly spotted Uchiha Sasuke climbing a tree and shouted.

Bang!

Startled, Sasuke lost his footing and fell. Why are you yelling so loud?!

Grimacing, he picked himself up and continued climbing.

"What are they doing?" Naruto scratched his head.

"That's chakra control training," Kitazawa said. "You're not ready for that yet—let me teach you how to run first."

"Okay!" Naruto perked up, determined.

"The most important part of running is mastering your posture, rhythm, and breathing…" Kitazawa concluded, "It's all about rhythm."

"I got it!" Naruto nodded hard. "I understand now!"

"You think you understand, but you'll have to try it out." Kitazawa was skeptical about Naruto's learning ability.

In the original story, Naruto had always been a disaster in theory—unless it was ninjutsu.

"Alright, just start running laps around the training ground. I'll correct your form as you go." Kitazawa patted his shoulder.

"Okay!" Naruto immediately began running.

Kitazawa's mouth twitched. What a freak.

He had just finished physical training, yet after a few minutes of rest, he was bursting with energy again. Kitazawa felt a tinge of envy.

Luckily, he now had a system. With it, catching up to Naruto in physique and chakra was just a matter of time.

He glanced at Sasuke, Ino, and Hinata, who were still climbing the tree. At this moment, he truly felt like a teacher.

---

Saturday.

Kitazawa raised his hand and knocked on the door. It opened, revealing a stunning face.

"So early?" Kurenai yawned.

Kitazawa's eyes lit up. She was wearing kimono-style pajamas—a yukata, to be exact. The snug fit highlighted her curves, especially the ample chest.

Though not quite on Tsunade's level, it was still… impressive.

---

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