Shadow Clone Jutsu and Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu

"Samehada?" Reigetsu repeated, a puzzled look on his face as he stared at the strange creature in the pond.

"That's right, Samehada! This little fellow is quite interesting. I wonder if it mutated somehow from being near the Three-Tails Isobu. Not only can this creature absorb others' chakra, but it can even return chakra to me... This has given me an interesting idea," Gengetsu said with a smile.

"What idea?" Reigetsu asked curiously.

"To see if we can train this little guy into a unique ninja blade!" Gengetsu said softly, a glint flashing in his eyes.

Don't be fooled by how Gengetsu and Reigetsu rarely use swords. In fact, the Hozuki clan has always been skilled swordsmen and are very fond of collecting ninja blades.

"Currently, our family has a few good blades, and the Kubikiribocho is excellent. There are also some skilled swordsmen in the village, and a few more unique ninja blades are in the hands of various masters..." Gengetsu said with a smile.

Reigetsu heard this, thought for a moment, then asked, "So, Anija, you mean? We're going to seize those blades?"

Hearing Reigetsu's suggestion, Gengetsu was momentarily stunned, then said, "What nonsense are you talking about? We're all from the same village; how can we do such a thing? Don't ever bring it up again."

Reigetsu smiled awkwardly, then asked again, "Then what do you mean, Anija?"

"I just have a preliminary idea. I think we should form a special operations unit unique to our Kirigakure, specifically for handling difficult missions. This team must be composed entirely of masters, and their unique characteristic would be..." Gengetsu trailed off, a slight grin spreading across his face as he continued, "that they would all be masters of ninja blades. How does that sound?"

"The Ninja Swordsmen?" Hozuki Reigetsu pondered for a moment, blurting out the name.

"Yes, precisely, the Ninja Swordsmen! If we can effectively cultivate such a powerful and distinctive unit, that name alone could very well deter enemies. It would also significantly enhance Kirigakure's prestige. What do you think, Reigetsu? Isn't my idea excellent?" Gengetsu said cheerfully.

Reigetsu also smiled, then said, "It is indeed very interesting. So, Anija, when do you plan to start working on this?"

"Not in a hurry right now. I don't have that much authority yet. I'll only begin handling this matter once I truly become the Second Mizukage," Gengetsu said after thinking for a moment.

Then he reached out and poked Samehada in the pond again, saying softly, "For now, let's just see if we can train this little guy into an excellent ninja blade, hahahaha."

Indeed, Gengetsu was a very capable person. In the future, he would indeed manage to establish such a special operations unit in Kirigakure, known as the "Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist."

Their presence was felt in several great wars of the shinobi world, earning them immense fame. When people mentioned Kirigakure, they would immediately think of the "Seven Ninja Swordsmen."

Through the things Gengetsu did, the Hozuki clan grew very fond of these seven ninja blades. Later generations of the Hozuki clan, like Hozuki Mangetsu, were even able to skillfully wield all seven ninja blades, including Samehada.

...

The peace among the Five Great Shinobi Countries meant peace among the Five Great Nations. With peace among the Five Great Nations, there were generally no major issues in the entire shinobi world.

Other smaller nations and villages might squabble and cause trouble, enjoying themselves, but in the eyes of the Five Great Shinobi Countries, it was nothing significant. In fact, many were more like 'proxy' wars.

Any friction between the Five Great Shinobi Countries would involve them cultivating a smaller nation or village to 'mix' with, and then letting that subordinate handle actions that didn't align with their status or treaties.

While it might sound a bit cruel, this method effectively avoided the crisis of larger wars, allowing the Five Great Shinobi Countries to focus on development.

As external affairs stabilized, village matters also gradually began to normalize. Hibari recuperated at home for several days, fully restoring his body.

Tobirama and Hashirama also seemed to have some free time. They were often seen around the Senju clan's main residence, no longer 'immersed' in the Hokage Residence all day.

Early this morning, Hibari was called to Tobirama's private room to begin researching a sealing jutsu that would temporarily seal Hibari's ailment.

No sooner had Hibari stepped into the room than a pair of eyes, one large and one small, peered from a window in a corner room, watching Hibari close the door.

These two clandestine observers were none other than the Senju clan's patriarch, Hashirama, and the young princess, Tsunade.

After watching Hibari close the door, Hashirama immediately said, "Tsuna, are you ready for your first mission?"

Tsunade, the little girl, replied in a remarkably serious manner, "Ready, Hokage-sama!"

"Excellent. According to my observations these past few days, your Hibari-nii has put all his reward money in that wooden box on his wardrobe in his room. And every day at this time, he punctually goes to study all sorts of random things with your Tobirama-ojii. He won't come out until lunchtime," Hashirama said shamelessly.

The venerable Hokage, instead of pondering 'village and national affairs' daily, spent his time tracking Hibari's movements. He truly had no shame whatsoever.

After a slight pause, Hashirama continued, "Therefore, we have ample time to complete this mission. Tsuna, for this mission, I'm assigning you to go to your Hibari-nii's room, retrieve all his reward money, and then we'll split it evenly. Ojiisan will then take you to the gambling den for some real fun!"

Tsunade, who was initially feeling a bit guilty about secretly taking Hibari-nii's money, especially since he had brought her takoyaki just a few days ago, immediately forgot all about Hibari's kindness the moment her Hashirama-ojii mentioned taking her to the gambling den for some fun.

Her eyes widened even further, and without a second's hesitation, she completely forgot all the kindness Hibari-nii had shown her.

"Mission accomplished, guaranteed!" Tsunade declared in a serious tone.

After that, with the 'Hokage's approval,' the little girl cautiously pushed open the door and, like a thief, scurried off to her Hibari-nii's room.

Meanwhile, Hibari, who was training with Tobirama, naturally had no idea that his home was already being 'robbed.' It seems that no matter how much you guard day and night, it's the internal threat you can't prevent.

He certainly never imagined that the esteemed First Hokage could be so shameless in private, not even sparing his own grandson's money!

At this moment, Hibari, while tidying his clothes, jumped down from his chair, buttoning up as he said, "Tobirama-jiisan, you've been pondering this for days. Have you made any progress on that sealing jutsu?"

Tobirama, placing the recently recorded data of Hibari's body aside, replied, "How could it be that fast? Besides, this jutsu is going to be used on your body. I have to consider it carefully. If anything goes wrong, you'll be in big trouble, kid. The biggest taboo when doing something like this is impatience. You must remain calm while working, understand?"

"Understood," Hibari nodded and said.

In truth, after all these years, he seemed to have grown accustomed to this 'frustrating' state, so he wasn't particularly anxious.

Watching Tobirama writing and drawing at the table, Hibari seemed to recall something else and asked, "By the way, Hiruzen-jisan mentioned that recently, shinobi who can use the 'Shadow Clone Jutsu' have appeared in various villages. Tobirama-jiisan, it seems your jutsu has leaked out?"

The Clone Jutsu had always existed in the shinobi world; any shinobi generally knew it, and Hibari did too. But the Shadow Clone Jutsu was different. This was a solid clone jutsu created by Tobirama during the Warring States period. It could be effectively used for intelligence gathering and other matters, and it could even be used in conjunction with the original body to perform complex ninjutsu.

Hearing Hibari's words, Tobirama continued writing and drawing, without looking up, and said, "It was only a matter of time. After all, this jutsu isn't difficult, and it was copied by those from the Uchiha clan. Also, quite a few people in the village know it. When many people know it, it's inevitable that some will be captured, and under repeated interrogation, information will leak. It's not incomprehensible. Therefore, it's not surprising that this jutsu would eventually be mastered by other villages."

"So, from what you're saying, Tobirama-jiisan, you don't care about this at all? Aren't you upset that your jutsu was privately spread?" Hibari asked after thinking for a moment.

"It's just a small matter. Why would I waste my time being upset about that?" Tobirama said impatiently.

Hearing this, Hibari then said, "Then why don't you teach me the Shadow Clone Jutsu as well? It wouldn't be right for shinobi from other villages to know it while I, a direct descendant of the Senju clan, don't, would it? That would make me a laughingstock."

At this, Tobirama stopped what he was doing and said, "I knew you were up to something, bringing up the 'Shadow Clone Jutsu' out of nowhere..."

Hibari smiled sheepishly but didn't retort.

Tobirama thought for a moment, then said, "There's no problem teaching it to you. In fact, I wanted to teach you this jutsu a long time ago, but I was always delayed by other things and it slipped my mind."

Hibari chuckled upon hearing this, saying, "I knew you wouldn't be so stingy, Tobirama-jiisan. I heard that you developed an even more powerful 'Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu' based on the Shadow Clone Jutsu? Why not teach me that one too, all at once?"

Tobirama glanced at Hibari, then pondered for a moment and said, "The Shadow Clone Jutsu is fine, but the Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu has some drawbacks. If one isn't careful, it can even endanger the user's life. I've been considering whether to designate this jutsu as a 'Kinjutsu' recently..."

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