The Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu was a forbidden technique—it could easily kill the user if mishandled.
But the regular Shadow Clone Jutsu?Not forbidden.
Even so, few could actually master it.But Kazuki was sure—his Uncle Suzaku definitely could.
"You want to learn the Shadow Clone Jutsu?"Sure enough, Suzaku didn't deny knowing it.Instead, he just gave Kazuki a slightly surprised look.
Kazuki understood what he was thinking.After all, he was just a lowly Genin.
Sure, Genin were all Genin on paper,but the gaps between them could be massive.Future Naruto and Sasuke would technically remain Genin for a long time,yet their actual strength would rival — and even surpass — Jonin and Kage.
Meanwhile, if Kazuki fought a Kage right now,he could maybe, generously, offer them some impressive brush strokes with a pen.
"Yes, Uncle Suzaku.I train every day, but it's just too slow doing everything alone."Kazuki said sincerely.
He truly meant it.
No matter how hard he pushed himself,progress was agonizingly slow.Even though he was practically living a life of sleep deprivation,training late, waking early,grinding chakra day after day.
If he could master Shadow Clone Jutsu,he could double his training time at least—provided, of course, that the system registered clone training toward his skill progression.
Suzaku fell silent for a moment.
He knew —he had seen it with his own eyes:Kazuki's desperate, grueling effort day after day.
"...Alright.This technique isn't too complicated.I can teach you.But with your current chakra reserves, you can only create one clone. Understand?"Suzaku said seriously.
Kazuki immediately nodded.
Of course.He wasn't Naruto, blessed with bottomless Uzumaki chakra.One clone was already pushing it.
Under Suzaku's guidance,a new skill progress bar appeared in Kazuki's panel:
[Shadow Clone Jutsu: 0/1500]
Seeing that, Kazuki's heart raced.
It can be upgraded too?What kind of enhancements will it unlock later?!
"And Kazuki," Suzaku added,"the war may be over, but promotions won't happen immediately.If you want to become a Chunin, you'll have to accumulate missions — lots of them."
It wasn't a warning, just a reminder.Suzaku didn't expect Kazuki to reach Chunin any time soon.
Kazuki nodded obediently.Then, as soon as Suzaku left,he eagerly formed the hand seals—and successfully split off a shadow clone.
The clone immediately began practicing Shadow Possession Jutsu,while Kazuki himself resumed practicing Great Fireball Jutsu.
After ten rounds of casting,Kazuki checked the system —both jutsu progress bars had increased.
Success.
Huge success.
Now every day, he could effectively double his training time.
"I can split 24 hours into 48...My next focus has to be increasing chakra reserves..."Kazuki muttered, rubbing his hands together.
Without more chakra,he wouldn't be able to produce multiple clones at once.But increasing chakra reserves wasn't something that could be rushed.
"I remember... the Ryūmyaku (Dragon Vein)..."Kazuki's eyes narrowed.
In one movie timeline, Minato had once sealed away the Ryūmyaku's energy.It was an immense natural chakra source —second only to the Tailed Beasts.
Zero-Tails?Kazuki scoffed inwardly.That thing wasn't worth bothering with.If he wanted raw chakra later, it'd be better to aim for an actual Bijū.
Preferably the Nine-Tails —though that was locked inside Kushina Uzumaki, making it almost impossible right now.
Maybe the Seven-Tails (Chōmei) later,or other options once his strength increased.
But for now, there was no rush.
He needed to focus on getting stronger.
Before bed, Kazuki cautiously split off a Shadow Clone,draining most of his chakra to ensure he wouldn't accidentally set the compound on fire again with a random fireball in his sleep.
The next morning:
"You learned Shadow Clone Jutsu?"Kakashi blinked, looking at the two identical Kazukis standing before him.
One was bad enough.Two?A nightmare.
Thankfully, the clone only focused on training,ignoring everything else.
"Yeah.Otherwise, I don't have enough time in a day,"Kazuki replied calmly, concentrating on practicing the Rasengan that Minato had entrusted to him.
Although it looked deceptively simple —just a ball of spiraling chakra —the difficulty of maintaining the precise rotation and compression was extremely high.
Kazuki wasn't in a rush.
As long as he unlocked the skill's proficiency bar,he could grind it eventually.
"You..."Kakashi sighed.Kazuki had become the second hardest-working person he knew.
The first, of course, was—
"Yo! Kakashi! Let's race by frog-jumping!"Came a loud, enthusiastic voice.
Might Guy, recovered from his grief,leaped into the clearing with a dazzling smile.
Kakashi's lips twitched.Guy again...
Still, remembering how Might Duy had sacrificed himself to take down the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist,Kakashi swallowed his annoyance and agreed.
Meanwhile, Guy noticed Kazuki and beamed.
"Hey, Kazuki!"
Kazuki flashed a thumbs-up and returned a bright "youthful smile."
Guy's heart burned.
Another friend embracing the flames of youth!
Without another word,Guy dragged Kakashi and Kazuki into a frog-jump endurance contest.
At first, Kazuki thought it was manageable—but after a few laps around the training field,he started wearing the pain mask.
Endless, body-breaking exhaustion.
Kazuki realized then:
Taijutsu training... isn't something normal people survive without insane willpower.
"Push forward, Kakashi! Kazuki!THIS IS THE FLAME OF YOUTH!!!"Guy shouted, launching a full-force morale bombardment.