Chapter 123: The Magical Use of Shadow Clone Technique
"Teacher Mugetsu, I think I've got it!" Obito exclaimed excitedly during evening training.
Mugetsu glanced at him. "Try some Taijutsu. Attack me."
While Flame Breathing's greatest strength was enhancing Fire Release, it could also boost physical abilities to some extent. This was a trait shared by all Breathing Techniques and the first benefit ever discovered. Obito wasn't yet at the point where he could strengthen his Fire Release.
"Hoo…" Obito adjusted his breathing rhythm, recalling the sensation from earlier. He inhaled deeply, filling his body with oxygen to strengthen it, then lunged toward Mugetsu.
Mugetsu caught Obito's straight punch with ease, noting a slight increase in his speed, and quickly threw him off. Obito recovered mid-motion, spinning into a Leaf Whirlwind kick.
Catching his leg and tossing him aside, Mugetsu had already reached his conclusion.
"You've made a breakthrough. If you keep practicing the breathing movements until school starts, you should be ready for the next stage of training," Mugetsu said.
Once Obito reached that point, the true characteristics of Flame Breathing would begin to show, rather than just a simple physical boost.
"I still have to practice for five more days…" Obito muttered, mentally counting. He had thought he could start training like Guy right away.
Pat!
Mugetsu tapped Obito's head with two fingers. "Don't be so impatient. Guy's Breathing Technique was much more refined than yours when he began to grasp the attributes."
Currently, Obito's proficiency was at twelve points. When Guy had started understanding his Breathing Technique's attributes, he'd already been at nineteen points—though Guy's case was a bit special. Mugetsu estimated that in five days, Obito's Flame Breathing proficiency should reach at least fifteen points, making him ready for the next stage.
Mugetsu used Appraisal on Shisui, who was still adjusting to various breathing postures. Shisui's Flame Breathing progress was just slightly behind Obito's, only two points lower.
"I thought as long as I could use the Breathing Technique to strengthen myself, that was enough," Obito said, rubbing his head.
Leaving a Shadow Clone to watch over the two, Mugetsu's main body went to check on Guy's training.
How should one even describe Guy's training? It was… abstract. There he was—a rock with limbs—standing on a large boulder while holding another rock in both hands.
"Guy, did you feel anything special today?" Mugetsu asked.
"Yes," Guy answered without hesitation.
Mugetsu used Appraisal and saw his proficiency still at nineteen points. He frowned slightly—Guy wouldn't lie about his progress.
"The rocks get really hot after being baked by the sun," Guy explained.
It was evening now, but in the strong afternoon sun, the heat had apparently been intense on both his hands and feet.
Mugetsu was speechless. It seemed Obito had unknowingly led Guy astray.
"When the sun is strong, find a shady spot and sit on a rock," Mugetsu advised after a pause. He hadn't been here in the morning or afternoon, so Guy must have been training on his own.
Estimating the pace, if Guy was fast, he could master Rock Breathing by graduation. If slower, it might take around ten months. Originally, Mugetsu had estimated a full year, but Guy's one burst of rapid progress had already saved about two months.
Once Guy mastered Rock Breathing, along with the physical improvements from the training and the other Taijutsu he'd learned, Mugetsu believed he could attempt the training mission to challenge Kakashi.
I wonder if a training mission lasting nearly a year will have better rewards, Mugetsu thought.
The new school term was about to start, and there would be an exam a month later. By then, Obito's training mission would be completed, and Mugetsu would need to plan how to trigger his next one.
If Obito lost to Guy again and placed second, the solution was simple—repeat the mission to get first place.
If he took first place, Mugetsu planned to guide him toward challenging Kakashi.
It was the most fitting choice after weighing various factors—Obito's personality, goals, dreams, and relationships.
Obito dreamed of becoming Hokage. Missions too far-fetched wouldn't trigger—just like Guy couldn't get a mission to become "the strongest," or Shisui couldn't get one to "change the Uchiha."
For something achievable, challenging Kakashi was the only suitable option. First, Kakashi was strong enough to make the reward worthwhile. Second, his personal connection to Obito made it easier to trigger the mission.
Obito might have other ideas—like his feelings for Rin—but Mugetsu doubted the system would give a mission on how to date. Could that even be called training?
I wonder if I can have one disciple reach Trust Level Four by year's end… Mugetsu mused. It had been a while since any disciple's Trust Level increased.
Although it didn't have a strong presence day to day, Mugetsu believed trust was one of the core elements of the master-disciple system.
At Trust Level Two, no matter how much he inspired his students, there were no master-level rewards. Only at Level Three did he gain things like [Master Nature Transformation] and [Master Taijutsu], and training missions were only triggered after Level Three.
And setting aside other benefits, just the one-fold chakra increase for each Trust Level made Mugetsu want to max them all out.
Even though Obito and the others were still young, three disciples at triple the chakra bonus gave him a significant amount each month.
The difference would grow even greater as his disciples developed further.
Imagine Mugetsu cultivating a disciple with over a hundred thousand chakra from scratch—each Trust Level would mean a gain of over a hundred thousand chakra.
He couldn't help but feel his cheat was extremely powerful; it just needed time. Given enough, he would eventually become an all-rounder—an invincible powerhouse with an immense chakra reserve.
"Speaking of which, school's starting again soon. I feel like this holiday was so short," Obito lamented as training neared its end.
It was supposed to be nearly two months long, yet it felt as if only a few days had passed.
"That's because it was fulfilling. We trained at the Training Ground during the day, then came to Teacher Mugetsu's for training at night," Rin said softly.
The break had been short for all Fourth Grade students; five weeks of special training had taken up much of it.
"I think it'd be better to keep doing special training even after school starts. My strength grows faster that way," Obito said, reminiscing.
"Obito… you just don't want to study theory, do you?" Rin asked, her tone knowing.
When he was practicing Shave or racing Guy, Rin had often seen his pained expression whenever he got test papers back.
"Of course not. I just think practical combat is more important than theory," Obito denied instantly.
"Actually, you could use a clone," Shisui spoke up.
"Let the clone go to school while your real body keeps training."
Since the first exam back in First Grade, Shisui had never attended class in person—his Shadow Clone always went, and he only showed up for exams.
"Can the Clone Technique's clones last that long? They vanish too easily and would get found out, right?" Obito asked, confused.
"Not the Clone Technique. The Shadow Clone Technique," Shisui corrected.
"The clones from Shadow Clone have a physical form and share the same consciousness as the real body. When dispelled, all their memories return—so it's no different from going yourself."
"That's… such a convenient jutsu!" Obito was shocked. He'd seen Mugetsu use Shadow Clones every day but had never thought of sending one to school in his place.
"Shisui, don't tell me…" Obito stared at him in disbelief.
"I only went to class in person before the first exam. Since then, my Shadow Clone attends while I train here," Shisui replied casually.
Obito grabbed his shoulder with a wide grin. "You really are a genius! To think of something like that…"
No wonder the gap in their strength never closed—Shisui had been training hard every single day. And beyond getting stronger, this meant he could avoid going to school while still gaining the same knowledge.
"I'd call whoever invented the Shadow Clone the 'Clone Sage.' They're definitely a super genius!" Obito said, impressed.
In an instant, he'd thought of other uses—like letting a Shadow Clone solve problems for him. Once it dispelled, he'd have the problem-solving experience without doing the work himself.
"This jutsu was developed by the Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju, wasn't it? I think there's a record of it in Konoha History II," Rin recalled.
"So it was the Second Hokage… No wonder he could make something like this," Obito said, firmly committing the name to memory.
Having solved both the problem of theoretical study and assignments, Obito now held Tobirama Senju in high regard.
Seeing Obito's expression, Shisui had the feeling he was misunderstanding something.
"If it's only to avoid theory lessons, sending a Shadow Clone is meaningless," Shisui warned. "The moment it comes back, you'll remember everything from class as if you'd been there yourself."
"Mugetsu-sensei told me about this," he added.
"Sensei, you're being biased! How could you not tell me something this useful?" Obito looked at Mugetsu with a wounded expression.
Smack.
Mugetsu tapped him on the head. "Shisui can send a Shadow Clone because there's nothing left for him to learn at school—no opponents either. Could you have done that back then?"
The truth was, there were other reasons too—back then, Obito hadn't been as motivated as he was now.
Obito thought for a moment and had to admit he couldn't have. That time, he hadn't even placed in the top two—he and Guy had both been eliminated by Hyuga Homura.
"Hehe… Sensei, I should be fine now, right? I want to learn the Shadow Clone Technique too," Obito said eagerly, eyes bright with anticipation.
"Sensei, I want to learn as well," Guy added. The ability to train while his clone attended school was tempting, even if his ninjutsu skills were slow to develop.
"I'll teach you tomorrow morning. From then until the day before school starts, you'll train all day for the next four days," Mugetsu decided after a moment's thought.
He still had duties at the Ninja School, but they were nearly done. For what remained, a Shadow Clone would suffice—there were no classes left that could earn him rewards anyway.
As for why four days instead of five—if they used Shadow Clones to attend school for the rest of the term, their training volume would rise sharply. One day off would serve as a break before the intense regimen began.
---
The next morning, Obito hurried to the South Border Forest to learn what he now considered a god-tier jutsu.
Mugetsu had their schedule ready: from eight in the morning until noon, half the time would go to learning ninjutsu, the other half to practicing Breathing Technique. Shisui, already proficient in Shadow Clone, would use that time to work on other jutsu.
From twelve to two in the afternoon was break time. They could go home for lunch and a nap, and if they stayed, Mugetsu would cook for them. After that, from two until six, they could only go home for dinner.
"Rin, I'm telling you—don't go home at noon. You have to try Mugetsu-sensei's cooking at least once," Obito insisted.
Because of when she joined, Rin had never eaten Mugetsu's food.
Mugetsu's cooking was simply too good. Obito always ate there before heading home to see his grandmother and rest for a bit.
"Is Sensei really that good at cooking?" Rin asked, curious.
"It's not about good. It's… special. Really special…" Obito tried to explain, but his words tumbled over themselves.
"In short, I've never eaten anything more delicious than Sensei's cooking," he concluded firmly.
Rin, who had originally planned to go home for lunch, hesitated. Obito's praise was so exaggerated it made her genuinely curious—just how good could it be?
When training time came, Rin put away her curiosity and began practicing according to Mugetsu's instructions.
"When using the Shadow Clone Technique, always stay within your limits. For now, create only one," Mugetsu warned Obito and Guy.
The Shadow Clone Technique might seem like a normal ninjutsu, but it carried real risks.
To keep people from overestimating themselves, the Multiple Shadow Clone Technique—which allowed creating large numbers of clones—had been classified as a forbidden jutsu.
After explaining the dangers, Mugetsu began teaching.
The Shadow Clone Technique was B-rank, but among B-rank jutsu, it was relatively easy to learn.
After two hours, Obito began forming hand signs.
"Shadow Clone Technique!"
A puff of white smoke appeared… revealing an Obito lying flat on the ground.
"I messed up again!" He dispelled it and tried once more.
This time, white smoke cleared to reveal a short, chubby Obito.
Obito quickly dispelled it before Rin could see, then said seriously, "As expected of a jutsu invented by the Second Hokage, the difficulty is extraordinary—much harder than the Clone Technique."
"Hahaha! Guy, what are you doing?" Obito burst into laughter as he looked over.
Next to Guy stood… a rock with limbs, exercising in place.
"Uh… my mind's been full of rocks lately. I guess it just happened," Guy admitted, laughing himself.
"This is too funny! I'm calling Shisui over to see this—" Obito's laughter was cut short when—
Leaf Whirlwind!
The rock clone delivered a heavy kick, sending Obito flying before going right back to lifting imaginary weights.
"Guy! Why'd you hit me?" Obito asked, spitting grass from his mouth.
"It was the Shadow Clone. Ask him," Guy replied earnestly.
"That makes sense. Hey, Guy Shadow Clone, why'd you—" Obito stopped mid-sentence, suddenly realizing the clone didn't have a mouth.
Before he could think more, Guy dispelled it.
Mugetsu's mouth twitched at the sight. These two really were prodigies—in the strangest way possible.
"It's time to practice Breathing Technique," he reminded them.
When it came to Breathing Technique, their positions shifted: Obito and Shisui practiced Flame Breathing together, while Guy trained Rock Breathing alone.
"Shisui, you have no idea how funny that was," Obito began, grinning.
"Oh?" Shisui was curious. The two had just been practicing Shadow Clone—what could be so funny about that?
"Guy made a rock with arms and legs…" Obito still couldn't hold back his laughter.
To illustrate, he used the Clone Technique to create a Guy-lookalike, then transformed it to resemble Guy's earlier rock clone.
The "rock" scratched its head in confusion while Obito mimicked it lifting weights.
"…Your Shadow Clones are… unique," Shisui admitted.
Time passed quickly, and soon it was the moment every disciple looked forward to—mealtime.
"Wow, it's Illusionary Mapo Tofu today! Rin, you're in for a treat," Obito said, opening his lunchbox.
All of Mugetsu's cooking was delicious, but some dishes stood out—and Illusionary Mapo Tofu was one of Obito's absolute favorites.
Rin eyed the bright red dish with a bit of worry. It looked very spicy.
I can't waste food… and I can't let Sensei's effort go unappreciated.
Closing her eyes, she scooped up a bite and put it in her mouth.
"So spicy… so delicious!" she exclaimed after just one bite.
It wasn't the harsh, overpowering spiciness she'd imagined. The heat was layered, balanced with rich flavor.
Now she understood why Obito had praised Mugetsu's cooking so much.
In fact, Rin found herself wanting to learn from him—so she could eat food like this every day without troubling him.
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