Night, the Hyūga Clan Dojo.
Hyūga Shinichi, having just finished dinner, rushed to the dojo, eager to test the Forbidden Jutsu he had learned earlier that day. Hyūga Hiashi, afraid Shinichi might act recklessly, accompanied him to the dojo after dinner. The father and son stood facing each other in the center of the dojo. Under Hiashi's watch, Shinichi crossed his hands and performed a strange "ten" hand sign. This sign did not belong to any of the basic twelve seals. In the next instant, dense white smoke rose around Shinichi.
Multi-Shadow Clone Jutsu (Tajuu Kage Bunshin no Jutsu)!
When the white smoke cleared, over a hundred Hyūga Shinichis appeared in the dojo. The previously spacious dojo now seemed somewhat crowded.
"The Multi-Shadow Clone Jutsu, is it?"
"This is the Ninjutsu you were so eager to try out?"
"This technique... doesn't suit you much, Shinichi."
Seeing Hyūga Shinichi learn the Multi-Shadow Clone Jutsu so easily and immediately split into a hundred clones on his first attempt, Hyūga Hiashi showed no surprise whatsoever. Instead, he stroked his chin and offered a serious comment.
Hiashi, as the father, had long become accustomed to the terrifying talent displayed by Hyūga Shinichi. Everything Shinichi demonstrated could be simply summarized as: "He is indeed my son."
Compared to the other strange Forbidden Jutsu recorded in the Forbidden Scroll, the Multi-Shadow Clone Jutsu seemed rather "ordinary." It was an advanced version of the Shadow Clone.
In Konoha Village, quite a few people knew this technique. However, it was a very useless technique for most ninjas because when a Shadow Clone is created, the caster's chakra is evenly divided.
This means the individual clone's chakra is far less than the original body's. The more clones created, the less chakra each one possesses.
Even if an ordinary person mastered this Ninjutsu, it wouldn't help them in battle. For ninjas with limited chakra, let alone the Multi-Shadow Clone Technique, even creating five or six clones would divide the chakra so much that a single clone wouldn't have enough to perform a complete Ninjutsu.
For Hyūga ninjas, who relied on powerful nin-taijutsu, this technique had no value whatsoever.
Saying this, Hyūga Hiashi casually struck the nearest Shadow Clone with a hand knife. The clone hit instantly turned into a puff of white smoke and vanished without a trace.
Simultaneously, the clone's memory and pain were relayed back to the original body. Shinichi felt the sensation keenly and subtly frowned. Hiashi's hand knife was not struck hard, but the moment the memory of the clone returned, Shinichi felt the impact distinctly.
"The pain from the Shadow Clone returns to the original body when it disappears. Although it doesn't cause damage, the sensation is real."
"This can place a very heavy burden on the caster. In severe cases, the caster could even suffer a mental breakdown due to the pain."
Hiashi understood this side effect, and Shinichi naturally knew it too. A person who could use this technique not only needed massive chakra reserves but also had to be very "pain-tolerant." A hot-blooded shōnen protagonist like Naruto naturally wouldn't fear pain.
Besides Luffy, what kind of idiot protagonist would fear pain? Moreover, ninjas in this world generally had much higher pain tolerance than ordinary people.
Elite ninjas like Kakashi, even after being stabbed for three days and three nights in the Tsukuyomi dimension by Uchiha Itachi, didn't suffer a mental breakdown. If that level of endurance was applied to the Shadow Clone Technique, splitting into tens of thousands wouldn't be an issue.
But after personally experiencing the sensation, Hyūga Shinichi decided not to incorporate this technique into combat... He decided to focus on using it as a training cheat.
As for the fatigue from training being transferred back to the original body when the clone is dismissed? That's simple enough! Just ensure the training intensity is not too high while using the clones.
If the clones don't feel fatigued, the so-called fatigue won't be transferred back to the original body upon dismissal. By strictly controlling the time, the side effects can be eliminated. Shinichi wasn't Naruto, treating his clones like nuclear-powered donkeys.
"Father, when a Shadow Clone disappears, its memory and experience are transferred back to the original body."
"For me, doesn't this mean I gain a lot of extra training time?"
"Mastering Chakra Shape Transformation and Nature Transformation requires that instant 'feeling.' This technique can help me greatly."
Shinichi's words briefly stunned Hiashi, who then stroked his chin and smiled:
"Indeed, if it's used to aid training, it's very effective!"
"The fact that you thought of this level of application—you are truly my son!"
Regardless of whether Shinichi's thought process was his own, since he heard it directly from his son, Hiashi naturally did not spare his praise.
Shinichi then experimented with the Shadow Clone Technique a few more times, fully cementing the feeling of using the jutsu in his heart, before moving on to the next stage.
Shinichi asked Hiashi to bring him many blank scrolls. While the memory was still "fresh" in his mind, Shinichi used his Shadow Clones to separately write down and record every single Forbidden Jutsu.
Hyūga Shinichi had no intention of being selfish. This opportunity to review the Forbidden Scroll was a result of his own efforts, but also a result of the Hyūga Clan fighting for him. He intended to record these techniques and store them as the Hyūga Clan's legacy, waiting for future talented descendants to "unseal" these hidden treasures.
Practices similar to Shinichi's were common among the various ninja clans. Take the Third Hokage's Sarutobi Clan, for example: where did the relics of the Fourth Hokage and his wife go after they died in battle? The fact that the young Naruto was able to find the scarf Kushina had knitted for him in the Third Hokage's family warehouse clearly indicated the destination of Minato and Kushina's belongings.
If the scarf Kushina knitted for her son ended up in the Sarutobi Clan's warehouse... then what about the Uzumaki Clan's secret techniques, or the results of the Fourth Hokage's research into various Ninjutsu? Naturally, they also entered the Sarutobi Clan's Ninjutsu library.
Therefore, Hyūga Shinichi felt no guilt whatsoever about copying the contents of the Forbidden Scroll. If he memorized the Ninjutsu with his mind, why couldn't he write them down on scrolls and leave them for the clan? Shinichi benefited from the clan's protection, and it was only right for him to now contribute something back to the family.
After finishing the transcription, Hyūga Shinichi also leveraged the clan's resources, asking Hiashi to bring out all the Sealing Technique scrolls stored within the clan for him to review.
The Hyūga Clan had stood in the Ninja World for so many years, accumulating many Sealing Techniques, whether passively acquired as war trophies or actively obtained through rewards.
These techniques had been stored within the clan for years, with some clan members consistently studying and refining them.
The Hyūga Clan, who controlled the Caged Bird Curse Mark, was actually quite proficient in Sealing Techniques.
Having been tipped off by Minato, Shinichi naturally didn't want to be unprepared. Since the Flying Thunder God Technique was strongly related to Sealing Techniques, he decided to study Fūinjutsu systematically.
At the same time, he also wanted to understand the Caged Bird Technique! Shinichi sincerely hoped that the Hyūga Clan could become incredibly powerful—so powerful that it could protect every single member of the family, including himself.
To achieve this goal, the Caged Bird, which restricted the potential of the Branch Family, naturally needed to be improved. Completely abolishing it was impossible, as for the average Hyūga ninja, the technique was not a chain but a protection. The Hyūga Clan's continued existence was directly linked to the Caged Bird.
"Tomorrow, I'll focus on the Flying Thunder God."
"I hope my talent is enough to allow me to learn that technique!"
"Even if my speed with the Flying Thunder God can't surpass ordinary Body Flicker Technique, it doesn't matter..."
...
The bright moonlight shone on the graves in the cemetery. Under the moonlight, a figure clad in a black cloak appeared in the quiet graveyard.
The figure slowly bent down, gently tracing the tombstone engraved with the name "Rin Nohara." A deep look of longing and sorrow emanated from the single red eye beneath the tiger-striped mask.
"Rin..."
Every time he saw this silent tombstone, his longing for Rin grew, his hatred for this world increased, and his Sharingan's visual prowess intensified with the fermentation of that hatred.
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