Early the following day, in the small forest near the Ninja Academy.
A dense black mist shrouded a small clearing.
From within, Kushina's clear voice could be heard:
"I want this sky to no longer block my eyes, this earth to no longer bury my heart!"
"I want this black mist to disappear completely!!"
"Open!"
As soon as her voice fell, the black mist distorted and twisted in various ways before collapsing and dissipating.
Standing at the edge of the black mist, Natsuhiko's mouth twitched slightly.
He should never have filled this girl's head with so many strange ideas.
It felt like she was growing up weirdly.
However, seeing the black mist dissipate, he couldn't help but feel a sense of accomplishment.
After many sparring sessions, Kushina had finally broken his Black Screen Freeze Jutsu.
Although it was somewhat frustrating that the method of breaking it was something he had taught her.
Soon, the black mist completely disappeared, revealing Kushina's figure.
She stood with her hands on her hips, proudly looking up:
"Hahahahaha!"
"I knew it! By instantly releasing a powerful wave of chakra, I can disrupt or even destroy the internal structure of the projection!"
"Natsuhiko! Your projection jutsu has been broken!"
Kushina discovered this method of breaking it during a chakra pressure test on her communication bracelet when she noticed the projection interface occasionally distorting and flickering.
At that time, she had secretly pretended not to see it, just to give Natsuhiko a surprise now.
"Thinking of using the bracelet to break this technique so quickly is indeed commendable."
Natsuhiko nodded in approval.
Using a chakra wave to interfere was indeed one way to break the projection jutsu.
In fact, she didn't even need the communication bracelet. As long as she could instantly burst out a strong chakra from her body, the resulting chakra wave would be enough to interfere with the projection's operation.
Even if it couldn't destroy the projection, the resulting distortion and flickering would be enough to distinguish between real and fake.
This was why the projection jutsu could be a great technique against weaker opponents but couldn't stand up to true masters.
Hearing Natsuhiko's praise, Kushina smiled shyly, then straightened her face, filled with fighting spirit:
"Now it's my turn to attack!"
With that, she charged towards Natsuhiko, her hands quickly forming seals.
"Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
Poof, poof, poof, poof!
Several clouds of smoke erupted around Kushina, with four identical figures rushing forward, preparing to attack Natsuhiko from four directions.
Kushina followed one of the clones, seemingly ready to use the bracelet to disrupt Natsuhiko's projection jutsu at any moment.
As long as she prevented Natsuhiko's Black Screen Freeze Jutsu from activating, her shadow clone swarm tactic could proceed smoothly.
It looked like this time, she might finally force Natsuhiko to reveal his actual skills.
Maybe she could even see that forbidden technique Natsuhiko hadn't used before!
Kushina was full of anticipation.
If Natsuhiko could hear Kushina's thoughts, he would definitely shrug and say, "I've never heard such a strange request before..."
Since Natsuhiko was still standing calmly in place, Kushina's four shadow clones quickly surrounded him and simultaneously launched an attack.
The four clones moved in unison, coordinated perfectly, and even synchronised their punching motions, leaving no room for Natsuhiko to dodge.
Seeing the four punches coming at him, Natsuhiko's mouth curved into a slight smile. He suddenly leapt into the air, dodging the clones' attack.
However, in the instant he jumped, a shout came from above:
"Natsuhiko, you've fallen for it! Take my divine punishment from above!"
The next moment, another Kushina figure descended like a deity, her right leg raised high, chopping down like a heavy axe towards Natsuhiko.
The five Kushinas below all showed excited expressions.
Natsuhiko could never have guessed that the five of them were actually all shadow clones, and the natural body had hidden in the forest while the black mist was still there!
Unfortunately, their excitement didn't last long before their faces froze.
The moment Kushina's heel struck Natsuhiko's shoulder, it passed straight through as if hitting nothing but air.
The attacking Kushina also looked bewildered, inwardly panicking.
Natsuhiko was just a projection clone!?
When did he switch?
Was it in the air? Before jumping?
Or perhaps the Natsuhiko standing in place after the black mist cleared was a projection from the start?
Kushina thought rapidly, recalling Natsuhiko's explanations of the projection jutsu and searching for valuable clues.
The five shadow clones quickly gathered around her landing spot, forming a defensive stance with their backs to each other, wary of Natsuhiko, who could appear from anywhere.
In an instant, without any clear ideas, the falling Kushina realised something.
But it was too late!
The moment she landed, her ankle was gripped by a hand emerging from the ground!
"Earth Release: Earth Dragon Hidden Jutsu!"
Natsuhiko burst out from the ground, and the unbalanced Kushina fell to the ground as her ankle was grabbed.
The five shadow clones noticed Kushina's predicament and hurriedly turned to rescue her.
But Natsuhiko was well-prepared!
Here comes the whirlwind destruction!
Natsuhiko swung Kushina by the ankle, using her as a weapon to sweep through the surrounding enemies.
Poof, poof, poof, poof!
The five shadow clones didn't have time to react before Natsuhiko shattered them one by one.
However, at the moment the fifth clone disappeared, the Kushina gripped by Natsuhiko twisted her waist, her other foot striking Natsuhiko's face with a powerful wind-breaking force!
But Natsuhiko seemed to anticipate this, suddenly releasing his grip, and before she could kick him, Kushina flew off like an arrow.
Natsuhiko smiled, shading his eyes with his hand as he watched Kushina soar through the air.
As she was about to hit a tree, Kushina's figure suddenly turned into a puff of white smoke and disappeared.
Natsuhiko raised an eyebrow, not too surprised.
So that was also a shadow clone.
No wonder he hadn't felt any impact when he swung the clone around.
It was because those clones were released just before being hit to prevent the original target from vanishing and allowing the earlier counterattack.
Another reason is that shadow clones, whether self-released or broken by others, return chakra to the original body.
But when broken by someone else, the chakra is somewhat diminished.
Also, because the memory of the shadow clone returns to the original body, though the damage is minor due to the clone's fragility.
The caster will choose to release the clone themselves before being hit.
Of course, if you have plenty of chakra and are not afraid of pain, you don't need to care about these minor details.
After seeing Kushina's fierce moves, Natsuhiko couldn't help but feel gratified.
Although she still hadn't posed any real threat to him, it was clear that her tactics and adaptability had greatly improved, making their sparring sessions this term worthwhile.
Unfortunately, Kushina didn't seem satisfied with her performance.
A Kushina walked out from behind a tree, looking exasperated:
"Normally, when I watch you use projection clones to toy with enemies, I think they're too stupid for not seeing through it."
"But after experiencing it myself, I realise it's really not that simple to distinguish between your real body and projections in fast-paced combat."
"Even with the chakra wave interference technique, it's impossible to use it constantly."
"What's worse, your projection jutsu doesn't need hand signs, and you can leave a projection in place while escaping with Earth Release at any time. It's practically cheating."
"To be honest, I can't even tell if you standing in front of me is the real you or a projection."
"Same here; I don't know if the one talking to me now is the real Kushina or a shadow clone."
Natsuhiko smiled and countered, "Since you're so knowledgeable, have you come up with a countermeasure?"
Kushina smiled slyly.
"Of course; otherwise, why do you think I've been talking so much during the fight?"
Natsuhiko was slightly taken aback.
Wait, isn't pausing to chat during a fight a ninja tradition?
As Natsuhiko inwardly joked, he noticed four more Kushinas emerging from the forest in four directions.
They quickly formed seals in unison and then suddenly slapped the ground, a circle of runic symbols spread out.
A visible wave of strong chakra radiated, covering the entire clearing.
Although the surroundings seemed unchanged, as a sealing jutsu ninja, Natsuhiko knew what Kushina had just done.
"Is this... a sensing array?" He looked intrigued.
Kushina proudly explained:
"Exactly, a sensing array!"
"No matter how realistic your projection clones are, they can't simulate the chakra network like shadow clones can."
"So, as long as I set up a sensing array in this clearing, your projections won't be able to deceive me anymore!"
It turned out that Kushina's earlier attack was just to buy time for the four clones to set up the array.
"Using four shadow clones to set up a temporary sensing array is indeed one way to break the projection jutsu."
"And it's impressive that you could set up such a large array so quickly!"
Natsuhiko praised Kushina sincerely, showing no hesitation in his admiration.
Kushina has improved not only her combat awareness but also her sealing technique.
Finally, we can see a glimpse of the master of sealing techniques who will eventually control the Nine-Tails like a pet.
"Uh-huh!"
Upon hearing Natsuhiko's praise, Kushina looked smug and instinctively puffed out her flat chest.
Hmm, it seems there's still not much progress there.
Natsuhiko mocked in his heart.
Then he smiled warmly at Kushina.
"But this tactic, Kushina, you must have prepared for a long time."
"Saving it until today means you were fully prepared. Are you planning to give me a surprise?"
"So, I guess this isn't your only surprise. Just show them all at once!"
Kushina let out a villainous laugh and said:
"As expected of Natsuhiko, you quickly saw through my plan."
"That's right, I waited until I gathered all the means to defeat you, Natsuhiko, before revealing them all at once!"
"Just like how you taught Obito to defeat Kakashi."
"And today is the day I rise!"
Saying this, Kushina suddenly jumped backwards onto a thick tree branch.
"Let me show you the forbidden technique I painstakingly learned from Grandma Mito!"
"If you don't take this seriously, you might really lose miserably later!"
After she finished speaking, she brought her index and middle fingers together in a cross sign and shouted:
"Multi-Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
Poof poof poof poof poof...
White smoke erupted continuously from the branches around Kushina and quickly spread to the surrounding trees.
As the white smoke dissipated, you could see Kushina clones covering the trees around the clearing.
They all let out mischievous laughs and began to observe Natsuhiko in the center of the clearing intensely.
"..."
Why does this scene feel strangely familiar...
Natsuhiko couldn't help but mutter to himself.
He remembered there was a guy with the last name Uzumaki who also used the Multi-Shadow Clone Jutsu and surrounded a ninja school teacher in a small forest.
And then, without any sense of honour, all the clones ganged up on the teacher, beating him terribly...
Natsuhiko shivered and shook his head to get rid of the strange thoughts.
Then he sighed:
Unexpectedly, Kushina learned the Multi-Shadow Clone Jutsu so quickly.
This reminded him of how Tsunade once said in the original story that the technique Naruto used was the same as his mother Kushina's, probably referring to this Multi-Shadow Clone Jutsu.
Then he heard countless Kushinas saying in unison:
"How about that? This is the true power of the Uzumaki Kushina Ninja Handbook!"
Natsuhiko nodded sincerely:
"Kushina, not bad."
You've reached Naruto's level in the first episode.
Honestly, if it had been Natsuhiko who had just returned to Konoha and faced this unreasonable technique, he might really have been defeated.
Even now, if he didn't show some fundamental skills, it might still be a bit troublesome.
Then he might try that technique on Kushina.
So Natsuhiko roared:
"Actually, I recently made a breakthrough in the Shadow Clone Jutsu."
"Since your sensory array seals the projection technique, it's a perfect opportunity to test my Shadow Clone Jutsu."
"Let's use shadow clones against shadow clones to bring this sparring match to a close."
All the Kushinas fell silent, showing strange expressions.
Your name is Natsuhiko, not Blind.
Can't you see all these shadow clones here?
They could understand using some other technique. But shadow clones?
Heh.
With such weak chakra, how could Natsuhiko possibly be their opponent?
However, Natsuhiko looked confident and even added nonchalantly:
"Speaking of which, it's getting late, and I have work later."
"Let's finish this fight in ten minutes."
"Kushina, let me show you the third stage of my Energy-Saving Shadow Clone Jutsu."
All the Kushinas were puzzled: "Wait, what about the first and second stages?"
(End of this chapter)
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