Setting aside the obvious joy of Saya's recovery, there were several other clear advantages to this event. In just a couple of weeks, I would be able to delegate most of the household chores to her, freeing up at least a couple of clones, and in about three months, I could gain a regular sparring partner for Taijutsu training without having to constantly hire teams, which Ma would appreciate.
Of course, I had already surpassed her in skill by now, but I still lacked experience in combat. And another major reason was the opportunity to finally focus on training my Raiton element and the corresponding Jutsu. Considering that so far I had only mastered and practiced two Suiton techniques to an acceptable level, learning another element wouldn't hurt, and considering the remaining eleven months before entering the Shinobi academy, it was necessary to at least bring traditional Ninjutsu up to the level of a graduating Genin, as I had somewhat neglected this area in favor of other aspects of being a Shinobi.
***
Dispersing yet another Kage Bunshin, I sighed and glanced at the nearest macaw, pondering a quite legitimate question - should I start knocking now or wait a bit? I wanted to burn with shame at my own stupidity. After using clones for so many years, to only now, almost accidentally, figure out their peculiarity!
"Mind, boss, don't react like that," attempted to calm me down the neighboring Bunshin, momentarily pausing from forming weapons out of chakra.
"Genius, genius, more like an idiot!"
"Well, everyone makes mistakes, after all, we're human, meant to make mistakes and learn from them," shrugged the clone, "nobody's perfect."
"But it's still annoying - if I had discovered this earlier, I would have used the technique much more effectively," sighed, shaking my head.
Instead of speculating about the peculiarity of some of my copies, it would be worth remembering the peculiarity of Jutsu. Despite being created from ordinary chakra, the energy is distributed in my clone in a quite specific way. Yang goes into creating a semblance of a body and a chakra system, thanks to which even the Hyuga can't distinguish the difference, while Yin goes into creating consciousness, providing the ability to think, remember, and make decisions like a real person.
And that's where the problem lies - mental energy provides certain behaviors, so by creating a Kage Bunshin with certain mood or thoughts, I transmit them to the clone. And it acts accordingly to its nature, albeit with some limitations within the given task.
Consequently, if I fully tune into training and apply Jutsu, then the created copies will be more focused and purposeful, significantly improving the quality of the training. The same will happen with everything else. That's how the cookies crumble. With complex techniques using pure chakra, one should always be more attentive and cautious.
Shaking my head, I dismissed the unnecessary thoughts and returned to training. Obeying my will, the shadow underfoot suddenly shot out a tendril and joined the shadow cast by the experimental clone. Excellent, even some Jonin would find it difficult to react in time and evade.
All the exhausting training bore fruit. And considering my enormous reserves even for elite Shinobi, the amount of energy spent on Yin is almost irrelevant within a distance of less than a hundred meters. So far, my record stood at a hundred and thirty-eight with maximum tension and concentration seal. Without it - a hundred and seventeen. And now - the main attempt.
Expanding the shadow thread to the size of a thick rope, I tried to move the clone with my will, remaining completely motionless myself. My hands trembled and began to slowly reach for the kunai pouches, but after ten seconds, they stopped. Sighing, I dispersed the shadow. The result was as usual - minimal. And it's not about the strength of will, as I have it in spades, but about the inadequacy of Hidjutsu for this task. It's like trying to scoop broth with a leaky spoon - you can get some to your mouth, but forget about emptying the bowl!
"Any useful thoughts?" I sighed, asking the clone.
"Clearly, the technique lacks the strength to move without simulating movements," the clone shook his head, "even though our chakra is much denser and more powerful than that of ordinary Shinobi, but in this case, this property won't help."
And how do I get out of this situation? And you can't even arrange accelerated training with a dozen people because the clones are unable to use Hidjutsu!
I've got more interesting stuff on patreon (up to 160 chapter)
patreon.com/Chill76