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As a ninja, what is the most important thing besides strength?
Intelligence?
Assassination?
Infiltration?
None of these!
As a ninja, the most important thing is to find the jade in your heart!
"Asuma, you're on the wrong path!" Sarutobi Hiruzen thought as he watched his busy son, feeling a mixture of emotions. He wanted to say something but hesitated. His relationship with Asuma Sarutobi wasn't very good, and he felt Asuma wouldn't listen to him.
"I hope you can understand the true meaning of jade sooner," Sarutobi Hiruzen sighed inwardly as he watched Asuma Sarutobi. Meanwhile, Asuma was smiling in satisfaction as he reviewed the information he had gathered in his free time. From this moment on, Asuma had decided that he would become an intelligence ninja!
Every afternoon after school was study time. However, today Yuhi Shinku didn't explain various ninjutsu principles but instead took out the scroll of the Shadow Clone Technique that Uzumaki Kushina had given to Yuichi Yuuki. Stroking his chin, Shinku inspected the scroll for a long time and then said, "The Shadow Clone is a good technique. I had originally planned to teach it to you all a bit later."
Shinku looked at Yuhi Kurenai and continued, "As for you, Kurenai, you'll need to keep working on your chakra control. Your chakra reserves aren't sufficient, and your recovery rate is slow. The Shadow Clone Technique can help with training, but in your case, it might backfire, so it's better for you to wait."
Yuhi Kurenai had excellent chakra control, but mastering the Shadow Clone Technique was still very challenging due to its B-rank level. Instead of spending a lot of time learning this, Shinku thought it would be more beneficial for her to improve her chakra control further and focus on learning more genjutsu in the short term.
His priority for Yuichi Yuuki and Yuhi Kurenai was ensuring their survival. If they could keep themselves alive, everything else would follow.
Yuichi Yuuki nodded as he listened. The Shadow Clone Technique was versatile. Despite its difficulty, he believed he could learn it. At the same time, he recalled his initial template, which included the young Seventh Hokage's skillset. The clone's heavy attack was derived from the Shadow Clone Technique, but instead of operating like a typical clone, it behaved unpredictably, often resembling a regular clone until a skill was used. The transformation between real and illusory seemed random.
Yuichi had tried using it in his room several times, only to summon a failed clone—often a limp version with its butt sticking up in the air. He couldn't imagine how disastrous it would be if something like that happened in a real fight! As a result, he didn't dare use this ability in battle.
As Yuichi pondered, Yuhi Shinku's explanation of the Shadow Clone Technique reached his ears.
"The Shadow Clone Technique is an advanced ninjutsu created by the Second Hokage. It creates physical clones, but your chakra will be divided evenly among them."
With that, Yuhi Shinku performed the hand signs, creating a shadow clone that immediately began handling a cup on the table. "This is a shadow clone," Shinku explained, "and the Byakugan or other perception abilities can't detect its true form. However, the clone will dissipate upon taking damage." He then punched his clone, causing it to vanish in a puff of smoke.
"When a shadow clone disappears, all of its memories are transferred back to the original," Yuhi Shinku continued.
Yuichi Yuuki listened carefully. While shadow clones were often used for infiltration and reconnaissance, their real value, in Yuichi's opinion, was for training. The memory transfer meant that the shadow clone technique functioned like a form of experience booster. Even though it didn't improve muscle memory, it was an ideal tool for practicing and developing jutsu.
Yuhi Shinku kept explaining, and Yuichi Yuuki silently absorbed the details. Yuhi Kurenai, sitting beside him, listened intently, her wide eyes full of curiosity, even though her father had advised her to focus on genjutsu.
The next day, early in the morning, Yuhi Kurenai sneaked into Yuichi Yuuki's room, pushing him gently as she nervously glanced toward the door. She whispered, "Yuichi, wake up."
Yuichi slowly opened his eyes, rubbed them, yawned, and asked, "Kurenai, the alarm hasn't gone off yet. Why are you waking me so early?"
Usually, Kurenai would only wake him up once the alarm rang. Confused, he glanced at his clock—it was still an hour before his usual wake-up time.
Kurenai, looking tense, kept checking outside the door, as if fearing something dangerous might appear at any moment. "Yuichi, let's go train!" she whispered excitedly.
Last night, her father had gone over not only the Shadow Clone Technique but also his chakra training methods, which were his own creation. As a jonin specializing in genjutsu, Yuhi Shinku's expertise was unparalleled in the field, rivaled only by clans like the Uchiha and Kurama.
Yuichi hesitated, feeling the temptation to sleep a bit longer, but after looking at the clock again, he decided to get up. Sleeping more would only make him groggier.
Seeing his agreement, Kurenai smiled brightly and hugged him. "I knew you'd say yes, Yuichi-kun!" she exclaimed.
Feeling the warmth of her hug, Yuichi subconsciously commented, "You smell nice."
Hearing that, Kurenai's face turned red as she quickly let go of him, stammering, "I-I'm leaving now," before dashing out of the room.
Watching her leave, Yuichi couldn't help but smile.
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