Ayame

Looking at the smiling "Yemos" around him, Yemo glanced left and right. Even he could hardly tell how these clones and corpses differed from him.

Fortunately, as the original, Yemo could clearly sense a faint connection between his own Chakra and the Chakra inside these clones. After all, their Chakra had been split off from his own.

Feeling how much Chakra he still had, Yemo clenched his fist. "It feels like the Multiple Shadow Clone Technique was made specifically for my Uzumaki Clan."

That was true. The Multiple Shadow Clone Technique required so much Chakra that an ordinary person could create only a few clones at most. Any more would consume too much Chakra and risk a backlash against the user. That was why Second Hokage Tobirama Senju had classified it as Forbidden Jutsu. But that flaw was hardly worth mentioning for the Uzumaki Clan, with their vast reserves of Chakra.

Yemo, for example, had a hundred times as much Chakra as an ordinary person. He could easily create over a hundred clones without affecting himself. At the thought that he would be able to use human-wave tactics like Naruto in the future, a faint thrill of excitement welled up in him.

"Disperse!"

Yemo gave a soft shout, and the dozen or so "Yemos" around him vanished in puffs of white smoke with a series of pops. The separated Chakra flowed back into his body.

Sensing the Chakra inside him, Yemo couldn't help saying, "It really is a technique that consumes a frightening amount of Chakra. I've used up quite a bit in such a short time. No wonder it was classified as a Forbidden Jutsu."

Yemo had an immense amount of Chakra, yet even he had used up quite a bit. One could imagine how much Chakra this Ninjutsu consumed. An ordinary ninja would probably have their Chakra drained in an instant.

Orochimaru smiled and nodded. "It seems I chose correctly. The Multiple Shadow Clone Technique really does suit you, with the enormous amount of Chakra you have. Your vast Chakra reserves can perfectly make up for that flaw."

After a pause, Orochimaru changed tack. "But there are a few small things you should pay attention to. Watching you perform the Ninjutsu just now, I noticed a few mistakes. Overall, though, you did very well. After all, you managed to use this A-rank Ninjutsu perfectly after seeing it only once."

"I understand, Teacher Orochimaru!" Yemo nodded. This was the benefit of having a teacher: not only could they give you the most suitable instruction based on your strengths, but they could also promptly correct your mistakes and pass on their own experience.

With a good teacher, all other things being equal, you could go much further on the path of a ninja.

Orochimaru then pointed out all the mistakes Yemo had made while performing the Multiple Shadow Clone Technique and taught him his own understanding of and experience with the Ninjutsu.

With a renowned teacher instructing him, Yemo was like a sponge soaking everything up. His understanding of the Multiple Shadow Clone Technique grew deeper, and he became more adept at using it. Eventually, he increased the number of clones he could create severalfold while consuming the same amount of Chakra.

Absorbed in training, Yemo didn't notice Orochimaru suddenly turn his gaze toward a leafy tree nearby. Orochimaru stared at it for over ten seconds, then nodded slightly, as if speaking to someone.

Orochimaru looked away and interrupted Yemo's training. "Yemo, I have something to take care of, so I'll leave first. Keep practicing here, but don't stay too late. Go home early. We'll meet at the same place tomorrow morning."

"All right, Teacher Orochimaru!"

Yemo watched until Orochimaru's figure disappeared into the dense woods, then turned his attention back to his practice.

The little interruption didn't affect Yemo. As one of the Sannin and a pillar of Konoha, Orochimaru was bound to have plenty to do every day. With Konoha and the Kumo Ninja currently engaged in a limited war, he had even more matters to handle.

Orochimaru had only been able to spare a day to teach Yemo because he had been injured fighting the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki, and the Third Hokage had given him a few days off. Otherwise, how could he have had so much time?

It was already late when Orochimaru left, and the sun had begun to set. Yemo hadn't practiced much longer before darkness fell.

The sky was dim and gray, and stars playfully peeked out here and there, blinking as their curious eyes gazed down upon the quiet world.

Konoha was brightly lit at night, the lights illuminating the sky until it was as bright as day. The village was far livelier than during the day, with people walking in twos and threes everywhere on the streets. Many were children about Yemo's age.

A lot of them attended the Ninja Academy. Carrying their schoolbags, they ran between the stalls in groups of two or three, their cheerful voices and laughter ringing out from time to time.

Watching these children his own age live carefree lives, Yemo felt a faint twinge of envy. He had to admit that the Ninja Academy was the most valuable and meaningful institution in Konoha. It allowed the village's children to experience a happy childhood that children their age in other ninja villages could not.

By rights, Yemo should have been attending the Ninja Academy at his age too. Unfortunately, he had only arrived in Konoha recently, and he was also a member of the Uzumaki Clan. Getting into the Ninja Academy wasn't as simple as signing up.

His elder sister had originally said he could enter the Ninja Academy after some time, but that probably wasn't possible now that he had become Orochimaru's student.

Besides, Yemo didn't want to go to school. Attend classes with a bunch of little brats? Forget it. The Ninja Academy had nothing left to teach him anyway, so going there would be a complete waste of time.

Walking alone down the street, Yemo looked around. Everything was so bustling: towering buildings, crowded streets, vendors calling out their wares. Unfortunately, none of it had much to do with him. As far as Konoha was concerned, he was still just an outsider.

Smack...

Suddenly, there was a sharp sound, and Yemo felt someone tap him on the shoulder. He froze for a moment, then hurriedly turned around to see a pretty face smiling at him.

Recognizing the person, Yemo exclaimed in surprise, "Ayame, what are you doing here?"

Delighted that she had startled Yemo, the owner of the pretty face smiled and said, "Well, Yemo, did I scare you?"

"You certainly did, but you still haven't answered me. What are you doing here?" Yemo asked with a smile, looking at the beautiful girl before him.

Ayame was Teuchi's daughter. In Naruto, she was a great beauty, but right now she was just a little loli a few years old. Of course, Ayame was already pretty as a child, or she wouldn't have grown up to be such a beauty.

Today she wore a white dress and carried a small pink schoolbag on her back. A butterfly hair clip adorned her lovely hair, which fell to her shoulders. Her features were delicate, and her pretty face was full of smiles at seeing Yemo.

Yemo often ate ramen at Ichiraku Ramen, and since he and Ayame weren't far apart in age, he had gotten to know the little loli over time. They had even become good friends, though he hadn't expected to run into her on the street.

"Yemo, you really are an idiot." Somehow, he had offended Ayame, and she suddenly scolded him in response to his question.

Yemo was completely baffled. How was he an idiot? Seeing his discomfiture, Ayame couldn't help covering her mouth and giggling before she explained, "Didn't I tell you a few days ago? I'm a student at the Ninja Academy now, and school's just let out."

Yemo slapped his forehead as it finally dawned on him. "Oh, I really am an idiot. I forgot all about that."

In Naruto, Ayame had only been shown making ramen, but that didn't mean Yemo had never attended the Ninja Academy. Ayame had attended the Ninja Academy and graduated, but she hadn't chosen to become a ninja. Instead, she had chosen to take over her family's ramen business.

Hearing Yemo call himself an idiot, Ayame couldn't help giggling again. She didn't know why, but she felt happy around Yemo, and she laughed easily.

"But today, I came shopping with Sister Rin," Ayame added.