Using Shadow Clones (1)

Although the exchange had been brief, Shuichi had roughly gauged the power of White Fang Swordsmanship. It bore great similarities to Kakashi's taijutsu; rather, that set of taijutsu had likely been designed to complement the swordsmanship.

Knowing that continuing in close combat without a suitable weapon would put him at a disadvantage, Shuichi launched his counterattack after achieving his goal of testing his opponent.

He pressed his index and middle fingers together on both hands, crossing them into a seal. "Shadow Clone Jutsu!" Two of Shuichi's Shadow Clones appeared beside him.

"What? Why is he using Shadow Clones? Does he even have enough Chakra at his age? Isn't that far too risky?" The Anbu watching from nearby cried out in surprise.

When the Third Hokage had mentioned that they might lose too, the two Anbu had seemed rather unconvinced.

But after seeing Kakashi's proficient Lightning Release, Shuichi's use of the Body Flicker Technique, and their instant, superb taijutsu exchange, they had begun to take things seriously. Neither of these little brats was easy to deal with!

By their assessment, Shuichi's Chakra control was extraordinarily good. He could even use the Body Flicker Technique continuously, and he certainly had plenty of Nature Transformation ninjutsu he had yet to reveal. Now that he had widened the distance, this should have been the time for him to launch a ninjutsu counterattack.

Shuichi had indeed used ninjutsu, but it was the Shadow Clone Jutsu, something they had never expected.

This technique was extremely dangerous against a sword expert like Kakashi. If the Chakra distributed to the clones was insufficient, leaving them with only a fraction of the original's strength, then once Kakashi got close, they would be little more than free targets.

But if he extracted a great deal of Chakra to give to the Shadow Clones, Shuichi would immediately lose his stamina advantage, and the risk of taking damage would not be small either.

Even if his Chakra reserves were already astonishing for his age, this was still somewhat unreasonable.

"Watch what that child does next. We should soon understand his purpose." The Third Hokage's expression remained unchanged, but he became slightly more serious.

Everyone present knew the advantages and disadvantages of Shadow Clones. Shuichi, who had seen this technique countless times in the original work, naturally understood them as well, but he believed the technique still held enormous potential.

He felt that Naruto's use of the technique in the original work had been far too simple and crude. If not for the absurd cheat his parents had left him with, that kind of human-wave tactic would have gotten him killed sooner or later.

Kakashi also understood the nature of Shadow Clones. Though he did not know what Shuichi was planning, it would be a good thing if Shuichi wasted his Chakra, so he did not rush to attack again.

After completing the technique, the Shadow Clone on Shuichi's right immediately ran diagonally behind the original, stopping several meters away.

The Shadow Clone on his left retreated slightly to the side and rear, taking up a position one body's length away at a forty-five-degree angle behind Shuichi's original body. It then drew a Kunai and assumed an attacking stance.

Once the formation was complete, Shuichi ignored what everyone else might think and charged at Kakashi without hesitation.

At the same time, the two Shadow Clones maintained astonishing synchronization with the original. Even while moving at high speed, the three-man formation remained largely unchanged.

Seeing Shuichi rapidly close in, Kakashi gripped the White Fang Short Sword firmly and waited for the clash.

When Shuichi reached him, he slashed his Kunai toward Kakashi. It looked like nothing more than an ordinary attack.

At the same time, after the original launched his attack, the distant Shadow Clone threw a Shuriken at Kakashi, while the Shadow Clone at the side and rear also assumed a throwing posture.

Kakashi had originally held a slight advantage in close combat against Shuichi, but this time felt completely different. That Shuichi's Shadow Clone had seized the timing too perfectly. If he drew his blade to trade blows with Shuichi, the Shuriken would definitely hit him.

More than that, the Shadow Clone behind Shuichi posed an even greater threat. It merely held its Kunai without striking, like a spectator.

Whether it would throw an attack or close in from the side, that Shadow Clone adjusted entirely according to the situation on the field.

Faced with such a pincer attack, Kakashi could only give up on counterattacking Shuichi and retreat to avoid the Shuriken.

"Ninja Art: Shadow Snake Hand." Having predicted Kakashi's choice, Shuichi's original body began using ninjutsu. Several snakes emerged from both sides of his arms and lunged at Kakashi.

The snakes were not packed tightly together, but spread out in an encircling formation. Kakashi swung his blade and cut off one snake's head. Just as he prepared to deal with the others, the Shadow Clone's Shuriken came flying in from the side again.

Kakashi had no choice but to stop swinging his blade. This dodge was somewhat awkward. He had to cut down snakes one-handed while staying alert for Shuriken that could strike at any moment, and the feeling was utterly miserable.

Shuichi had already gained the upper hand with ease, and his original body was under little pressure. Sometimes he used simple taijutsu attacks; other times, he released low-cost ninjutsu to harass Kakashi.

The two Shadow Clones did nothing else. They simply maintained their distance from the original, ready to throw Shuriken at any time. They threw only one each time, never more.

Kakashi's mental pressure rose sharply, and before long, his stamina began draining rapidly.

"This..." The two Anbu were dumbfounded. Their teamwork was far too good. "What if he takes out the Shadow Clones first? He only needs to get close and swing once to succeed. Those two Shadow Clones definitely don't have much Chakra."

Kakashi apparently shared the Anbu's thoughts. He had never hated the Shadow Clone Jutsu as much as he did now. Shuichi's two Shadow Clones were truly disgusting him.

They threw just one ninja tool at him each time, always interrupting his attempts to counterattack. Yet he could not ignore them. Though the clones' attacks were limited in power, his flesh-and-blood body would still bleed if he took them head-on. And he could not quickly defeat Shuichi's original body, leaving him physically and mentally exhausted.

So, after barely dealing with one of Shuichi's attacks, he accelerated and circled around, charging toward the distant Shadow Clone.

"BOOM!" A few minutes had passed, and Shuichi's Shadow Clone vanished just as Kakashi attacked it. Shuichi had dismissed it himself, because he had indeed given it very little Chakra, and it had almost none left.

Shuichi found it easy to withstand the fatigue from that Shadow Clone, because it had only run around and thrown tools without doing much else. With his System's passive recovery, it had no effect at all.

"BOOM!" "Shadow Clone Jutsu!" A few seconds later, Shuichi also voluntarily dismissed the other Shadow Clone behind him.

Then Shuichi used the Shadow Clone Jutsu again, creating two more clones. This time, he gave them slightly more Chakra.

Kakashi's eyes held a hint of despair, but he still noticed that these new Shadow Clones must have consumed a considerable amount of Shuichi's Chakra. If they were dismissed soon, that Chakra would effectively be wasted.

The two clones quickly took up their positions. Kakashi did not abandon his original plan and swiftly rushed toward the distant clone with his sword in hand.

"Clang! Clang!" This time, Shuichi's original body sped up as well. No matter how Kakashi circled around, in this formation Shuichi was always closer to his own Shadow Clones. He easily intercepted Kakashi for his clone.

Seeing Kakashi charge toward him, that Shadow Clone immediately turned and ran. He knew the original would intercept Kakashi for him, and deliberately ran toward a position where the three of them formed a straight line.

Kakashi helplessly watched the Shadow Clone slip away. Shuichi's original body merely attacked twice with ease, then decisively used the Body Flicker Technique to retreat, having no intention of pressing his advantage. The three of them took up their positions again.