Teaching Naruto

"Sit down and eat your ramen first. Look for it again after you get home. Maybe you dropped it there." Kitahara Kaede said with a faint smile.

"Big brother, what's your name? I'm about to graduate. Once I become a ninja, I'll be able to earn money and pay you back," Uzumaki Naruto said hurriedly.

"Kitahara Kaede." Kitahara Kaede gave his name and said, "Then I'll wait for you to become a ninja and earn enough to treat me to a meal."

"I will, I definitely will! As long as the exam doesn't test the Clone Technique, I'll definitely pass."

Uzumaki Naruto said.

Of the Three Techniques, the Clone Technique was what he was worst at. Something went wrong every time he used it.

Kitahara Kaede glanced at Naruto's stomach, knowing that the problem came from the interference of the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox's Chakra.

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If not for the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox's Chakra interfering with him, making even his Chakra circulation uneven and ninjutsu difficult to perform—

With his inheritance, there was no way he could have turned out to be an idiot, no matter which side it came from.

Kushina Uzumaki was no ordinary person herself. The fact that she could become the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox's vessel proved as much, and possessing Kage Level combat power was practically a given.

Minato Namikaze was even more outstanding among Kage Level fighters. As Konoha's Yellow Flash, ninjas from other villages could abandon their missions outright upon encountering him without facing punishment.

Not to mention that he was also the reincarnation of the Chakra of Otsutsuki Ashura, the Sage of Six Paths' son. Any one of those connections meant he could not possibly be an idiot. He merely seemed rather carefree.

After all, those descended from Otsutsuki Ashura's line had inherited more or less of their ancestor's personality.

Still, even though Kaede knew about this problem, he had no way to solve it. He did not know Fuinjutsu either. To truly resolve Naruto's issue, they would have to wait until Jiraiya returned.

"What's wrong? Is your Clone Technique that bad? As a ninja, having a poor Clone Technique can become a big problem," Kitahara Kaede said.

"Yeah. No matter how I practice, I'm bad at the Clone Technique." Uzumaki Naruto said helplessly. "It always feels like my Chakra doesn't flow smoothly whenever I make a clone."

"Big brother, you're a ninja too, right? I know this is presumptuous, but could you teach me?"

Uzumaki Naruto looked at Kitahara Kaede expectantly.

Kitahara Kaede sighed inwardly. Both were Konoha's crown princes, yet Konohamaru had dedicated elite teachers around him, while Uzumaki Naruto did not even have anyone who could teach him the Clone Technique.

Although Kitahara Kaede believed this was likely the result of Masashi Kishimoto retconning things later on, Sarutobi Hiruzen could not escape responsibility.

"All right. I do have some insights when it comes to Chakra training that I can teach you. After we finish eating, I'll teach you something else—something the Ninja Academy doesn't teach." Kitahara Kaede considered it. This might draw the attention of Konoha's Higher-ups ahead of schedule, but his background was spotless. He was a proper Konoha native and had done nothing dangerous, so there was no need to worry too much.

Iruka had treated Uzumaki Naruto well and hadn't been arrested for investigation, had he?

If merely getting a little close to Uzumaki Naruto meant being dragged away to be sliced up for research, that would be far too conspiratorial.

"That's great!" Uzumaki Naruto said joyfully. There had not been many people willing to accept him since he was little. Other than the Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen, only a few classmates had treated him decently. Most Konoha villagers showed disgust whenever they saw him.

And because the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox was inside his body, his perception of malice was extremely sharp. What he felt was a world full of hostile gazes, with very few people treating him as an equal.

Kitahara Kaede had no hostility toward him to begin with, and Naruto could naturally sense that. That was why he had dared to ask Kaede to teach him the Clone Technique.

Before long, Naruto's bowl of Ichiraku Ramen was served, and he immediately began wolfing it down.

After they finished eating, Kitahara Kaede led Uzumaki Naruto toward a nearby river.

Kitahara Kaede could vaguely sense several figures following behind them.

"Brother Kaede, are you going to teach me the Clone Technique?"

Uzumaki Naruto asked eagerly.

Kitahara Kaede shook his head. "You've already learned the Clone Technique formula at school. Your inability to use it properly isn't because of that. It's because your Chakra control is terrible. Your top priority is improving your control over Chakra."

As he spoke, Kitahara Kaede walked onto a large tree beside them, taking one step after another until he reached a branch. He hung upside down and looked at Uzumaki Naruto.

"Wow, how did you do that, Brother Kaede?" Uzumaki Naruto cried out.

"This is tree climbing. By concentrating Chakra in the soles of your feet to create an adhesive force, you can do this. Once you complete tree-climbing training, your Chakra control will improve greatly. Then using the Clone Technique will become much easier," Kitahara Kaede said.

There was nothing he could do about Uzumaki Naruto's problem. He knew that Naruto was better suited not for this Clone Technique, which could only produce illusionary clones, but for the more advanced Shadow Clone Technique—or the Multiple Shadow Clone Technique.

The Multiple Shadow Clone Technique could fully bring out the advantage of Naruto's enormous Chakra reserves.

But the problem was, Kitahara Kaede did not know it either!

He was still merely an ordinary Chunin. Although his strength had improved rapidly because he possessed the standard bloodline of the Uchiha Clan and had awakened the Sharingan, he had no access to high-level ninjutsu.

Under Konoha's rules, the Shadow Clone Technique was a high-level ninjutsu only Jonin-level ninjas could learn. Civilian Chunin had to earn sufficient merit before they could exchange for it, while the Multiple Shadow Clone Technique was classified as a forbidden technique. Only Jonin who had rendered exceptional service would be taught it.

When Naruto used this ninjutsu, his Shadow Clones were often blown apart as soon as they appeared, making it seem rather useless. But in the hands of mature and capable Jonin, the Shadow Clone Technique could display considerable combat power.

"I understand. I'll give it a try!"

Uzumaki Naruto had an impulsive, fiery personality. Now that he knew the method, he charged straight at the tree, only to fall after taking just a few steps.

"Don't rush. Remember to concentrate Chakra in the soles of your feet until it becomes natural muscle memory. Then it won't just help you climb trees—your speed will improve greatly as well. This is also the foundation of the Body Flicker Technique," Kitahara Kaede said, offering him some guidance.

"Okay!"

Uzumaki Naruto was finally experiencing what it felt like to have someone guide his training. Then Kitahara Kaede tossed him a Shuriken and said, "Use this Shuriken to carve a mark at the highest point you can reach. When you can hang upside down like I am, your tree-climbing training will count as initially complete."