Shadow Clone

"I never knew the Shadow Clone Technique could do that!"

After hearing Naruto's explanation, Sasuke wanted nothing more than to master the Shadow Clone Technique right away and experience the thrill of learning several—or even dozens of—times faster.

Unfortunately, he hadn't mastered the Shadow Clone Technique yet.

"Using the Shadow Clone Technique to speed up your learning really works, but it does come at a cost."

Naruto's expression turned serious. "First, there's the matter of chakra. The Shadow Clone Technique divides the user's current chakra evenly among all their clones. If you don't have enough chakra, you have to be careful about how many clones you make."

"That's easy. I'll start with one clone and gradually increase the number."

Sasuke considered it. "Even if I can only make one Shadow Clone, that'll still double my learning efficiency."

"You're right. That's why the next problem is the important one."

Naruto continued, "When a Shadow Clone is dispelled, it doesn't just send its chakra and information back to the original. It also sends back mental fatigue."

Sasuke's brows immediately furrowed. He'd already realized what the problem was. "The more learning efficiency increases, the more mental fatigue increases by the same amount, right?"

"Right."

Naruto confirmed it again. "And once too much mental fatigue builds up, it can change into something worse. It stops being simple fatigue and becomes mental damage. In severe cases, the original might lose consciousness, or even suffer irreversible brain damage. That's why the village classified the Multi Shadow Clone Technique as a forbidden jutsu."

With a way to become stronger quickly right in front of him, Sasuke didn't want to give up. "Is there no way to solve that problem?"

"It's not that there's no way."

Naruto explained one possible solution. "The more Shadow Clones you make, the more mental fatigue accumulates. But if the clones get enough rest, the mental energy they recover will be returned to the original when they're dispelled."

"You mean..."

Sasuke understood. "If I make more Shadow Clones, have some of them study while the others rest, the extra mental energy they recover can offset the extra mental energy I use?"

"Right."

Naruto nodded. "But then you run into another problem: the massive amount of chakra needed to maintain more Shadow Clones. After all, exhausting your chakra can harm your body just as much as mental strain can."

Sasuke thought for a few seconds, then asked Naruto, "How many Shadow Clones do you usually maintain?"

"You can't use me as a reference."

Naruto shook his head. "My mom was from the Uzumaki Clan. They naturally lived long lives and had especially large chakra reserves. I inherited some of their physical traits, so I have a lot more chakra than you."

At that, Sasuke's Sharingan, with its One-Tomoe, widened. "Don't we have about the same amount of chakra?"

"That's because the me here is just a Shadow Clone."

Naruto explained, "I usually maintain three hundred Shadow Clones. A hundred study, two hundred rest, and the original trains in Taijutsu. So the chakra you see is only one three-hundredth of my total."

The muscles in Sasuke's face twitched. "You have three hundred times as much chakra as I do?"

"Without a measuring tool, I can't say for sure."

Naruto answered carefully. "At least a hundred times as much."

"With that much chakra, the people of the Uzumaki Clan should all be pretty strong."

Sasuke asked, puzzled, "Why have I never heard of the Uzumaki Clan?"

Naruto thought for a moment. "According to my mom, the Uzumaki Clan had bad luck. Many years ago, they got caught up in a war between several villages, and most of the clan members died. The few who survived scattered across different countries and lost touch with one another."

Sasuke looked confused. "Your... mom?"

"Yeah, my mom. It'd take a while to explain."

Naruto scratched his head. "I'll tell you another time."

Sasuke pushed aside his questions and asked, "So, can you teach me the Shadow Clone Technique?"

"Sure."

Naruto smiled and nodded. "Though I'd recommend learning from your team's jonin instructor."

Sasuke was silent for a few seconds. "I want to learn from you."

Naruto readily agreed. "All right."

The two continued talking about training, and more and more people gradually filed into the classroom.

A little girl with pink hair walked in and immediately hurried over to sit beside Naruto and Sasuke. Unfortunately, the two were enjoying their conversation so much that she couldn't find a chance to join in.

After a while, Iruka entered the classroom, and it immediately fell silent.

"Time really flies. Before you know it, you've all become ninja who can stand on your own."

Iruka sighed. "You all know what we're here to do today, so I'll announce the team assignments right away. I'll warn you in advance: Lord Hokage arranged these personally. If anyone isn't happy with their team, complaining to me won't help."

"Now, Team 4..."

"Team 7: Uzumaki Naruto, Uchiha Sasuke, and Sakura Haruno."

"Team 8: Hinata Hyuga, Kiba Inuzuka, and Shino Aburame."

"Team 9..."

"Team 10: Shikamaru Nara, Ino Yamanaka, and Choji Akimichi."

"All right, now you know which team you're on. If you didn't hear your name, speak up now."

Nobody raised a hand or said a word.

Iruka continued, "Your jonin instructors won't arrive until this afternoon, so you're dismissed for now."

The kids had only just graduated, and they still had their old student habits. As soon as Iruka dismissed them, most of them ran off.

"Sasuke, Sakura."

Naruto turned to his two teammates. "Do you have anything to do next? If not, I can show you where I usually train."

Sakura wasn't very interested in training, and hesitated for a moment.

Sasuke was interested. "Sure!"

Sakura looked at her two handsome and capable teammates, a sense of satisfaction welling up inside her. She nodded along. "I'll come too!"

Naruto led the two of them from the Ninja Academy to a wooded area on the outskirts of the Hidden Leaf Village.

"This is far enough."

Naruto stopped in an open area and turned to Sasuke and Sakura. "Wait here a moment. I'll be right back."

He slapped a hand against the ground, then dispelled his Shadow Clone.

Sakura hadn't understood what was happening when Naruto vanished with a "poof," making her even more confused.

"The Naruto who brought us here was just a Shadow Clone. His original is training somewhere nearby, but he doesn't know exactly where we are."

Sasuke glanced at Sakura and explained, "When a Shadow Clone is dispelled, the information it gathered returns to the original. That lets Naruto find out where we are and come straight to us."

"I see."

Sakura looked at Sasuke's stern profile, her heart practically blooming.

Just then, Naruto appeared in the spot where his Shadow Clone had slapped the ground. "Hey, I'm here."

Sasuke was startled. He hadn't noticed when Naruto had arrived.

A possibility suddenly flashed through his mind. Sasuke asked in a low voice, "A Space-Time Ninjutsu!?"

"You know a lot."

Naruto smiled and explained, "This technique is called the Flying Thunder God Technique. As long as you leave a formula on the target, you can teleport instantly. It's really convenient. It's just not easy to learn. It took a hundred of my Shadow Clones working at it for half a month before I finally learned it last week. I'm still getting used to it."