After the conversation ended, Naruto Uzumaki rose with a smile and took his leave. Learning of his identity was even more exhilarating than graduating, and it further strengthened his resolve to follow his own path.
The Third Hokage watched him with a smile. "Naruto, don't be in such a hurry to leave. Your mother entrusted you to me back then, but unfortunately, I wasn't able to properly watch over you as you grew up all these years. Today is your graduation day, so take this gift as compensation for all those years."
As he spoke, he opened a drawer and placed a scroll on the desk.
Naruto glanced at it doubtfully and asked quietly, "For me?" Only after the Third Hokage nodded did he stand on tiptoe, take the scroll, and open it to examine it.
"Multi shadow... Clone Technique?" Naruto read softly, scratching his head awkwardly. "I'm not very good at the Clone Technique."
The Third Hokage chuckled softly. "The Shadow Clone Technique was a ninjutsu invented by the God of Time and Space among the Three Gods of old, though it was the Second Hokage who spread it widely. In a sense, its influence crossed eras, changing the way nearly every ninja fought.
"Multi Shadow Clone is a ninjutsu the Second Hokage enhanced and modified based on the Shadow Clone Technique. It possesses unexpectedly tremendous power. However, because it consumes chakra too intensely, ordinary ninja may even injure themselves when using it. That is why it was classified as a forbidden technique.
"But as you know, the Nine-Tails is sealed within you, and you also possess the bloodline of the Uzumaki Clan. Chakra reserves won't be a problem for you. This technique will become a great help in your future progress."
Listening to the Third Hokage's explanation, Naruto's