Special Training

The clear stream flowed quietly across the ground, and the riverbank, piled with fine sand, was bordered by a lush forest. Countless tiny specks of light danced in the air, carried by a gentle, warm breeze.

It was a rare scene of tranquility, yet the absence of birdsong left it feeling noticeably incomplete.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

Violent sounds of weapons clashing echoed along the stream. Long blades sliced through the air, and shuriken flew like streaks of light. Though only a few figures were locked in combat, the fierce, desperate intensity of their struggle was enough to rattle the soul.

Four figures leaped and darted across the forest and stream, locked in pairs. They wielded their blades mercilessly, their cold, sharp strikes and relentless momentum showcasing the essence of swordsmanship: speed, precision, and lethality.

As one figure clashed with his opponent, he suddenly performed a shunshin to the rear. He stepped onto the stream, sending up a massive spray of water. As he leaped back, he swung his blade forward; the dark steel cut through the curtain of water, and the surging liquid clung to the blade like a wave of energy, slashing horizontally toward his opponent.

His opponent did not retreat in the slightest. As the other leaped back to strike, he used his blade like a sword, thrusting it straight down toward his foe's form.

The gleaming tip of the blade surged forward, instantly piercing the spray of water. It met the black streak hidden within the mist. In the next instant, the air exploded. Blade met blade with a sharp, metallic ring, creating a ring of mist at the point of impact. A powerful shockwave erupted, shattering all the surrounding water into a fine fog.

Before the mist could dissipate, both men retracted their blades to shed the force of the blow. The figure walking on water slid backward while simultaneously pulling four shuriken from his robes, hurling them into the mist without even looking.

As the massive force surged from the blade, the figure on the bank did not retreat but instead pressed forward. He gripped the hilt tightly, pulling the blade back, and as his body surged forward to align with the steel, he pressed his chest against the back of the blade. He spun his entire body, his feet carving a circle into the ground. He used his body to guide the force of the blade, leveraging the momentum to continue his advance, returning his sword to the perfect position for a draw-strike.

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

The figure on the bank did not retreat but advanced. He raised his blade with even greater speed than before. As the opponent's shuriken tore through the mist, he drew his sword in a flash. A silver glint seemed to dance across the dark steel—a strike like a rift in the heavens—instantly knocking aside all four shuriken. He then shifted his grip to a double-handed reverse hold, and with a surging, overwhelming momentum, he moved with near-teleporting speed, passing straight through the figure behind the veil.

Boom!

A shockwave exploded. The figure on the stream was struck and instantly burst into a cloud of mist. The other figure, having passed through his target, slid a long distance across the water before coming to a halt. He stared at the spot where his opponent had vanished, his expression remaining blank, as if he had expected this all along.

"Zi!"

The remaining figure stood motionless. He formed the Rat seal, and with another burst of mist, he too vanished without a trace.

Just as these two figures decided the outcome of their duel, the battle in the nearby forest was also drawing to a close. Compared to the riverside, this environment was a complete wreck. Not only were broken branches and leaves scattered everywhere, but the thick tree trunks were also scarred with numerous blade marks. Within a radius of several dozen meters, the ground and the trees were riddled with kunai and shuriken.

Ping! Ping! Ping!

Boom!

A shuriken struck three others in mid-air in rapid succession. Yet, the continuous collisions did not knock it down; its speed remained unchanged. It ricocheted off the other shuriken, changing direction in the air like a nimble swallow.

Just as it grazed past a large tree, another dark shadow appeared in its path.

Ping!

With a crisp metallic clash, the shuriken knocked aside another, but was itself deflected in the opposite direction.

Boom!

With a dull thud, the shuriken pinned itself into the figure hiding behind the tree.

Looking at the shuriken right before his eyes, the figure behind the tree stared in astonishment, but he had no time left to dodge.

The shuriken pierced the figure's skull, and immediately after, the figure burst into a cloud of mist. At the same time, the shuriken that had pierced his body fell limply to the ground.

Shortly after this figure vanished, not far away, another figure collapsed limply to the ground.

"Haa... haa..."

Yuehua Ai panted heavily, sprawled out on the ground in a star shape. His training gi was filthy and disheveled, sweat mixed with dirt, making him look incredibly wretched.

His once-smooth hair was now matted into clumps, his naturally ruddy and composed face had turned deathly pale, and even his calm eyes were replaced by an unconcealable exhaustion.

Everything that had happened before, whether the battle by the stream or the fight in the forest, was actually Yuehua Ai's training. All of it stemmed from his unique method of cultivation.

The three figures other than himself were, in fact, his Shadow Clones. On the road to Konoha with Jiraiya, Yuehua Ai had not forgotten his training while eating, drinking, and having fun with him. It was during that time that he had proposed learning the Shadow Clone Technique to Jiraiya.

The Shadow Clone Technique was a B-rank ninjutsu, not particularly difficult. In Konoha, any Chunin or higher had access to it if they wished to learn.

Although the Shadow Clone Technique was developed by the Second Hokage, Senju Tobirama, after several wars, it was no longer exclusive to Konoha. Thus, Konoha had lowered the barrier for learning this technique. Since his disciple wanted to learn it, and it was a technique no longer involving village secrets, Jiraiya naturally had no reason to refuse.

Unlike the illusions created by the basic Clone Technique, the Shadow Clone could create a physical body identical to the caster, and the caster's chakra would be divided equally among the clones. If the number of clones was too high, the caster would easily face energy depletion after splitting their chakra, leading to life-threatening danger. Therefore, to prevent ninjas from abusing the technique and endangering themselves, the village generally forbade Genin and below from learning it. The A-rank Multi Shadow Clone Technique, based on the original, was even listed as a forbidden jutsu. If a caster of the Multi Shadow Clone Technique did not possess chakra far beyond the average person, using it was essentially suicide.

Of course, the Multi Shadow Clone Technique was recorded in the Sealing Scroll, and ordinary ninjas had no chance of encountering it. Thus, most ninjas who knew the Shadow Clone Technique only knew the basic version.

Although splitting chakra was a major limitation for most ninjas, it could not overshadow the unparalleled superiority of the Shadow Clone Technique. Because the physical entities created by the technique could feed back everything they experienced to the original body upon dispelling.

Even though a Shadow Clone would vanish when attacked, for an ordinary ninja, this meant that as long as a Shadow Clone existed, the caster could gain several times the learning speed through their clones.

Yuehua Ai had long yearned for this technique, so once he obtained it from Jiraiya, he naturally studied it extensively.

Yuehua Ai's chakra was only slightly higher than that of an average ninja. If he went all out, he could create over a dozen clones, but those clones lacked the ability to act; they were merely physical bodies compared to standard clones.

To maintain clones capable of properly executing the ninjutsu he knew, Yuehua Ai could only create one. But if he restricted them to taijutsu without using ninjutsu, he could create three clones with perfect mobility. If the number exceeded three, however, the clones' movements would become sluggish, like machines.

Initially, Yuehua Ai only used his Shadow Clones to think about chakra application and study knowledge. But on one occasion, he discovered that his Shadow Clones were different from others.

His clones possessed far greater resilience than anyone else's. As long as there was sufficient chakra stored within them, they would not dissipate even if they sustained damage in battle. Clones that did not easily vanish when attacked were undoubtedly an extremely abnormal phenomenon.

Later, Yuehua Ai conducted a comparative study of his special situation. By comparing his clones with Jiraiya's, he discovered that when he used the technique, he infused his clones with pure spiritual energy. This spiritual energy not only harmonized the chakra within the Shadow Clone but also acted as a binding agent, aggregating the chakra. This resulted in his clones possessing an anti-strike capability that others lacked. Of course, this ability was built upon his super-strong spiritual energy output. To make his clones fight like normal people, besides chakra, he had to expend an additional amount of spiritual energy equivalent to that of an ordinary person.

Naturally, the effect of spiritual energy was not limited to strengthening the clones' durability. Yuehua Ai later discovered that as long as he increased his spiritual energy output to the Shadow Clones, their autonomy would also increase significantly.

After spending some time figuring out his situation, a thought couldn't help but well up in Yuehua Ai's mind.

What was he lacking most in these three-plus years of training?

Yuehua Ai told himself it wasn't ninjutsu or weapons, but actual combat experience!

The importance of combat experience to a ninja was no less than the foundation of ninjutsu training. Although he had two years of mission experience with Yahiko and the others in Amegakure, they had only been killing petty thieves or ganging up on lone ninjas. When it came to true life-and-death trials, they were still far behind.

Although ninjas undergo many trials, most never truly encounter a life-or-death struggle, because those who have are either still alive or already dead. Experience gained between life and death is incredibly important for a ninja, as only those who can still unleash their full power under the terror of death have a greater chance of survival.

Reflecting on his own shortcomings, Yuehua Ai soon decided to use Shadow Clones to subject himself to a life-or-death trial. Relying on the feedback mechanism of his Shadow Clones, his unique clones would not only be able to identify his weaknesses during a deathmatch, but also allow him to experience that feeling of teetering on the edge of life and death.

Such a deliberate trial is impossible for others, because their clones maintain a mental connection with the original body. Even if a clone were to fight its original, it would feel like nothing more than one's left hand fighting the right; they could never replicate the sensation of a true, desperate struggle.

However, just because others cannot do it does not mean Yuehua Ai cannot. After imbuing his clones with sufficient mental energy, their autonomy becomes equivalent to that of an ordinary ninja. By severing his control over them and issuing a command to fight, the clones, while retaining the original's abilities, will launch full-scale attacks against one another.

Releasing control and relying entirely on the clones' autonomous capabilities is the core of Yuehua Ai's unique training method.

The clones possess all the abilities and combat instincts of the original body. Once mental control is severed, the clone acts like a programmed computer, executing the original's orders without reservation. From this, life-or-death battles between clones, and between clones and the original, are born.

The clones that survive the battle will autonomously dispel themselves, feeding everything they experienced in combat back to the original body, thereby granting Yuehua Ai that portion of desperate, life-or-death experience.

As for what happens if a clone kills the original body during their fight?

Heh, then that's just how it goes. If he can't even beat his own clone, he might as well just die.