Before preparations began on the third day, Kiyo asked a very practical question.
"The assessment says we need preparatory knowledge for the Three Basic Techniques." He raised his hand. "How prepared do we need to be? If I prepare thoroughly enough, can I just make a copy of myself to help assess me?"
Takuya said, "No."
Kiyo looked disappointed. "Then I haven't prepared thoroughly enough."
Today's lesson was preparation for the Clone Technique.
There were no actual clones. No smoke, and no second person standing beside them. Takuya merely placed two wooden plaques on the table, one labeled "Original Body" and the other "False Body." They were a foot apart, connected by a thin string.
"The Clone Technique doesn't create another you out of thin air," Takuya said. "At its most basic, a clone deceives the eye and judgment. First, you need to learn three things: position, posture, and flaws."
Kiyo muttered, "Clones have to take classes too?"
Morita Yu said, "You haven't even figured out how to take classes yourself."
The first step of training was to stand behind the Original Body plaque, imagine the position of the False Body plaque, then explain where the false body would be easiest to see through if it existed. The children could not form hand seals; they could only use their positions and words to describe it.
Kiyo said, "The easiest way to see through my clone would be that it isn't hungry."
Takuya looked at him for a long time before unexpectedly nodding. "If you're always shouting that you're hungry, but your clone isn't, then that really would be a flaw."
Encouraged, Kiyo practically lit up.
Morita Yu's answer was properly structured: no shadow beneath its feet, unnatural breathing, and eyes that did not follow people. Zhen Shu said an overly