After some effort, Ruri had successfully stood on the surface of the water. Now he began trying to take a few steps across it.
At first, Ruri was not used to walking this way and nearly fell into the water several times. But once he got a feel for how to use his chakra, he grew increasingly confident, until walking on water gradually became just like walking on land.
Once he was comfortable walking on water, Ruri returned to shore and began practicing tree climbing.
"Now that I think about it, being reborn into the Hyuga Clan wasn't such bad luck after all!" Ruri said with a smile.
"All right, time to practice tree climbing!"
Having mastered Water Walking, Ruri felt that the easier task of tree climbing would be no challenge at all.
Using the same principle, he released chakra through the soles of his feet, attaching them to the trunk like suction cups. He looked like an octopus walking up a tree, and on his first attempt, he successfully walked from its roots all the way to the top.
Standing at the treetop, Ruri looked down at the ground and said, "Hehe, does this make me a monster? I've learned two skills so quickly!"
Learning to walk on water and climb trees with chakra so quickly demonstrated both the Hyuga Clan's exceptional chakra control and Ruri's considerable talent as a ninja.
Even other members of the Hyuga Clan would not have been able to learn both skills in a single day.
"It's already noon before I knew it. I'm getting a little hungry. There's Small River right here, so I'll see if it has any fish or shrimp and make do with those for lunch. After eating, I'll start practicing the Shadow Clone Technique!"
Indeed, Ruri had not eaten a thing since that morning. It would have been strange if he had not felt hungry.
With that, Ruri leaped down from the tree with a graceful backflip and walked over to Small River. Its water was so clear that he could see every fish and shrimp inside.
In his previous life, Ruri had attended summer camps and similar activities, so he knew all about finding food in the wild.
Before long, Ruri caught several fish. He cleaned them and set them aside, then put together a cooking rack, lit a fire, and began grilling them.
In less than ten minutes, the aroma of fish began wafting through the air. Standing beside the rack, Ruri watched the fish slowly turn golden, and his mouth watered.
Once they were ready, Ruri wolfed them down. Before long, he had finished every fish he had grilled.
"Ah, I'm stuffed. Looks like the skills from my previous life are still pretty useful in the world of Naruto," Ruri said, sitting on the ground and rubbing his stomach.
"All right, time to practice the Shadow Clone Technique. This technique shouldn't be too hard either!"
With that, Ruri pulled a palm-sized scroll from inside his clothes.
The Shadow Clone Technique was a B-rank ninjutsu developed by Konoha's Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju. Originally created for espionage, it could produce bodies identical to the caster's, with the caster's chakra divided equally among all the clones.
Compared to the illusory doubles created by the ordinary Clone Technique, the Shadow Clone Technique could be considered flawless and far more powerful.
It was a ninjutsu that created physical bodies. Unlike the ordinary Clone Technique, these clones were solid and could attack.
It could be used with various ninjutsu, and when a shadow clone was attacked or voluntarily dispelled, its memories and experiences would be passed back to the original.
"This is probably the only thing my parents in this life left me."
Naruto Uzumaki, the protagonist of the original anime, had mastered this ninjutsu and used it to fight and train as though he had a cheat.
Looking at the scroll in his hands, Ruri thought about his background and could not help feeling a little wistful.
Ruri shook his head and put those thoughts aside. Then he opened the scroll and carefully read its contents.
The scroll described the practical steps and principles behind the Shadow Clone Technique in detail, and included drawings of the hand seals needed to perform it.
The explanations were so clear that anyone could learn from them. The scroll seemed particularly suitable for children.
After reading the scroll, Ruri began forming hand seals according to the illustrations.
Ruri closed his eyes tightly and circulated the chakra within his body as the scroll instructed.
Poof!
A cloud of smoke rose around Ruri. When it cleared, someone who looked exactly like him appeared at his side. But this "Ruri" looked utterly listless, sprawled limply on the ground like a dummy.
"Ah, looks like the Shadow Clone Technique really isn't that easy!"
Learning the Shadow Clone Technique was not as simple as Ruri had imagined. Unlike tree climbing and Water Walking, he could not get it right on his first attempt. Looking at the version of himself sprawled on the ground beside him, he suddenly found it rather funny.
Ruri remembered that the clone Naruto Uzumaki had created during his exam in the original anime had looked just like this. He said, "Even the protagonist couldn't master the Shadow Clone Technique that easily. Looks like this technique really isn't simple!"
Before you continue