Chapter 4: The Shadow Clone Technique

On his way home, Natsuro reflected on what he had gained today. In truth, it wasn't much, as the current lessons were primarily focused on explaining the history of Konoha. Only later, once students were sufficiently interested, would they be taught how to extract chakra. However, the textbooks had been distributed, so he could study on his own.

As for the Three Basic Techniques, there wasn't much point in thinking about them right now. The first year of instruction would likely only cover theoretical knowledge and some physical training. This year was meant to give students time to accumulate a certain amount of chakra.

He glanced at the sky; it was still early. The schooling here was indeed quite relaxed. Given the time, his mother was probably still at work. However, remembering her request that he return home early, he decided not to linger and began running home with the books he had received. It was only a few kilometers, but it served as a good warm-up. He couldn't help but notice that the average physical fitness in the world of Naruto was quite impressive.

"I'm home." Natsuro called out habitually after unlocking the door, a routine instilled in him by his mother.

He then froze, surprised to see his mother, who he assumed was still at work, smiling at him. The table was also laden with a feast.

"Welcome home!"

"Mother, why are you…" his voice was filled with surprise.

"Of course, I left work early. Today was your first day of school, so I had to come home early" Shinai said with a smile.

"Hm." No matter what, Natsuro's expression softened. Even though he had lived a previous life, he quickly accepted Shinai as his new mother, recognizing how much she had sacrificed for their family.

"But I'm sorry, little Natsuro. Today is the only day I could take off. From now on, you'll have to go to and from school by yourself. Unlike other children, you won't have family to pick you up…" her mood darkened, as if she was blaming herself.

"It's fine." Natsuro walked over and hugged his mother, sensing her guilt.

"I'm so embarrassed, needing comfort from my own child" Shinai said with a bitter smile, trying to perk up. "To make up for it, you can ask for anything you want, little Natsuro."

"I don't need anything in particular" Natsuro replied after thinking for a moment, content with his current life.

She seemed troubled, as if she genuinely wanted to do something for her son.

Noticing her concern, he decided to ask for something random.

"Oh, today the teacher at the Ninja Academy talked about the history of ninjas, right? So, do you want to become a ninja, little Natsuro?" she asked with a smile.

"Yes, I want to become the strongest ninja" he answered without hesitation.

"In that case, you can ask for any jutsu you want. Your mother has some connections, you know" she said, her eyes lighting up.

But then she realized that Natsuro might not know which jutsu to choose. She hadn't practiced ninjutsu in years and was only a low-level ninja with limited skills. Should she ask her former comrades to demonstrate some jutsu?

"Ninjutsu… if I had to choose right now, I'd want the Shadow Clone Technique" Natsuro said, expressing his genuine desire.

"Huh? Shadow Clone? Why would you want that jutsu? It's somewhat difficult, and most importantly, it's not very useful in combat" she replied, puzzled by Natsuro's choice.

"Well, there's no real reason. I just saw a jonin use it once. It's a solid clone, and I really liked it. Whether it's useful or not, I decided back then that if I ever had the chance, I'd learn the Shadow Clone Technique" he lied, unable to reveal his true reasoning.

His mother's comment about the technique being useless in combat didn't surprise him. After all, he had no intention of using the Shadow Clone for battle. That was a luxury reserved for Naruto or the Uzumaki clan. What he needed was the experience transfer capability of the Shadow Clone, and the technique's difficulty was just right. Although it was classified as a B-rank jutsu, the fact that Naruto mastered the more advanced Multiple Shadow Clone Technique overnight suggested that its difficulty might not match its rank.

However, the B-rank classification did make some sense, given that the technique required a substantial amount of chakra. Only jonin had enough chakra to use the Shadow Clone in combat effectively. Since the jutsu divides the user's chakra evenly, it's mostly useless for lower-ranking ninjas.

But he never intended to use the Shadow Clone in combat. During this time of accumulating strength, having one or even two shadow clones would be very helpful.

As for whether his body could handle it, he had no plans to create hundreds or thousands of clones like Naruto did. He intended to start with just one clone and gradually increase the number if he felt his body could handle it.

"However, this is a rare opportunity. Using it to obtain the Shadow Clone Technique seems like a waste. Why not think it over, or maybe I could ask one of my old comrades to demonstrate some other jutsu?" she suggested, reluctant to use her late husband's opportunity for such a technique.

Although the chance was still available, her husband was no longer around, meaning that obtaining another jutsu later would require her to ask for help from her old teachers. It seemed like too much trouble to trade this opportunity for a B-rank jutsu like the Shadow Clone, which wasn't even particularly useful in combat. She believed it would be better to trade for multiple C-rank jutsu instead.

"Hmm?" he blinked, realizing that his mother's offer was more significant than he had thought. He had assumed she was just talking about some jutsu his father had left behind. But from what she said, it seemed there was a real chance to get the Shadow Clone Technique.

Suddenly, his eyes brightened, and he began to express his determination to obtain the Shadow Clone. After much persuasion, she finally, albeit reluctantly, agreed.

"Fine, the Shadow Clone Technique it is. If it makes you happy, but don't regret it later."

"I absolutely won't regret it! You're the best, Mom!" he cheered.

"Let's eat." she smiled at Natsuro's joy. Oh well, as long as he's happy, it doesn't matter whether he becomes a strong ninja or not.