Chapter 13: Shadow Clone Jutsu

After the opening ceremony, the students were taken back to their respective classrooms by their teachers.

According to the rules, the next step was for each class to do self-introductions.

Uchiha Kiyoshi was once again pulled back into the classroom by Nawaki, and Uchiha Kiyoshi had no choice but to go along with Nawaki's enthusiasm.

However, with Nawaki's personality, although likable, this wasn't the right place. The ninja world could face cruel wars at any time, and it was a cutthroat world.

It would be difficult for someone like Nawaki to survive.

Of course, he was lucky to be reincarnated as a member of the Senju clan.

But even so, his careless nature would always bring him life-threatening dangers. In the original story, falling into a trap set by explosive tags was a perfect example.

Perhaps the higher-ups in Konoha had their calculations, but accidents like these weren't caused by anyone's intent. The higher-ups in Konoha were innocent victims as well.

Back in the classroom, Uchiha Kiyoshi took out his book and started reading.

Although Nawaki kept asking questions, it didn't hinder Uchiha Kiyoshi from reading. Multitasking like this wasn't basic training?

It wasn't exactly multitasking, just simple use of attention. He could listen to Nawaki's voice while reading. Besides, Nawaki's questions weren't challenging, and he didn't need much thought to answer them.

With all the students in their seats, after about half an hour, the teacher finally arrived.

It was the same teacher who had come to inform them about the opening ceremony.

"Hello, from now on, I will be teaching you the theoretical knowledge, and I'm also responsible for managing our class." (Meaning the homeroom teacher)

The middle-aged ninja first explained his position, then started introducing himself.

"My name is Uekura Naoki. I enjoy gardening, and my dream is to become an excellent teacher. Please take care of me."

Saying that, Uekura Naoki bowed.

After straightening up, Uekura Naoki continued.

"Alright, as usual, we need to get to know each other. Although you have already started getting acquainted with each other, let's have a formal self-introduction now.

Just like I did, state your name, hobbies, dreams, and if you want, your area of expertise."

Looking at the lack of enthusiasm among the students, Uekura Naoki wasn't embarrassed. Utilizing a teacher's exclusive skill, he directly called on students.

"Let's start with this student and continue with self-introductions in order."

Uekura Naoki pointed to Uchiha Taiga.

Uchiha Taiga stood up and made his introduction.

"My name is Uchiha Taiga, from the Uchiha clan. I enjoy training, and my dream is to become a powerful ninja."

"Not a bad aspiration. And very well articulated. The next students should follow suit."

Uekura Naoki praised Uchiha Taiga and signaled the next student to introduce themselves.

"My name is Oozora Ken, and I enjoy drawing. My dream is to become an artist."

"My name is Mano Tomoaki, and I enjoy reading. My dream is to write my own novel and have many people read it."

...

Next, various introductions came one after another, ranging from sleeping lovers to food enthusiasts. In short, Uchiha Kiyoshi could only make fun of them. As expected, there were surprises.

When it was Uchiha Kiyoshi's turn, he calmly stood up and delivered the well-prepared speech.

"My name is Uchiha Kiyoshi. I enjoy training, and my dream... Well, it's simply to keep on living! Hmm! That's all."

After finishing, Uchiha Kiyoshi sat back down.

Uekura Naoki felt a headache coming on. He was late by half an hour because the Hokage had called him aside to inform him about a few problematic students in his class and asked him to pay extra attention to them.

Indeed, Uchiha Kiyoshi's issue was not insignificant.

Training was a good hobby. It was just that "keep on living," are you serious? I might not have paid attention, but since the Hokage mentioned it, it seems like it's mixed with the way he speaks and his emotions. He's someone who's afraid of death, no doubt.

However, before Uekura Naoki could catch his breath, Nawaki immediately stood up and shouted his introduction.

"My name is Nawaki, and I enjoy training (can't think of anything else). My dream is to become the Hokage!"

Saying that, Nawaki struck a pose, and his final goal of becoming the Hokage was shouted out loudly.

Uekura Naoki felt tired again. It wasn't a big deal to dream of becoming the Hokage; many people had that dream. But did you have to shout it so loudly? Also, don't stomp on the desk. And why are you so happy? You haven't become the Hokage yet!

Indeed, there was a problematic student with a severe case of chuunibyou (middle school second-year syndrome).

...

"Alright, everyone has finished their self-introductions, and I believe you have gotten to know each other to some extent.

That's all for today's main agenda. There are no classes scheduled for the afternoon, so you can go home. Remember to come to school on time tomorrow.

Oh, right! In order to assess your levels, I will conduct a simple test for everyone tomorrow during the first period."

After Uekura Naoki finished speaking, he turned around and left. He needed to go back and organize the information about this group of students. He had listened attentively during the introductions.

Upon hearing that they were getting the afternoon off, Uchiha Kiyoshi was also surprised. Was it that casual? Just half a day of class and then go home? What kind of operation was this? So, the bento lunch he brought with him was useless?

Soon, Uchiha Kiyoshi realized that not having classes wasn't a big deal. The extra time could be used for other things.

Hmm! Let's practice the Shadow Clone Jutsu.

Although he hadn't been refining his chakra with full effort, his chakra levels had been increasing rapidly.

During this special training, he should be able to use the Shadow Clone Jutsu.

Until now, he hadn't formally practiced any proper ninjutsu! This was a good opportunity to try it out and also verify the effectiveness of his seal research. Was it effective or not? What kind of results could he achieve?

After bidding farewell to Nawaki, Uchiha Kiyoshi returned home and took out the bento lunch in the kitchen to eat.

After satisfying his hunger, Uchiha Kiyoshi went upstairs and found his father's training notes, which contained the training method for the Shadow Clone Jutsu.

Uchiha Kiyoshi flipped through the notes and found the section about training the Shadow Clone Jutsu, starting his research.

Looking at the notes in his hand, Uchiha Kiyoshi gradually understood the training method for the Shadow Clone Jutsu.

The Shadow Clone Jutsu was a collective term for Transformation Jutsu, Clone Jutsu, and Substitution Jutsu.

Among them, the Transformation Jutsu was a method of changing one's appearance. It only altered the appearance and didn't change the substance or quality.

However, the Transformation Jutsu had significant practical uses and was widely applied in many ninja missions. Even if there were some countermeasures, such as the Byakugan, which could perceive the use of Transformation Jutsu, they could only detect that it was being used, not the original form.

In any case, the Transformation Jutsu was still very useful, worthy of being one of the three essential ninjutsu for a ninja.

Next was the Clone Jutsu. In simple terms, it used chakra to create a clone that didn't possess any power or substance. It was somewhat similar to the afterimage left by the Zanzoken technique in Dragon Ball.

Although it had many drawbacks, if used well, it could still be very useful. In the original story, Uchiha Shisui used a combination of the Body Flicker Technique and the Clone Jutsu to create afterimages, confusing his opponents and establishing the reputation of Shisui of the Body Flicker.

Lastly, it was the Substitution Jutsu that Uchiha Kiyoshi looked forward to the most. It was a great technique in the original story! By prepping a ninjutsu on an object, it could be activated to swap the positions between the user and the substituted object.

That's right! It wasn't just an optical illusion; it was a genuine exchange.

However, the subsequent explanation disappointed Uchiha Kiyoshi. The range of this technique was only three meters, or even less than three meters. The entire chakra of a chuunin might not be enough to complete a substitution within a six to seven-meter range. Moreover, the chakra consumption increased exponentially with distance.

It was evident that this ninjutsu was lacking.

However, if used skillfully, the Substitution Jutsu could still be very effective. But it required sufficient calculations. Unfortunately, Uchiha Kiyoshi wasn't good at this kind of manipulation. Dealing with large-scale situations was one thing, but having to calculate so much in every battle was beyond Uchiha Kiyoshi's capabilities.

And there was one more thing, the choice of the substitution object. First, it had to have mass, and it should be able to store chakra, at least temporarily. Therefore, special-treated wooden stakes with a trace of vitality were usually chosen.

But Uchiha Kiyoshi still held high expectations for the Substitution Jutsu. After all, it was a space ninjutsu, and perhaps he could modify it himself!

Moreover, he didn't ask for much. Just changing the range from three meters to ten meters would be enough.

After studying the principles of the Shadow Clone Jutsu, Uchiha Kiyoshi didn't immediately start practicing. Instead, he carefully read the training experiences in his father's notes.

Soon, after finishing reading, Uchiha Kiyoshi prepared to start practicing.

Among the three ninjutsu, Uchiha Kiyoshi didn't directly practice the Substitution Jutsu he anticipated the most. Instead, he practiced the Transformation Jutsu, which consumed the least chakra.

Uchiha Kiyoshi formed the necessary hand seals and controlled his chakra to circulate within his body. Starting from the lower abdomen, it moved to the shoulders and then back to the lower abdomen.

"So, this circulation grants chakra the ability to transform?"

After this process.

"Boom!"

Nothing changed.

For the first attempt, Uchiha Kiyoshi didn't control the timing properly, and the entire process took four seconds.

Uchiha Kiyoshi formed the seals again and controlled the chakra flow.

"Boom!"

Uchiha Kiyoshi transformed into a shape with a big head and a small body.

"Success, but the shaping isn't good. Let's try again."

"Boom!"

...