It had been a few days since Shinra's meeting with Shikaku. Since then, he'd continued focusing on physical training. His savings, however, were almost depleted—most of it spent on his weighted gear.
"At this rate, I might not be able to afford chakra paper for years."
The gear had been so expensive because of the sealing formulas embedded into it. It was the same type of equipment Lee had dropped during his fight with Gaara—dense, chakra-resistant, and reinforced by fuinjutsu.
'I looked for fuinjutsu resources in the academy library, but there's barely anything—just vague descriptions. The major villages must be gatekeeping it.'
Shinra stood up and stared into the mirror. His body had become more defined by the day, though all of it remained hidden beneath his oversized clothing.
After breakfast, Shinra made his way to the academy. Most kids walked in noisy, cheerful groups. Shinra, as always, stood apart.
'I really am becoming more of an introvert the longer I stay in this world… or maybe it's the mental age gap.'
He briefly imagined himself standing next to one of the Chūnin instructors, chatting casually. He shook his head.
'Nope. Cursed image.'
While lost in thought, a small arm wrapped itself around his neck.
"Oh! Did you get taller again, Shinra?"
He turned to find a short figure in a reflective metallic helmet, sunlight glinting off it into his eyes.
"That's called growing up. You, on the other hand, haven't grown an inch since I met you," Shinra said, shielding his eyes.
"Oh, right! I forgot to tell you—Reigen-sensei gave me the Shadow Clone scroll a month ago!" Kenta said with a wide grin.
"You already learned it?" Shinra asked, curious.
Kenta scratched at his helmet sheepishly. "Not at all. I followed the instructions perfectly, but nothing happens. I'm gonna ask Reigen-sensei what I'm doing wrong."
'Is he like Rock Lee… unable to use ninjutsu?' Shinra thought, eyeing Kenta's frame.
They reached the classroom and sat through four hours of droning instruction. When the bell rang for lunch, most students rushed to the playground. Shinra stayed behind.
The Shadow Clone scroll rested in his hands.
'The jutsu itself isn't that complex. The real issue is chakra depletion—it's recommended only for ninja with jōnin-level reserves.
Each clone splits chakra evenly: fifty-fifty for one, a third each for two, and so on. You can manipulate the split, but at the cost of chakra loss. The more uneven the distribution, the less you get back when the clone disperses.'
"So if I am able make a clone with only five percent of my chakra instead of fifty, I might not get anything back when it disappears," Shinra muttered.
He began taking notes in his notebook, already excited to experiment. Pages filled quickly—not just with the jutsu's mechanics, but with ideas.
'Can a shadow clone cast Shadow Clone Jutsu itself? And if it can, does the feedback go to me, or to the clone that created it?'
'Overall, this technique is best suited to ninja with massive chakra pools. Risky for combat—but for training? If it can turn one hour into two, it's a game-changer.'
After school, Shinra hung out with Kenta for a while before heading home. He didn't want to attempt the jutsu out in the open—not until he was sure he wasn't still being watched.
Over the next few days, he dedicated himself to the Shadow Clone Jutsu. Though similar in nature to the basic Clone Technique, each attempt consumed more than double the chakra of both the Earth Release: Double Suicide Decapitation and the regular Clone Technique combined.
It took him fourteen days to pull it off.
'How the hell did Naruto learn the advanced version of this jutsu in less than a few hours?'
He didn't disperse the clone immediately. Instead, he gave it a book he hadn't read and instructed it to memorize the first few pages. When he finally ended the jutsu, a rush of information slammed into his brain.
'Although it causes a headache for a bit… it definitely beats studying the normal way.'
Eager to test more, Shinra moved on to experiments.
First, he had the clone attempt the Shadow Clone Jutsu. It failed.
'Probably due to insufficient chakra… but in theory, it should be possible.'
Next, he tested pain response. The clone felt pain and remembered it—but Shinra didn't experience the pain directly.
"That's definitely a plus. If trauma could transfer back to the user through a clone, that would've been a massive flaw."
Then he drained the clone's chakra to monitor its lifespan. After several trials, he came to a conclusion.
"The clone uses some of its chakra just to exist. For me, it takes around 20% of the 50% I charge it with. For someone like Naruto, it might be less than 0.01%."
He glanced at the clone thoughtfully.
"That means mine can only use the Double Suicide Decapitation Jutsu about twice before dispersing."
Satisfied with the tests, Shinra smiled.
'I'm definitely not attending the academy in person for a while. I'll just send my clone. As far as I remember, only the Rinnegan can tell the difference.'
The next day, Shinra's clone arrived at the academy and played the role of Shinra perfectly. Not even Reigen or Kenta noticed.
Meanwhile, the real Shinra stayed home, beginning work on his next technique—the second basic academy jutsu.
"The Transformation Jutsu."
'Staying cooped up in the house is a pain… but if I can just go out looking like someone else, that changes everything.
Transformation isn't as flawless as a shadow clone, but I plan to train in the woods anyway. It's just an extra layer of safety.'
He had already memorized the three basic academy jutsu, but had only trained in the Clone Technique.
'Let's see… I can turn into another person or even an object, but to do it right, I need to get as much information about the target as possible. Height, weight, body shape, and facial features all need to be on point for it to be flawless.'
He started by attempting the jutsu immediately. In terms of chakra molding, this one was actually the easiest of the three—it relied mostly on chakra control and imagination.
A puff of smoke burst out, revealing a short kid with a metal helmet.
'Anyone would be able to tell that this isn't Kenta. I guess the more familiar I am with the person, the easier it'll be.'
'The person I'm most familiar with would be… myself, right? If I transform into my Earth self, would there be any flaws? Only one way to find out.'
"Transformation Jutsu."
Another puff of smoke—this time, a tall, lean man with black hair and dark eyes appeared in the room.
"I can't spot any flaws, but… a mysterious man with no known background leaving Grandma's house to go into the woods every day is definitely suspicious."
"…Can't I just transform into Grandma?" Shinra blinked. "How did I not think of that earlier?"
'I don't know if I'm still being watched by the police force or Shikaku, or if the investigation has been called off. I just need two more years.
Once I join a genin team, I should be able to avoid being dragged into Root… at least, not against my will.'
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A/N:
Hope you enjoyed the chapter