Chapter 26: Obtaining the Multiple Shadow Clone Technique

Chapter 26: Obtaining the Multiple Shadow Clone Technique

Whoosh! Whoosh!

The sharp whistling of air filled Central Street as shadowy figures darted across the moonlit sky. Villagers and ninja alike glanced upward, sensing something unusual, though the absence of alarm bells eased their worries. No evacuation orders meant no immediate danger—whatever was happening, it wasn’t their concern.

Izayoi lounged on his balcony’s single sofa, sipping juice while gazing at the stars. The occasional silhouette zipping past his rooftop barely registered. Hours passed until the street grew still, the last flickers of movement vanishing. With a faint sigh, he finally rose and returned indoors.

The lights dimmed shortly after. Emerging from the bath in pajamas, Izayoi’s sharp features softened into a smirk.

Multiple Shadow Clone Technique… secured.

Unbeknownst to anyone, artificial caves near a distant waterfall hosted several figures—variants of Izayoi’s Shadow Clone, their forms melded invisibly into the rock walls. Using a vision technique spanning eighty kilometers, they’d tracked Naruto Uzumaki since he left the Hokage’s office. Every step, every motion, had been observed. Even the Nine-Tails sealed within Naruto and Hiruzen Sarutobi’s watchful Crystal Vision remained oblivious.

As Naruto unfurled the Forbidden Scroll, the clones copied its contents onto blank scrolls, dividing the workload. These weren’t mere clones but perfect illusions—Transformations indistinguishable from reality. Once the theft concluded, they erased all traces, dissolving into nothingness.

Receiving their report, Izayoi felt no urgency to retrieve the stolen scrolls. The knowledge was already his.

Lying in bed, he pondered his upcoming Team Assignment. He’d no doubt Hiruzen had monitored his training—his mastery of tree-climbing, water-walking, low-tier Wind Release, and Fire Release, not to mention the B-ranked Shadow Clone Technique. His Taijutsu and no-holds-barred sparring against Hinata Hyuga’s Byakugan and Sasuke Uchiha’s Sharingan had been effortless victories.

Even compared to prodigies like Minato Namikaze, who’d mastered Wind Release: Rasengan by twelve, or Kakashi Hatake, who’d developed Chidori at thirteen, Izayoi felt his abilities stood second only to theirs. Yet theirs were wartime achievements; his emerged in peacetime. Such a record demanded a fitting team placement. If Hiruzen paired him with average classmates and a mediocre Jōnin mentor, it’d signal disinterest—a green light for Izayoi’s own covert ambitions.

The thought dismissed, he drifted to sleep.

---

The next day, Izayoi retrieved the Multiple Shadow Clone Technique scroll before Hinata or Hanabi Hyuga arrived. Aware of Hiruzen’s all-seeing Crystal Vision, he lay down to study it—letting the Hokage’s gaze fall on nothing but his idle posture.

The technique’s complexity became clear. Unlike standard Shadow Clones, this one required intricate chakra manipulation, its hand seals deceptively simple but its chakra cost staggering. Attempting it without vast reserves risked severe injury or death.

Kakashi Hatake—“the Copy Ninja”—is a walking paradox, Izayoi mused. By five or six, he could already use this. Even with his Sharingan draining chakra for decades, his reserves remain elite. Lose the Sharingan, and his chakra capacity rivals Kisame Hoshigaki’s.

In this era, only a handful could wield the technique. Izayoi now numbered among them.

Relieved he’d resisted using his “newbie gift pack” on Naruto, he rolled up the scroll. With a flick of his wrist, he incinerated it—no need for others to stumble upon it. Hanabi’s curiosity was a risk he’d rather avoid.

---

By noon, neither Hyuga sister had arrived. Izayoi ventured out to buy ninja tools, anticipating the impending graduation exam. Along the way, he spotted Naruto Uzumaki, now a Genin with a forehead protector, fending off Konohamaru Sarutobi’s antics while Special Jōnin Ebisu lurked in pursuit.

Naruto hadn’t noticed Izayoi, who merely glanced away, continuing to the tools shop.

Returning home, he found two pairs of shoes at the door. The sound of clashing blows echoed from the first-floor dojo. Opening the door, he saw Hinata and Hanabi in training gear, Byakugan activated, their fists sending shockwaves as they sparred.

Hinata held back, guiding Hanabi’s strikes. At this stage, Hanabi’s Gentle Fist lacked depth—predictable, her defenses riddled with gaps. Izayoi resolved to teach her chakra control exercises earlier than planned.

“Onii-sama, watch this!” Hanabi suddenly lunged, her chakra-lit fingers blazing blue.

Izayoi vanished, reappearing beside her with a smirk, his bag swinging. A nudge of his foot sent her flying toward Hinata, who caught her with a sigh.

“Both of you? Come on,” Izayoi taunted, flinging his bag aside.

The sisters exchanged glances before charging. Hanabi’s defiant shout and Hinata’s silent, precise strikes filled the room, mingling with the thunderous thuds of their clash.

Half an hour later, the battle devolved into laughter.

“Ow! I hate you, Onii-sama!” Hanabi wailed, biting his arm.

“Still sore from earlier?” Izayoi chuckled, dodging her teeth. “Hinata, heal yourself first—she’s all healed up already.”

“No way! Bite him too, Onee-sama!”

“Haha! Those bruises vanish in seconds—stop licking, it’s ticklish!”

“Nyah! We’ll get you back, Izayoi!”

The dojo echoed with playful chaos, the tension of the night before dissolving into sibling mischief.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end