Chapter 30: Shadow Clones
With Kurama's heartfelt apology and newfound willingness to cooperate, Naruto finally harnessed the immense power of the Nine Tails. There was a catch, though. The intricate seal binding the beast within him still held some of its powers back. It seemed that Kurama, after being chosen by the Sage of Six Paths, had also acknowledged Naruto's worthiness.
However, Naruto wasn't about to let the seal go so easily now. He might not have the physical key to the Seal, which appeared to be residing with a toad atop Mount Myōboku, but he had his wits. He contemplated unearthing the seal's secrets, and perhaps the talisman held the key to its release. Or, he could bide his time, confident that he'd unlock the seal with his own strength when the moment was right.
Finally achieving the half-tailed transformation, Naruto breathed a sigh of relief. He had newfound power to protect himself, and equally important, it put an end to the old fox's prying eyes from the Hokage.
Now, he intentionally disrupted his Chakra flow. Would Hokage still be able to keep tabs on him with their crystal ball? Unlikely. After all, they couldn't anticipate his newfound ability to cloak himself in Nine Tails' Chakra. It would take an intricate knowledge of the nature of Nine Tails' Chakra to even begin to guess.
"As they say, 'starving courage is dying courage.' It's time for some real practice," Naruto muttered to himself, setting his gaze on a nearby tree.
Though it was winter, Naruto's training grounds remained in the rugged back mountains. Today, however, marked a departure from his usual routine.
He stood before a thick, sturdy tree, his expression unusually serious. Just as Kurama started to wonder what he had in mind, Naruto lifted one foot and pressed it against the tree trunk. He followed up with the second foot, and then... silence.
He fell.
But this wasn't an ordinary fall. It wasn't due to both feet losing contact with the tree simultaneously. In fact, Naruto had already mastered the art of tree climbing – a technique that involved using Chakra to adhere the soles of his feet to the trunk and ascend without the need for his hands.
However, the sound of a resounding 'click' echoed as the massive tree crashed to the ground, bearing the imprint of his feet at the fracture point.
Kurama, bewildered by this turn of events, couldn't help but inquire, "What on earth are you doing?"
Naruto clambered back to his feet, his hand rubbing the back of his head as he explained, "I was practicing tree climbing exercises. It's all about precision Chakra control, but I didn't expect it to be this tricky. Too much Chakra, and you knock the tree over, too little, and it's like Chakra starvation. It seems I've been taking it for granted."
Tree climbing exercises, it appeared, weren't as straightforward as they seemed. They required finding the right balance – not too much Chakra, and certainly not too little. Though they were considered basic in the realm of ninja training, mastering these foundational techniques paved the way for more advanced feats. With precise Chakra output, one could conserve their reserves, making every Chakra unit count.
For example, with the same Chakra volume, one ninja could create five clones, while another, with their refined control, could muster ten. It was this kind of mastery that set the true shinobi apart, making them capable of performing feats others could only dream of.
Improving combat effectiveness is a crucial goal, not to mention the increasing demand for precision in Chakra control, whether it's in the practice of ninjutsu or more advanced techniques like the Truth-Seeking Ball and Tailed Beast Bomb.
A solid foundation is the key to smooth progress, and Naruto understood this well. With determination, he sought out another tree. This time, he proceeded more cautiously, lifting one foot off the ground and testing his Chakra control with a single foot.
It took time and patience to find the right balance, the point where he could firmly attach himself to the trunk without harming it. Slowly and carefully, he ascended the tree.
Naturally, this wasn't a game, and there were inevitable stumbles. At one point, he accidentally stepped on the tree trunk while in a half-tailed animalization mode, his Nine Tails Chakra coat brimming with rich Chakra entities. There were other instances when his restrained Chakra output caused him to lose balance and fall.
Luckily, Naruto's exceptional physique protected him from serious injury. In addition, he had a clever way to monitor his Chakra flow. Unconstrained by the Hokage's crystal ball surveillance, he could use his powerful insight to observe his own Chakra flow, making his practice more efficient.
Yet, Naruto chose not to take shortcuts, fully aware that they might lead to temporary success but weaken his overall progress. He contemplated the advantages of the Shadow Clone technique, which could accelerate his training. He muttered to himself as he failed for the tenth time, "If I could use the Shadow Clone technique now, or even multiple Shadow Clone Techniques, that would be different. It would be a more substantial shortcut, doubling the experience and body awareness. It's efficient and worth the effort."
He knew the unique power of Shadow Clone techniques. These clones could inflict actual damage, but they also had their drawbacks. Although the injuries weren't transferred back to the original body, the pain and fatigue from the clones' activities still affected him. This made multiple Shadow Clone Techniques, in particular, a challenge, given their enormous Chakra consumption and physical strain.
It occurred to Naruto that only someone with a Jinchuriki's level of Chakra capacity and resilience could handle such a technique.
What intrigued him the most was the connection between Shadow Clones and their creator. The experiences and memories of the Shadow Clones could be transmitted back to the original body. This made Shadow Clone techniques invaluable for gathering information and speeding up training.
Naruto pondered, "If I could create Shadow Clones now, even if I could only manage five, it would be like having six individuals simultaneously practicing tree climbing. The training speed would skyrocket."
Regrettably, he hadn't had the opportunity to learn this technique yet.
Someone's voice interrupted his thoughts. "You said Shadow Clone? I think I can."
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