Shadow Clone
It was worth mentioning that the reason Shirō was able to take on so many missions in such a short time was due to the fertile land of the Land of Fire, where weeds grew rapidly.
As for trash-cleaning, the prosperity of the Hidden Leaf brought in many visitors every day, and refuse often flowed downstream. Because of this, both weeding and river-cleaning missions were cyclical, appearing regularly.
Since most Genin preferred more "exciting" work, few took on these missions. Shirō therefore had almost no competitors. That's why he was slightly surprised when one of his routine missions was suddenly taken. Still, it wasn't a big deal—it was just a D-rank mission with little pay.
The only unfortunate part was that the interruption broke his mission chain, which meant he would have to save it for last.
When Shirō arrived at the final location, he was surprised to see a familiar face. It was Miyue—unsurprising, since she was the only newly graduated Genin he personally knew.
However, instead of working on the mission, Miyue and her teammates were clearly training. They had collected some of the trash from the water, but progress was slow, and all of them were drenched.
"Eh? Miyue? So it was you who took this mission."
"Hmm? Shirō? What are you doing here?"
"Just another mission. Since I had some spare time, I figured I'd take it."
"Miyue, who is this?" asked one of her teammates curiously.
"Oh, let me introduce you. This is Shirō. He was in the same class as us, but he graduated earlier. He's already a Chūnin now."
"Shirō, these are my teammates: Takeda Ichirō—his Taijutsu is very strong, even though he's a commoner."
"Ah, I remember. I saw him fight during the academy sparring," Shirō nodded.
"This is Yuan Lai Guang, she—"
"What?! Lai Guang?!" Shirō blurted, startling everyone.
"Hey! Don't interrupt me!" Miyue frowned in irritation.
"Haha, go on, go on."
"Honestly… Xiao Guang is skilled in Kenjutsu. Her swordsmanship is very powerful."
"Kenjutsu? Then why didn't she use it during the academy exams?" Shirō asked.
"Because it's too dangerous. She mastered part of her clan's Kenjutsu, but in the exam it was banned—it's too destructive and easy to cause injuries."
"I see…" Shirō glanced at Xiao Guang with curiosity. Recently, Sakumo had mentioned that certain Kenjutsu styles in the village were both powerful and extremely difficult to master. Shirō had skimmed through some records but dismissed them as unsuitable for him. He hadn't expected to meet someone talented in that field so soon.
"This is our teacher, Mitokado Heiichi. He's an elite Jōnin!"
"Mitokado?" Shirō thought to himself. "A relative of Homura Mitokado?"
"Hello, Shirō," Heiichi greeted warmly. "Lord Mitokado has mentioned your name several times. I'm pleased to finally meet you."
"Haha, I don't deserve such praise. I just got lucky."
"Teacher Heiichi, you know Shirō too?"
"Of course. He achieved outstanding results in the Chūnin Exams, demonstrating unique combat techniques. He was even accepted as Lord White Fang's disciple."
"Amazing!" Xiao Guang said with genuine admiration. "He's the same age as us!"
"Tch. What's so special about that? I'll surpass him sooner or later," Miyue said stubbornly.
"Is that so? Well then, Miyue, let's test that." Shirō smiled faintly. "We're the same age, so let's compare directly. You use Fire Release, I'll use Wind Release. We'll see whose jutsu prevails."
"Wind Release?" Miyue smirked. "You know Fire counters Wind, right? Especially the Uchiha clan's Fire Release."
"Don't worry. I know better than you how strong Uchiha fire techniques can be. But remember—just because the clan is powerful doesn't mean every member is. Come on."
Heiichi folded his arms, clearly approving. His students had been slacking in their training, and perhaps a blow from someone their age would knock down their arrogance.
"Teacher, is this really okay?" Xiao Guang asked hesitantly.
"Don't worry. I'll intervene if needed. This will be a good lesson for you all. Watch closely—you'll see the difference between yourselves and a true genius."
The students turned their full attention to the spar.
"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!" Miyue shouted, weaving her seals.
"Haha—Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!"
The two jutsu collided—but Shirō's Wind Release tore straight through Miyue's Fireball, scattering the flames harmlessly.
"Earth Release: Earth Flow Wall!" Heiichi immediately raised a stone barrier to block the gust and protect Miyue.
"What?! Wind Release overpowered Fire Release?!" Takeda exclaimed.
"It's impossible…" Miyue muttered in disbelief.
"It's not impossible," Heiichi corrected firmly. "Shirō's chakra control is on a far higher level than yours. He wasted almost none of his chakra, while your jutsu had openings. The gap between you two is vast."
Shirō smirked. "If you can't even perform Water Walking, you won't be able to beat me. Work on the basics first. As for me, I need to return to training."
"Wait—'main body'?" Xiao Guang repeated, frowning.
Heiichi nodded. "He means this is just a Shadow Clone. It only has a fraction of the original's chakra, yet he still overwhelmed Miyue. That should tell you just how wide the difference is."
Miyue fell silent. After a long moment, she clenched her fists and marched back toward the lake, stepping onto the water to resume her training. She was an Uchiha—how could she accept losing to a commoner her own age? She had to catch up. No—she would surpass him, and humiliate him for this!
Xiao Guang and Takeda exchanged glances, then silently followed her example, beginning their own practice.
Heiichi watched, a satisfied smile tugging at his lips. Falling behind wasn't what mattered—what mattered was the will to improve. Shirō saved him with a great deal of effort.
With a puff of smoke, Shirō's clone dispersed. Heiichi noticed the faint grin the clone wore just before vanishing. For some reason, it gave him a strange feeling.
Meanwhile, the real Shirō received the Shadow Clone's memories…