Shortly after, a young female nurse named Otohame—who handled various chores—patiently removed the splints immobilizing his hands and feet.
Confined for so many days, Daigan couldn't help moving his stiff joints once his arms and legs were finally free.
"Finally healed. Thank you for looking after me, Miss Otohame."
Daigan thanked her sincerely.
Mitachi, the doctor with the stern face who barely communicated with him, clearly found the less-than-obedient Daigan disagreeable. Only this twenty-one-year-old young nurse was willing to exchange a few words with him when practically no one else paid him any mind.
"Be gentle. The fractures just healed; the bone is still fragile. If you're careless, it could break again, and that would be a real hassle."
"Got it. Miss Otohame is young and beautiful and takes such good care of people—why don't you have a boyfriend?"
"How do you know I don't have a boyfriend?"
Nurse Otohame asked, puzzled.
"It's been so many days, and I haven't seen anyone who might be your boyfriend come by even once. You work late shifts and go soak at the hot springs alone to relieve fatigue. A girl with a boyfriend wouldn't act like that."
Daigan replied matter-of-factly.
"How do you know I often go to the hot springs?"
The young woman in the prime of her youth was currently focused on work and had no time for boyfriends, but that didn't mean a boy five years younger should tease her about it.
"Did you sneak out on your little outings to peep at the women's baths?"
Otohame's expression turned unfriendly as she looked at Daigan.
"Miss Otohame, where did your mind go…"
Daigan hastily denied it. That sort of stain on his reputation absolutely could not stick.
"I just heard it mentioned by others. Miss Otohame, you're youthful and lovely with gorgeous skin—a model Yamato Nadeshiko. Plenty of male doctors talk about you behind your back, and quite a few female nurses envy you. For example, Miss Kaoru mentions you all the time."
"Really? You're quite the talker. But flattering me won't get you any special treatment."
"Where's the flattery? I'm just telling the truth. Miss Otohame is admired by so many people at the hospital."
"Now you're going too far."
Otohame laughed bashfully, taking it as nothing more than a young boy's nonsense. After tidying up the slightly messy room, she said goodbye to Daigan and left to go home for the day.
After sunset, the sky gradually darkened. Konoha Hospital was in a relatively remote location; once night fell, the area grew quiet.
Having moved his body a bit, Daigan could finally try forming hand seals and performing jutsu.
First: the Shadow Clone Technique.
A complete seal sequence required forming eight seals in under four seconds—Ram, Serpent, Dragon, Rat, Serpent, Boar, Snake, Tiger. Its complexity was worthy of its B-rank learning difficulty. Once mastered, it could theoretically be simplified to three seals: Sheep, Snake, Tiger.
But according to Daigan's observations, the higher-level A-rank forbidden jutsu—Multi-Shadow Clone Jutsu—only required one seal for Uzumaki Naruto: the Tiger seal, formed by crossing the index and middle fingers of both hands in a cross shape.
As a beginner, Daigan didn't yet have the confidence to take shortcuts. He obediently formed all eight seals in sequence. His chakra suddenly dropped by half, and then a figure identical to him appeared in the room.
"I've been studying this for days and prepared thoroughly; it went smoothly when I finally performed it. But this chakra drain is terrifying."
Though the Shadow Clone Technique originated in Konoha and had spread decades ago—with many Jonin in the Five Great Villages knowing it—few shinobi actually used shadow clones in combat or training.
The trouble lay in the trait where the original and clone split chakra evenly. Unless you were a freakishly talented shinobi like Uzumaki Naruto with virtually unlimited chakra, who could afford such consumption?
Moreover, shadow clones had a limited duration. Shinobi with poor control typically hit their limit at five minutes. That time might extend slightly with proficiency, but it would never reach the point of free spending.
Even though the Shadow Clone Technique had spread among the Five Great Villages, many shinobi still used other types of solid clones.
For instance, Momochi Zabuza used Water Clones, which could only inherit one-tenth of the original's base abilities, but that was usually enough. The chakra cost was far lower than shadow clones, and in the right environment, water clones could even prove more useful.
The trait where memories and experience return to the original after a shadow clone disperses was a mixed blessing. It could be very useful on special dangerous missions, but in most situations, other clones were actually more popular.
Daigan's first shadow clone, as planned, performed the Transformation Jutsu and Substitution Jutsu a few times, then tried manipulating the Substitute Puppet and the puppet doll of Temari—no lag at all.
Five minutes later, just short of six, the shadow clone dispersed with a poof, transforming into chakra that vanished into the air. A strange set of memories and sensations flooded Daigan's mind.
"So that's what the memory feedback feels like. As expected, too few clones don't have much effect."
Using shadow clones to assist in training definitely wouldn't work. Too few had almost no noticeable effect; too many, and his body and mind couldn't handle it—counterproductive.
For Daigan, the value of the Shadow Clone Technique lay in supplementing tactical ability, plus a bit of trial-and-error capacity to avoid danger.
For Uzumaki Naruto, it was a divine skill. For Daigan, it was at best a trump card.
So now, what could he do with the Shadow Clone Technique?
Because his body hadn't fully healed, his shadow clone also suffered from slightly weak limbs.
So there really wasn't much he could actually do. But one question needed verification.
Daigan formed seals again and split off another shadow clone.
"Continue…"
The freshly appeared shadow clone immediately formed seals.
"Shadow Clone Technique!"
Chakra smoke billowed up. A pale, paper-thin figure vaguely resembling Daigan appeared and collapsed limply to the floor.
"Failed. Again. Shadow Clone Technique!"
This time, only a cloud of chakra smoke appeared—not even a ghost of a shadow.
"Failed again."
Daigan's original body nodded knowingly.
"In theory, a shadow clone can also perform the Shadow Clone Technique, but it's likely limited by chakra reserves, making it much harder."
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