Chapter 12: Practicing the Clone Jutsu
Kaito put on a nervous expression and said, "Well, when I was out shopping, I saw a shinobi equipment store in the market, and I noticed training weights displayed in the window."
Genki nodded in understanding and explained, "I see. Curiosity is a good quality, but don't use weighted training yet. At your age, it will negatively affect your physical development and isn't beneficial in the long run."
Then he smiled kindly and added, "I'm glad you asked me first. Next time you have ideas like this, please consult me before trying anything, alright?"
Kaito nodded obediently. After thinking for a moment, he asked, "Sensei, are there any other methods to increase training difficulty safely?"
Genki was somewhat surprised that Kaito was so focused on intensifying his physical training. He thought to himself, Kaito seems satisfied with this new regimen, yet he keeps asking about increasing difficulty. Does he believe this enhanced training will quickly become too easy for him? That's remarkable. I knew he was diligent, but I didn't realize he was this dedicated. I'm even more excited to see his future development now.
Genki continued aloud, "Actually, there is another method. Besides weighted equipment, you can use certain sealing tags to achieve the same training effect without any negative side effects. For example, using a Gravity Seal tag."
Kaito was genuinely surprised by this information. He thought, It seems I really do need to prioritize learning Fuinjutsu.
He showed an enthusiastic expression to Genki.
Genki was pleased with Kaito's enthusiasm and decided to motivate him with a little challenge.
He continued, "However, these sealing tags aren't distributed freely to anyone. And if you want to purchase them yourself, the price is extremely expensive—far beyond what a student could afford."
Kaito was immediately confused internally. He frowned slightly and wondered, What's he getting at? I feel like he's dangling something in front of me.
He decided to play along and sighed, showing a disappointed expression.
Genki was satisfied with Kaito's reaction and continued temptingly, "But don't worry. Do you remember what I said on the first day of class? About the Hokage personally supervising your exams?"
Kaito remained confused but nodded. Genki continued, "If you achieve the highest scores among all your classmates, then you can request a reward from the Hokage himself. You could ask for these Gravity Seal tags to aid your training. But until then, you should focus on the training plan I've designed for you."
Kaito finally understood the game being played. He nodded and thought, Is he dangling a carrot in front of me to motivate me to excel in the exams? This is such a typical adult trick to manipulate children!
Kaito played along perfectly, nodding and showing an excited expression. "Wow, that's amazing, sensei!"
Seeing Kaito's enthusiastic response, Genki smiled, ruffled his hair affectionately, and said, "Good. But remember, besides physical ability, there's also a substantial written theory portion to the exam. If you want first place overall, you'll need to study the academic material as well."
Finally understanding the full picture, Kaito said with feigned enthusiasm, "Okay, sensei! I'll study hard and prepare thoroughly for the final exam!"
Genki was satisfied with his motivational tactic and then departed.
After Genki left, Kaito chuckled quietly to himself and thought, Sigh, it's really exhausting maintaining this act of being a naive child. Although there are some amusing aspects to it, these cunning adults always try to manipulate kids in various ways.
Kaito reflected that it had been the same in his previous life.
Every adult constantly pressured children to be first in everything they did.
Unfortunately, he did actually need to perform well in these exams now.
Still, it was somewhat entertaining watching Genki attempt to manipulate a "child."
The problem was that Kaito wasn't actually a child mentally.
He understood that Genki said this primarily because Kaito rarely participated actively in those boring history lectures.
Come to think of it, Kaito hadn't answered a single question Genki had posed during class discussions.
No wonder Genki wanted to motivate him this way.
It seemed Kaito needed to improve his skill at pretending to pay attention during lectures!
However, he wasn't worried about the actual theory exam at all.
While he wouldn't arrogantly claim to be the smartest person in the classroom, his adult brain was obviously far more developed than these actual children's minds.
These Academy exams would be quite easy for him.
That said, those Gravity Seal tags did make Kaito somewhat concerned.
After all, it would be problematic if someone incompetent applied faulty Fuinjutsu directly to his body.
Kaito decided he should visit the Library later to research knowledge about Gravity Seals and other suppression-type sealing techniques.
Finishing those thoughts, Kaito reviewed the new training plan once more and headed toward the Library.
After entering the Library, Kaito first went to Section 0 to search for chakra control scrolls.
After several minutes of searching, he finally located the appropriate scroll.
Finding a quiet seat, he opened it and thought as he read, I can now walk on walls practically in my sleep! To further improve my chakra control, I still need to attempt proper tree-climbing, and then progress to water-walking. If anyone questions where I learned these techniques, I can just recommend this scroll to them.
This scroll detailed the Leaf Concentration Exercise, tree-climbing training, and water-walking practice.
But to Kaito's pleasant surprise, at the end of this scroll, another more advanced scroll was referenced—one that discussed theories for further refining chakra control beyond the standard exercises.
To satisfy his curiosity, he located that referenced scroll and began reading it carefully.
After finishing it, he analyzed thoughtfully, Interesting.
The scroll proposed a theoretical application where chakra could be used to counteract gravity itself.
By applying a force precisely equal to gravity, one could theoretically float in place. By applying greater or lesser force, one could ascend or descend respectively.
However, no one had yet successfully achieved this technique.
Even Tsunade from the series didn't possess such an ability, and her chakra control was considered among the finest in the entire shinobi world.
As for others who could fly, like the Third Tsuchikage Onoki and those associated with him, Kaito thought they might have used some specialized Earth Release jutsu to reduce their body weight or something similar utilizing Dust Release.
He couldn't quite remember the exact mechanics.
Regardless, it was certainly an intriguing theory.
Perhaps he could experiment with it later when his control reached even higher levels.
Setting aside the chakra control scroll, Kaito decided to focus on his primary objective.
He entered Section E and retrieved the Clone Jutsu scroll.
After opening it, he discovered this technique only required three hand seals.
In sequence, they were Ram, Snake, and Tiger.
Kaito read further into the scroll's detailed explanation. After absorbing the information, he thought, I see. Even though there are only three seals, there's substantial internal chakra manipulation required. The hand seals only serve as a framework and guidance. Simply knowing the seals isn't sufficient to perform this jutsu—one must also understand and execute the underlying chakra molding technique.
Kaito realized this complexity would disrupt his original plans for quickly mastering the Clone Jutsu.
But regardless of the difficulty, he was determined to learn this fundamental technique properly.
After thoroughly memorizing all the important details about the Clone Jutsu, he left the Library.
He returned to his apartment and began practicing the technique in private.
As expected, this jutsu proved quite challenging.
He had to return to the Library numerous times and reread that scroll repeatedly to clarify specific details.
During one such return visit, he noticed Genki observing him and smiling approvingly. Kaito thought with amusement, Did he misunderstand, thinking I'm here studying the history and theory content he teaches in class? Well, that works perfectly for me.
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