Chapter 8: Shadow Clone Jutsu
The Second Great Ninja War ended. The villagers of Konoha were immersed in the joy of victory, busy rebuilding their homes. The discussions regarding Sakumo Hatake gradually subsided under the control of the higher-ups.
Konoha White Fang completely faded from public view. A Genin with the code name Azure Dog, wearing a dog-head mask, joined the Anbu. His mission completion speed and success rate were terrifyingly high, and he was exceptionally loyal to the Hokage. No matter how difficult the task Hiruzen Sarutobi assigned, he could complete it.
At the Ninja Academy, although the matter of Sakumo Hatake had been downplayed, Kakashi still applied for early graduation.
"Kakashi, isn't it too early to graduate now?"
"Tatsumi, I want to start performing missions early to help my father make up for the Village's losses. Besides, I believe my strength isn't bad; being a Genin won't be a problem."
"Alright." Hyuga Tatsumi shrugged, respecting Kakashi's choice. Now that Sakumo Hatake was alive, Kakashi wasn't as extreme, and the chances of his teammates surviving might be higher.
Did this count as him changing someone else's fate?
Would there be a reward?
"Tatsumi, with your strength, you won't learn much at the Ninja Academy anyway. Do you want to team up with me?" Kakashi asked.
"This..." Hyuga Tatsumi hesitated. He didn't want to graduate so early; slacking off at school wasn't bad. But Kakashi's team leader would be that yellow flash—should he seize this opportunity?
However, the distribution of Ninja squads was directly arranged by the Hokage; his own opinion didn't count. According to Hiruzen Sarutobi's philosophy, a Ninja squad usually consisted of one top student, one average student, and one dead last. Even if he and Kakashi graduated early, they would both be top students, so there was a high probability they wouldn't be in the same group.
Thinking of this, he simply gave up. Patting Kakashi on the shoulder, he said, "Forget it. I've been very interested in Medical Ninjutsu lately and plan to stay at school to study it. I won't be joining you. Good luck."
"Alright." Kakashi couldn't hide his disappointment. Since Hyuga Tatsumi's Talk no Jutsu had successfully rekindled his father's fighting spirit, he had come to see Hyuga Tatsumi as a friend he could trust with his life, wanting to do everything together.
Watching Kakashi walk into the examination hall, Hyuga Tatsumi turned around to see a sneaky Might Guy and Obito.
"What are you guys doing?"
"Kakashi actually applied for early graduation. That's so youthful! I want to try too."
The bowl-cut was always so full of enthusiasm!
"If you want to do it, just do it. It's just an exam for the Three Basic Jutsu."
"Ah, they only test Ninjutsu and not Taijutsu?" Guy was dumbfounded. His talent for Ninjutsu wasn't high; after a year of study, he couldn't even use the most basic Three Basic Jutsu properly.
"Hehe, the Three Basic Jutsu? That won't stump this great me!"
Obito was full of confidence, but Hyuga Tatsumi didn't have high hopes for him. He didn't know which deity Obito had offended, but whenever there was an exam, something always went wrong. Despite having strength, his grades were always at the bottom.
Things went exactly as expected. Obito went to the teacher to apply for early graduation with full confidence. On his way downstairs, he ran into Rin Nohara. His infatuation caused him to miss a step and fall straight down the stairs. He had to stay home for two days to recover, missing the graduation exam. When he went to apply again, he was kicked out by the teacher.
"Damn it! That guy Kakashi is just too lucky. He actually graduated early. He's clearly so much worse than me, yet he dares to get ahead of me..." Uchiha Obito raged impotently, refusing to admit defeat.
"Indeed, there's a big difference. You were taught a harsh lesson during the exercise," Asuma Sarutobi rolled his eyes. You dare to act tough in front of me? Watch me slap your face!
"As expected of Kakashi! My youth is burning! Tatsumi, how about running 1000 laps around the school after class?" A certain bowl-cut got fired up again for no reason.
Hyuga Tatsumi held a scroll and read it carefully, not bothered to deal with these attention-seekers. His talk with Kakashi about studying Medical Ninjutsu wasn't a joke. Yesterday, Hyuga Yue had not only given him the Medical Ninjutsu scrolls from the Hyuga Clan's collection but also helped him borrow a Medical Ninjutsu scroll personally written by Tsunade. He had to memorize it quickly.
Perhaps because they focused too much on the Gentle Fist Legacy, despite having such a great cheating tool like the Byakugan, very few people in the Hyuga Clan studied Medical Ninjutsu. The clan's accumulated knowledge of Medical Ninjutsu was very superficial, completely incomparable to Tsunade's Medical Ninjutsu scroll.
This was also related to the fact that Medical Ninjutsu required high attainment in Yin Release. Although the Byakugan was a Kekkei Genkai and did not belong to Yin Release or Yin Release, the ocular technique was closer to Yin Release. This made it difficult for the Hyuga Clan to achieve much in Yin Release.
Hyuga Tatsumi had also tested his Chakra attributes: Lightning and Water, which were completely unrelated to Yin Release.
"Chakra attributes can be cultivated, and Yin Release isn't impossible to master. Besides, who says Lightning and Water can't be used for medical purposes?"
The advantage of the Byakugan in medicine was simply too great. After learning Medical Ninjutsu, it could also assist in Taijutsu training. He didn't want to give up.
Of course, the Byakugan's long-range vision also had great advantages in long-range attacks. However, given a Ninja's flexibility, it was hard to hit with a single-target attack unless it was a wide-area attack, like a Tailed Beast Ball or other map-wiping moves. But even with his cheats, he didn't know how many years it would take to evolve to that level. He couldn't neglect the immediate for the distant.
Now, besides the Family secret techniques, he also had to learn Medical Ninjutsu and develop Chakra nature transformations. He suddenly felt that one person wasn't enough.
Hyuga Tatsumi looked at Rin Nohara, who was seriously practicing the Clone Jutsu nearby. He slapped his head and thought, "What a pig brain! How could I forget the Shadow Clone Jutsu?"
Shadow Clone Jutsu, a B-rank Ninjutsu invented by the Second Hokage, Senju Tobirama. The Clones have independent consciousness, can perform physical attacks, and return their memories and experiences to the original body upon dispersal.
Such a practical Ninjutsu was practically tailor-made for a hard worker!
Previously, he had concentrated on studying the Gentle Fist and didn't care about Ninjutsu. Now that his Gentle Fist had reached a Bottleneck, he could pick up Ninjutsu again.
That night, after getting the Shadow Clone Jutsu scroll from his old man, Hyuga Tatsumi couldn't wait to start practicing. As expected of a technique created by the Second Hokage, the hand seals were simple, but the requirement for Chakra control was extremely high—a pure technical-style Ninjutsu.
Practicing the Gentle Fist already had high requirements for Chakra control, so it wasn't difficult for him to learn. Half a quarter-hour later, as he crossed his middle fingers into a cross, a Shadow Clone appeared.
"What a magical feeling!"
Hyuga Tatsumi pinched the Shadow Clone's face. The touch was exactly the same as flesh; it was incredible.
At that moment, the Shadow Clone suddenly raised its hand and slapped Hyuga Tatsumi's hand away, saying with a look of disgust, "If you touch me again, I'm calling the police."
"Wait, who taught you that?" Hyuga Tatsumi was dumbfounded. This Shadow Clone didn't seem quite right.
"I was split from you. I know everything you know. For example, you were still wetting the bed at age eight, your first crush was your deskmate Xiao Mei, and your first time was to Sato..."
Bang!
Hyuga Tatsumi punched the Shadow Clone, making it explode. He said with a cold face, "Villains die from talking too much."
He formed the seals again to create another Shadow Clone, thinking this one would be more normal. To his surprise, as soon as this Shadow Clone appeared, it gave him a resentful look, then walked over to the desk on its own, sat down, picked up a pen, and wrote:
June 30, Konoha Year 39. I was groped by Hyuga Tatsumi as soon as I was born. I just said a few words to him, and he punched me into dispersal. Because of this punch, I've decided to name myself Hyuga Saitama. In the future, I will definitely smash Hyuga Tatsumi's dog head... Standing behind him, Hyuga Tatsumi felt like he was about to spit out a mouthful of blood. His Shadow Clone wasn't just not right—it was a complete psycho!