Moreover, this thing is also a divine skill for probing for information and confusing enemies.
Although Sora's current chakra is low, and he cannot create a large army of clones, creating one or two clones for feigned attacks or escape at critical moments can still increase his chances of survival.
Rubbing his chin, Sora quickly thought in his heart:
'As for the backlash from accumulated fatigue... I have the recovery power of the Azure Dragon Fruit as a foundation. My physical fitness and mental toughness far exceed ordinary people. Enduring the fatigue feedback from a small number of clones should not be a big problem.'
Weighing the pros and cons, Sora increasingly felt this technique was practically tailor-made for his current stage.
Offensive ninjutsu? He has Dragon Breath and dragon-enhanced taijutsu.
Defensive ninjutsu? He has dragon scales.
Speed? He has the Eight Gates and wind element enhancement.
What he lacks is not the power of individual moves, but ways to improve his overall strength and training efficiency.
'It's this one.'
Sora did not hesitate any longer. Pointing at "Multiple Shadow Clone Technique" on the directory, he said to Suzuka who was behind him:
"I choose this one."
Suzuka looked up at him, seeming somewhat surprised that this boy, whose chakra didn't feel particularly vast, would choose this technique notorious for its massive chakra consumption and danger.
But he did not ask any questions, merely nodding calmly.
"Please wait a moment."
He turned and walked towards a scroll shelf with special seals deep inside the room. He carefully took down a dark blue scroll, then took it to the nearby registration desk.
While registering it, Suzuka emphasized the rules as a matter of routine:
"A-rank ninjutsu, Multiple Shadow Clone Technique. The scroll borrowing period is one month. It must be returned upon expiration. During this period, the scroll must not be damaged, copied, or privately taught to others. If there is a risk of robbery or loss, prioritize destroying the scroll. Understood?"
"Understood."
Sora nodded solemnly and took the heavy scroll.
'Multiple Shadow Clones... I didn't expect the first proper A-rank ninjutsu I learn would be this one.'
Feeling somewhat emotional inside, he then carefully put the scroll into his clothes. He nodded slightly to Suzuka and turned to leave the stone room full of secrets.
The heavy iron door slowly closed behind him, sealing those precious knowledge once again.
Sora gripped the scroll inside his clothes and quickened his pace a little.
He was already somewhat impatient to go back and study this new technique.
...
Returning to the somewhat desolate entrance of the orphanage.
Sora's steps unconsciously slowed down, and the gentle figure of Nonō surfaced in his mind.
"Sister now... I wonder how she is doing?"
During his last meeting with Sarutobi Hiruzen, Sora specifically brought up Nonō to him.
Sarutobi Hiruzen was smoking his pipe at the time, speaking in a gentle tone to comfort him, saying the village would never mistreat any ninja who contributed to Konoha, and that Sora need not worry.
After all, from Sarutobi Hiruzen's perspective. In Sora's eyes, the conspiracy against him in the Land of Grass, and the forceful transfer of Nonō, were essentially the work of the same group of people.
How could this child not fear that Nonō might also meet with misfortune outside?
And as the Hokage, even though "Root" nominally operates independently, just as Danzo could reach into the Anbu, how could Sarutobi Hiruzen not have his own eyes and ears within "Root"?
The one sitting on the highest seat of power in Konoha was ultimately him, not Danzo.
As for the Cursed Tongue Eradication Seal, given his status as Hokage and his methods, he naturally had ways to circumvent it.
Therefore, if only to reassure Sora, to prevent him from developing estrangement from the village or the Hokage due to concerns about his sister's safety, Sarutobi Hiruzen would naturally make some arrangements.
At the very least, he would ensure Nonō would not actually die on a mission. This bottom line, he could still uphold.
...
After dinner, Sora returned to his room.
He took out that dark blue scroll and carefully unrolled it.
"Multiple Shadow Clone Technique..."
Looking at the complex hand seals and detailed chakra circulation pathways on the scroll, a flash of excitement appeared in Sora's eyes.
The training difficulty of this technique was extremely high, requiring not only a vast amount of chakra but also precise chakra control ability.
But for Sora, chakra control was not the problem.
His consistent shortcoming had always been chakra amount. On the contrary, his chakra control ability was quite outstanding.
Back when he learned the Clone Technique from Nonō, he mastered it easily in no time, though he couldn't maintain it for long...
'But it's fine. I'm not like Naruto, creating thousands at once. Creating one or two should be no problem.'
Sora took a deep breath and began to carefully study the contents of the scroll.
Time passed minute by minute. Sora became completely immersed in learning the ninjutsu.
It must be said, his ninjutsu talent was indeed not low.
Perhaps because of his two lifetimes, his comprehension and learning abilities far exceeded ordinary people.
In just over an hour, Sora had already grasped the main points of the Multiple Shadow Clone Technique.
'Let's try it.'
Sora stood up and formed hand seals.
"Multiple Shadow Clone Technique."
Poof.
A puff of white smoke flashed, and another "Sora" appeared in the room.
"Success."
Looking at the clone identical to himself, Sora felt a surge of excitement.
Although it was only one clone, this was already the limit of his current chakra amount.
'Indeed, the chakra amount is still too little.'
Feeling the chakra in his body instantly reduced by more than half, Sora couldn't help but smile wryly.
Compared to the monstrous chakra amount Naruto had in the original story, his own chakra was simply pitiful.
'But it's fine. Having one clone is also good. At least it can help me do many things.'
Looking at the clone, Sora began to make plans in his heart.
'First, test the flight ability.'
He willed it, and the clone immediately understood.
The clone concentrated, trying to mobilize the power of the Azure Dragon Fruit.
Hum.
An invisible airflow naturally gathered at the clone's feet, causing it to float slowly into the air.
Although the movement was still somewhat clumsy, and the flight path was wobbly, it was indeed flying.
'Great. The clone can also use the fruit's abilities.'
Sora was overjoyed in his heart.
This meant many of his ideas could be realized.
The clone tried various flight maneuvers in the air. Although the room space was limited, the potential of flight was evident.
'Next, try dragon transformation.'
Sora willed again, and the clone immediately attempted dragon transformation.
The clone's form gradually changed into the appearance Sora had in the Land of Grass, a complete little dragon-man.
'Perfect. The clone can also fully dragonize.'
Sora was quite excited. This meant he could completely have clones conduct dangerous fruit ability development experiments.
Like trying higher-temperature Dragon Breath, or more precise elemental manipulation, even developing new ability forms.
Even if it failed, at most the clone would disappear and fatigue would return. That was always better than the main body getting injured or even disabled.
'This is practically like using a cheat.'
Sora couldn't help but sigh in his heart.
In the original story, Naruto using shadow clones to accelerate training was already a bug-level operation.
And now, he was using shadow clones to develop Devil Fruit abilities. Compared to those in One Piece who trained through bitter hardship, wasn't this operation also a bug?
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