Deep underground in one of Root's bases, the so-called Shinobi of Darkness was receiving a report from one of his close subordinates.
"Lord Danzo, this is the list of talented individuals who are still in the Ninja Academy or haven't yet entered it." The masked man knelt and handed Danzo a sealed scroll.
Glancing at its contents, Danzo felt slightly disappointed. Although he knew such talent was hard to come by, he still desired someone with the same potential as Uchiha Itachi. He had been unable to make a move on Itachi back then due to his status as the clan head's son and the damnable Uchiha clan.
The most impressive name on the list was Kamikaze Shinra. In his second-year exam, he had topped his class despite being an orphaned civilian and had demonstrated strong talent in taijutsu and chakra control.
"This Kamikaze Shinra… why wasn't he inducted into Root two years ago? With this level of talent, he should have been noticed long ago," Danzo asked.
Orphaned children were usually placed under the care of an orphanage, though some chose to live independently and enroll in the Academy. If these children showed talent, they could be easily persuaded to join Root—though some were not given a choice.
"He was under surveillance for a time after entering the Academy, but he didn't display this level of talent back then. However, yesterday he was summoned to the Hokage's office along with his instructor."
'Is Hiruzen planning to recruit him into ANBU already?'
Danzo dismissed the thought and continued reviewing the list.
There were other names—high achievers from various classes. The list wasn't limited to civilians; it also included clan members and even potential shinobi who hadn't yet enrolled. Recruiting them, however, required stricter methods.
After compiling the names he intended to recruit, Danzo forwarded some to Hiruzen while secretly acting on others. Fortunately, Shinra's rising profile had allowed him to dodge that particular bullet.
…..
The person in question was sitting in his bedroom, an open scroll in his hands—the Shadow Clone Jutsu.
'This is by far the most complex jutsu I've seen so far, even though it only requires a single hand seal. Creating one clone gives it half the user's chakra. Two clones divide it into thirds. The maximum stated is five shadow clones.
The scroll also says that unless the user has jōnin-level chakra, they shouldn't attempt more than two. Naruto really was a cheat, being able to create hundreds from the start.'
Having grasped the basics, Shinra began practicing the jutsu. His strong chakra control helped him divide his chakra accurately, reducing waste. If he used less than fifty percent, the jutsu failed; if he used more, the excess chakra was simply lost.
Training took many days, mainly because he needed time to recover after each attempt.
He didn't neglect his physical training either. Using his weights daily, he could already exercise with thirty kilograms on each limb—more than half of its limit.
Finally, after two weeks, he succeeded.
A shadow clone stood before him, identical in every detail.
"How do you feel?" Shinra asked, still uncomfortable speaking to himself.
"I feel exactly the same. No difference," the clone replied, examining its own body.
Shinra tested its functionality by having it read a book he hadn't yet read, then dispelled it.
'Good. Both memories and unused chakra return. Though simply existing consumes chakra, albeit slowly.'
He created another clone and tested its endurance, striking it with increasing force. The first seventy percent of blows didn't dispel it, but subsequent strikes caused it to vanish in a puff of smoke.
"Eight consecutive hits without defending… not bad."
He spent the entire day testing its capabilities.
'It transmits information but not pain. It has all my memories and will make the same decisions I would. Most importantly, it can perform the same jutsu.'
Four Shinras now stood in the room. Those with keen perception would notice that only two were solid—the other two were illusions.
A satisfied smile formed on Shinra's face.
'I can already think of some devious tactics. Letting the enemy believe I only use clones for distraction, then striking from a blind spot… and once they're convinced, a pincer attack with a shadow clone can end the fight. I just need to disguise the smoke effect when the jutsu activates.'
He noted that using ninjutsu caused the clone to disperse once its chakra reached a baseline. At that point, only about twenty percent of its chakra returned to him.
Though he had mastered the jutsu, Shinra kept the scroll a few more days before returning it, just in case an issue arose.
After returning the scroll, he headed to his usual weapon vendor.
'I've stalled this purchase long enough. It's damn expensive.'
Entering the shop, Shinra was greeted with a polite smile.
"Welcome. What would you like to buy?"
"I want a chakra affinity paper."
The vendor raised an eyebrow. "Not to be rude, but those are usually reserved for chūnin. They're quite expensive."
"I know," Shinra replied calmly.
'Is he one of those pampered clan heirs?' The vendor thought for a moment.
"The price is fifty thousand ryō."
Shinra's expression tightened. He pulled out a stack of money, counted it briefly, then turned to leave.
"Wait!" the vendor called. "Where are you going?"
"You said fifty thousand. I don't have that much."
'Aren't they supposed to at least try to haggle over the price? Why did he suddenly turn around and leave with that money.'
Naturally before Shinra would spend such a large sum he did his research, the value of chakra paper ranges from 40,000 to 50,000 Ryo. Although the vendor wasn't scamming him, he still felt like he was being taken advantage of.
The stack of money in Shinra's hand was 38,000 Ryo out of his inheritance. He naturally had more money hidden in his backpack, but this was in case he couldn't low ball the price.
"We can still reach an agreement, how about 45,000 Ryo? that's a full 5000 Ryo discount." The vendor stated as he tried pulling Shinra back into the negotiation, chakra paper was one of the most expensive products in the shop and although he also sold weapons, high level ninja usually order custom made weapons from the blacksmith and only buy the consumables from him.
Shinra turned around and walked back to the counter and placed the 38,000 Ryo on the table, "That's all I have with me."
The vendor's face scrunched up a bit, 'This price borders my lower limit, while still ensuring that I still make some profit. The kid shouldn't know how much I buy these for, is he telling the truth about this being all that he has with him?'
Silence ensued in the shop for some time with neither Shinra nor the vendor speaking for a while.
"Fine kid, you win. I will give it to you for 38,000 Ryo" The vendor said as he gave the paper to Shinra and took the money from the counter.
Though Shinra was very happy, he didn't let it show on his face he thanked him and left the shop quickly to not make the vendor have any second thoughts.
Shinra quietly returned to his home where he met with his clone who was studying the current curriculum. He waited for a bit and channeled his chakra into the chakra paper,
the chakra paper wrinkled up. He smiled satisfied, "Lightning is probably the best element in terms of destructive power and versatility."
——
A/N: Shinra's inheritance is around 100,000 Ryo which is the equivalent of a B-rank missions. After purchasing the weights and the chakra paper he is left with 42,000 Ryo,