He could only stop for a moment to resume refining his chakra. "If one-third isn't enough, what if I split half of my chakra to create a clone?" The idea was electrifying. "Alright, once my chakra is fully restored, I'll give it a shot!"
Not long after, thanks to his special physique and his increasingly skilled Chakra Refining Technique, his energy was fully restored. It didn't take much time at all.
Naruto took a deep, steadying breath. He directly allocated a full half of his chakra to the single clone he was about to create.
"Clone Technique!"
*Poof!* With a familiar puff of white smoke, a perfectly solid, utterly identical physical clone finally appeared before him! Naruto was completely exhausted but overjoyed.
"I… I succeeded! This is a true, physical clone!"
His clone started laughing, its voice identical to his own. "Yeah, this is great!"
Naruto jumped in surprise. "W-wh-what?! You… you can talk?!"
"Of course I can!"
Naruto had no idea that, in his reckless pursuit of strength, he had unconsciously and independently created the Shadow Clone Technique, a jutsu that far surpassed the ordinary Clone Technique!
In the Hokage's Office, watching this scene unfold in the crystal ball, the pipe slipped from Hiruzen Sarutobi's slack jaw, clattering against the stone floor. "Th-that's the Shadow Clone Technique… invented by the Second Hokage himself! Naruto has actually taught himself and recreated it with his own power?! Could he… could he truly be a genius?!"
The Shadow Clone Technique. In today's ninja world, it was certainly not new anymore. It could even be said to be widespread. But in reality, this was not a ninjutsu that had existed since ancient times. It was a creation of the Second Hokage, Senju Tobirama, originally intended solely for espionage and gathering information. Now, it had been spread and mastered by almost all of the Five Great Ninja Villages, becoming one of the essential ninjutsu for any excellent ninja.
Hiruzen Sarutobi stared blankly at Naruto and his newly formed Shadow Clone, not even noticing that his precious pipe had fallen. He didn't know how the Second Hokage had created the technique back then, but now, he had personally witnessed Naruto independently recreating it! It was crucial to remember that at Naruto's current level, it was impossible for him to have ever encountered the Shadow Clone jutsu. The Ninja Academy certainly wouldn't teach such a high-level technique. In short, Naruto was an absolute, self-taught genius!
Hiruzen Sarutobi thought of Naruto's training when he had visited his home: the multitasking combined with the Clone Technique. "Was that the source of his inspiration? To merge the two concepts into one, creating a clone with a physical body that can act independently? But even with inspiration, what kind of ninja would be so reckless as to experiment directly?"
Creating a new ninjutsu was no easy task. Not to mention the difficulty, the accompanying dangers were unimaginable. Just like Naruto had done, constantly increasing the amount of chakra he allocated, even to the extent of one-half of his total reserves—a single mistake could have easily depleted his chakra, or even led to complete physical exhaustion, with very serious consequences. But, precisely because he was Naruto, he dared to think this way, and he dared to do it!
Hiruzen Sarutobi remained silent for a long time before letting out a deep sigh in the darkness. "Naruto… it seems that everyone, including me, in the entire ninja world has underestimated you. Apple doesn't fall from tree afterall!"
The ANBU ninja secretly monitoring and protecting Naruto were equally dumbfounded. Creating a new ninjutsu was something that only legendary ninja could typically do. Let alone a genin-in-training like Uzumaki Naruto, even among all the Jonin and Elite Jonin in Konoha Village, how many could truly achieve it?! They exchanged glances, looking at each other in dismay, as if they were re-evaluating Naruto's strength. In their eyes, as they looked at the boy again, there was a new hint of surprise and even admiration.
Naruto looked at the Shadow Clone that could communicate with his main body. He was both shocked and delighted. He had actually created a solid clone! Moreover, it had its own thoughts, could talk, and could communicate!
"Th-then, can you also fight?"
The Shadow Clone Naruto said proudly, "Of course I can! I can do everything you can do!"
Naruto was overjoyed. "Th-then, do you want to try sparring?"
"Dattebayo! I won't lose to you!"
In an instant, the "two" of them prepared for battle, then shouted and charged at each other simultaneously! Because the chakra had been perfectly divided, there was almost no difference between the Shadow Clone and the main body. Forget about the Byakugan or the Sharingan; not even the most advanced dojutsu could tell them apart. As for their strength, they were perfectly, equally matched.
Their fists and feet collided fiercely, unleashing a powerful shockwave! Naruto felt that his solid clone's strength was indeed not inferior to his own! He was ecstatic, and his fighting spirit was ignited even further. "Good! Then let's have a great battle!"
The two of them quickly fought, turning the small room into an intense battlefield. However, with identical minds and bodies, it was inevitable that they couldn't break each other's moves. But Naruto was enjoying it immensely.
Until the end, with a Leaf Whirlwind to decide the winner, the Shadow Clone also unleashed this ultimate technique. The two clashed, and although both were sent flying, Naruto only felt pain, while the Shadow Clone finally disappeared, leaving only a puff of white smoke behind.
"Huh? it disappeared" Naruto felt a sudden sense of loss. "So that's how it is. Although it's exactly like me, its defensive power is ultimately not as good as the me. It disappears when it takes a physical attack. Then… I'll just have to make another one!"
Naruto immediately took action, reallocating half of his chakra and creating another Shadow Clone! Hiruzen Sarutobi's pipe, which he had just picked up, trembled slightly in his hand once again. "Naruto, if he keeps this up, it will be very dangerous…"
Hiruzen recognized the danger. Draining one's chakra completely was a desperate gamble, one that could force out the Nine-Tails' chakra. But without a powerful ninja present to control the outcome, it could be fatal. Now that this boy was experimenting so recklessly by himself, something serious might really happen. Hiruzen Sarutobi immediately prepared to notify the Anbu to intervene and stop Naruto at any time. But just then, Naruto recreated a Shadow Clone, but he didn't continue fighting.
Instead, he started chatting with it.
No one understands oneself better than oneself. For the first time, Naruto had a companion to chat with before going to sleep late at night. Even though it was just a Shadow Clone, he was still overjoyed.
Hiruzen Sarutobi and all the Anbu members sighed in their hearts. "He's treating the Shadow Clone as a ninjutsu to dispel his own loneliness and solitude… sigh…"
Naruto chatted with his Shadow Clone for a long time, and the System didn't even stop them. Clearly, Naruto's performance in independently creating the Shadow Clone had surprised even the cold, mechanical system; this was an excellent talent beyond anyone's imagination. As Naruto and his Shadow Clone chatted, he finally drifted off to sleep involuntarily. This time, he fell asleep with a smile on his face. Naruto's Shadow Clone looked at its main body, also sleeping beside it, and soon fell into a dream as well.
However, Shadow Clones cannot last forever, especially a Shadow Clone that Naruto had just created. In his sleep, this Shadow Clone still turned into white smoke and disappeared. Strangely, his sparring partner in his dream that night also changed from Sasuke to himself.
Naruto was incredibly excited, fighting himself to a complete standstill. Perhaps… he was his own best friend, and his own best opponent.