After stepping out of the Hokage Tower, Kazeo's mind was still restless. His feet moved on their own, carrying him toward the village library. The weight of the storage scroll tucked inside his belt reassured him—it held the Shadow Clone scroll, but at the moment, he wasn't thinking about clones.
He had to do something about his weakness. That illusion had trapped him too easily. It left a sour taste in his mouth, like a bitter medicine he wasn't expecting.
He pushed open the library doors, his movements sharper than usual, his irritation barely concealed. He needed answers. Now.
Settling at a dimly lit corner, he unrolled a scroll on genjutsu basics. His eyes scanned the text rapidly, his fingers tightening around the parchment.
Kai (Release)- the standard method of breaking free by disrupting one's chakra flow.
His brows furrowed as he absorbed the information. 'This is tougher than I expected.'
The chakra molding process was annoyingly intricate. He read further.
Inflicting pain- stabbing himself, biting his tongue, drawing blood. A crude but effective method to snap back to reality. His nails dug into his palm as he considered it. Not reliable against high-level illusions. If I get caught in something like what the Hokage's men did to me, pain alone might not be enough.
I need something better. Something that won't just break genjutsu—but prevent it from taking hold in the first place.
His gaze shifted further down the scroll.
Irregular Chakra Flow - A method where the user constantly fluctuates their chakra in unpredictable patterns, making it harder for genjutsu to latch onto their system.
He ran a hand through his hair, sighing. Keeping a constantly fluctuating chakra flow was next-level stuff. Even high-ranking shinobi struggled with precise chakra control, and here he was, a six-year-old planning to mess with one of the fundamental aspects of chakra manipulation.
Still… it wasn't impossible. And if he could pull it off, it would be a game-changer. He would have to train himself to shift his chakra instinctively, even in battle.
Another technique caught his eye. Sensory Awareness. Genjutsu worked by manipulating the senses, but the world itself had constants—air currents, vibrations, the subtle tug of gravity. If he could train himself to be hyper-aware of those, he might detect distortions in reality before they took hold.
Theoretically sound, he mused, leaning back with a slow exhale. But training his perception to that level? That wasn't something he could master even in a few years.
His frustration simmered, but at the same time, a strange sense of excitement bubbled beneath it. He had a weakness. Now, he had a path to fix it.
If I didn't know about this flaw, I'd be a sitting duck, ready to be manipulated at any moment. Any ninja could control or rewrite my memories with ease.
The thought sent a chill down his spine, but he pushed it aside. He needed a plan.
'The first method—Kai—I can learn it in a few days. But to practice it, I need genjutsu.' He wasn't going to train in genjutsu himself yet, but… his eyes flicked to the storage scroll at his hip.
Shadow Clones.
A smirk tugged at his lips. If he created two clones, one could trap the other in a genjutsu, allowing him to experience both the role of the victim and the caster. Maybe… this can become one of my main techniques in battle.
But that wasn't all. He needed a weapon. Taijutsu and ninjutsu were essential, but in close combat, a blade could change everything.
I should contact Okabe, he decided. The man knew his way around a sword. If Kazeo was going to fight, he needed to do it right.
Rolling up the scroll, he jotted down key notes on genjutsu release, then tucked them away. His next task? Mastering the Shadow Clone technique.
With a determined glint in his eyes, he left the library, heading home. His path was clear. He wasn't going to let genjutsu control him again.
After reaching home, Kazeo wasted no time. He unrolled the scroll and started reading, his eyes scanning every word with intense focus.
"Hmm… this is definitely the hardest jutsu I've come across. Not that I've seen many, except for some wind jutsus… but still."
His brows furrowed as he read through the chakra molding process. It wasn't just about creating clones—it was about equally distributing chakra among them. The level of precision required was insane.
"This will definitely take me more than a week or two to learn…" He exhaled sharply, rubbing his temples. "How the hell did Naruto learn Multi-Shadow Clone Jutsu in one night? That technique should be even harder than this one."
His thoughts drifted back to the night Naruto had stolen the Forbidden Scroll.
"Plot armor… it has to be. Hiruzen also didn't send any competent ninjas to search for him. Any Anbu would've found him in minutes. But then again… that old man was probably keeping an eye on Naruto with that pervy crystal ball of his."
Shaking his head, he continued reading.
According to the scroll, a user had to divide their chakra evenly among their clones. Only after mastering control could they choose how much chakra to allocate per clone.
His fingers tapped against the floor as he processed this.
"I can definitely use this to hide… create clones with equal chakra to confuse enemies. And for training, I'll adjust their chakra levels accordingly. But… why don't more ninjas use this?"
A few more paragraphs answered his question.
Unlike basic clones, which simply disappeared, Shadow Clones transferred memories and experiences back to the original—but no chakra. Not even a single percent.
"Well… that makes sense. If chakra did return, wouldn't everyone just abuse this technique? Spam clones for training, store them with extra chakra, and pop them whenever they needed a boost? That would be broken."
His mind wandered back to Tobirama Senju, the so-called "genius" who created the technique.
"If you were so damn smart, why didn't you design a version where chakra returns upon dispelling? That would've made even the average Konoha shinobi absurdly strong!"
He tilted his head back, staring at the ceiling, and silently mouthed:
"Fu*k you, Tobirama."
The thought of modifying the jutsu stuck with him. Maybe, with enough knowledge, he could alter the technique himself. Or perhaps… Fuinjutsu could help?
His eyes narrowed in thought. "Yeah… I should start my Fuinjutsu journey right after mastering Shadow Clones. I've already wasted enough time. But if what I read in the library was true… it takes a minimum of seven to ten years to become proficient in Fuinjutsu. That's way too long."
Shaking off the thought, he focused back on training.
For the next hour, he repeatedly attempted to mold his chakra correctly. His body grew heavier with each failed attempt, exhaustion slowly creeping in.
A deep yawn escaped his lips. His eyes moved towards the clock.
"Damn… it's already past my sleeping time? No wonder I'm feeling drained."
Despite his initial expectations, the jutsu was even harder than he thought. But he could tell, his previous experience with the Clone Jutsu was helping.
"Two weeks… that should be enough. Any longer, and I'll start questioning my training."
Glancing at the scroll lying on the ground, he carefully folded it and tucked it back into his storage scroll, making sure it was hidden securely.
With a final sigh, he collapsed onto his bed, his mind already drifting into unconsciousness.
Tomorrow, he'd try again.
The next morning, Kazeo woke up feeling sore but determined. After a deep stretch, he jumped straight into his routine—workout first, then meditation. Three hours later, sweat clung to his skin, but his mind felt sharper, more focused.
Without wasting time, he moved on to practicing Genjutsu Release, forcing his chakra to fluctuate and disrupt its flow. He practiced it for an hour.
Then, it was time for the real challenge. Shadow Clone Jutsu.
The first week was a disaster. The "clones" he created looked like nightmarish creatures - faces twisted, limbs too long or too short. Some had extra fingers, others barely had a mouth. They weren't human; they were things.
"Tch… this is worse than I thought."
Still, he kept going. Trial and error, adjusting his chakra control, refining the technique bit by bit.
After another six days, it finally happened.
A perfect clone.
The copy stood in front of him, identical in every way. His hair, his stance, the way his chest rose and fell with each breath—it was like looking into a mirror. But the real cost hit him immediately.
"Damn… half of my chakra's gone."
He eyed the clone carefully. "Alright, go to the bathroom and… do something, then dispel yourself."
The clone smirked, 'Why did it smirk?', and casually walked off. A few moments later, a new memory entered Kazeo's mind .
And one, in particular, made his eye twitch.
"Why the fuck did that clone showed me middle finger in the mirror?"
He groaned, rubbing his temples. "Do they really have different personalities here too, like in the original series? I'm not even like that!"
More importantly, though…
"Half of my chakra is gone. Damn it, I should've told him to make a clone first, then had that one dispel itself. I need to test this properly."
Determined, he formed another shadow clone. This time, he ordered it to create one of its own.
The moment the second clone appeared, exhaustion crashed into him like a wave. His legs wobbled, and he had to steady himself against the wall.
"So… three clones total, including myself. That means each of us holds 25% of my chakra."
He recalled what the scroll mentioned about chakra levels.
"Based on this, my chakra is around higher Genin level, just a little below low-level Chunin… and that's using Shadow Clones as a reference point. If I keep training like this, by next year, I should definitely surpass low-level Chunin in chakra."
Nodding to himself, he decided to test their efficiency.
"Clear the center of the room," he ordered his clones. "Move the tables and chairs."
Once they finished, Kazeo had them start practicing Taijutsu while he meditated, focusing on replenishing his chakra.
Half an hour later, he dispelled one of the clones and immediately regretted it.
A sudden headache tore through his skull as the clone's experience and memories crashed into him. He gritted his teeth, letting out a groan as he clutched his forehead.
"What the hell?! This is serious pain! And that was just from half an hour of practice—how the hell am I supposed to do this for hours every day?!"
Still, he had to push forward. An hour later, he dispelled the second clone, and the headache doubled in intensity.
It took him another four days of refining the jutsu before he could create clones that could talk properly. His control over the technique had improved too, forming three clones no longer left him completely drained.
"So… chakra is wasted during the creation process. But the more I make, the more efficient I get at reducing that loss. Meaning, if I keep training, I'll eventually minimize chakra waste altogether."
That was a huge discovery.
Now, with Shadow Clones mastered, he turned his thoughts to his next step—
Genjutsu.
And with shadow clones at his disposal, learning and practicing it would be much easier.
(To be Continued... )