Chapter 11: Training on the IQ Line (Part 2)
"Ninjutsu should be learned systematically. So, the next one I'll teach you is the upgraded version of the Shadow Clone Technique—Multiple Shadow Clone Technique."
Scratching her head, Kushina finally settled on the next jutsu to teach Hagoromo.
"Multiple Shadow Clone Technique may be A-rank, but it's essentially just a powered-up version of Shadow Clone. It shouldn't be too difficult to learn."
Hagoromo shot Kushina a silent glance. Sure, the technique wasn't particularly hard to master—but it was a forbidden jutsu for a reason. It guzzled chakra like crazy. For someone like him, who didn't have a massive chakra reserve, the standard Shadow Clone Technique was more than enough. It wasn't like his fighting style required dozens of clones anyway.
Still, since Kushina insisted on teaching it, he obediently agreed. As long as he carefully controlled the chakra output, he could avoid most of the dangers associated with the jutsu.
"Um, Kushina-sensei," Hagoromo asked hesitantly, "isn't the Multiple Shadow Clone Technique classified as a forbidden jutsu? Are you sure it's okay to teach me?"
"It is, technically," Kushina admitted with a shrug. "But I'm the one teaching you—do you really think the Third Hokage would object?"
Hagoromo wanted to reply, That's not what I meant, Sensei. I'm not worried about permission. I'm worried about dying from chakra depletion. But the two of them were clearly talking about different concerns.
Kushina continued, "It's only forbidden for ninja below jonin level. For someone at jonin tier or above, it's not a big deal. Based on my sensing, your chakra reserves are… well, passable. So you should be fine. Probably."
Probably? That "probably" at the end seriously undercut the confidence in her previous statement.
The difference between Shadow Clone and Multiple Shadow Clone lies in the volume of chakra channeled through the user's meridians. If creating one clone costs 1 unit of chakra, then three clones require 3 units to flow through the system simultaneously. That's manageable. But when you start pushing to ten, a hundred, or more? You'd better be a freak like someone from the Uzumaki or Senju clans. Hagoromo knew he wasn't one of those. His chakra control was excellent, yes—but his chakra pool wasn't bottomless.
"Watch closely," Kushina said, forming hand seals and instantly creating a small army of identical red-haired versions of herself.
Hagoromo, ever the pragmatist, limited his own training to summoning no more than five clones at once. Within that range, he managed to grasp the jutsu just fine.
"Not bad," Kushina said with a grin, clapping him on the shoulder. "You're pretty composed. Alright, let's go for one more today. This'll be the last jutsu for now—also part of the clone technique family. It's called the Shuriken Shadow Clone Technique."
Wait, isn't that the Third Hokage's signature technique? Is it really okay to casually hand that out like candy? Hagoromo couldn't help but doubt her judgment.
Truth be told, it wasn't okay—at least not for ordinary people. But Kushina was clearly an exception to every rule.
Still, even Kushina was starting to feel a bit guilty—not about infringing on the Third Hokage's intellectual property, but about how rapidly Hagoromo was progressing. If she didn't set limits, this kid might learn everything she knew in no time. Then what? She'd be out of material!
Having a genius disciple was beginning to feel a little tragic.
But then she remembered Minato's constant praise of Kakashi, and with a competitive little huff, she gritted her teeth and resolved to keep teaching Hagoromo anyway.
As for Hagoromo, he was more than content. Besides Kushina, what other sensei would teach three high-level jutsu a day?
Granted, his current chakra reserves weren't enough to fully utilize them all in actual combat. But his boundless curiosity made it impossible to resist learning more. The higher the level of the jutsu, the more mysterious and alluring it became—and the more he wanted to master it.
So, day after day, Kushina trained Hagoromo while juggling her own work. And occasionally—mostly due to pressure from the Hokage or the odd village assignment—they'd end up running trivial errands like catching cats or chasing down runaway dogs.
Time passed quickly. Before long, three months had slipped by since Hagoromo graduated from the Ninja Academy. His classmates had already followed their sensei to the frontlines, and Hagoromo suspected that many of them might not even be alive anymore.
Meanwhile, he hadn't even stepped outside Konoha's gates.
In that sense, he had unwittingly fulfilled his role as Kushina's "toy" perfectly.
…
"Huh? Sensei, you seem… weirdly cheerful today," Hagoromo said, narrowing his eyes at Kushina. She'd been grumpy and irritable for days—frustrated by the lack of progress in her research—but today, her mood had done a complete 180.
After three months, Hagoromo had come to understand her personality pretty well.
"Wait… don't tell me—did you make a breakthrough in developing the Reverse Four Symbols Seal?"
That's right. Over the past three months, Hagoromo had gone from clueless novice to Kushina's assistant in developing S-rank forbidden jutsu.
Kushina handled the design of the sealing technique; Hagoromo ran the calculations and simulations. Their synergy was excellent.
The Reverse Four Symbols Seal was essentially an extreme variant of the original Four Symbols Seal. The sealing research department had assigned it as an S-rank task, originally designed as a suicidal technique—used by a dying ninja to drag nearby enemies into a sealing death.
But Hagoromo had challenged that concept, arguing that such a design made the technique far too limited in practical use. What if the seal could be transferred to a scroll, rather than being inscribed on a human body? Then it could become an extremely aggressive offensive tool.
Kushina had found her disciple's proposal intriguing. Frankly, the initial scope of the task had underestimated her capabilities. So, she decided to follow Hagoromo's suggestion and began reworking the jutsu.
However, once they truly started, the sheer difficulty of the task quickly became apparent.
Which was why Hagoromo now spent a lot of time calming down a perpetually stressed and on-edge Kushina.