Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh…
The sound of air being sliced open echoed above the central street.
Looking at the figures soaring through the air, both ninjas and civilians realized that something significant was happening tonight.
However, there was no alarm, and those passing figures did not organize them to head to shelters, so the villagers were able to relax.
It was none of their business, and there was no immediate danger.
Izayoi sat on a single sofa on the balcony, sipping juice while enjoying the night sky.
Some figures flew past his roof, but none of them caught his attention.
He didn't know how much time had passed until the flickering figures on the central street disappeared, and the number of pedestrians gradually decreased.
As if bored, Izayoi finally stood up and went back inside.
Soon, the lights in the living room were turned off.
After taking a shower and coming out in his pajamas, Izayoi wore a faint smile on his handsome face.
The Art of Multiple Shadow Clones… was finally in his hands!
No one knew that deep within an artificial cave behind a waterfall, several figures with different appearances had fused into the mountain wall using the invisibility technique, using long-range vision abilities with an 80-kilometer coverage to watch over the figure of Uzumaki Naruto wearing an orange jacket as he left the Hokage building.
From the moment he walked out of the Hokage building, every action he took was under the watchful eyes of these figures.
The powerful far-sight and X-ray vision abilities were so effective that neither the Nine-Tails inside Uzumaki Naruto nor the crystal-clear vision of Sarutobi Hiruzen, who had been watching Naruto, noticed a thing.
When Uzumaki Naruto opened the seal book, these figures opened their own blank scrolls and, working in unison, copied the method for the Art of Multiple Shadow Clones.
These figures were actually Izayoi's shadow clones disguised using the transformation technique.
After copying and hiding the scroll with the method, the shadow clones erased all traces and their scent, and disbanded right there.
After receiving the feedback, Izayoi didn't rush to retrieve the scroll.
He had already gotten the method for the Art of Multiple Shadow Clones, so there was no need to rush.
Lying in bed, Izayoi's curiosity turned toward the class placement for the day after tomorrow.
Once again, he was very certain that his training with Hinata, as well as his battle with Uchiha Sasuke, had been spied on by Sarutobi Hiruzen.
Before graduation, he had already mastered techniques that the ninja school had never taught, such as climbing trees, walking on water, and basic Wind Release and Fire Release techniques, along with the B-rank Shadow Clone Jutsu. In both physical combat and unsanctioned duels, he had crushed the Hyuga clan's eldest daughter, and even the Uchiha orphan who had unlocked the Sharingan.
Such a civilian genius, even if not comparable to Jiraiya's twelve-year-old disciple who defeated the Cloud Ninja, or to Kakashi Hatake, who had become a Jonin and developed the A-rank Lightning Release technique Chidori, was still second only to them.
After all, they lived in a time of war, while Izayoi was a product of peace.
In such a special generation of new students standing out, Sarutobi Hiruzen wouldn't be willing to offend the ninja clans, but he wouldn't group him with the ordinary students and assign him a regular Jonin teacher, right? If that really happened, it would mean that Sarutobi Hiruzen didn't want to invest in him.
In that case, his attention toward Izayoi would diminish significantly, and Izayoi could start doing some small actions secretly.
Thinking about this, Izayoi stopped worrying about the class assignment and closed his eyes to sleep.
The next morning, when Izayoi woke up and didn't see Hinata or Hanabi, he decided to go retrieve the method for the Art of Multiple Shadow Clones.
Considering Sarutobi Hiruzen's crystal-clear vision technique was essentially God's-eye surveillance, Izayoi directly lay down and looked at the scroll.
This way, even if Sarutobi Hiruzen used the crystal-clear vision technique, Izayoi wouldn't have to worry about him spying.
Without the need to simplify hand seals, the hand seals and chakra control for the Art of Multiple Shadow Clones were different from the Shadow Clone Jutsu.
The former required fewer hand seals, but the chakra expenditure was enormous. A person without a large amount of chakra could end up injuring themselves, even putting their life at risk. Therefore, only those with a vast chakra reserve could practice this technique.
"They say Kakashi Hatake is a calculation unit, but when he was five or six years old, he was already able to use the Art of Multiple Shadow Clones."
Izayoi thought to himself: "Even though the Sharingan constantly consumes chakra, and it held him back for years, Kakashi's chakra reserve is still at the elite Jonin level."
"After losing the Sharingan, his chakra reserve recovered in just a few short years, to the point where he could perform an Earth-style wall around the entire village of Konoha and carve a dog's head on it."
"If he hadn't been burdened by the Sharingan, his chakra reserve would definitely not be inferior to Kisame Hoshigaki."
Aside from the Jinchuriki, there were only a few in this era capable of using the Art of Multiple Shadow Clones.
Izayoi was one of them.
At this moment, Izayoi felt incredibly fortunate that he hadn't impulsively used his beginner's gift pack on Naruto.
Otherwise, now he would only be relying on the large chakra reserve.
Even if he awakened the Sage's Eye from Uchiha Sasuke, it would take years, even decades, to unlock the Rinnegan.
On the other hand, with his current bloodline (Red Otsutsuki) + Sage's Eye (Red) + Prince of Byakugan (Red), he could already sense that the period of gestation was near.
In less than five minutes, Izayoi closed the scroll. He had already mastered the Art of Multiple Shadow Clones.
There was no need to test it. With his current chakra reserve, he could easily produce hundreds or thousands of shadow clones just by following the chakra flow described in the scroll.
To prevent Hanabi from accidentally seeing the scroll and being tempted to try practicing it, Izayoi didn't just hide the scroll, but instead destroyed it.
He had already learned the Art of Multiple Shadow Clones.
If needed, he could either write down the method again or teach it directly.
By noon, noticing that neither Hinata nor Hanabi had come by, Izayoi assumed they might not be coming today. He decided to go out and buy some ninja tools.
Before heading out, he passed by Naruto, who was being trailed by Konohamaru and a special Jonin named Ebisu.
Naruto, wearing a dark green wind guard, had his headband already changed to a Genin forehead protector. He must have just had his file photo retaken.
While Naruto was talking to Konohamaru, he didn't notice Izayoi.
Izayoi didn't greet him either, simply glancing at him before looking away and continuing toward the ninja tool store.
When Izayoi returned home, he found two pairs of shoes at the entrance.
In one of the rooms, which had been converted into a dojo on the first floor, the sound of what seemed like clapping, mixed with sharp but heavy thudding noises, could be heard.
Opening the door, he saw Hinata and Hanabi, both wearing white training uniforms and activated Byakugan, their temples bulging with veins, as they sparred.
Their hands blurred with speed, and their bodies were surrounded by blue chakra flames. Every clash of their afterimages sent shockwaves into the air.
Looking closely, it was clear that Hinata wasn't being serious. She was simply feeding moves to Hanabi.
If she had gone all out, Hanabi would have been covered in injuries by now.
Thinking of this, Izayoi figured it was also time to teach Hanabi the tree-climbing and water-walking techniques.
After all, Hanabi, although her Byakugan purity was slightly inferior to Hinata's, wasn't lacking in any other aspect. She could certainly learn higher-level chakra control just like Hinata did back then.
"Brother, take this!" Hanabi suddenly called, snapping Izayoi out of his thoughts.
The sight of Hanabi charging toward him, with blue chakra flames wrapping her fingers and veins bulging, was quite intimidating for someone her age.
But Izayoi merely smiled faintly, not even bothering to put down the bag in his hand. He vanished into a blur and appeared next to Hanabi in the blink of an eye.
His bare foot landed gently on her stomach, sending her soaring toward Hinata.
Hinata caught her with ease.
"Come on, try to take me on together," Izayoi teased, tossing his bag to the corner. He waved his hand in a challenge.
The two sisters exchanged a serious look and nodded, then rushed toward Izayoi.
"Brother, you're too arrogant. You'll regret it!" Hanabi shouted.
Hinata remained silent, but her slender fingers, filled with chakra, shot forward like arrows, cutting through the air.
A few hours later, the sound of their sparring was replaced by the sound of playful bickering.
"Ouch, that hurts! Ouch, it really hurts! Ugh... Brother, I'm going to bite you to death!"
"Didn't you say you'd make me regret it? Where's that fierce energy now? Stop biting, your wounds have already healed. Your sister still needs treatment."
"I'm still going to bite! You bite the other side, and let's both bite and make him cry!"
"Haha... Just wait. The tooth marks will disappear on their own, don't lick them! It's so itchy!"
"Hee hee… Just lick it. We're going to get revenge on you, big brother!"
"..."