At this point, Naruto had gained enough confidence in himself.
Whether it was the memorization of hand seals or the comprehension of the core principles behind each technique, Naruto believed he would gradually master these forbidden and secret jutsu in the days to come. Therefore, today, he was determined to firmly imprint as many of them in his memory as possible. Naturally, his primary focus was on the three techniques he had previously set his sights on: the Multiple Shadow Clone Technique, the Flying Thunder God Technique, and the Dead Demon Consuming Seal. Of these, the first two were especially critical. Frankly speaking, they were essential for Naruto's survival and future growth. Anyone familiar with Naruto's story understands that for a ninja like him—blessed with an abnormally large chakra reserve surpassing even most jonin like Kakashi—the Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu was essentially a natural cheat code.
Naruto was, after all, a descendant of the Uzumaki clan, a family known for its vast chakra, vitality, and sealing prowess. Though he didn't inherit the red hair typical of the Uzumaki (his golden hair came from his father, Minato Namikaze), there was no doubt his lineage was intact. This was evidence of the strength of Minato's genes—had the Uzumaki traits been more dominant, Naruto would likely have red hair, considering that his mother, Kushina Uzumaki, was a prominent member of the clan and even referred to as something of a "little princess" among them.
Still, the Uzumaki blood flowed through his veins.
The Uzumaki were distant relatives of the Senju clan and inherited certain traits associated with the so-called "Body of the Sage", including enhanced longevity, vitality, and healing. For Naruto, this meant that the usual side effects of using shadow clones for training—such as physical exhaustion or chakra depletion—were minimized. His body could handle the strain far better than most.
Thus—
The Multiple Shadow Clone Technique became the cornerstone of Naruto's strategy for rapid development.
The Flying Thunder God Technique, on the other hand, was Naruto's potential key to acquiring a life-saving ace up his sleeve—an instantaneous teleportation jutsu pioneered by his father, the Fourth Hokage. While extremely difficult, even attempting to comprehend its theoretical framework would be a huge advantage.
As for the Dead Demon Consuming Seal—Naruto didn't intend to use it himself. The idea of a jutsu that sacrificed the user in exchange for sealing an enemy's soul terrified him. But Naruto's interest lay in the unknown: was there truly a "Shinigami"—a Death God—behind this jutsu? That name held power. It stirred curiosity.
If a Death God existed…
Then what about the evil god worshipped by Hidan of the Akatsuki? Was that being real?
What truly constituted a "god" in the Naruto world? Were such entities like tailed beasts, just chakra-based life forms elevated by myth? Or were they something more metaphysical? Divine? This was a mystery Naruto didn't yet have the strength to answer—but one he intended to unravel in the future.
Right now, his mission was simple: learn everything he could.
"Hmm, as expected… the first recorded jutsu is the Multiple Shadow Clone Technique."
Naruto leaned back against a tree trunk, carefully opening the Scroll of Seals. As he read the first entry, a small grin tugged at his lips—it was just as he anticipated. The entry clearly listed the required hand seals, chakra manipulation guidelines, and even a side annotation warning of the risks of using the jutsu.
Judging from the handwriting, the notes were quite old.
The Scroll of Seals was one of Konoha's most guarded documents, containing forbidden and advanced techniques—many of which were developed or archived by the Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju, and Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi. Hiruzen, in particular, was known as the "Professor" of Ninjutsu—a title not given lightly. He was said to possess knowledge of nearly every jutsu in existence. While perhaps not the physically strongest Hokage, his mastery of all five elemental releases and encyclopedic jutsu knowledge made him arguably the most well-rounded.
Aside from bloodline-specific techniques like Kekkei Genkai, Kekkei Tōta, and Kekkei Mōra, there was little that Hiruzen could not perform proficiently.
This is why many hailed him as the most learned Hokage—especially among those who had never seen the First Hokage, Hashirama Senju, in action. Comparing Hiruzen and Hashirama would be unfair, akin to comparing quantity with divine quality—Hashirama's abilities defied logic, while Hiruzen's reflected diligent mastery.
"It seems the difficulty lies more in chakra control than the technique itself... also, I should watch the number of clones I create."
Naruto's eyes scanned the notes, memorizing the seal sequence with ease. The corners of his mouth curled up again as he whispered with confidence.
"Alright… let's test it."
He stood upright, inhaled deeply, and replayed the sequence of hand signs in his mind.
"Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
Poof!
Maybe this world truly did operate on cheat codes.
For five long years, Naruto had failed at the Basic Clone Technique, but the moment he attempted the far more difficult Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu, he succeeded effortlessly—demonstrating the vast difference between standard clones and chakra-based ones.
For this initial attempt, Naruto deliberately held back, producing only a single clone to test control. It was important to understand that both the Shadow Clone Technique and the Multiple Shadow Clone Technique were structurally identical—the hand seals and chakra flow were the same. The only difference lay in scale and chakra volume.
Most jonin couldn't even consider using the latter—it demanded a massive chakra pool.
Only a rare few in the shinobi world could meet that requirement.