My Name Is Namikaze Naruto

Naruto had absolute confidence in himself when it came to remembering hand signs and understanding the core of jutsus. He believed he could gradually master this forbidden and secret jutsus over time. Therefore, he resolved to memorize as many jutsus as possible today. His primary targets were the three jutsus he had mentioned earlier: Multi Shadow Clone Jutsu, Flying Thunder God Technique, and Reaper Death Seal. Especially the first two; they were crucial for Naruto’s future plans to strengthen himself and secure his survival.

For a ninja like Naruto, who had an enormous amount of chakra—surpassing even a Jonin like Kakashi despite being a newly minted Genin—Shadow Clones were a natural advantage. Additionally, being a descendant of the Uzumaki Clan, Naruto possessed their robust physical traits and exceptional recovery abilities, even though he inherited his father’s blonde hair instead of the Uzumaki’s traditional red.

The Uzumaki Clan, being distant relatives of the Senju Clan, had some traits of the Sage’s body. Their physical resilience and recovery capabilities were unparalleled, making the potential side effects of Shadow Clone training negligible for Naruto.

Therefore, the Multi Shadow Clone Jutsu was the key to Naruto’s rapid growth in the coming period. The Flying Thunder God Technique would be his life-saving trump card. As for other secret and forbidden jutsus, Naruto sought them to diversify his attack methods.

A ninja with too few attack strategies would eventually be found out and defeated. Unlike in the original series, where Naruto relied heavily on Shadow Clones and Rasengan (and its variants), Naruto intended to follow a different path in this lifetime. He had no desire to stick to the old ways; even if the story ended the same way as the original, that was not the conclusion he desired.

Hot-bloodedness and peace? That was laughable. Such simplistic outcomes were unrealistic in a world with human emotions and desires. Humans were both endearing and despicable because of their complex feelings. Thus, Naruto believed only in the path he chose for himself.

Regarding the Reaper Death Seal, Naruto’s interest lay not in using it but in its concept. The thought of a jutsu that required a mutual death with the opponent was chilling. His curiosity stemmed from whether the “Death God” truly existed in this world. What about the deity Hidan worshipped in the Akatsuki if the Shinigami were real? What did the term “God” mean in the context of the Naruto world? Were they beings similar to Tailed Beasts but more special?

If these theories held true, the world would become much more interesting. But these were questions for the future once Naruto had the corresponding strength to explore them.

“Ah, as expected, the first jutsu recorded is the Multi Shadow Clone Jutsu,” Naruto muttered to himself, leaning against a tree while looking at the Sealing Scroll. The first entry described the jutsu’s hand signs and core principles and annotations explaining the risks involved.

The handwriting was evidently ancient, written long ago. The Sealing Scroll, containing numerous advanced, secret, and forbidden jutsus, was one of Konoha’s most classified documents. Most of its contents were written by the Second and Third Hokage. Sarutobi Hiruzen, the Third Hokage, known as the “Professor” of ninjutsu, was considered the most knowledgeable and skilled in using jutsus, though he wasn’t necessarily the strongest.

Mastery of all five elemental jutsus and various secret and forbidden techniques was Hiruzen’s hallmark. He was not merely familiar with these jutsus but excelled in them, earning him the title of the strongest Hokage, though the First Hokage, Hashirama Senju, was a unique case in comparison.

“Seems like this jutsu isn’t too difficult. The main points are chakra control and the number of clones,” Naruto noted, committing the hand signs to memory and smiling slightly.

“Alright, let’s give it a try!”

Naruto stood up, took a deep breath, and quickly formed the hand signs in his mind.

“Shadow Clone Jutsu!”

With a puff of smoke, Naruto successfully created a single clone. Despite his five-year struggle with the basic Clone Jutsu, he mastered the Multi Shadow Clone Jutsu in an instant today.

Notably, the essence of the Shadow Clone Jutsu and Multi Shadow Clone Jutsu was the same. The hand signs and chakra manipulation were identical, with the crucial difference lying in the user’s chakra reserves. Only those with immense chakra could use the Multi Shadow Clone Jutsu, whereas most Jonin could only perform the regular Shadow Clone Jutsu.

Become a Patron to read chapters ahead of public release and support me 😉

Read up to 40 chapters ahead on p atreon.