Chapter 18: Shadow Clone Jutsu = Death

Words : 1645 Updated : Sep 12th, 2025

Chapter 18 - Shadow Clone Jutsu = Death Alone in the basement, Ren lay on the floor, staring at the ceiling as he revised his training schedule. "Physical training in the morning can't be skipped. I should start running at my top speed instead of keeping a constant pace. That way, I can shorten my running time and add more strength training." He knew stamina training was important, but he had already built a solid base. Now, it was time to push for more speed and power. "During Academy hours, I'll practice Leaf Splitting—i'll keep the leaf under the table so no one will suspect anything. Then, after class, I'll do strength training again. Chakra control time can also be reduced since Leaf Splitting will help with that too. Yeah, this should work... at least until I start learning Ninjutsu properly." With his plan finalized, he sat up, feeling satisfied. "Time to put everything into action." Deciding to test his Shadow Clone Jutsu, he headed upstairs to find his father. Juichi was sitting in the living room, looking over some documents when Ren approached him casually. "Hey, Dad, I'm gonna try the Shadow Clone Jutsu. You wanna watch?" The paper in Juichi's hand slipped. His head snapped up. "No!" Ren flinched at the sudden shout. "No, you brat! Haven't you read anything about chakra theory? You could die if you practice it now!" Ren froze. "What?! I could die just from using the Shadow Clone Jutsu?!" His voice rose in panic. Juichi sighed, rubbing his temple as if dealing with a particularly stubborn fool. "You seriously haven't read about chakra theory yet, and you already want to start using a B-rank technique? I don't even know what to say to you right now." Ren gulped. "Uh..." Seeing that Ren genuinely had no idea, Juichi sighed again before explaining. "Listen carefully. Your body has chakra pathways spread all over, connecting to tenketsu points, which release chakra. Hand signs help direct chakra through specific pathways, allowing you to use jutsu." Ren nodded, following so far. "But the problem is that a child's chakra pathways are weaker compared to an adult's. That's why it's mandatory for young shinobi to start with low-rank jutsu. It helps your chakra pathways adjust and strengthen over time." Juichi leaned forward slightly, his expression serious. "If you try using higher-rank jutsu too early, your chakra pathways might not be able to handle the strain and could burst. If that happens, you could suffer permanent damage—or in the worst case, die." Ren's face drained of color. "...Oh." It was a huge oversight on his part. He had gotten his student ID and course material today but hadn't actually checked the books on chakra theory yet. Juichi, seeing that Ren understood his mistake, sighed heavily. Then, without warning, he snatched the Shadow Clone scroll out of Ren's hands. "Alright, no Shadow Clone Jutsu until you can show me the three Academy Jutsu, three E-rank Wind Jutsu, three E-rank Earth Jutsu, and the D-rank Body Flicker." Ren looked down at the new scroll Juichi handed him. There was no arguing—he messed up, and this was his punishment. He muttered an apology, feeling a little embarrassed. Juichi sighed again. "Be careful next time. If you pull another stunt like this, I won't be giving you any of the good stuff in the future." Ren immediately perked up. 'Good stuff?' If he wanted access to better jutsu and techniques later, he couldn't afford to mess up again. Hastily, he promised, "Don't worry, it won't happen again! I'll learn all of these as fast as I can!" Juichi ruffled Ren's hair before standing up. "See that you do." With that, he left the room, leaving Ren standing there, still feeling the aftershock of what he had just learned. Back in his room, Ren sat down with the Chakra Theory book he had received from the Academy. Given what had just happened, he wasn't taking any more chances. As he flipped through the pages, he quickly realized that Juichi was completely right. The book detailed how chakra pathways developed, how improper chakra control could cause internal damage, and why children were required to start with low-rank jutsu before advancing. There were also several other things that weren't mentioned in the anime. Some of the most notable details included, how chakra exhaustion could lead to internal injuries if overused too frequently, the importance of hand seals in shaping chakra—how each seal activated specific chakra pathways in the body. A detailed explanation of Nature Transformations and how affinities influenced a shinobi's ability to learn certain jutsu. A section on Genjutsu Resistance, explaining how chakra flow could be used to break illusions. Ren read all of it in detail, making sure he understood everything. Despite the amount of information, his high intelligence stat allowed him to process and memorize the entire book. By the time he finished, over an hour had passed—and he received a system notification. [INTELLIGENCE +1] His Intelligence stat increased to 20. Just as Ren was about to drift into sleep, he remembered something. "Wait... I silenced my system notifications this morning. I never checked what I got for entering the Academy." Curious, he spoke aloud. "Show me the rewards." The system responded instantly. [CONGRATULATIONS FOR ENTERING THE ACADEMY.] ✅ YOU HAVE RECEIVED 4 GENIN LEVEL CHAKRA POINTS. ✅ YOU HAVE EARNED A CHANCE TO SPIN THE WHEEL TO GET A MINOR TALENT.] Ren's eyes lit up. "Nice. I don't have a consistent way to earn points yet, so I have to rely on system rewards like this. These system points will be a huge help." What excited him even more was the spin-the-wheel reward. "Last time I spun the wheel, I got Improved Chakra Control. Let's see what I get this time." But before spinning, he distributed the chakra points first. "System, add 2 points to Chakra and 2 to Vitality." [CHA +2] → [CHA 18] [VIT +2] → [VIT 20] As soon as his Vitality reached 20, another notification rang. [CHA +1] → [CHA 19] Ren blinked. "Wait... what? My chakra increased again?" It wasn't part of the system rewards, so how did it happen? He pondered for a moment, then suddenly came to a realization. "Vitality represents my physical energy, and thanks to my rebirth, my mental energy was already high. Since chakra is a combination of physical and mental energy, my chakra must have increased because my physical energy finally caught up to my mental energy!" As he finished that thought, another notification rang out. [INT +2] [INT : 22] [CONGRATULATIONS! YOUR FIRST ATTRIBUTE HAS REACHED CHŪNIN LEVEL.] [REWARD: +1 CHŪNIN LEVEL ATTRIBUTE POINT] Ren grinned. "As expected. Once I pushed an attribute past 20, it officially entered Chūnin level." He wasn't in a hurry to use the point, though. Instead, he saved it for the future, knowing that Chūnin-level points would be much harder to get. With that handled, he turned his attention back to the wheel. Ren took a deep breath, anticipation rising. "Alright... let's see what I get this time." He reached out and spun the wheel. The wheel began turning, colors and words flashing as it blurred in motion. Ren watched closely, waiting for his new minor talent. The wheel spun rapidly, flashes of different talents appearing as it whirled. Ren watched closely, his excitement building as the wheel gradually slowed down. Click... click... click... Finally, the pointer landed on— "Enhanced Reflexes" [Minor Talent: Your reaction speed is slightly above average. You can respond to sudden attacks, movements, and environmental changes faster than most people of your level.] Ren's eyes lit up. "Now this is something useful." Reflexes were one of the most important traits for a shinobi. A split-second reaction could be the difference between life and death in battle. It wasn't something as extreme as precognition, but it meant he could react to attacks faster, dodge more efficiently and counter opponents with better timing For someone already focusing on speed-based combat, this was the perfect talent. "With my agility and this boost, I'll have a much easier time avoiding hits and landing counters." Ren grinned as he analyzed his new talent. "This is perfect for me. Now, my body and mind are in sync." With high intelligence, he could predict attacks and react faster mentally. But if his body couldn't keep up, it would be pointless. Feeling satisfied, he spoke aloud. "System, show me my stats." A familiar blue panel appeared before him. [Name: Ren Takahashi] [Level: 16] [Attributes] ✔ STR – 16 ✔ AGI – 20 ✔ INT – 22 ✔ VIT – 20 ✔ CHA – 19 [Talents] ✔ Improved Chakra Control ✔ Enhanced Reflexes [Mastery] ✔ Chakra Control – 52% (Intermediate) ✔ Fast Fist Taijutsu – 35% (Basic) Ren's eyes sparkled as he stared at the slowly filling panel. Every stat, every talent, and every mastery represented growth. "I'm getting stronger, step by step." The excitement still buzzed inside him, but sleep was catching up. Taking one last glance at his progress, he laid back on the bed. "Tomorrow... I push even further." And with that thought, Ren drifted into sleep. {A/N: I forgot to add the taijutsu style in mastery last time so here a complete panel I won't be adding a complete panel like this till the first year is over since people might think I add it to increase the number of words} {A/N: Does anyone know what the criteria is for entering the collection lists on webnovel because we already have 300+ collection and 50K+ views. Please comment here if you know about it.}

Chapter 18: Shadow Clone Jutsu = Death

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