Kazuki's expression was... complicated.
"Realistic," huh? Exactly how realistic was this meant to be? Was this even legal?
Still, he had to admit—this upgrade was fascinating. So much so that even he, usually calm and calculating, felt a little stir of excitement. Independent personalities and memories? That opened all kinds of doors for mischief.
He cleared his throat, already picturing some wild possibilities.
Like... creating a perfectly replicated Rin Nohara, complete with her memories, and dropping her in some sensitive location. What would Obito do if that happened?
Still, the idea had flaws. A clone was still a clone—its body wasn't alive. For true resurrection, Edo Tensei was far more effective. So while the upgrade was flashy, it had limited application in high-level manipulation. Though tempting, it fell just short of genius-tier. But Kazuki couldn't lie—part of him wanted to try it, just to experience the god-tier chaos it could unleash.
"The first upgrade, though… that's just pure utility," Kazuki muttered to himself. With enough clones, he could amplify his ninjutsu power exponentially. If he ever reached the chakra level of a jinchūriki, like Naruto with Kurama, he could summon thousands of clones casting Fire Style: Great Fireball Jutsu in unison…
Kazuki licked his lips. That would be a hell of a show.
It was a simple and brutal upgrade, and as long as he kept improving his chakra reserves, the returns would be enormous.
Then he remembered—there was a third option.
[They Imitate My Face… and My Jutsu?]
Become a Master of Mimicry. Observe and replicate a specific target. Mimicry difficulty scales with the target's strength. Upon successful mimicry, one of your Multi Shadow Clones gains access to the target's full current abilities.
"...Damn." Kazuki sucked in a sharp breath. He'd thought the first upgrade was busted. But this—this was game-breaking.
Now he was stuck. The first was consistent power. The third offered terrifying versatility. The second? Well, let's just say someone else in his pants might've picked it without a second thought.
But Kazuki wasn't driven by that head—today.
"Not enough Rewind Points," he muttered. If he had any, he'd just take both upgrades and be done with it. Maybe even all three.
But there was another issue: clone memory feedback. He didn't want to accidentally download something that'd awaken a bizarre kink. The second upgrade might solve that problem—but "might" wasn't good enough.
No way he was risking that kind of brain corruption.
"This is actually hard…" Kazuki scratched his head. Both options were amazing. The third especially—it was divine-tier. The only downside was the unknowns: how long would it take to mimic someone? How strong did they have to be? What if mimicking Madara took ten years?
"Think," he told himself.
In the end, he still chose the third upgrade.
He couldn't resist. Mimicry was just too damn tempting. And who knows? Maybe someday he'd perfectly replicate that guy mid-sacrificial dance—and do a breakdance on the graves of the ninja world.
It was worth a try.
"Yo, Kazuki, done with the mission?" Kakashi showed up just as Kazuki was looking for a guinea pig.
Perfect.
Kakashi wasn't just powerful—he was smart. And while people joked about him being the standard unit of ninja power, he was still elite. His only real limiter was his chakra drain from the Sharingan.
"Yeah! Kakashi, I've been developing a new jutsu!" Kazuki said, grinning. He popped a Multi Shadow Clone and gave it orders to follow Kakashi's every move.
"What kind of jutsu?" Kakashi raised an eyebrow, one hand already fishing in his pocket.
Kazuki noticed—with some amusement—that the clone mimicked him perfectly, even down to the pocket motion.
[Kakashi: 1%]
The progress bar appeared.
Kazuki's brow twitched. Only 1% after all that?!
"Shadow Mimicry. Basically, the clone mirrors you. Just ignore him," Kazuki explained flatly.
"...That's kinda hard to ignore," Kakashi muttered, side-eyeing the perfect copy trailing behind him.
Kazuki gave the order, and the clone stealthily vanished into the background. Kakashi looked mildly relieved.
"Definitely some stealth limitations," Kazuki noted, scratching his head.
That night, after the clone had followed Kakashi all day, it finally poofed from chakra exhaustion just as Kakashi fell asleep. Kazuki glanced at the mimicry progress bar again.
[Kakashi: 1%]
"Seriously? One percent in a full day?" Kazuki frowned. If that was the average pace, it meant a full hundred days per target. And that was assuming no interruptions.
But worse than that—the clone wasn't invisible. It was easy to spot, especially for someone as sharp as Kakashi. He'd caught it tailing him multiple times throughout the day.
Trying to tail someone like Minato or Hiruzen would be even harder. And it would take even longer.
"Still... I guess it makes sense." Kazuki wasn't upset. If this ability was easy to use, it'd be totally broken. He'd already be summoning armies of S-rank clones to stomp the world into the dirt.
Besides, once copied, the abilities were permanent. That was insane. Even if he only got current Kakashi-level powers, that was still a massive boost.
The only limitation: copied powers wouldn't evolve. So if he copied present-day Kakashi, he wouldn't get any of his future techniques. Still more than good enough.
Resolved, Kazuki created a few more clones to continue their tailing operation while he himself resumed training his other jutsu.
Next morning, the progress was still stuck at 1%. Kazuki's mood? Dark as storm clouds.
"Definitely less efficient than the first upgrade," he muttered. "But hey, it's an investment for the future."
He sighed and headed to the training field like he did every morning. Physical conditioning was crucial—his growing strength owed as much to his steady discipline as his system perks.
When he arrived, he found Hiruzen Sarutobi already there. The Third Hokage rose early, and today was no exception. The sun had barely crested the horizon, and Sarutobi had clearly been watering the trees—mud clung to the roots nearby.
"Yo, Kazuki. Up early again, I see?" Hiruzen greeted him with a smile.
Kazuki nodded quickly, hiding a spark of glee. If this worked, if he could eventually mimic Sarutobi, that'd be a huge leap forward. Sarutobi had mastered all five chakra natures and dozens of forbidden jutsu. A real powerhouse in his prime.
So Kazuki asked.
"You want to test your new technique?" Sarutobi's expression turned oddly nostalgic. He remembered teaching Kazuki Fire Style: Fire Dragon Flame Bullet. That technique had nearly backfired—literally. The damn thing had ended up laced with poison, and he hadn't even noticed until it was almost too late.
Good thing he'd held it in.
"Yes, Lord Third. It's a new ninjutsu I developed—I just need to collect some data," Kazuki said honestly. There was no point lying. Hiruzen saw through everything anyway.
To his surprise, Sarutobi didn't refuse. When he saw that the "new jutsu" was just a silent shadow clone tailing him, his curiosity only grew.
He couldn't figure out what Kazuki was after, but he gave him the benefit of the doubt. After all, ever since Kazuki had earned the nickname "Flame Demon," Sarutobi had seen him as one of Konoha's future pillars.
He had high hopes for him.
He'd known many geniuses. Even his own teacher, the First Hokage, had been wildly eccentric. Hashirama was a cheerful idiot on the surface—but powerful beyond belief.
So, if Kazuki had a few quirks, so be it.
"You need to work on your stealth, though," Hiruzen said, eyeing the clone. "If I can spot it so easily, others will too. Remember, concealment is essential for a ninja."
Kazuki nodded. He had already noticed that flaw. If he could improve his stealth, mimicry would become much easier.
"Here's how to hide more effectively…" Hiruzen launched into a short lesson.
Kazuki paid rapt attention.
He didn't expect to learn true invisibility—not without something like Zetsu's terrifying surveillance jutsu—but even reducing his presence and masking eye movement would help.
Ninjas were ridiculously attuned to subtle shifts in gaze and motion. He couldn't believe how badly he wanted that pervy jutsu of Zetsu's now…
Too bad getting that from Zetsu was basically impossible.
Might as well hope Nagato suddenly exposed Black Zetsu's entire scheme.
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