A patch of woods near the Uchiha Compound.
Musashi Ryomiya wandered around for ages before he finally spotted Uchiha Itachi, who was in the middle of shuriken practice.
"Ha! Found you!"
Musashi's sudden appearance caught Itachi off guard.
"How did you find this place?"
Musashi grinned. "I noticed you were acting weird in class lately. And I was right! You've been using a Shadow Clone to skip school, haven't you?"
"...Yes. So, are you here to drag me back to class?"
"Back to class?" Musashi shook his head. "School is boring as hell, and Mr. Mizuki is a total joke of a teacher. I'm here because I need a favor."
"What favor?" Itachi asked, his hands never stopping. He sent kunai flying at impossible angles, nailing the center of the wooden targets every time.
Musashi said, "I want you to teach me the Shadow Clone Jutsu."
Itachi stopped. "The Shadow Clone Jutsu?"
"Yup! You teach me the jutsu, and I'll pay you. I'll pay for the lessons and the technique itself. You know how much of a hassle it is to go through official village channels for this stuff."
Itachi thought for a moment, then shook his head. "No."
"Why not?"
"The Shadow Clone is a B-Rank jutsu. Without a certain level of strength, you can't learn it. It's impossible."
Musashi felt a vein pop in his forehead. "You're mocking me for being weak, aren't you?"
"I'm not mocking you," Itachi said calmly. "Practicing advanced ninjutsu too early is dangerous. Wait a while. When you get stronger, I'll teach you."
Musashi felt helpless.
I'm being looked down on by a genius.
He thought for a second and said, "Itachi, I'm serious. School is a massive waste of time. I really need you to teach me this."
"If you agree to teach me, I can promise you two things. First, if I can't handle it, I won't force myself."
"Second, I won't run to Izumi and snitch. I won't tell her, 'Man, Itachi got so sick of hanging out with you that he sends a clone to deal with you while he runs off to have fun.'"
Itachi: "..."
Finally, defeated by Musashi's persistence (and blackmail), Itachi agreed to teach him the Shadow Clone Jutsu.
After Itachi explained the method and all the safety warnings, Musashi turned to leave.
Itachi called out, "Where are you going?"
"Home," Musashi replied. "To practice."
Itachi pointed at the ground. "Practice here. I'll supervise."
Musashi paused.
Is this guy worried I'll mess up and hurt myself? Seriously, what a worrywart.
Still, he sat down obediently. Following the hand signs and chakra molding method Itachi had described, he slowly began to gather his energy.
He crossed his fingers into the signature cross-seal, letting the chakra surge through his pathways.
"Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
Poof!
A wobbly, unidentified blob of white smoke appeared next to Musashi. Before he could even react, poof, it dissipated on its own.
Itachi frowned. "Your chakra flow was too slow, and your hand signs were sloppy. But it wasn't a total disaster. Again!"
"Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
Poof!
"Hand signs were better, but your chakra split was uneven. Again!"
"Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
Poof!
"You spiked your chakra too hard! How is that supposed to work? Again!"
Poof!
"Again!"
"I don't believe this! Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
Poof!
"Again!"
A long time later, Itachi called a halt to the training.
Musashi was tapped out. His chakra was completely drained.
Although he was frustrated, he knew he couldn't push his body any further. He had to wait to recover.
"Itachi, be honest. How many tries did it take you to get this right?"
Itachi kept a straight face. "Two."
"Dammit!" Musashi swore.
He had tried over twenty times and still hadn't nailed it. Was this the gap between a normal person and a genius?
Itachi said, "You don't need to be upset. First off, you're too young. This isn't a jutsu someone your age usually learns."
"Also, B-Rank ninjutsu requires insane chakra control. It's inevitable that a normal person would struggle at the start."
Musashi slumped. " The gap between us is massive."
"There's no point in comparing yourself to me," Itachi said. "Actually, you improved a lot. Chakra control and ninjutsu practice take time. The important thing is that every time I pointed out a mistake, you remembered it and fixed it."
"You haven't succeeded yet, but the progress is obvious."
"Alright, alright, stop trying to make me feel better. That's it for today. Thanks, man."
Musashi waved and left.
As he watched Musashi walk away, the corner of Itachi's mouth twitched up slightly.
"Yeah, Father was right."
"When training gets tiring, watching an idiot try to train is actually pretty relaxing."
For the next few days, determined to master the Shadow Clone Jutsu, Musashi went to the woods every afternoon to train with Itachi.
One time, he even ran into Uchiha Shisui.
Out of curiosity and respect for a powerhouse, Musashi chatted him up enthusiastically. They talked about the "Springtime of Youth" and the "Will of Fire," and they hit it off instantly.
Itachi actually got jealous!
Musashi found that hilarious.
After a week of non-stop grinding, he finally managed to create a stable Shadow Clone.
Musashi was satisfied.
Sure, he couldn't compare to a freak of nature like Itachi.
But mastering the Shadow Clone Jutsu as a brand-new Academy student? That was impressive enough to rank him near the top of the pack.
Plus, he hadn't even focused that much on ninjutsu training.
Musashi figured his ability to meet the baseline requirements for this jutsu came from two things: his "spiritual energy" was high because he had the mental maturity of an adult (living two lives and all), and his physical stamina came from his dad's genetics—but mostly from his insane workout routine.
He firmly believed that a strong physical body was the foundation of a ninja. As long as his body got stronger through hard work, his chakra reserves would grow with it.
Musashi said goodbye to Itachi, officially wrapping up his crash course.
Ideally, Itachi would have been happy for him. But strangely, Itachi looked a little bummed out.
I guess he's sad we won't be hanging out to train anymore, Musashi thought. He's gonna miss me.