The Multi-Shadow Clone Jutsu wasn't actually that difficult to master—no harder than the standard Shadow Clone Jutsu, really.
In the original story, Naruto hadn't even possessed a decent chakra network. He'd simply sprinted through the forest all night with the Scroll of Seals and managed to learn the jutsu before pummeling Mizuki into submission. That's how low the barrier to entry truly was.
The reason it was classified as forbidden was straightforward: splitting into a massive number of clones simultaneously drained a shinobi's chakra so rapidly it could kill them outright.
One clone consumed half the body's reserves. Two clones left only a quarter. The technique's chakra cost was genuinely terrifying. Chakra drew from both physical stamina and spiritual energy—a resource no ordinary shinobi could afford to hemorrhage. Kakashi would be exhausted after two uses.
But Naruto was different. An Uzumaki with the Nine-Tails' chakra pool at his disposal, he could spam massive jutsu without consequence.
"Fortunately for me," Seiran said with a wry smile, "I'm cut from similar cloth."
He didn't have Uzumaki blood, but he had something just as valuable: a life magnetic field that kept his body functioning at peak efficiency. Whenever he pushed past his limits, the field compensated, mending the damage in real-time. On top of that, his chakra reserves already exceeded most shinobi his rank—closer to jonin levels. With that kind of buffer, shadow clones alone wouldn't drain him dry anytime soon.
Seiran took a deep breath and began practicing.
The chakra flow resembled the standard Shadow Clone Jutsu, but with additional steps during the release phase. By multiplying the release pathways, he could exponentially increase the number of clones. The Second Hokage really was a genius—what kind of mind conceived of such elegant chakra channeling?
When his chakra peaked, he performed the hand signs. "Multi-Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
Boom! Boom! Boom!
White mist erupted outward, and suddenly dozens of identical Seirans filled the clearing, staring at each other in bewilderment.
His gut felt hollowed out—a sickening sensation that hit harder than expected. Before he could process it, chaos erupted.
"How come there are so many ugly guys just lying around?"
"You bastard! Who are you calling ugly? Look at your own face!" x10
"You want a fight?" x10
"Bring it!" x20
Seiran's head throbbed as dozens of voices shouted over each other in perfect unison. He hadn't anticipated this drawback, but now that it was happening, the memory clicked into place. Naruto did this constantly—yelling at his clones, especially during Rasengan training. The clones would get competitive, mock the slower ones, nearly tear each other apart.
He'd found it hilarious watching it on TV back in his old life. Experiencing it firsthand was considerably less amusing.
"Shut up!" Seiran roared, barely containing his frustration. "I'm the original! You listen to me!"
The shouting died down.
"Original, huh? So who's actually uglier?" one clone asked innocently.
"That's easy—him! His nose could touch the sky!"
Seiran watched them descend into another argument and sighed deeply. He pulled a scroll from his pouch and tossed it skyward. The seal burst open, and countless shuriken and kunai cascaded down like a metal rainstorm, hovering suspended before the clones.
The weaponry silenced them instantly.
"Good," Seiran exhaled. "Now try using your consciousness to communicate with the metal. See if you can move it."
One clone attempted it. After several tries, the shuriken wobbled unsteadily into the air.
The others watched with obvious envy.
Seiran felt relief wash over him. Just as he'd suspected, the clones shared his Electromagnetic Manipulation abilities. He'd practiced this with standard clones before, so theoretically it should work—and it did.
Once the first clone succeeded, the others immediately started competing.
"No way I'm falling behind!"
"Now watch some real skill..."
Seiran grinned, watching them jostle for dominance. Using ambient metal scattered around the clearing, he constructed a comfortable chair and settled back, crossing his legs.
[Experience +56]
[Experience +59]
[Experience +61]
The EXP counter ticked upward steadily, and Seiran felt genuinely refreshed. The Multi-Shadow Clone Jutsu shared experience with the original—he'd theorized this would work, and his system confirmed it. He didn't even need to dismiss the clones to absorb the gains; it happened automatically.
Level 3 Electromagnetic Manipulation required 6,000 EXP total. He currently had 5,021. Less than a thousand points to go.
If nothing interrupted him, he'd hit Level 3 before the next mission assignment. Naruto had figured this out with the Rasengan—gather enough clones, and the shared experience bonus accelerated progress exponentially.
Seiran had simply adapted the strategy.
A stray thought crossed his mind, and he frowned slightly.
"Is this exploiting a system bug?"
Whatever. Exploiting glitches was the smart play.
He relaxed fully now, lounging like a capitalist at the center of his clone army—dozens of "green onions" constantly harvesting experience points that flowed directly back to him.
One clone fumbled a hand sign. A shuriken flew crookedly, stabbing directly into the clone standing beside him.
"Damn it, watch it!" the wounded clone shouted.
The words barely left his mouth before he popped, dissolving into white mist.
"Right," Seiran muttered, suppressing the strange echo of that memory shock. "They're shadow clones. Stabbed clones pop."
He mobilized his recovered chakra. The mist cleared, and another clone materialized to replace the fallen one, ready to continue the endless training cycle.