"The intel a Shadow Clone gathers can be sent back to the original?"
Sasuke understood.
"Intel? Oh, right. The one who heard that just now was my Shadow Clone!"
Naruto was slow on the uptake, as usual.
"And that's not all," Hanabi said. "Shadow Clones synchronize everything with the original. Correspondingly, whatever insights we gain during combat or training, those Shadow Clones gain as well. So Shadow Clones can be used for training."
"Of course, Shadow Clones don't produce any actual physical changes in the original body, so this training is limited to ninjutsu, techniques, and academics—it doesn't include strength, endurance, or anything related to physical conditioning itself. On top of that, the fatigue from Shadow Clones feeds back to the original, and clones require an equal split of chakra. Too many clones can even be fatal. That's exactly why the Multiple Shadow Clone Technique is classified as a forbidden jutsu."
[So Naruto's the one with the real cheat code all along]
[Sounds pretty dangerous, though. But the protagonist's a stamina freak LOL]
[LOL, completely immune]
[Naruto's chakra and stamina are both absurd]
[Protagonist-exclusive hack]
[Damn, using this for studying would be absolutely perfect. Genuinely jealous]
[FFS, ten clones, each memorizes five vocabulary words, and I've got fifty down in one go. Spelling quiz the next day? No problem]
[Don't make me relive English spelling quizzes]
[Ah, copying vocab words as punishment back in the day... if only I'd had Shadow Clones]
[I know how to do it. Shadow Ballpoint Pen Jutsu—Shadow Clone! Two pens copying punishment lines simultaneously!]
The audience was deep in shitpost mode, but Shadow Clones—or more specifically, Naruto's Multiple Shadow Clones—really were a cheat-tier ability.
Kushina had noticed this too: "Naruto's stamina is really impressive. If he uses Shadow Clones, he might actually be able to master Adamantine Sealing Chains before the Chūnin Exams!"
"Naruto, you have two objectives right now. First, master the chain ninjutsu you used before as quickly as possible. Second, learn to sense chakra—distinguish the sources of chakra in the air and control them with precision."
"Yes ma'am!"
After discovering the effect his Shadow Clones could have, Naruto was fired up and dove straight into practice.
Hanabi then turned to Sasuke: "Sasuke, you don't have nearly as much chakra as Naruto, so even with regular Shadow Clones you can't split off too many for training—but splitting off a few is still feasible. Have your real body do physical conditioning, while your clones work on technique."
"Understood."
Technique and strength were complementary.
Having the original train for strength while the clones trained for technique meant building power and refining skill at the same time—killing two birds with one stone.
If Naruto's setup was an ultimate VIP-tier training cheat code, Sasuke's was at least an economy package.
"How much do you understand about swordsmanship techniques, Sasuke?" Hanabi asked.
"I know the textbook material, and I've learned the practical techniques taught at the Academy. But nothing deeper than that," Sasuke replied.
"Mm. Ninja and samurai are different. Samurai can carry their weapons openly, but ninja need to conceal theirs. Take me, for example—my twin swords are actually hidden right here."
Hanabi opened her red paper parasol and drew the twin blades from within.
"I'll let you in on a secret. Even though I know a lot of jutsu, what I'm actually best at is swordsmanship."
[You believe that?]
[Yeah, why wouldn't I?]
[I believe you, my foot—go watch her ridiculously smooth Ice Style in the OVA]
[Please see the highlight reel]
[Hanabi's mouth—nothing but lies LOL]
The audience burst into laughter.
But Hanabi really hadn't been lying—swordsmanship genuinely was her strongest suit.
Sigh, why was it that in this day and age, telling the truth just made everyone doubt you?
Hey, Sasuke, why do you have that unconvinced look on your face too?!
"Maa..."
Hanabi tilted her head.
Being misunderstood was a creator's fate.
Even the works of famous directors got wildly different interpretations, so this was perfectly normal.
"Sasuke, you should get yourself a katana, but you don't need to wear it—just carry it in a ninja tool scroll. On your person, carry a short blade—a wakizashi. Keep it on your body; a wakizashi can be drawn at any time and is easy to conceal. It suits you well."
A ninja's work often involved stealth, so a showy, openly carried katana really wasn't necessary.
But Sasuke was different.
For Sasuke, what mattered wasn't concealment—it was having the killing blow ready for Itachi Uchiha.
For him, a full-length katana was naturally among his options.
After covering the basics, Hanabi began teaching Sasuke some foundational techniques. She was still learning under Jingliu herself, but this much was well within her capabilities.
[So this whole episode is just training?]
[The arc starts with training?]
[Holy crap. What kind of training is this? This is just last-minute cramming before a freaking exam!]
[Grass (a type of exclamation), now that you put it that way, it really is]
[Dude, how do you know I have finals tomorrow and I'm watching this while catching up on online lectures?]
[Before, when I thought "training arc," it didn't feel weird at all. But the second you said "last-minute cramming," now I can't unsee it no matter how I look at it]
[Sometimes I genuinely regret being such a fast reader—the thought of finals the day after tomorrow fills me with dread]
[Hey, you've got time to post in the danmaku but not to go study?!]
[That's where you're wrong. Failing a class is temporary. Watching your waifu's stream? That's for life LOL]
The audience chat was on fire. It had gone pretty far off-topic, but the lively discussion was great for building popularity, and Hanabi had racked up a nice chunk of popularity points during this stretch.
Actually, come to think of it—
Hanabi herself hadn't expected it, but the whole scene really did look like last-minute cramming before an exam.
It was over.
She couldn't unsee it either.
As Sasuke entered his training zone, Hanabi found herself with some free time.
That was when she began thinking about the client's task.
After some consideration, Hanabi decided this probably wasn't a change caused by any "butterfly effect" she'd introduced to the plot.
Her "star power" could create a certain degree of variation, but the world's own trajectory wasn't so easily shaken. The Chūnin Exams weren't the Land of Waves or the OVA—Hanabi didn't carry that much "narrative gravity."
So this commission had to be targeting the "original work"—or rather, the original trajectory of fate.
And in Hanabi's recollection, during the early-to-mid portions of the Chūnin Exams arc, it was mostly Sasuke in the spotlight, Sakura playing the straight man, and Naruto serving as comic relief.
Most of the cast—Gaara included—had their eyes on Sasuke. Naruto's standout moments were vanishingly few. Sure, there'd been that one scene where he defeated an enemy with a fart, but that kind of moment was really just another form of "playing the clown."
Things didn't start to shift until after the second exam.
Up to that point, calling Naruto a third-rate supporting character heading for a villain arc wouldn't have been much of an exaggeration.
So this commission—this was telling her to set things right.