"Boss, I want to learn too! I want to learn!" Naruto, hearing about the Shadow Clone Jutsu, rushed over eagerly.
Learning a new ninjutsu meant skipping regular classes!
It sounded awesome!
"Sure," Musashi said. "Karin too. All three of you can learn it together, provided you can master it."
With the Uzumaki constitution of the other two, he wasn't worried about the chakra burden of the Shadow Clone Jutsu.
His main concern was Naruto. At this stage, he wasn't sure if Naruto's chakra refinement quality and control were good enough to master it.
Under the shade of a tree, Aoi was busy catching butterflies.
The other three began their training.
"Shadow Clone Jutsu!" Poof~
"Shadow Clone Jutsu!" Poof~
"Shadow Clone..."
Time passed slowly as the sun drifted across the sky.
Musashi suddenly felt a wave of nostalgia. He remembered when he was training under Itachi Uchiha's guidance to learn this very jutsu.
Now, he was the one passing it on to Sasuke.
His emotions were inexplicably complex.
He recalled how Itachi used to worry about his training, watching him struggle with the Shadow Clone Jutsu.
The scene from the past was vivid in his mind.
Lost in memory, the corners of his mouth slowly curled upward.
"Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
POOF!
An identical Sasuke Uchiha appeared right in front of Musashi.
The smile on Musashi's face vanished instantly, replaced by a twitching eye.
He checked the time.
It had been less than an hour.
He remembered it took him a whole week to learn this technique.
Damn it!
These naturally gifted Uchiha!
"Big Bro Musashi, I did it!" Sasuke showed a rare expression of happiness.
"Yeah, I saw."
"Big Bro Musashi, why do you look so serious?"
"I just remembered something unhappy."
"Oh. I see."
"You've used a lot of chakra. Take a break."
Seeing that it was noon, Musashi was considering taking the kids out to a restaurant.
But then, Izumi Uchiha arrived with homemade boxed lunches.
"Take a break, everyone. It's time for lunch."
The variety of dishes gave off a mouth-watering aroma.
Musashi was surprised to find that the taste wasn't much different from Ayame's cooking.
"Not bad, Izumi. I didn't know you had such skills," Musashi praised.
Izumi smiled gently. "After all, I have to take good care of Aoi and Sasuke. I need to be a good big sister. I can't have bad cooking skills."
Naruto couldn't wait and started digging in with his chopsticks.
"I'm starving! I'm going to eat two portions!"
Karin retorted, "Careful you don't burst."
Musashi watched the busy Izumi and the kids eating heartily. The annoyance from Sasuke's rapid progress dissipated significantly.
Looking at the harmonious scene before him, a thought popped into his mind.
Itachi, I'm raising your girl and your little brother for you. Don't you worry about a thing.
---
Afternoon.
Karin was still trying continuously.
Naruto was already lying on the ground.
He had given up.
It was just like the Clone Jutsu.
Whenever he formed the seals to cast the jutsu, the chakra inside him became difficult to control.
It even seemingly vanished a little, causing the jutsu to fail.
"Boss, are there any other powerful but simple ninjutsu?"
"There is. Taijutsu."
"What? I want a high-power ninjutsu! How can a ninja only practice Taijutsu?" Naruto said with disappointment.
Suddenly, he scrambled up. "Boss, let's spar like you did with Sasuke earlier!"
"I think you need a comprehensive understanding of my strength."
"Is that so? Alright." Musashi had no objections.
Soon, Naruto assumed a fighting stance.
"Hah! Take this!"
Shuriken whistled through the air.
Musashi tilted his head to dodge one.
The other six shuriken seemed a bit shy; they landed quite far from him.
Naruto was a bit embarrassed, but he quickly regrouped and charged in for close combat.
Bam-bam-bam-bam-bam!!!~
Compared to his unwatchable weapon throwing, Naruto's Taijutsu was actually decent after Musashi's guidance.
Chakra wrapped around his limbs, giving his strength and speed a definite boost.
Combined with his ferocious style, he wasn't inferior to Sasuke's performance.
Musashi neutralized the punches and kicks one by one, but Naruto fought braver with every second until his stamina eventually gave out.
Realizing he couldn't sustain the attack, Naruto stopped insisting on brute force.
"Boss, I'm unleashing my ultimate move!"
With a loud shout, Musashi focused his attention, curious to see what card the kid had up his sleeve.
"Ninja Art: Sexy Jutsu!"
Poof!~
Amidst swirling smoke...
A beautiful figure with twin blond ponytails appeared in front of him.
A curvy figure, a seductive tone.
Instantly, dark lines formed on Musashi's forehead.
"Ah!~ Musashi-kun~"
Naruto was still trying to sell it.
However, Musashi couldn't take it anymore.
He hadn't even noticed when Naruto had mastered this lewd technique!
Musashi immediately formed hand seals.
"Ninja Art: Advanced Sexy Jutsu!"
Poof!
Pink hair, wide forehead.
Red bikini.
A young girl with slightly visible curves clasping her hands over her chest, looking shy.
"Naruto-kun!~"
Naruto: "(o﹃o)"
"Sakura-chan~"
While Naruto wore a perverted, love-struck expression, a fist expanded rapidly in his vision.
BANG!~
---
"Therefore, as a qualified ninja, you must learn to Resist Temptation!"
On the training ground, Musashi emphasized with a solemn face.
Naruto, clutching a huge bump on his head, wept silently.
Boss actually knew the girl he liked was Sakura.
That was cheating!
That was hitting below the belt!
Musashi lectured him for a full ten minutes before stopping.
"Boss, you just talked about resisting temptation, what about the evaluation? Compared to Sasuke, where can I improve?"
Musashi thought for a moment and said:
"Naruto, you are different from Sasuke."
"Ninjutsu, shuriken throwing, chakra control—you have massive room for improvement in all of them."
"But don't rush those. Take it slow."
"Improve your Taijutsu and combat experience first. In battles between ordinary ninjas, Taijutsu plays a huge role."
"Once your chakra refinement and control improve a bit more, I'll teach you a ninjutsu that suits you."
Naruto: "..., Boss, why does that sound weird?"
"No such thing."
Having dealt with Sasuke and Naruto, Karin was easy.
Having just started learning ninjutsu, she was still catching up with the school curriculum.
Musashi planned to guide her after she mastered chakra refinement and the basic Three Academy Jutsu.
As for Aoi Uchiha... well, she still hadn't caught that butterfly.
The training continued until dark.
The reinforced ground beneath Musashi's feet was soaked with sweat.
Sasuke and Naruto had exhausted their stamina two hours ago and went home to rest.
Only Karin and Aoi remained, watching Musashi train.
Looking at the tireless Musashi, Karin suddenly sighed softly.
"What a pity."