"You can't do it either." The original Shin-chan sat up.
The shadow clone climbed up from the floor. "Those symbols really do move."
"I know."
The shadow clone sat there and thought for a moment. Suddenly, his eyes lit up.
"I have an idea."
"What idea?"
The shadow clone didn't answer. Instead, he sat up straight and formed hand seals.
"Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu."
Poof.
Another shadow clone appeared.
Shin-chan Number Two's shadow clone looked at the two people present, then finally looked at the one who had summoned him.
"You look at that scroll." Shin-chan Number One's shadow clone pointed at the ground. "Memorize the symbols on it."
Shin-chan Number Two looked down at the scroll, then lifted his head.
"Why do I have to memorize it?"
"Because I can't memorize it." Shin-chan Number One said confidently.
"What if I can't memorize it either?"
"Then call another one."
Shin-chan Number Two opened his mouth like he wanted to say something, but after seeing Shin-chan Number One's expression, he closed it again.
He sat down in front of the scroll, propping up his face with both hands.
The original Shin-chan watched all of this from the side, blinked, then lay back down.
About another five minutes passed.
Shin-chan Number Two's shadow clone's eyes also turned into mosquito coils.
His body began to sway.
Then he tilted to the side.
Before falling over, he used his last bit of strength to form a seal.
"Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu."
Poof.
Shin-chan Number Three appeared.
He said nothing and silently sat down in front of the scroll.
"..."
When Hiroshi came home from work, he was halfway through changing his shoes in the entryway when he suddenly stopped.
The noise coming from the living room was far too chaotic.
Hiroshi walked to the living room doorway, and his expression froze.
There were seven or eight Shin-chans sitting in the living room.
Some were flipping through the scroll, some were picking at their feet, some were lying on the floor rolling around, and two were tugging at each other's cheeks while arguing about who knew what.
"Tadpoles... scissors... merry-go-round..."
Hiroshi closed the door.
He stood in the hallway, closed his eyes, took a deep breath, then opened the door again.
Still eight Shin-chans.
"Dad's back!" One Shin-chan sitting on the floor and flipping through the scroll lifted his head and waved at him.
The other Shin-chans also lifted their heads one after another.
"Dad!"
"Dad, my allowance is all gone. Can you give me another one? There are eight of me who need snacks now."
"..."
Hiroshi strode into the living room and grabbed the nearest Shin-chan by the shoulder.
"Shin-chan."
"Mm?"
"These." Hiroshi waved his hand around the room full of Shin-chans. "Did you split all of these out?"
"Yeah." That Shin-chan puffed out his chest. "Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu. Isn't it amazing?"
Hiroshi's temple throbbed.
"Do you remember what we said last night—"
"Don't use it randomly. I know." Shin-chan said, "But I'm not using it randomly. I'm using it to study."
Hiroshi looked at the scrolls and booklets scattered all over the floor, then at the shadow clones whose eyes were spinning in circles and had clearly lost the ability to think.
"This is studying?"
"Of course." Shin-chan was completely confident. "Each of them is helping me memorize those tadpole symbols. Even though none of them have memorized them."
"You know that when shadow clones are released, their fatigue returns to the original body, right?"
Shin-chan tilted his head. "I know."
"Then you still dared to create this many?"
"I didn't make them do anything tiring," Shin-chan said. "They're just sitting here looking at the scroll. How can looking at a scroll be tiring?"
Hiroshi was silent for an instant. Then he pointed at the shadow clone on the sofa whose eyes had already turned into mosquito coils and who was still muttering "tadpoles."
"That doesn't count as tired?"
Shin-chan followed his finger and seriously observed the condition of that shadow clone.
Hiroshi took a deep breath.
"Release the shadow clones right now."
"But—"
"Now. Immediately. All of them."
Shin-chan pouted and reluctantly formed a seal.
A series of white smoke bursts exploded, and only the original Shin-chan remained standing in the middle of the living room.
Then his body swayed.
Hiroshi quickly reached out to steady his shoulders.
"How do you feel?"
Shin-chan blinked, moved his arms, then twisted his neck.
"My head's a little dizzy," he said honestly.
"Anything else?"
Shin-chan carefully checked each part of his body.
"Nope."
"Really nothing else?"
"It's just that all the tadpoles rushed into my head." Shin-chan tapped his own head with a finger. "Other than that, nothing feels bad."
Hiroshi stared at him for several seconds. After confirming that he wasn't trying to act tough, he slowly let out a breath of relief.
Then his gaze landed on the scroll spread open on the coffee table.
On the scroll was a circular jutsu formula diagram, packed densely with all kinds of symbols.
"This is..."
"Sealing techniques." Shin-chan leaned over. "Teacher Minato told me to study it properly when I got home."
Hiroshi picked up the scroll and brought it closer to look.
"Dad." Shin-chan tugged at his pant leg. "Can you understand it?"
Hiroshi lowered his head and looked at Shin-chan.
Shin-chan's eyes were sparkling, filled with the expectation that Dad knows everything.
Hiroshi opened his mouth.
He couldn't understand a single thing on this scroll.
"This..."
"Mm?"
Hiroshi lifted the scroll again and pretended to study it very seriously. His brows furrowed slightly, and he nodded from time to time, putting on the appearance of someone deep in thought.
Shin-chan stood beside him, staring without blinking.
Hiroshi's gaze moved over the top of the scroll to glance at the clock on the wall.
Then he glanced out the window.
Then he looked at Shin-chan again.
"This sealing technique," Hiroshi finally said, "is extremely advanced."
Shin-chan nodded hard.
"It isn't something that can be learned in just a day or two."
Shin-chan nodded again.
"So."
Hiroshi placed the scroll back on the coffee table and lightly patted its cover.
"Dad will also need a little time."
Shin-chan tilted his head and looked at him.
"How long?"
"Uh."
"One hour?"
"It may take a bit longer."
"One day?"
Hiroshi was silent for several seconds, then began looking at the scroll again.
Misae glanced at the scene in the living room. Hiroshi was standing stiffly in front of the coffee table, holding up the scroll, his whole body as if someone had cast a paralysis jutsu on him.
Shin-chan stood beside him, looking up at him.
Misae was silent for two seconds.
"Shin-chan, what's wrong with your dad?"
"He's looking at the scroll," Shin-chan said.
"Looking at a scroll can turn someone into that?"
"The symbols move." Shin-chan pointed at the patterns on the scroll. "Dad stared at them for too long, so the tadpoles in his brain started swimming."
Misae walked over and pulled the scroll out of Hiroshi's hands.
Hiroshi's hands remained in the pose of holding the scroll, fingers slightly bent, frozen in midair.
Misae waved her hand in front of him.
No reaction.
She patted his shoulder.
Hiroshi abruptly came back to himself. "I just…"
~~~
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