[Symbol representing shock or panic: Σ(°△°|||)︴]
Uchiha Aozora broke out in cold sweat and immediately dispelled the Shadow Clone Technique.
"One shadow clone dares to steal my spotlight?"
As the technique dissolved, a brief memory returned to him.
He clearly sensed the clone's intense urge to show off.
"Have I really become this much of a dramatic teenager?"
Before he could think further, the Heavenly Book changed.
First, gray ancient characters "Bunshin" (Clone) appeared on its blank page. Then the color deepened and golden light radiated outward, eventually transforming into gilded ancient characters.
Even more surprising was that after the golden characters faded, four new ancient characters emerged: "Embodiment Beyond the Self."
These newly appeared characters were unusually dim, clearly an incomplete inheritance.
After these gray characters also vanished, Uchiha Aozora assumed it was over. Unexpectedly, the words "Yu Qi" (Instrument Command) surfaced on the book. The originally dull characters now had faint golden edges glowing.
"A triple jackpot? Didn't expect Shadow Clones to be so sophisticated."
The transformation of "Bunshin" didn't surprise him, nor was he puzzled by the emergence of "Embodiment Beyond the Self"—it was clearly part of the advanced clone techniques.
What shocked Uchiha Aozora most was that "Yu Qi" had somehow improved as well.
He quickly examined "Yu Qi."
After some time, Aozora opened his eyes thoughtfully.
"It turns out Shadow Clones don't just split chakra; they also divide part of one's spirit. No wonder clones possess their own consciousness."
"And 'Yu Qi' fundamentally relies on spiritual division and attachment, so this technique also got enhanced."
Suddenly, Uchiha Aozora inhaled sharply.
He recalled how the canonical Naruto routinely created hundreds or even thousands of Shadow Clones.
"How did he avoid developing fractured consciousness?"
"Is it because of overwhelming protagonist aura?"
"Or did Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu optimize this aspect?"
"Perhaps 'spirit' isn't exactly the same as 'soul'?"
After some random speculation, Uchiha Aozora decisively refocused his mind. He never wasted time pondering unsolvable mysteries.
Thus, Aozora fixed his gaze on "Bunshin" and "Embodiment Beyond the Self" displayed on the Heavenly Book.
Careful comparison revealed that "Bunshin" was simply an optimized version of the Shadow Clone Technique—it lacked new capabilities, only slightly improving chakra circulation routes for marginally reduced consumption.
As for "Embodiment Beyond the Self," although only fragmentary knowledge was shown, it sparked endless possibilities in Aozora's mind.
Compared to Shadow Clones, the physical bodies cultivated through "Embodiment Beyond the Self" were not easily destroyed and could independently cultivate and grow stronger. Moreover, these embodiments possessed independent consciousness during regular times, yet at critical moments the main body could gain full control while synchronizing consciousness anytime.
After reviewing the abilities of "Embodiment Beyond the Self", Uchiha Aozora instantly found the Shadow Clone Technique far less appealing.
Unfortunately, "Embodiment Beyond the Self" remained grayed out, displaying no methods for cultivation.
After gazing at "Embodiment Beyond the Self" for some time, Uchiha Aozora finally redirected his focus to practicing the hand seals for the Shadow Clone Jutsu.
He didn't need to perform hand seals to use his ninjutsu, but he wasn't ready to reveal this secret just yet.
Nowadays, for the Uchiha clan, having Shisui the Teleporting Flash was already enough. Anything more would be unacceptable—not just to the Konoha elders, but even to the Uchiha themselves.
The next morning, not long after dawn, the three members of Team Three had already arrived at the rice paddies.
Looking at the golden fields stretching before them, Uchiha Aozora declared passionately, "Let's do our best today and finish this battle!"
Inuzuka Aya enthusiastically echoed him, "Come on, let's give it our all!"
Hayate Gekko, looking at the two energetic youths, coughed twice and said, "You don't have to be in such a hurry. We've got four days for this mission, and today is only the second day."
"And besides—" He paused deliberately as he spoke.
He pointed toward the results of their work from the previous day. "We only harvested one-fourth yesterday."
"Even if we're more skilled today, there's no way we can finish everything."
Aozora shook his head and shot back, "We just went easy on you guys."
Aya also remarked, "Hmph, Aozora, you talk big. Actually, I was holding back my real strength."
Finishing her words, she suddenly thrust her fist toward Aozora and challenged, "Uchiha Aozora, let's have a competition! Let's see who harvests more rice today!"
Aozora tried his best to suppress the urge to roll his eyes.
First claim that you were holding back, then declare a challenge?
You call that thinking? Must've been eaten by her dog.
Despite this, Aozora didn't refuse.
He smirked and agreed, "No problem!"
Then, an idea lit up in Aozora's eyes as he grinned, "But just competing won't be fun enough. How about we add some stakes to the bet?"
Without skipping a beat, Aya readily agreed, "Sure thing—you're just gonna lose anyway. So, what's the bet?"
'Talk about fearless... or just clueless,' Aozora thought.
"A Ninjutsu Scroll of C-Rank or higher. How does that sound?"
After speaking, Aozora gave Inuzuka Aya a provocative gaze.
How could Aya ever admit defeat? She immediately accepted the challenge and asked Hayate Gekko to be the witness.
Hayate tried hard to talk them out of it but ultimately resigned himself to being the referee.
Standing on the ridge between the fields, he pointed at a dividing line: "This will be the centerline. Each of us takes one side. Sunset is our deadline—we'll see who cuts more rice. If someone finishes their half first, they win too."
Upon hearing this, Aozora felt something was off.
Before he could think further, Hayate had already shouted, "Begin!"
Before the word fully faded, Aya yelled at Aozora, "Uchiha Aozora, you're doomed to lose!"
Then, she gestured to White Dog, who immediately leapt onto her back.
[Beast Human Clone!]
With a puff of smoke, White Dog transformed into another Aya.
"It's showtime, White Dog!"
She shouted and dived straight into harvesting rice alongside her clone.
Aozora smiled slightly and shook his head: "That's all?"
Ninjutsu! Shadow Clone Jutsu!
With a 'poof!' sound, two Kage Bunshin appeared beside him.
"Go forth, Shadow Clones!"
The two clones looked seriously annoyed, but still reluctantly went down into the field to start cutting rice.
The Beast Human Clone created by White Dog wasn't really a human after all, and struggled with using tools. Therefore, Uchiha Aozora's two Kage Bunshin got ahead of Inuzuka Aya in cutting rice.
Seeing victory within reach, Uchiha Aozora relaxed and prepared to chat with Hayate Gekko.
Watching the breeze gently caress Hayate's hair on the field ridge under the sunlight, he looked peaceful and content.
Uchiha Aozora frowned as he said, "Hayate, you're being sneaky again!"
Hayate smiled awkwardly, saying, "I'm just not in good health! Cough! Not in good health at all!"
Seeing how thin Hayate was, Uchiha Aozora cut him some slack and said, "Just don't do this again. And you'll help us this afternoon too—let's try to finish the task today."
Hayate nodded and said, "Alright!"
During lunch break, Inuzuka Aya had already fallen far behind Uchiha Aozora in rice-cutting progress. She quickly gobbled down her food, took a short rest, then hurried back out into the blazing sun to keep cutting rice.
Hayate and Aozora didn't feel right just standing there doing nothing, so they went down to the field too. Finally, before sunset, Team Three completed their first mission.
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