"By the way, Fenghuo, this is the scroll for the Shadow Clone Technique—I'm entrusting it to you!"
After Maitedai finished crying tears of joy, he finally remembered the purpose of his visit. He reached into his shirt, pulled out a small scroll, and tossed it to Fenghuo.
Fenghuo, despite the aching fatigue in his limbs, caught it with a gleam of excitement in his eyes. "Uncle Dai, thank you so much!"
"Haha, no need to thank me. I actually got this from Lord Hatake," Maitedai said with a wide grin. "With your talent, I'm sure you'll pick it up quickly."
Fenghuo nodded, though his heart stirred at the mention of Hatake-sama. That must mean Hatake Sakumo—the White Fang of Konoha—whose reputation struck fear into shinobi across the Five Great Nations. It was said that enemy ninja were ordered to abandon missions if they encountered him. Aside from Sakumo, only the Yellow Flash, Namikaze Minato, could command such fear—but at this point in time, Minato had not yet reached his peak.
"Alright then," Maitedai said, helping Kai to his feet. "That's it for today. Fenghuo, can you get home by yourself?"
"No problem!" Fenghuo grinned. "If I rest for a bit, I can recover enough chakra to perform basic medical ninjutsu on myself."
"Oh right, I forgot you know medical techniques," Maitedai chuckled. He gently set Kai back down. "Then let Kai patch you up instead."
Kai beamed without hesitation, not the least bit embarrassed. As a long-time genin, most of Maitedai's missions were D-rank and low-paying, something Fenghuo understood well.
"No worries," Fenghuo said with a smile. "Leave it to me."
Medical ninjutsu required regular practice or it would dull over time, so he welcomed the opportunity.
Ten minutes later, enough chakra had recovered for Fenghuo to begin treatment. His current medical skillset included hemostasis and basic healing—perfect for the training-induced injuries. The bleeding quickly stopped, wounds closed, and the scarring began to fade. Muscle fatigue, however, would still take time. After healing himself, Fenghuo turned to Kai.
"That's much better. Thanks, Fenghuo!" Kai grinned, flashing his trademark sparkling white teeth and giving a thumbs-up. "You're so reliable!"
"Haha, thanks," Fenghuo shrugged. "But this is just emergency treatment. Be sure to re-dress the wound when you get home."
"You too, Fenghuo," Maitedai laughed. "Alright then, see you next time!"
After parting ways, Fenghuo made his way back toward the Uchiha district. On the way, his expression grew tense. That strange illusion he experienced the other night had left him extremely on guard. Fortunately, the path remained quiet.
"Speaking of which... that Uchiha Rakuna picked a fight with me earlier. Did he send his father to probe me that night?" Fenghuo rubbed his chin thoughtfully, then dismissed the idea and let it go.
Once home, he washed his wounds with antiseptic, bandaged them, then cooked a simple meal. Afterward, he locked his bedroom door and windows, and finally took out the scroll for the Shadow Clone Technique.
Though this jutsu appeared modest, it had immense value. By learning it, Fenghuo could save countless hours of training—it was priceless.
Unlike standard ninjutsu, the Shadow Clone Technique used a unique cross seal, created by the Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju. According to the scroll, the seal was formed by crossing the index and middle fingers of both hands. It was deceptively simple in appearance, but difficult in practice; the chakra flow felt unnatural, like trying to walk backwards after a lifetime of only walking forward.
Still, it was far easier than the Multiple Shadow Clone Technique, which required Kage-level reserves.
Within half an hour, Fenghuo had mastered the seal and chakra control.
"Shadow Clone Technique!"
Poof!
A burst of smoke—then a figure appeared beside him... though it looked bizarre. Its head was crooked, one eye was larger than the other, and its mouth was above its nose.
Fenghuo yelped and reflexively slapped the clone. "Don't scare me like that!"
Only then did he remember: the technique splits your chakra evenly. Without proper control, the clone's form could become unstable.
He tried again—this time the chakra transfer went smoothly, but the clone exploded moments later. The chakra returned to his body, but the experience was disorienting.
He trained deep into the night. When the moon was high in the sky, a burst of laughter echoed through the room. Two identical Fenghuos now stood, hands on hips, laughing together.
"This technique is incredible!"
Fenghuo reached out and touched the clone's head. It felt oddly real.
"Hey, stop treating me like a kid!" the clone protested, swatting his hand away.
"Ah?" Fenghuo blinked in surprise, then grinned. He liked this jutsu more and more.
But then a troubling thought crept in. The clone shared his memories... including his reincarnation from Earth. What if it slipped up and mentioned something strange in public?
"Do you know about Earth?" he asked the clone.
"Earth? What's that?" The clone tilted its head. "Never heard of it."
Fenghuo exhaled in relief. "Nothing. Anyway, starting tomorrow, you'll handle cooking, attending class, and keeping up good relationships with our classmates."
"Got it! Leave it to me!" The clone gave a firm nod, pounding its chest. "You focus on training. We're going to be great ninjas someday!"
"Heh." Being encouraged by your own clone—it beat cheering at the mirror.
Eventually, Fenghuo went to sleep, and the clone quietly practiced seals at his side. When the main body entered deep rest, the clone dispersed with a puff, returning its memories and chakra.
The next morning, before sunrise, Fenghuo woke up, clasped his index and middle fingers, and performed the cross seal.
"Shadow Clone Technique!" Poof!
An identical Fenghuo appeared.
"I'm heading out. You're on household duty today."
"No problem!" said the clone with a wink.
Though Fenghuo had only genin-level chakra reserves, and the clone used half of that, it didn't matter—the clone wasn't fighting. It was just attending class and doing chores. As long as it didn't suffer serious injury, it would remain stable.
Thus began Fenghuo's "cheat-code" training arc.
The clone took care of cooking, lectures, and minor tasks, while the real Fenghuo focused purely on growth.
Each morning and evening, he trained under Maitedai's brutal regime. Each session left him utterly exhausted—but his body grew stronger, and even his medical ninjutsu improved with frequent self-treatment.
Within two weeks, he successfully learned the Mystical Palm Technique. A huge breakthrough.
He didn't slack during the rest of the day either. In the mornings, he refined his seal work. In the afternoons, he practiced ninjutsu and genjutsu.
He soon mastered all the techniques left behind by his parents:
Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu
Fire Style: Phoenix Fire Jutsu
Fire Style: Fire Dragon Flame Bullet
Fire Style: Dragon Fire Jutsu
Genjutsu: Demonic Illusion – Hell Viewing Technique
Genjutsu: False Surroundings Technique
Genjutsu: Sly Mind Affect Technique
Genjutsu: Interrogation Illusion Technique
In terms of raw experience, he still needed to catch up.
But in every other way, Fenghuo had already become a full-fledged genin—one step closer to his future as a true ninja.