Hearing Carl's voice, Naruto's heart immediately settled down. Unknowingly, the boy who had always been alone since childhood had already grown deeply dependent on Carl.
Under everyone's gaze, Naruto raised his head and walked to the front of the podium. Iruka carefully looked him up and down, confirming that Naruto's behavior was normal, with no signs of "Fox Transformation." Then, he asked Naruto to demonstrate the Clone Technique.
Naruto shouted a loud "Haa!" as his hands formed seals. His face twisted like he was constipated as he struggled to control the restless chakra in his body.
Inside the sealed space, Carl turned and glanced at the Nine-Tails.
The corner of the Nine-Tails' mouth twitched.
"This isn't on purpose. As long as I'm inside him, his chakra will always be affected by mine."
"So you've never thought about resonating your chakra with his on purpose?"
"You kidding me? Why would I help that brat!?"
Carl chuckled inwardly.
Funny how you'll be practically glued to him in the future like you're on a honeymoon every day, and now you're acting all disgusted.
He ignored the Nine-Tails behind him. If he didn't do something, Naruto would just end up humiliating himself in front of everyone again.
...
Carl slowly closed his eyes. His body gradually turned pitch-black and merged into the shadow beneath him.
Outside, Naruto finally managed to gather a bit of chakra. He was about to grit his teeth and force out a clone.
Suddenly, he felt his small pool of chakra vanish like foam popping. Crap, he thought. Just then, a chorus of startled cries echoed around him.
"Look at Naruto's shadow!"
"It moved! It really moved!"
"It's growing out of it! What kind of jutsu is this!?"
Shikamaru, usually lazy and half-asleep, jumped to his feet, staring wide-eyed at the squirming shadow under Naruto. It looked way too much like their clan's Shadow Manipulation Technique—something that was supposed to be a family secret.
Shadow? What shadow?
Naruto quickly looked down. To his shock, his shadow really was moving. Not only that, but something was slowly growing out of it—a three-dimensional shape that gradually took form as it "grew," finally becoming a tall, cloaked figure with a lean frame.
The moment Naruto saw the shadow figure, he froze. It didn't have a face, but that body shape was unmistakable.
Carl.
Carl stood behind Naruto with his hands casually in his pockets. His shadow cloak spread out like a shroud, wrapping Naruto beneath it.
Though engulfed in darkness, Naruto felt an overwhelming sense of security—it came from Carl.
But for everyone else in the classroom, it was a completely different story. The moment Carl's shadow appeared, a suffocating pressure swept through the room. Iruka could barely stay on his feet. The notebook in his hands had already fallen to the ground.
Carl reached out and gently ruffled Naruto's hair, his voice only audible to Naruto.
"So? Isn't this way better than those useless clones?"
Naruto stared at the shadow Carl in awe and nodded eagerly.
"This is so cool!"
Iruka swallowed hard before forcing out a shaky question.
"N-Naruto… is this the clone you made?"
The other students shared the same confused look as Iruka. The clone didn't even look like Naruto. Its body shape was completely different.
Naruto didn't know how to answer. It didn't really feel like his power.
Carl spoke evenly.
"Tell them this is a jutsu you developed through Dark Release. Its name—Shadow Clone."
Naruto repeated Carl's words without hesitation.
"Shadow Clone?" Iruka gasped. "That's not a basic Clone Technique at all. Shadow… Could it be Shadow Clone Jutsu!?"
The classroom instantly erupted into noise.
Shadow Clones weren't anywhere near the same level as regular clones. Though the names differed by just one word, the gap was enormous. Regular clones were only useful to distract the enemy, but Shadow Clones could actually fight and act independently. That was a B-rank jutsu—something no "elementary students" like them should even be touching.
Even Iruka, a Chunin and a teacher, couldn't use it himself.
Iruka couldn't help but ask,
"Naruto, does this Shadow Clone have combat capability?"
Naruto didn't answer immediately. He glanced at shadow Carl. Carl nodded slightly, and Naruto responded,
"Yes. It can fight."
Honestly, Iruka didn't even need Naruto's answer. Just from observing their interaction, he could tell this was a far more advanced jutsu than the standard clone—this shadow clearly had its own consciousness.
Iruka couldn't help but marvel in his heart. Just overnight, Naruto seemed like a completely different person.
His gaze returned to the tall shadow clone. He wanted to test how strong it really was.
...
Based on his assumption, Naruto's combat power without the Nine-Tails shouldn't be very high. So the Shadow Clone should be even weaker. As a Chunin, it shouldn't be a problem for him to handle.
But when he voiced this thought, Naruto's face twisted awkwardly.
"Iruka-sensei… are you sure you want to fight Carl—I mean, my Shadow Clone?"
Iruka frowned slightly.
"Why? Will it hurt you if the clone is dispersed?"
Naruto shook his head.
"No… I just don't really know how strong it is. If it hurts Sensei by accident…"
"I see," Iruka said, relieved. "You still don't understand how Shadow Clones work. Just remember—no matter how advanced the clone technique is, the clone's strength can't surpass the original body. Unless you can beat me, you don't need to worry."
Naruto answered honestly,
"I definitely can't beat you, Sensei. But…"
Iruka cut him off with a small smile.
"All right. Let me help you test it. Even if I don't understand the technique fully, I can report it if needed."
What Iruka didn't know was that, at that very moment, Carl's shadow clone was standing there with its arms crossed, a playful grin tugging at the corners of his mouth.
Of course, since this was only a shadow manifestation, no one else could see that smile.
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+100 chapters on p@treon/tambeerg