"It's called the Shadow Clone Jutsu," Naruto says, "and it splits your chakra when you use it."

"It splits your chakra?" Sakura asks, then, with a thoughtful frown, adds: "Wait, do you mean that it splits your chakra? Or that it splits your reserves?"

Naruto stares at the girl, his expression making his complete lack of understanding clear.

Sakura huffs in some irritation.

"When you say 'it splits your chakra'," the girl says, "do you mean it splits the amount of chakra you currently have in you? Or, do you mean that it splits the maximum amount of chakra you can have in you?"

I frown. That's actually a good question.

I go over my memory of Naruto using the clone jutsu again, and while it's in perfect detail like sharingan memories always are, there's no new information to be gleaned.

The sharingan can see chakra, yes; but it is nowhere near the extent that the byakugan can.

While my visual abilities had been enough to help me ballpark Naruto's chakra expenditure during that fight, they hadn't been enough to make me aware of any change to his reserves as a whole.

My knowledge from the story doesn't really help me here either, seeing as the same story explicitly stated that a single use of the technique splits your chakra in half, and yet Naruto went around making hundreds of clones.

Clones that still somehow had enough chakra to pull off techniques like the rasengan.

Why didn't the author of that story just make Naruto a Tailed Beast and be done with it…?

Oh, wait, he did by the end there, didn't he?

Pulling myself from my diverging thoughts and back to the present, I see Naruto's eyes widening in understanding at Sakura's words.

"Oh," the boy says, "that's what you mean.

"Yeah, it's both; the chakra that you have is shared equally among you and the clones, and none of you can recover more than that until after you cancel the technique. Also, you can't make more than two clones.

"But even with all of that the jutsu is still super awesome; all the clones are just as strong and fast as you, it's great for training."

Naruto keeps going on about the amazingness of the clone jutsu, but Sakura just can't seem to get past that first part of bit.

I can understand why.

For someone like her with such pitiful chakra reserves, the thought of splitting her chakra for any reason whatsoever must seem mad.

At our current abilities, my chakra reserve is approximately a dozen times Sakura's; Naruto's is nine times mine.

For someone like him, and even me, with my well above average reserves, the Shadow Clone Jutsu might be worth the cost, but for her...?

There's no point in creating more of you if you're all going to be useless afterwards.

Having gotten excited from extolling the virtues of what I strongly suspect is his favourite jutsu, Naruto rounds up by saying; "Here, let me teach you."

Sakura draws aways from the boy like his very suggestion may suck out her chakra.

"Um, no thanks," she says. "I'm good."

Naruto, completely misunderstanding why Sakura would not be eager to learn the Shadow Clone Jutsu, looks hurt by her immediate rejection.

God, he's like a little puppy, isn't he?

"Sakura can't learn that technique, Naruto. Not yet, at least," I say, deciding to step in. "It splits chakra. With her reserves it would endanger her if we ever got into a difficult situation."

Naruto blinks. "Oh, right." He laughs awkwardly and scratches his head. "Gramps actually mentioned that too."

Gramps. Naruto calls The Third Hokage Gramps.

Moving back on topic, I say; "It's still useful for our training, though. You said you can't make more than two, right?"

"Nope," Naruto replies.

And isn't that a surprise.

I wonder if it's a safety measure added to the technique by its creator, or if it's simply another limitation of what chakra can accomplish; like how the Transformation Jutsu can't change someone into something that's too molecularly, physiologically, or dimensionally different to their base form.

"Hn," I intone, the act dragging up a dozen memes from Caleb's memories that almost make me grimace.

I shake it off.

"Naruto, make two clones, we'll—"

"Hello, my cute, little genin," Kakashi says from behind me.

Sakura and Naruto jump.

I don't.

Right there, in the middle of the training yard we've been standing in for several minutes now, is Kakashi.

The jōnin is leaning back comfortably on a beach chair, wearing nothing but a pair of beach shorts, his mask, and his ninja headband, the sleek, black metal on the last denoting his rank for all the world to see.

"Hey, you scared us," Naruto screams. "And where did you even come from?"

"Has he been here the entire time?" Sakura whispers, sounding almost horrified by the thought.

Kakashi, unbothered by our reactions, picks up a fruity drink complete with a pink umbrella in it and sips. Through his mask.

"Why are you drinking through your mask?" Naruto asks, sounding genuinely curious. "And where did you get the drink? And the chair? And why are you acting like you're at the beach? The sun is barely even up! Oi, answer me!"

"Ah," Kakashi lets out a fondly exasperated sigh. "My genin sure are energetic for first thing in the morning."

"Why are you here, Kakashi?" I ask.

The ninja stares at me, his sole visible eye glittering with amusement.

"Well, I wanted to spend time with my genin," he says. "Is that so bad? You know, they say that the people you're willing to spend your time with when you have nothing to do, are closer friends to you than the people you carry on your back in battle…" he frowns.

"Unless it's the same people you spend your time with that you also carry in battle. Huh. Never thought of that before," he mutters, expression full of fake thoughfulness.

I take a slow breath and hold it for three seconds.

"Um… what are you talking about?" Sakura asks.

"The berries, Sakura," Kakashi says. "I'm talking about the berries."

Sakura and Naruto stare at each other, then back at Kakashi.

"Um, sensei?" the girl asks softly. "Are you having a stroke?"

Okay, enough of this.

"We're about to train," I say. "Are you here to help? Or, are you simply going to be disruptive?"

Because, I don't know how, but if he's here to be a bother I swear I'll kick him out.

Kakashi sighs. "Always ruining my fun," he 'mutters', then louder: "You guys really should tell your teammate to lighten up; he'll give himself wrinkles."

"Sensei," I bite out, the syllables coming out through gritted teeth.

"Fine, fine. You want to train? Let's train."

Kakashi rises from his chair and pulls out a tiny golden bell attached to a bright red string from his pocket.

"Here's your training," the jōnin says as he jingles the bell at the end of its string. "Get this bell from me by any means necessary.

"Oh, and a word of advice," he adds, and suddenly, despite his attire, who stands before us is no longer a silly man child but an incredibly dangerous ninja, "you'd better come at me with the intent to kill."

…

"Or at least, maim. Whichever floats your boat."