In the first year of the Ninja Academy, students mainly focus on foundational theoretical knowledge and some basic physical training. The curriculum generally excludes ninjutsu and genjutsu at this stage. Physical training is introduced early on as preparation for future ninjutsu studies. Naturally, students admitted to the academy must already be capable of chakra extraction. Those unable to extract chakra are filtered out during the enrollment process—entry into the Ninja Academy is impossible without this ability.
Only a small portion of these children hail from prominent ninja clans.
Well before entering the Academy, most of them have already succeeded in chakra extraction and begun preliminary training under the guidance of chūnin or even jōnin within their respective families. Clan-specific techniques often become part of their instruction the moment they can extract chakra. In theory, such children would benefit more from training at home than at the Academy. However, since the Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju, established the Academy system, it has become mandatory for all school-age children in Konoha—including those from noble clans like the Uchiha and Hyūga—to attend the Academy by the age of five or six.
Thus, for these children, instruction at the Academy is largely supplemental.
Historically, the Ninja Academy has focused more on preparing civilian-born ninja or children from minor clans with limited access to resources.
Differences in natural talent, upbringing, and access to training create a clear disparity among students at the Academy.
One obvious sign of this disparity is chakra extraction. Most clan-born students have already succeeded in extracting chakra before enrolling and begin their Academy training with a significant head start. In contrast, many civilian children, especially those with no ninja parentage, must start from the basics—learning what chakra is, how to extract it, and eventually how to control it. For them, the first year is the most critical. They must learn what it means to be a ninja, the nature of chakra, and how to manipulate it once extracted.
Among the ninja's three primary combat styles—ninjutsu, genjutsu, and taijutsu—taijutsu is the most straightforward to begin with.
Most of these children, however, still lack a practical grasp of chakra control. They can't yet mold or use chakra effectively. As a result, instruction in ninjutsu and genjutsu must be postponed—even for the most basic forms, such as the Three Basic Techniques (Henge no Jutsu, Kawarimi no Jutsu, and Bunshin no Jutsu).
Naruto Uzumaki, having just completed his first year, has yet to formally learn any ninjutsu or genjutsu through the Academy's curriculum. But unlike in the original timeline, Naruto in this life is considerably more disciplined and intelligent. In Iruka Umino's eyes, Naruto is a positive, cheerful, clever, and obedient child.
One day, on a school break, Naruto asked Iruka if he could begin learning the Three Basic Techniques early. Though hesitant at first, Iruka reconsidered. Naruto's potential was clearly on par with clan-born students. (By this time, Naruto was already known to host the Nine-Tails, a fact likely recognized by most ninja in the village. However, his status as the orphaned son of the Fourth Hokage was known only to the village leadership and elite jōnin.)
Moreover, the Three Basic Techniques are the most rudimentary jutsu.
Teaching Naruto early didn't seem especially risky.
With that in mind, when Naruto asked again, Iruka agreed. He began instructing Naruto in the hand seals and key points of the Three Basic Techniques.
Then, as in the original timeline, something unusual happened.
Naruto quickly grasped both the Transformation Jutsu and Substitution Jutsu.
While his control was still developing, the fundamentals were in place. With continued practice, he would soon master both techniques.
But the Clone Jutsu…
As in the original manga, Naruto struggled with this jutsu—failing consistently, even multiple times during graduation. And in this life, he still found it impossible to execute correctly. No—"impossible" wasn't an exaggeration. He simply couldn't make it work.
Even though he followed Iruka's instructions perfectly—
The hand seals, the chakra molding—
Nothing seemed to be off.
And yet, it still didn't work.
Three months had passed since Naruto began learning the Three Basic Techniques from Iruka.
He had mastered Substitution and Transformation within a single day.
His proficiency continued to improve with practice.
But the Clone Jutsu remained out of reach.
This severely disrupted Naruto's training schedule. Originally, his plan was to move on to further physical conditioning and—if possible—convince Iruka to teach him a basic C-rank ninjutsu or genjutsu.
After all, Iruka was a capable chūnin. While A-rank and B-rank techniques were off-limits, surely a C-rank jutsu or two could be taught early.
But plans can't always keep pace with setbacks.
Naruto's failure with the Clone Jutsu brought out his stubborn streak.
He couldn't accept that he might be incapable of mastering this basic jutsu. Even if it wasn't practically useful, it was still one of the foundational three. In Naruto's mind, that meant it had to be learned.
That morning, after completing his routine physical drills—
And following a quick lunch—
Naruto dedicated his afternoon to refining the Three Basic Techniques.
He briefly reviewed Substitution Jutsu—focusing on timing, positioning, and strategic triggers. In Naruto's view, Substitution was the most practical of the three, especially for stealth-based combat or misdirection.
Then he returned to practicing the Clone Jutsu.
"Bunshin no Jutsu!"
Puff!
A cloud of white smoke burst around him.
When it cleared—
Naruto stood in the middle of the field.
Lying beside him were two deformed, pale, twitching figures vaguely resembling him—if someone had tried to sculpt him from soft clay with their eyes closed.
One was trembling. The other looked nauseating.
Naruto stared at them for a moment. The corners of his mouth twitched.
"Kai."
With a sigh, he released the jutsu.
Puff.
The grotesque clones vanished.
"Where's the problem?"
Naruto sat down cross-legged.
This was yet another failure in a long string of failures today.
He reviewed the hand signs.
Recalled the chakra molding.
This was supposed to be the simplest of basic techniques.
He followed every step properly.
So why couldn't he make it work?