The Shadow Clone Jutsu (Kage Bunshin) is a technique used to duplicate the user’s physical body. In combat, it is highly reliable for overwhelming enemies and creating vital diversions. Beyond battle, a skilled user can command their clones to multitask, performing various complex activities simultaneously.
While the offensive power of a single Shadow Clone may not be inherently fatal, using the jutsu creatively can yield extraordinary results. A prime example is how Kawaki weaponized a Shadow Clone to deceive Isshiki Otsutsuki—a brilliant tactical maneuver that ultimately sealed the villain’s demise.
Here is the story of why Kawaki grew fascinated with the technique, his journey to becoming a shinobi, and his ultimate deception against Isshiki.
1. Kawaki’s Fascination with Shadow Clones and the Shinobi Path
While Naruto sparred with Boruto in close-quarters shinobi combat, Kawaki watched from the sidelines alongside Himawari, Mitsuki, and Sarada.
When Boruto deployed the Shadow Clone Jutsu to attack his father, Kawaki was struck with awe. He hadn’t expected Boruto to master the exact same technique Naruto frequently used to keep an eye on him.
After the intense sparring session ended, Kawaki was curious about the hand sign Boruto and Naruto formed together. Sarada explained that it was the “Seal of Reconciliation”—a mandatory ritual performed by shinobi at the end of a match as a sign of mutual respect.
Living under the Uzumaki roof, Kawaki later approached Naruto, who was working from home, handling his Hokage duties while keeping a watchful eye on his guest. Kawaki admitted that the sparring match between father and son looked incredibly fun. Hearing this, Naruto smiled and offered to teach him ninjutsu.
Kawaki, however, felt it was impossible; he wasn’t a shinobi and had no idea how to control chakra. Naruto gently explained that chakra exists within everyone. While shinobi use it to weave ninjutsu, the true essence of chakra is a life force that connects people.
Kawaki then confessed his admiration for the Shadow Clone Jutsu, calling it incredibly cool and practical. Naruto agreed, noting that beyond combat, it was highly useful for doing multiple chores at once.
But Kawaki had a different, darker motivation for wanting the jutsu: he wanted to fight himself to relieve stress. Naruto firmly shut the idea down. He revealed that he had tried the exact same thing in the past, and not only did it fail to relieve his stress, but it was also entirely exhausting and ineffective.
2. Kawaki Learns Ninjutsu and Trains as a Shinobi
Later, while Kawaki was helping Boruto train to control his Karma, Naruto and Himawari watched from the sidelines.
Just after the boys completed the Seal of Reconciliation, Ino telepathically reported a perimeter breach—an intruder was heading straight for their location. The trespasser was Delta, a lethal Inner member of the Kara organization.
Delta’s mission was to drag Kawaki back to Kara’s headquarters. To stop her, Naruto engaged in a fierce, high-speed battle while simultaneously shielding Kawaki, Himawari, and Boruto.
Initially, Naruto feigned being overwhelmed by Delta’s heavily modified, cybernetic body, hoping she would arrogantly leak intel about Kara. When she refused, Naruto got serious and overpowered her. Furious at being played, Delta resorted to a dirty, unforgivable tactic.
She threw Himawari high into the air, using the young girl as bait to force Naruto to jump after her. Delta then fired a devastating laser beam meant to obliterate both father and daughter mid-air. Yet, despite her trap springing perfectly, Naruto and Himawari survived.
Kawaki had leaped into the line of fire, using the Scientific Ninja Tool modifications in his own arm to block the laser. The blast completely obliterated Kawaki’s right arm, but his selfless sacrifice saved their lives.
In the end, Naruto defeated Delta by forcing her to absorb a continuous, massive Odama Rasengan until her cybernetic systems overloaded and broke down. He then finished her off by slamming the giant sphere of chakra directly into her.
Because of his sacrifice, Kawaki was rushed to Katasuke for medical treatment. However, Katasuke lacked the advanced Kara technology required to regenerate the arm. As a substitute, Kawaki was given one of Naruto’s custom-built prosthetic arms.
The prosthetic, calibrated specifically for the Hokage, shouldn’t have worked for anyone else. However, by channeling his own chakra into the limb, Naruto allowed Kawaki to operate it seamlessly. The only catch was that the arm would automatically deactivate whenever Naruto fell asleep.
Realizing the looming threat Kara posed, Kawaki asked Naruto to teach him ninjutsu. Naruto agreed, officially taking Kawaki on as his student and guiding him on the path of a shinobi. Through grueling training, Naruto taught Kawaki how to physically fight using chakra.
Kawaki learned how to throw shuriken and focus chakra into his feet to walk up trees. Finally, his relentless effort paid off: he reached the stage where he could learn the Shadow Clone Jutsu—the one technique he had desperately wanted to master.
3. Kawaki’s Shadow Clone Deception Defeats Isshiki
One day, while Kawaki was at the Uzumaki household searching for the missing pieces of a broken vase, his Karma suddenly activated. A dimensional portal tore open from his palm, and Jigen stepped through to reclaim him. Determined to stop him, Naruto instantly prepared for battle.
Fearing for Naruto’s safety, Kawaki offered to surrender and go with Jigen. But Naruto stood his ground, declaring that as Hokage, it was his absolute duty to protect every single villager in Konoha—and that included Kawaki.
Sick of Naruto’s stubborn interference, Jigen warped the Hokage to a barren, alternate dimension, intending to strand him there and return for Kawaki. Before Jigen could leave, however, Sasuke abruptly arrived, delivering a flying kick to the villain. Together, Sasuke and Naruto stood ready to end Jigen in the desolate wasteland.
A cataclysmic battle erupted. Despite Naruto and Sasuke unleashing their absolute maximum power—including the Nine-Tails Chakra Mode and a Perfect Susano’o—Jigen’s Otsutsuki state and Karma proved overwhelmingly superior. He brutally beat both legendary shinobi into submission.
Though victorious, Jigen’s body paid the price. The black receiver on his abdomen cracked; his vessel was breaking down and required Amado’s immediate maintenance. Utterly depleted of chakra, Jigen needed ten days of rest to recover.
Kashin Koji capitalized on this exact vulnerability, betraying Jigen while he was weakened. During their clash, Koji summoned the eternal natural flames of the Flaming Mountains, cornering Jigen and burning him alive. As Jigen’s body crumbled to ash, Isshiki Otsutsuki was forced to automatically resurrect, marking the arrival of a far deadlier threat.
After swiftly defeating Kashin Koji, Isshiki chose not to pursue the fleeing traitor. He knew Jigen’s frail body couldn’t handle his immense, god-like power, meaning Isshiki now had a biological ticking clock of only two days to live.
Desperate, Isshiki invaded Konoha to implant a new Karma into Kawaki, as the original mark had vanished upon Isshiki’s resurrection. By embedding a new Karma, Isshiki planned to eventually reincarnate into Kawaki, the only vessel truly capable of withstanding his power.
To thwart this, Konoha hid Kawaki in a secure underground facility shielded from the Byakugan. Meanwhile, Boruto used his own Karma to forcefully warp Isshiki to another dimension. Tracking Boruto’s chakra, Sasuke and Naruto followed. Knowing Isshiki was on a strict two-day time limit, the duo resolved to stall him in an all-out death match.
In the ensuing bloodbath, Isshiki violently overpowered Naruto, Sasuke, and Boruto. Pushed to the absolute brink, Naruto sacrificed Kurama’s life to unlock Baryon Mode. With this newfound power, Naruto pummeled Isshiki relentlessly. Every strike didn’t just deal physical damage; it actively shaved away the Otsutsuki’s lifespan. In a matter of minutes, Isshiki’s twenty hours of life plummeted to a mere five minutes.
But just as Isshiki was brought to his knees, the immense strain of Baryon Mode abruptly gave out. Isshiki instantly seized the opening. Grabbing Naruto by the throat, Isshiki suddenly sensed Kawaki’s presence through the prosthetic arm linked to Naruto’s chakra. Using that precise chakra connection, Isshiki bypassed the dimensional barrier and summoned Kawaki directly to the battlefield.
Following Naruto’s desperate orders, Kawaki fled into the rocky terrain, trying to run out the clock on Isshiki’s final minutes. With his life rapidly ticking away, Isshiki grew frantic and frustrated. Enraged, he stomped his foot down on Naruto’s chest, threatening to execute the Hokage if Kawaki didn’t reveal himself immediately.
Unable to watch his mentor die, Kawaki stepped out of the shadows. He exhaled a massive Fire Style jutsu at Isshiki, but the god easily dispersed the flames. Isshiki then grabbed Kawaki, pulling him into a mock embrace while viciously taunting him. He sneered that Kawaki would never be a shinobi; he was nothing more than an empty vessel, destined to vanish completely.
Kawaki defiantly fired back that Naruto had taken him in as a student because he saw his true potential. He declared that Naruto had taught him everything, including his true purpose in life.
Ignoring the boy’s resolve, Isshiki successfully implanted the Karma onto Kawaki’s neck. He burst into maniacal, triumphant laughter, absolutely certain his resurrection was guaranteed. But as his physical body began to blister and crumble into dust—his time finally up—the Kawaki standing before him suddenly vanished in a puff of smoke.
Isshiki stared in sheer, panic-stricken horror.
Moments later, the real Kawaki stepped out from behind the rubble, revealing that the “vessel” Isshiki had just marked was nothing more than a Shadow Clone. Mocking the dying god for being outsmarted, Kawaki walked up to the crumbling Otsutsuki and stomped on his blistering body, ending Isshiki once and for all.
