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In one episode, when young Naruto and Sasuke were to fight each other in a duel guided by Iruka Sensei, Sasuke was able to create his shadow clone easily. Also, according to How Itachi was able to use Shadow clone?, Shadow clone Jutsu is not imposed by any bloodline limits.

So why does Sasuke did not use this useful technique in any of his fights? And why neither of Naruto's friends from Team 11 seems to interest in learning this jutsu?

Naruto has showcased in his most fights that Shadow clone jutsu can be very useful. Sure many Ninja must have felt intrigued to learn it?

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  • shadow clone is a forbidden jutsu. no one is allowed to learn it. so no one of the village can learn it. as was said sasuke thinks of this jutsu as symbol of loneliness and weakness. he was never seen creating a shadow clone, it was a regular clone. though he can learn it using the sharingan.
    – Henjin
    Jun 18, 2017 at 4:15
  • And why neither of Naruto's friends from Team 11 seems to interest in learning this jutsu? Kiba knows the shadow clone jutsu but because of his low chakra pool, he can only make 1
    – John D
    Oct 8, 2017 at 17:26
  • But however, during the first Land of Waves section, Kakashi considers using shadow clones against Zabuza, but realizes Zabuza would just match them with Water Clones. I don't think Kakashi would consider using a jutsu he didn't know. Or maybe he copied it from Naruto. Also, the 3rd Hokage uses Shadow Clones for the Reaper Death Seal on the 1st and 2nd Hokage.
    – Jack
    Apr 6, 2018 at 18:38
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    @Henjin Shadow Clone isn't forbidden. Multiple Shadow Clone is.
    – guilofrano
    Apr 8, 2019 at 19:03

3 Answers 3

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Can Sasuke use the Shadow Clone Justu? Sure he can! However, he chooses not to because he does not want to associate himself with using Naruto's signature justu, which he sees as Naruto's weakness and coping method to his loneliness.

Shadow Clone Technique

Trivia

Due to Naruto's extensive usage of this technique, Sasuke sees it as a symbolic way for Naruto to avoid loneliness

This is referencing the manga, Chapter 696

chapter 696

In addition, there is a scene in the anime (which I can't vouch for being in the manga or not) during Sasuke's training where Orochimaru has him slay 1,000 un-named ninjas. Sasuke sees himself strong enough to not even need the help of Shadow Clones

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I think it is due to the part of shadow clone training that kinda gets forgotten with the knowledge transfer. I'm talking about how not only do you get the knowledge of the clone when it disperses, but you also get the clones fatigue. Sure you can make 9 clones and train for 1 hour then disperse them and get the knowledge benefit of training for 10 hours, but you also get the sudden fatigue of doing 10 hours worth of work in under 1 hour.

Naruto has extremely fast healing and a lot of stamina/chakra due to Kurama and his own natural ability (son of Minato and reincarnation of Ashura), but even he passed out from having too many clones just cutting 1 leaf in their hand then disperse (Shippuden ep. 73).

Due to the fatigue transfer, I think Sasuke may have been worried that it would affect the lifespan of his eyes before he got the Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan. Afterward, I think he just felt he didn't need the technique, plus he associated it with Naruto and his fear of loneliness.

With Kakashi, he just uses so many chakra techniques and would copy techniques on the fly, so it was almost always a better move to keep his chakra pool as large as possible to be able to use whatever technique he would need, and he doesn't have the chakra or stamina of either adult Sasuke or Naruto.

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The Shadow Clone technique is useful for distracting opponents, but as a downside it divides chakra amongst the clones.

Naruto is a ninja who attacks without a concrete plan, so the technique helps him in his foolishness.

Sasuke, on the other hand, thinks before fighting, and doesn't have the chakra reserve that Naruto has (provided by Kurama).

So, my guess is more chakra related.

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  • What about other ninjas(Jinchuriki, Kages)? Many characters seem to possess more chakra reserve than Naruto. Jun 16, 2017 at 7:11
  • As I said , it's for distraction purposes, And you can distract enemies with something else without wasting chakra! The clones disappear after 1 hit, which is a waste , shadows are not suited for fight skills like Taijutsu. And Naruto made good use of them during the war.
    – Jonathan
    Jun 16, 2017 at 7:15
  • "it's for distraction purposes" - shadow clones are also intended for intelligence gathering, since they send learned knowledge and experiences back to the original user when they disperse. Useful for spying. But Naruto also uses that trick to greatly speed up his training with Jiraiya and Yamato. Jun 17, 2017 at 2:17
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    I disagree on the fact that it's chakra related. Yes Naruto has significantly more chakra due to Kurama, however Kakashi uses Shadow Clones multiple times throughout the series. It's the abundance of chakra that allows Naruto to use Multi-Shadow Clones Jun 17, 2017 at 19:04
  • Kakashi used them only when needed and There is a difference between clone & shadow clone. These links will explain in depth naruto.wikia.com/wiki/Multiple_Shadow_Clone_Technique | naruto.wikia.com/wiki/Shadow_Clone_Technique
    – Jonathan
    Jun 17, 2017 at 19:13

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