Perhaps the pinnacle of development for the ninja replication technique is this jutsu. Whereas bunshin creates what are essentially illusions, shadow clones use chakra to create a perfect copy of the original person. Despite this, they are fairly delicate and unstable; a solid blow will harm the clone as if it was flesh and blood, but moments later the bunshin will vanish in a puff of smoke.
Effects: These function like regular bunshin. You can’t regain Fatigue or Willpower spent on clones so long as they exist. Fatigue level changes caused by creating or ending Kage Bunshin do not reset your Stamina and Chakra Exhaustion penalties, nor do they affect any status effects you’re suffering from (such as Sealed Tenketsu).
When created, Kage Bunshin have all Wounds you do, but not status effects (unlike normal). Wounds gained, and Upkeeps activated, after they’re created do not transfer to your clones. Kage Bunshin also copy any Upkeeps you are maintaining at the time of their creation which affect only yourself (which then affect only them, so long as they maintain the Upkeep), which means they only copy Upkeeps with the ‘Preparation’ tag.
Kage bunshin can perform any action other than creating more clones; they can even perform handseals and use jutsu. Kage Bunshin are always created at Fatigue 1 (gaining the penalties and bonuses as normal), and if they fail a Fatigue roll or take any damage they’re destroyed. If a clone is destroyed, you do not get the Fatigue level or Willpower spent to create it back. You may, as a Speed 5 + X * 2 action, end 1 + X clones. Clones ended this way vanish in a puff of smoke as soon as they’re next able to act (if they are able to act on that same IC, and choose not to, they disappear at the end of the IC in which they’re unsummoned), and you regain any Fatigue levels spent to create them. Willpower spent to create clones can never be regained.
Although you do not have a mental link with your clones, which act independently from you, when one ceases to exist (either because it’s destroyed or because you voluntarily ended it) you gain memories of all the experiences it had in the time when it was separated from you. These memories, while ‘legible’, seem slightly unreal, the mental equivalent of looking at a photograph’s negatives (meaning you can’t confuse them with your own “real” memories).
In combat, as mentioned, Kage Bunshin can act as if they were you, paying 1 AP per 4 Speed of the action you wish them to use, with the exception of basic Dodges and Parries, which they can perform without spending any AP (though their IC for when they next act still advances). For example, say you made a Shadow Clone, and on IC 80 you wanted it to punch an enemy. This is a Speed 8 action, so you’d spend 2 AP, and your clone couldn’t act again until IC 88. If, on IC 85, somebody attacked your clone, you could have it take a Dodge action for free (Speed 2), after which you wouldn’t be able to give it another non-Interrupt order until IC 90. If you wanted to have it perform a Mizuhane Dodge instead, it would be Speed 5 Dodge action which costs 2 AP for the clone to perform, and would delay its next action to IC 93.
They do not have their own Willpower, but you may spend your own Willpower for them.
When created, Shadow Clones have all your equipment, with the following exceptions: