Sorry if this has been answered already somewhere. Why does Naruto make a shadow clone everytime he uses rasengan. The only time I remember him actually needing to is when

What other reason does Naruto have to make a shadow clone every time? He's definitely been able to do it without one, seeing as that's how he learned it to begin with.

iuno where u are in the series but naruto used shadow clones to help suply chakra to from rasengan with. really to understand this you should look into shadow clones more, there linked to the user in so much as the user can coordinate them with tasks like go there do this duck etc but its not a solid connection (like you experiance what the clone experiances.

because of this naruto could tell his clone suply chakra more/less and the he could concentrate on adding rotations himself (essentialy swirling it like the clone is the toilet basen thingy (what holds water and real naruto is the toilet bowl).

so in answer 2 ur question its coz narutos a bit of a noob when he first learns rasengan and can't hanndle pushing out chakra, swirling it and containing it by himself (sorta)

want more of a explanation reread the section of manga where jhyriya teaches him it its all explained there

he does it to make it easier, the guy above put way too much thought behind it but basicly what he said, the only few times he's done it with out a shadow replication was when he was like super pissed off

Basically Naruto isn't skilled enough at chakra manipulation to keep the Rasengan spinning at high speeds and keep it contained in a tight sphere, the clones allow him to the contain the Rasengan so that its power doesn't dissipate.

Basically, The Rasengan in a jutsu made only of Shape Manipulation.

Naruto can only push the chakra out into his hand. He uses the clone to use the shape manipulation to make it into the form of a swirling ball of chakra.

da clones just help shape manipulate rasengan by doing the spinny chakra thingy.

If I'm sure naruto CAN do it himself, Seeing as hes learning ELEMENT manip right now which the 4th Hokage coudlnt do at ALL

But I think it just makes it WAYY easier for him to make it

See, thats where your wrong, Its not that the hokage couldnt do nature manipulation. He probably could, but its just never mentioned. He was the Hokage after all. It also states that he died before he could put nature manipulation into the rasengan, and thats why it was an uncomplete jutsu

and that's where you're wrong... Nature manipulation is irrelevant as Naruto was attempting to add elemental chakra to the rasengan i.e. the wind element which is entirely different to the power one attains when augmented by natural energy... Nature manipulation is the thing that was just taught to Naruto which is better known as Sage or Hermit mode, Jiraiya's most powerful form... of course the Yondaime could do elemental manipulation as every shinobi at or above Jounin level usually be required to... could the Yondaime do nature manipulation? most likely not... why is that a fair assumption? because of the simple fact that only Jiraiya and Naruto have ever been the only people mentioned to be capable of it by the Toad summons... why didn't the Yondaime complete the same training? the Toads choose who they teach so who knows...

and the big question of the day why couldn't the Yondaime add elemental chakra to the Rasengan? It's not because he didn't have the time.. he had time to develop a large number of formidable jutsu especially in the field of fuuinjutsu (even his hiraishin relies on fuuinjutsu after all)... it is also said frequently that fuuinjutsu is an extremely difficult art and also highly dangerous... my point is that a man who could develop some of the most highly elaborate seals and fuuinjutsu in world couldn't find the time to perfect such as jutsu that he really wanted to complete it doesn't make all that much sense.... it could just be the fact that it's extremely difficult and he would have needed a lot more time... why can Naruto do it while his father could not? maybe he's just a little more talented than people give him credit for and even the Yondaime had his limits...

I think this statement pretty much says it. I couldn't agree more to tumbleweed

Especially the

I had gotten my terms mixed up, i meant element chakra being added, not nature manipulation.

But also, u do realize that yondaime died prematurely. He wa still in his prime when he died and gave up his life. When u says that even yondaime has his limits, i dont think that they were at that point.

Madara summoned the nine tails on the village. This was an unexepcted event and so the 4th did what he had to do and used the Shiki Fuujin to save the village. As is the job of the Hokage, to do what is best for the village and not his perosnal goals.

*shrugs* it's been stated several times that the Yondaime just couldn't do it.. Naruto did it in quite a short amount of time... The Yondaime created some of the most highly elaborate fuuinjutsu ever created... the amount of time, effort and perseverance that would have taken would have been significant... and you're telling me that in his 20-30 years of life he couldn't find the time? Minato's age hasn't been confirmed so one can only guess... but he wasn't a teenager, that's for sure... Naruto's 16.... and yes... I'm aware that the Yondaime died protecting Konoha from the Kyuubi but it hasn't been confirmed that Madaara summoned the bijuu at all... he admits to the Uchiha massacre and summoning the beast in his fight with Harashima so he might be telling the truth... the point is we don't know yet... and do I know the role of the Hokage i.e. protecting the village with ones life (summarised.. a lot) or the principle of the "will of fire" talked of by the Sandaime? It's only one of the most prominent themes in the manga so the answer is YES I DO... Kinda got the hint in the FIRST CHAPTER!!!!!

Agreed kinda ^

the 4th hokage took FOREVER to learn rasengan. Quoted from Jiraiya

aapparently it took him A HUGE chunk of his life to learn it, while naruto learned it in a week

its stuff like that that makes me wonder how the hell he became hokage

and kakashi DID say that the 4th COULDNT mix the elemental chakra into rasengan at ALL. HE didnt say he didnt have enuff time, or that he was cut short, he just couldnt do it

woow there tumble (nice catch btw boy you get to correcting more misstakes than i do round here nowerdays)

its true the forth didnt manage the nature maniplation combined with the rasengan but its hardly suprising naruto trained for like a couple of weeks or something with millions of clones equating to decades of normal study not to mention the 4th had to start from scratch with rasengan and he kept it's original purpose.

which as far as i can see was a instant attack that can be used any time any state instantaniously i doubt most of the forths enemy's saw tha rasengan comming, ive always thought a palm thrust with a rasengan droped at the right time would be devistating. be kinda like hidan's method of killing.

in the end weather the forth though of the clone idea or not its unlikely he'd use it as it'd be to costly for a normal person and would defeat the techniques main strength. doing it alone is probably just to hard for any character in the series ever.

lol isnt it ammazing how much naruto has stuffed up the original veiw of rasengan and still manages to make it work?

I kinda feel sorry for Naruto in that aspect of his fighting style.. he has access to some a huge amount of chakra he's growth is often stunted because precise chakra control is almost impossible for him.... oh.. and I forgot to mention.. the Yondaime also had the ability to do the rasengan for a number of years as the Yondaime showd the ability in Kakashi Gaiden if I remember correctly and the time between when he was the sensei of team minato and the Hokage would have been significant... I don't like it when people write Naruto off as an talentless idiot in both the show and real life... severe oversimplification...