Time passed quietly.
Inside the classroom, the temperature kept rising.
"After unifying the Warring States and founding the Hidden Villages, the Senju clan brought about an era of revolutionary change for the shinobi world…"
Iruka Umino continued lecturing with unbroken enthusiasm.
Neither the sweltering heat nor the sight of students clearly zoning out could dampen his teaching spirit.
Well maybe a little.
As he lectured, Iruka's gaze swept over the class, taking note of every kind of student behavior imaginable:
Eating snacks. Teasing their dogs. Dozing off. Sneaking glances at crushes. Brooding. Daydreaming. Slouching over desks. Playing with bugs.
Such was the tapestry of youth.
Even Sakura Haruno, usually one of the top students, seemed distracted today, constantly glancing toward Sasuke, her thoughts clearly elsewhere.
Iruka sighed inwardly.
At least one student appeared attentive Konome Taketori.
She sat perfectly still, eyes focused ahead, as if listening intently to every word.
Even if only one student pays attention, I must keep teaching with all my heart!
Iruka steeled his resolve, continuing his passionate explanation for the sake of his lone "model student."
But to Konome, the noise was unbearable.
She pressed her lips together, annoyed.
Sizzle
Bone membranes sealed over her ears, cutting off the teacher's voice completely.
She needed silence for her chakra research.
The soft murmur of flowing water filled her mind.
Through her Byakugan, she observed the intricate structure of Water Release chakra.
Ever since she'd inherited the Three-Tails' power, she'd focused mainly on refining control and combat application, constantly hunted by Kirigakure's trackers.
Practical efficiency came first. Understanding the underlying mechanism had always been secondary.
Now, as she truly studied it, she discovered something fascinating Water Release chakra wasn't "water." It was mimicry.
Simulation was the very foundation of chakra techniques.
All the basic ninjutsu Clone Technique, Transformation Technique, Substitution Technique shared this same principle.
The Clone Technique created controllable illusions using chakra projections.
The Transformation Technique simulated form, reshaping one's body to appear as something or someone else.
The Substitution Technique applied the Transformation Technique to an external object, turning a log into a decoy to evade attacks.
When Konome had killed those two Hyuga branch members and disguised their corpses as koi fish, she had simply reversed the logic of the Substitution Technique.
Three different jutsu, all based on the same core principle.
Their hand seals were nearly identical.
Their difficulty levels, about the same.
Water Release's nature transformation followed this same rule it used chakra to simulate the movement of flowing water, developing properties like water but not truly becoming it.
The key lay not in the water itself, but in its qualities.
Water was only the surface.
Flow was its essence.
Drip.
An idea struck her.
She separated a single drop from her chakra stream and let it fall onto the desk.
Using her fingertip, she spread it into a thin line across the wooden surface and watched carefully.
The moisture quickly began to evaporate.
Her Water Release chakra steamed in the hot air, resisting at first, then fading away until only a faint mist hovered above the desk.
"So even water made of chakra can dissipate…"
"Is it… artificial creation?"
Her curiosity deepened.
Chakra truly was an omnipotent energy endless in possibility.
Before, she'd been too busy surviving to ponder its mysteries.
But now, with a brief peace, she could finally think deeply about what chakra truly was.
She stopped relying on ambient moisture and began generating pure water directly from her own chakra, watching each microscopic shift under her Byakugan.
Time slipped away.
The bells signaling breaks and new classes came and went.
Naruto glanced her way now and then, noticing the small stream endlessly circling her hand. He had no idea what she was doing, but didn't dare interrupt.
Even at lunch, he kept quiet, afraid to disturb her.
Shikamaru, Choji, and Kiba also took the hint, grabbing their lunchboxes and heading up to the rooftop together.
Eating, watching clouds, chatting lazily.
That was the life.
Meanwhile, Sasuke sat at his desk, writing another challenge letter.
When he finished, he walked over and slapped the envelope on Konome's desk before storming off without a word.
He'd made up his mind.
There was no way he'd ever share the Uchiha's Fire Release techniques with her.
So he'd just keep issuing challenges until she couldn't ignore him anymore.
Sakura, watching from her seat, frowned deeply.
The last thing she wanted was for Sasuke and Konome to have any interaction at all.
Once he left for lunch, she quietly slipped over, took the challenge letter, tore it to pieces, and tossed it in the trash.
Ino and Hinata shared a table nearby, silently eating. Both had too many thoughts on their minds to even taste the food.
At the back, Shino Aburame sat alone, beetles quietly crawling under his collar.
When he noticed the room was empty except for him and Konome, he hesitated, then gathered his courage and approached.
He wanted to invite her to lunch.
But the words came out as a faint mosquito buzz and the bone membrane in Konome's ears blocked it completely.
Her silence crushed him.
His hopeful gaze dimmed, shoulders slumping.
Rejected without a glance, he trudged back to his seat, opened his lunch, and ate in lonely quiet.
…
Konome, oblivious to all of this, was lost in observation.
Her doubts were fading, replaced by understanding.
She now knew that Water Release chakra wasn't true water it only mimicked it.
It looked like water, flowed like water, and shared its strengths and weaknesses.
The essence of nature transformation, she realized, was extremity.
To make neutral chakra stronger, one forced it to embody a particular nature water for flow, fire for combustion, and so on.
The same logic likely applied to every other element.
Fire represented explosion and destruction.
Lightning embodied piercing and paralysis.
Wind symbolized cutting and agility.
Water reflected flow and pressure.
Earth stood for endurance and weight.
Yin governed spirit.
Yang governed flesh.
Seven fundamental natures at least twelve possible transformations.
When two attributes combined, they formed Kekkei Genkai: chakra infused with at least four kinds of nature at once.
Beyond that lay Kekkei Tota, the union of three elements, and the near-mythical Kekkei Mora, merging all seven.
Each step forward multiplied the difficulty exponentially.
Konome licked her lips in thought.
Ordinary, neutral chakra divided into seven extremes then fused again into one.
From "nothing" to "something," then from "something" to "everything."
It wasn't as unscientific as it sounded.
In fact, it was almost… logical.
She dispelled the water flow.
She had theorized much about the principles of nature transformation, but she still needed to test her conclusions.
At least she'd solved one problem.
How to produce wind.
All she needed was to achieve nature transformation once chakra gained that property, it would naturally take the corresponding form.
Form followed nature, not the other way around.
That distinction was crucial.
Now she had to tackle the second question
How could Wind Release achieve both its cutting edge and fluid motion?
She scratched her head in frustration.
Round and round she went.
Without a teacher, there was no guidance to follow.
Looks like I'll just have to rely on my genius.
Her gray eyes sharpened with determination.
"Byakugan activate."
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