Autumn in Konoha was something else. Right after the hot summer, the air slowly turned crisper, the sun finally mellowed, and the leaves on the trees all around the Village began to change into red and gold, giving the whole region a brand-new feel. Thinking back on it... were there even seasons in the show? Or every new place had its own, constant biome? I can't recall... but here? Now? It felt natural, and I would never get bored with it.
As for this autumn, it was a year away from the night navigation test. Since then, Minato and I were now seven, closer to eight, really, and the Academy had officially bumped us into the advanced curriculum a few months ago. It was a clear sign that both of us were kind of being pushed through the courses, probably aiming to get us out ahead of the others.
Not that I minded. What I was considering, though, was how much of a change this will bring to me. Well, the timeline was already chaotic, as far as I can remember, because some sources said Kakashi finished the Academy at age five...? And... Itachi did it at seven, being the ultra-genius he was... Yet finishing later than Kakashi? Not to mention, as far as I remember, Minato did it at age ten... But with a score record, finishing even above Itachi. Haaah... I will never know what the actual true version was, because it seems my meddling in things had already changed stuff. So... at age seven, we were getting pushed forward.
Which had another issue. I must not let it happen too fast! If Minato and Kushina miss each other... oh boy, that would be catastrophic! This is harder than I first imagined. Haaah... But it will work out... I had to believe in that. That's why, over the past year, I kept inviting Minato over, sometimes having him stay for multiple weeks at our house, with my parents welcoming him into the family with open arms.
"Didn't sleep enough?" Minato asked, bumping into me as we crossed the gates, "You look... tired...?"
"Nah," I shook my head, grinning at him, "My head is simply full of ideas and I can't decide which one I want to pursue."
"I usually try to do four or five at once when I get into that situation." He answered simply, making me grimace... yeah, of course you do. Geez...
Maybe I should. Huh... Well, ever since awakening my Sharingan, my parents had relaxed their grip on me, too. As long as I didn't blow myself up, I could train on my own after class and stay up late if I wanted, handling me like a proper grownup. Dad called it the freedom-through-trust method, telling me that now I had to prove myself not to them but to, well, myself... that I could handle such freedom responsibly. I think I was nailing it.
"Excited?" Minato asked, making me blink a few times, and it finally clicked in my head.
"You bet!" I grinned, nodding my head eagerly.
Right... Today, with being in the advanced class... We were about to learn about ninjutsu. Not theory... proper application. A few minutes later, I was sitting cross-legged in the Academy's largest training hall, and I watched our Head Instructor, Shinno Arakumo-sensei, draw a set of familiar symbols on the board. Oh yeah... here come the hand symbols.
"Today," he said, turning toward us, "we begin the study of the proper usage of hand seals. The foundation of all ninjutsu. Every jutsu begins with the gathering of chakra," Shinno-sensei continued, pacing before the chalkboard, "but it is hand seals that shape chakra into its usable form. Without them, you're just pushing raw energy through your body and hoping it does something useful instead of killing you. Most of you are not from the Hyūga clan, so don't be stupid about it! Rupture your chakra network and you will be crippled for life."
That audibly earned a nervous laugh from half the class, while I simply looked around, searching for familiar faces, but could see none. Haaah... Neji's and Hinata's father are probably already proper genins... Oh well. I may never meet them at all, and it didn't matter that much. Turning back to Shinno-sensei, I refocused my attention as he pointed at the chalkboard again.
"Each seal has a meaning; they are not random, so don't mix them up. Think of them as words in the language of chakra. When combined, they form a sentence that your body interprets as an action and then executes it to your will. Misspeak and it will fail! Now, as examples... The sign of Ram is for focus, Tiger for fire, Snake for molding, Horse for speed, and Boar for endurance. You'll learn twelve in total before the year ends. Master them all, and you can be one step closer to graduating the Academy with flying colors."
"Hand signs..." I whispered to myself. "Yet most are barely used..." I almost chuckled, remembering how they disappeared the further the show progressed.
"If you have something to say, say it." Shinno-sensei caught it, of course, and made all heads turn to me, not that I was flustered or anything.
"Sorry, Sensei," I bowed my head a little, "I just mused that seemingly, high-level shinobi use less and less signs for their jutsus."
"Good observation," he nodded, his previously stern look softening a little. Only a little, though... I was still in a bit of hot water for disrupting his lesson. "The greater the person is, the more significant their mastery is over their chakra. They can not only better control their chakra and its nature, but also reduce the number of hand seals or, for some techniques, bypass them entirely. But..." He looked over all of us, "Until you are contending for the seat of Hokage..." He smirked, "Don't even dare to try skipping a sign! If I catch any of you trying to do it, I am failing you there and then!"
I couldn't help but gulp and close my mouth afterwards, right until it was time for us to start learning, using our chakras while forming the hand signs, getting a feel for them, and learning how they behave. Beside me, Minato was already repeating each sign in an almost perfect, fluid rhythm. I could see how his fingers blurred, and he had looked like he'd done this all his life.
I, on the other hand… Even with my knowledge, the real deal was... different. I knew the signs, I could perform them if I wanted... but the feeling was brand new. Because whenever I made one, my chakra would react, and it would throw me off. It was like trying to walk a tightrope while a sudden shock would make you jump from inside you.
"Ow." I fumbled the Snake seal and nearly sprained my wrist one moment, "Okay, so… less promising..." I smiled to myself, rubbing my hand.
"Kid," Shinno-sensei's sharp eyes caught me at once, "This is about control, not force. You're not strangling your chakra... direct it. Be too stiff, and of course, you will fail."
"Yes, sir!" I straightened up immediately and tried it again.
The next hour passed especially quickly, and the hall echoed with muttered counts, repeating the names of the signs, followed by the finishing moves and a few cries when someone sprained something. Well, at least I wasn't all lost, because after getting used to the jumpy feeling, I started to get it right. When I finally managed a perfect Tiger seal, my chakra no longer distracting me, it flowed towards my mouth wanting to... burst out. Whoa. That was... close. I think I almost used a ninjutsu, canceling it at the last moment, causing me to grin and look at my hands.
"Focus, Uchiha," Shinno-sensei barked at me again, but I caught the faintest smirk tugging at his lips. "We are not here to burn down the Academy."
"Y-yes, sir." I nodded, looking at Minato, who was throwing a knowing smile at me. Yeah, yeah, yeah... I know. You probably already have three ninjutsu developed by now.
"Tomorrow," Shinno-sensei announced, "we take what you've learned and put it to use, so go home early and prepare yourselves. The era of throwing shuriken is over, and it is time to start preparing to use basic ninjutsu. The final exam will require you to create a proper clone! Without it, without perfect control over your chakra and the understanding of the technique, you will never be genins!"
"Finally," I muttered under my breath, "something that explodes."
"As far as I know, clones don't explode," Minato heard me, of course, and sighed, leaning over, "They are only good for distractions, no?"
"Ah," I twitched the corner of my eyes, "Yeah... True... Too bad."
Damn it... I have to remember, the Shadow Clones are supposed to be an elite-level ability... probably. Should I... steal the forbidden scroll from the Hokage's office? Nah... That would probably put me into the bingo book... I am not Naruto, after all. As for the next day, Sensei didn't lie. In the Academy's Ninjutsu Training Field, rows of practice dummies were set up, some already charred from prior years' experiments, and kids learning to use ninjutsu.
"Listen up!" Shinno-sensei called out, his voice booming all over us as we were excitedly fidgeting and chirping between each other, "Today, you begin your first elemental manipulations. Some of you have affinities already discovered, others not." His eyes flicked briefly towards Minato and me, which wasn't weird. I, for one, knew that because I am an Uchiha, my affinity towards fire was a given. As for Minato, he had already shown in the first tests that he had an affinity for wind-release. "Those who do will begin the basic application." His eyes then scanned the rest, and when we were being lined up, he looked at us again. "Uchiha Renjiro. Namikaze Minato. You two, step forward."
Oh, here we go... We were being singled out in front of everybody, including older students, huh? Then, he motioned to separate posts, one scorched black from past fires, the other surrounded by white chalk dust.
"Renjiro," Sensei continued, "as per tradition, you'll start with the Uchiha clan's initiation technique. Katon: Gōkakyū no Jutsu. You know the signs?"
"Snake, Ram, Monkey, Boar, Horse, Tiger. " I recited automatically, "My Father already showed it to me." Only difference was, Mom made me swear to only try it out in the Academy, afraid I would set something expensive on fire within the Village... and we didn't have that kind of money...
"Good. Remember, the Great Fireball is not just a jutsu, but for your clan, it's a rite of passage. You're expected to perform it before the age of ten... So, consider this your head start."
"Yes, sir," I smiled, flexing my fingers, surprised he knew about it. Huh... So, before the Kyuubi's attack, there was not as much isolation between the Village and the clan, huh?
"As for you," he said, turning to Minato. "Fūton: Daitoppa, The Great Breakthrough. It requires perfect timing and chakra control as its wind has no shape unless you give it one."
Minato simply nodded, already recalling the signs, and I could see his fingers twitching, replaying it in his mind. Huh... Of course, there was no time to watch or theorize as we stepped into our positions.
"Ready?" Shinno-sensei raised his hand, "Begin."
The moment his hand fell, I inhaled, forming the first sign: Snake. My chakra stirred at once, becoming hot and eager, rushing towards my fingertips and mouth. Next came the Ram, making the heat grow even more scalding, building behind my chest. Then, when I formed the rest and reached the Tiger, it was focused and eagerly swirled upward, ready to be released.
"Katon: Gōkakyū no Jutsu!"
I exhaled without holding back, and the fireball that came out was… smaller than expected, more like a campfire burp than a jutsu I remembered from the show.
"Huh." I blinked, watching the tiny puff of flame sputter and die out... "Okay, so it's shy." I moaned, drooping my shoulders. Ugh... This was so disappointing.
Minato, on the other hand, had his seals flow in a seamless rhythm, going from Tiger to Dog to Rabbit to Snake, and then he pushed his hands forward with a blast of wind bursting from his palms, hitting his target without issue, although it did not fall backwards.
"Show-off."
"Mine wasn't perfect either," He exhaled softly, catching his breath. "Not enough pressure," he muttered, "but it held the shape."
"Excellent control," Shinno noted, making me purse my lips.
"Haah…" I cracked my neck. "All right, round two." I am not going to get left behind, hmph!
This time, I slowed my breathing, thinking of what Dad told me about it: Fire comes from the heart. I repeated the hand seals, no longer trying to force it and letting the feeling happen properly inside of me, raising the last seal of the Tiger to my lips:
"Katon: Gōkakyū no Jutsu!"
BOOM!
This time, it was as I remembered, with a wave of heat blasting across the field before me. The fireball this time around roared like a tiger, being twice the size of the last one, and then, of course, detonated prematurely, scorching the post and blackening half the training ground.
"YEAH!" I pumped a fist into the air, "That's what I'm talking about! That's progress, eh?!"
"Progress?" someone from the other students yelled from the sidelines, "You nearly roasted us!"
"Well," Minato was covering his mouth, trying not to laugh, seeing me try to find who yelled at me. Shut up, I just summoned fire from my mouth. Hmph! "Your aim could use work." He added, making me grimace.
"Hey, at least my jutsu is visible!" I groaned, rolling my eyes. "Yours barely could ruffle my hair."
"Because it was controlled," he replied simply. "You're supposed to hit the target, not the ground he stands on."
"Minato is right," Shinno-sensei sighed, rubbing his temples. "Renjiro, control comes before volume. You're not impressing anyone with wild chakra surges, as the target would only have singed eyebrows and could jump on you, finishing you off with taijutsu because now you have spent all your energy... Do it again."
"Yes, sensei..." I moaned, feeling my previous happiness vanish in just a moment's notice. Such spoilsports... all of them.
Refocusing, I took another deep breath, this time even more slowly, and I imagined my chakra spiraling gently from my lungs, like smoke instead of an explosion. When I exhaled, the fireball bloomed, looking round and bright orange. It roared forward once again, and this time, it struck the target dead-center before exploding and turning it into ash.
"How's that?" I asked, grinning, catching my breath a little, feeling dizzy, while everyone else was surprisingly quiet.
"Mhm," Even Shinno-sensei's brows rose a fraction. "Better."
"Much better," Minato nodded approvingly. "That's the Uchiha standard I know of."
"Heh!" I grinned at him, rubbing the back of my neck. "You bet it is!"
Then, when he performed his next version, it came out perfectly, hitting the dummy just like my fireball, not only toppling it, but also slicing its limbs off... Ouch... Damn.
"Ruthless," I muttered, making Minato blush a little, "If that was a man... Warn me to not be your enemy in the future, okay? I don't have a loving partner to feed my crippled self."
"Please," He shrugged, looking at me with an apologetic smile, "Don't joke about something like that."
"Sure, sure." I chuckled, "Just make sure if we spar, you aren't going to slice me up like that!"
"Hey," he said, looking at me seriously, "I would never hurt my good brother."
"I know." I smiled at him, patting his shoulder, "Me neither."