I was halfway to the library when JARVIS decided to drop a bombshell.
«Initiating full chakra affinity analysis. Estimated completion: one hour. Please refrain from strenuous chakra activity during this period.»
Affinity analysis? You can do that?
«I can do many things. Including determining your elemental nature without the paper test through one of my sub abilities 'Analysis'. The Academy method is primitive and imprecise.»
So you're saying the paper test is trash?
«I am saying the paper test is adequate for children who do not have a supercomputer in their brain.»
Fair enough.
I walked into the library. Majime was at her desk, reading something, not even looking up. Same expression that said she'd rather be Reading my death warrant.
I walked up to the desk. Slid the Hokage's letter across the surface.
She kept Reading for a second. Then her hand stopped. Her eyes drifted down to the paper.
Then they drifted up to me.
Then back to the paper.
She pulled out a magnifying glass. Held it over the Hokage's seal. Squinted. Turned the paper sideways. Sniffed it. I'm pretty sure she licked it at one point...
«She is verifying the seal. Her skepticism is impressive.»
Finally, she set down the magnifying glass. Looked at me. Her expression hadn't changed, but something in her eyes had. Respect? Annoyance? Both?
"Follow me."
She stood up. Walked toward the back of the library. Past the history section. Past the geography section. Past a door that said "AUTHORIZED PERSONNEL ONLY."
"The ninja section. E-rank through B-rank. Do not go through that door at the end." She pointed to a door at the far end of the room. "That's the A-rank section. You go in there, I will know. And I will remove your third leg."
"..."
"That seems over excessive."
"I'm a librarian."
She walked back to her desk. Sat down. Didn't take her eyes off me.
«She is watching you. Her chakra is fluctuating in a pattern consistent with barrier monitoring. She will know if you take a scroll out of the room.»
I wasn't planning to steal anything.
«I was not implying theft. I was implying that she is very good at her job.»
You're scared of her...
«I am incapable of fear. I am simply… respectful of her competence.»
I turned to the shelves.
---
= E-Rank Section =
The scrolls were organized by rank. E-rank on the left. D-rank in the middle. C-rank and B-rank on the right. Everything labeled. Everything alphabetized. Majime was clearly a woman who enjoyed order.
I scanned the E-rank section.
Transformation Technique. Clone Technique. Substitution Technique. Body Flicker Technique. I already knew three of them. The only one I didn't know was Substitution.
I pulled the scroll off the shelf. Unrolled it.
«Scanning. Technique: Kawarimi no Jutsu. Rank: E. Analysis in progress.»
The scroll explained the steps. Anticipation. Preparation. The Swap. Visual Illusion. The timing had to be perfect. Too early, the enemy sees the trick. Too late, you take the hit.
«Analysis complete. Uploading technique data to user's motor cortex.»
Suddenly, I knew it. Not like I'd read about it. Like I'd been doing it for years. The timing. The chakra flow. The way to pull an object into your place while moving yourself to safety.
It felt like second nature.
«You can now perform the Substitution Technique with 98.7% efficiency. Your chakra reserves are sufficient to spam this technique approximately 200 times before exhaustion.»
Spam?
«It is a technical term.»
I rolled up the scroll. Put it back on the shelf.
How much time left on the affinity analysis?
«Seventeen minutes left.»
I wandered through the D-rank section. Looked at some scrolls. Basic traps. Basic first aid. A scroll on how to properly sharpen a kunai. I didn't bother scanning them. JARVIS could only process so much at once.
«Affinity analysis complete.»
Finally. Hit me.
«Your chakra signature indicates three elemental natures.»
I stopped walking.
Three?
«Correct. You have high affinity with lightning and wind. You have a normal affinity with fire.»
That's… that's insane. Most people have one. Some have two. Three is...
«Rare. But not unprecedented. The Third Hokage himself possesses mastery of all five natures. However, he is a prodigy of a bygone era.»
So I'm a prodigy?
«You are a six-year-old with a supercomputer in his brain. Your natural talent is above average, but your real advantage is me.»
Way to humble me.
«It is my function.»
---
= Nature Transformation Section =
---
(A/N: the only nature transformation explained thoroughly in Naruto was wind transformation, so if I get somethings wrong don't go after me ಠ_ಠ if some of you guys know something about this then please enlighten me).
---
I found the scrolls near the back of the B-rank section. Rows of them. Each labeled by element and stage.
Wind Transformation – Stage I: Leaf Cutting.
Wind Transformation – Stage II: Water fall cutting.
Wind Transformation – Stage III: Application.
Lightning Transformation – Stage I: Static Buildup.
Lightning Transformation – Stage II: Conduction and Discharge.
Lightning Transformation – Stage III: Application.
Fire Transformation – Stage I: Heat Generation.
Fire Transformation – Stage II: Lung Capacity and Molding.
Fire Transformation – Stage III: Application.
I grabbed the Stage I scrolls for all three elements. Wind. Lightning. Fire. Sat down at a table. Unrolled the first one.
Wind Transformation – Stage I: Leaf cutting.
The goal was to use chakra to alter the physical state of an object. For Wind, this involves placing a leaf between your palms and using chakra to slice it clean in half. This teaches the user how to make their chakra "sharp" and "thin."
«Scanning. Technique logged. Parallel Operation initiated.»
I unrolled the Lightning scroll.
Lightning Transformation – Stage I: Static Buildup
The goal was to hold a piece of Chakra Induction Paper and attempting to wrinkle or crinkle it using only your chakra. Unlike Wind (which cuts the paper) or Fire (which burns it), Lightning requires you to warp the physical structure of the paper through electrical pulse..
«Scanning. Technique logged.»
Fire Transformation – Stage I: Heat generation.
The goal was to starts by focusing chakra into a single point, usually a leaf or a piece of paper, and attempting to make it smolder or singe through sheer concentration. Unlike Lightning, which is a pulse, Fire requires a constant, "boiling" intensity of chakra.
«Scanning. Technique logged.»
That's it? You just scan them and I know them?
«I have analyzed the underlying principles of nature transformation for all three elements, stages one through three. However, knowing and doing are different. You must practice.»
How much practice?
«With my assistance, you should master Stage I of each element within one day. Stage II within two to three. Stage III within a week I presume, but you can make things faster if you use Shadow clone's »
That's fast.
«You have a supercomputer in your brain.»
I rolled up the scrolls. Put them back. Walked out of the library. Majime watched me the whole way. Her eyes didn't leave my back until the door closed behind me.
«She is still watching. Through the window.»
it's not like I stole anything.
---
Training Ground 3 – 5:13 PM
The sun was setting. The sky was orange and pink and purple, like someone had spilled paint everywhere. The snow had stopped falling, but the ground was still white. My breath fogged in the cold air.
The training ground was empty. No other shinobi. Just me and the trees and the frozen river.
I cracked my neck.
How many clones can I make?
«Your current chakra reserves are at high-Chūnin level. Theoretical maximum shadow clones: 12. I recommend starting with 12 to establish baseline performance.»
Let's do it.
Cross seal. Chakra split. Divided. Divided again.
POOF. POOF. POOF.
Smoke filled the clearing. When it cleared, twelve copies of me stood in a semicircle. Same dark hair. Same tired eyes. Same stupid expression.
"Okay," all of us said at once. "Here's the plan."
I pointed to four clones. "You four. Wind transformation. Stage one. Leaf cutting."
They nodded. Walked to the east side of the clearing.
I pointed to four more. "You four. Lightning transformation. Stage one. Static buildup."
They nodded. Walked to the west side.
I pointed to the last four. "You four. Fire transformation. Stage one. Heat generation."
They nodded. Walked to the north side.
«You have delegated your training. Efficient.»
I learned from Naruto. Shadow clones are busted.
«Naruto does not use shadow clones for training. He uses them for pranks or fights.»
That's because he didn't know about the memory feedback.
I sat down on a stump. Watched my clones work...
Capitalism...
The wind clones were holding leaves between their palms, faces scrunched in concentration. Every few seconds, one of them would grunt in frustration as the leaf slipped away.
«Progress is steady. At this rate, Stage I mastery will take approximately 2 hours.»
We can speed that up.
«How?»
More clones. More training time.
«You cannot create more clones without exhausting your reserves.»
Then we change the schedule. Morning training is killing me. I wake up at 4 AM, train for two hours, go to class half-dead, then train again after class. It's not sustainable.
«What do you propose?»
Shift the physical training to sunset. Keep the gravity seal on during the day. Use the morning for chakra stuff. Clones can train while I sleep.
«…That is a logical adjustment. I am surprised you thought of it.
I have my W's.
«Rare W's.»
Shut up.
I watched the clones for another 30 minutes. The sun dipped below the trees. The sky went dark. The temperature dropped.
One of the wind clones finally managed to put a cut in a leaf. Not a clean slice. Just a tear. But it was progress.
One of the lightning clones had both hands sparking now. Small blue arcs jumping between his fingers.
One of the fire clones had turned a leaf slightly burnt.
«All clones are reporting fatigue. Recommend dispelling and returning to the orphanage.»
I stood up. Walked to the center of the clearing.
"Dispel."
POOF.
Twelve clones worth of memories hit me at once.
Then I headed off to the orphanage.
---
END CHAPTER 13
Xx-----xX
A/N: Leave power stones or the next chapter will mysteriously take longer to appear :)
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Btw if you want to read some advance chapters then check out my P@treøn, links in the synopsis.