"Have you made your decision?" he asked cutting the pleasantries.
Choji set down Shikamaru and shook him awake, he was immediately aware and his eyes zeroed in on their sensei, who didn't change his position."We'll give you our best."
Ino said, and looking at his other two charges the sensei could see the determination in their expressions.
...
The genins were looking at their sensei when he suddenly was no longer on the pond. Without a blur, a twitch, or even a ripple on the water, the man disappeared only to reappear seated cross-legged on the top of a wooden post as he had always been there.
He looked at them questioningly, nodding to himself after a while. Like he had found confirmation of some kind.
"Traditionally, on the first meeting, a sensei introduces himself, and the genins do the same. Name, hobbies, likes and dislikes, even dreams." He started.
"I will bother with it if you survive the next three months. No reason to waste time."
He hopped down the wooden post holding out a piece of paper for each of the genin.
They took it with raised eyebrows.
"Channel some chakra into it." Daiki-sensei ordered, fishing out a cigarette from somewhere on his person and lighting it up with a flare of fire natured chakra.
With skeptical looks the kids obeyed.
All three of their papers ignited and turned to ash. We are truly in the land of fire. The sensei thought.
With a passionate tone, the sensei started explaining: " Nature Transformation is an advanced form of chakra control that entails the molding and defining of the nature of one's chakra, altering its properties and characteristics for use in techniques.
Nature transformation is one of two necessary components for creating or modifying a technique, the second component being shape transformation. While nature transformation changes the properties of the chakra, shape transformation changes the actual form and movement, altering its abilities."
Noticing that the genins were keeping their promise of giving him their best and were listening attentively, he kept going.
"There are five elemental chakra natures, which are the foundation of all elemental ninjutsu. They are so vital to the shinobi lifestyle that each of the Five Great Shinobi Countries is named after one of the five.
And in each country the people usually share their chakra nature. Suna is famous for its wind users just as Konoha has a vast majority of fire natured ninja, as you three have just demonstrated."
He saw them perk up at that nugget of information.
"Each element is naturally weaker than and stronger than another: Fire (Hi) is strong against Wind but weak against Water. Wind (Kaze) is strong against Lightning but weak against Fire.
Lightning (Kaminari) is strong against Earth but weak against Wind. Earth (Tsuchi) is strong against Water but weak against Lightning. Water(Mizu) is strong against Fire but weak against Earth."
And when the sensei started talking about fire, the smoke he had exhaled assumed a (Fire kanji) shape, before cycling through the other four.
"Basically, if an elemental technique is put against another elemental technique of the same level, but of a stronger nature, then the technique with the superior nature will prevail.
However, a technique with a weaker nature can overpower a technique with a stronger nature if the former is of a higher level. For example, fire can overpower a water technique if it is first strengthened by a wind technique.
A similar principle applies in how the technique of the same element interact, what is called counterbalancing. If two techniques of the same nature and the same level are used against each other, they will cancel each other out.
But make no mistake, the skill of the ninja is the one that dictates the outcome of a clash between ninjutsu. If you three were to spit a fireball at me, I would blow it out as it was a candle."
He waited for objections of any kind, but surprisingly there were none.
Maybe I scared them a little too much? The sensei wondered. Naaah.
"Every person's chakra has an affinity towards one of the five basic nature transformations. Affinity can at times be genetic, or at least common to a particular family. That paper you just channeled chakra into, is made from a special type of tree that is grown and fed with chakra.
When this so-called Chakra Induction Paper is exposed to even the slightest hint of chakra, it reacts according to the chakra's latent element.
Fire: the paper will ignite and turn to ash.
Wind: the paper will split in two.
Lightning: the paper will wrinkle.
Earth: the paper will turn to dirt and crumble away.
Water: the paper will become wet/damp.
Shinobi have an easier time learning to create and control a chakra nature that matches their affinity, although even then it may take several years.
Shinobi are not limited to the nature they have an affinity for, and it is in fact required for jōnin to have mastered their own nature and be at least proficient with another.
Although Hashirama Senju, Tobirama Senju, Hiruzen Sarutobi and Orochimaru of the Sannin, have been able to master all five, and I am on my way to do the same."
He waited for an instant for the surprised expressions of his students, no, his soldiers to subside before completing his explanation.
"Aside from the five elemental nature transformations, there are two natural transformations that are the source of all non-elemental techniques, Shadow Imitation Technique, in the same way as genjutsu and the Mind transfer Technique is a Yin manipulation, while the Multi-Size Technique instead, plays with Yang chakra.
Medical ninjutsu works with both. There is Yin Release(Inton), based on the imagination and spiritual energy of a shinobi, and Yang Release(Yōton), based on the vitality and physical energy of a shinobi."
When the sensei saw that he had managed to capture their imagination and make his students dream of the things they would be able to do (even Shikamaru had looked honestly curious) he chose to shot them down.
"Unfortunately, you are years too early to even get started on it. Since both your chakra capacity and chakra control are comparable to those of a particularly stupid flea."
Sadistically enjoying the dismay on their faces, Daiki-sensei clapped his hands loudly.
"Now." He said "For today, your aim, purpose, and dream, is to kill me." and while he said that, a half ram seal distorted his features until once more the three genins found themselves facing Failure.
The enemy shinobi opened with a kick to Shikamaru's face. The kid didn't have time to react and was hurled back.
"Shikamaru!" Choji shouted turning to look at his teammate.
"Don't let the enemy out of your sight." Failure said while kicking the Akimichi in the gut, making him wheeze on the ground.
"Tense your muscles before being hit." Failure said, his blank tone made more to freak out Ino than anything else.
The towering man slowly walked towards the last genin still standing.
"There are two kinds of humans in the world, predator, and prey. So tell me, little kunoichi." And Failure leaned forward, his purple, unreal eyes making her feel little and insignificant, while his manic grin made her throat tighten.
"Which are you?"
...
The following day
[ DAIKI POV ]
I looked at the kids under my care hiding the pity I was feeling, they were bruised and more than likely hurting everywhere, since the day before I had forced them to showcase everything they knew to get hurt a little less.
Every time Shikamaru looked for cover to come out with a plan, I engaged him, every time Ino tried her Mind Switching shit I grabbed one of her teammates and placed him on the trajectory of the jutsu before hitting him, and by proxy, her.
When Choji tried his clan techniques I would sidestep his enlarged limb and slash at it with a kunai. The wound was negligible once the arm returned to his usual size, but I hoped that I got my point across.
I did so using only taijutsu, and moving at a snail pace, matching their speed. So in a sense, I too had showcased my skills. In hand to hand combat only, but still.
What would have been the point of running circles around them so fast that they couldn't see me? No, I demonstrated that moving at the right time and in the right way, one did not need outstanding physical skills.
I had pushed them, but they got in the way of each other most of the time, the problems were smoothed down somewhat by Shikamaru calling the shots, but he wasn't able to direct his teammates like puppets and do something else at the same time.
Teamwork was something that built itself with time, but there was some personality clash. Choji would sooner trust Shikamaru if he said that the sky was green than checking himself, Ino despised taking orders and actively disliked Choji, while Shikamaru tried to trick her into compliance, sure of the brilliance of his mind.
They were all stubborn to a fault in their own way. Choji had a loyalty which ran so deep that it left no space for self-confidence, Ino was all the latter and Shikamaru knew that he was smarter and as such he tended to lead the other two with an almost patronizing attitude.
He also clearly cared more about Choji than Ino, but they had been friends for a long time, so it was to be expected.
Which wasn't bad in itself, but being patronizing and seeing oneself as superior were two closely correlated things, and well, pride before the fall and all that. Each one of them had kept going, without uttering a single sound of protest, which was a good sign.
Choji would never be a finesse fighter, his clan prevented that, while both Ino and Shikamaru clans were not built to be frontline fighters. I'll have to change that.
This was why I had come up with survival training. Well, mostly it was something for them to do while I came out with a plan to properly train them.
I was sitting in front of the gates, going over the genjutsu I learned in the library the night before, it was brilliant, I had no idea why I had never thought of anything of the sort.
It wasn't quite 'animal hypnosis' but I could tweak the senses of an animal enough to make it attack my target, making the animal I cast the genjutsu on seeing it as mouth-watering prey. However I knew that any jutsu was only as effective as the one that wielded it.
I can already see the most interesting applications.
When my little genins arrived, on time for two days in a row, I tossed to each of them a backpack and forming a cross-shaped seal, I carefully molded my chakra, finding the balance necessary and withdrawing as much yin chakra from the lumps of chakra that were going to become bushings as I could.
A second later, three modified Kage bunshin popped into existence around me. Without warning, each of them grabbed a backpack and the respective genin, before flickering inside the training ground 44, also known as the Forest of Death.
...
[ SHIKAMARU POV ]
I crumbled on the ground thinking about my situation, I let my eyes trail over the endless, gloomy giant trunks disappearing under the moss, the canopy so thick that the sun barely reached the ground.
I opened my backpack with a defeated sigh. I knew why I had made that choice, the sharp reminder of Failure on the day before didn't allow me even to pretend to forget. But still, I came to understand why Daiki-sensei had warned us that we would want to die.
I made an inventory of what I had. A scroll that explained the tree walking technique, with a pencil made annotation that stated 'Usable on every kind of surface bar lava' Apparently it would build up both chakra control and reserves.
Another scroll that explained an E ranked doton technique, a single paper bomb, a blank scroll, a brush, and some ink.
I noticed that on the back of the paper bomb a second note had been written with a pencil: If you need hand signs for your jutsus, you are not ready to use them in battle.
It was then that I realized that I hated Daiki-sensei. And he had been right on that too.
...
[ CHOJI POV ]
Sensei had dropped me in a stream. A stream.
Why did he need to be so mean?
I opened my backpack to check on what I had to work with. A scroll that explained something called the tree walking exercise, and one with an E rank raiton technique. Wasn't I fire natured? I wondered.
That was it. I looked better, looking for rations if any kind. The pack was empty. What to do, what to do...
My stomach growled. I was hungry.
"Shikamaru would know what I should do." I muttered to myself.
And I realized that Daiki-sensei had been right. I hated him.
...
[ Ino POV ]
I had been walking for hours, and the only thing that remained constant was the unnatural silence.
We had spent several days in field trips into forests inside if Konoha for survival lessons, but the complete absence of birds chirping or animals moving in the underbrush made me feel like there was someone or something watching me.
I had no idea of what Daiki-sensei had hoped to accomplish, dropping me in the middle of a forest without one lick of instruction.
Then I whirled on myself, staring unblinkingly in one direction, I narrowed my eyes, I could have sworn there had been something moving in the underbrush.
I rolled my eyes at the blatant attempt of sensei to scare me and sat down, opening the backpack and taking out the two scrolls it held within.
Wait, only two scrolls? That's like... horrible. What was he thinking? I pocketed one scroll and started unraveling the other when a whistling noise made me jump away. If there was one thing the academy had hammered them on was escaping springing traps or ambushes.
And I had moved not a moment too soon. Where my head was just a moment before, a tiger had swept her paw.
I didn't think. I didn't even consider another option, I turned tail and started running. The bloody tiger can have the other scroll, it's not like I need it.
And while I ducked under a low branch and a bush tore into my beautiful purple dress, my brain, otherwise overcome with sheer terror, managed to conjure a single thought.
I hate you Daiki-sensei.
...
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