Raiden sat in the library, surrounded by towering shelves of scrolls, his mind awash with ideas. The soft glow of candlelight flickered across the scroll he was reading, its inked seals and symbols calling out to him like a puzzle waiting to be solved. The complexity of fūinjutsu intrigued him to no end. The seals weren't just symbols—they were intricate webs of chakra and intent. Control, storage, and release of chakra, all dictated by precise lines and carefully chosen patterns.
He had spent the past several months diving into the art, starting with the basics. At first, he thought the idea of seals was simple. Just a few inked symbols, right? But he had quickly learned that fūinjutsu was far more than that. The deeper he delved, the more he realized how precise, how meticulous the art truly was.
He unrolled another scroll in front of him, staring at the basic formula for a containment seal—a simple method of sealing objects within a scroll. His fingers traced the lines of the seal, trying to memorize the strokes. The logic behind it was simple enough: create a chakra link to store an item, bind the chakra to the seal, and release it when needed.
But knowing the theory and putting it into practice were two entirely different things.
With a determined huff, Raiden gathered his chakra, focusing it into the brush he held. His hand moved carefully over a blank scroll, trying to recreate the seal exactly as he had seen it in the text. Each stroke required perfect chakra flow—too much and the seal would fail, too little and it wouldn't activate.
He finished the last stroke and stepped back, admiring his work. "Alright, let's see if this works," he muttered to himself, placing a small kunai on the scroll.
Placing his fingers in a seal, he channeled his chakra into the scroll to activate it. The ink shimmered for a moment, and for a split second, Raiden thought it had worked. But then the seal sparked violently, and the scroll fizzled out, leaving the kunai sitting untouched on the paper.
Raiden sighed in frustration. Another failure. No matter how many times he tried, his seals always seemed to fall short. The theory was there, but his execution was lacking. He slumped back, resting his chin on his hand as he glared at the faulty seal.
Sealing jutsu wasn't about brute force, he reminded himself. It was about precision and balance. The right amount of chakra, channeled in just the right way, would create a functioning seal. His failures were proof that he wasn't there yet.
But he wasn't giving up. He had too much at stake. The world around him was a dangerous place, and he knew that without power, he was vulnerable. Knowledge of the future helped, but it wasn't enough. He needed to become strong in his own right if he was going to survive—and more importantly, protect his family.
His thoughts drifted to some of the more advanced seals he had read about. Tsunade's Strength of a Hundred Seal came to mind—a seal that allowed her to store massive amounts of chakra over time, releasing it in critical moments. The thought of having a reservoir of chakra like that sent a thrill through him. If he could develop something similar, he would have a constant well of power to draw on in battle.
Then there was Flying Thunder God, the teleportation technique perfected by Minato Namikaze. Raiden could see the potential in such a jutsu. Instantaneous travel—no more waiting or relying on physical movement. If he could figure out how to modify it, perhaps he could create something even more potent. What if instead of just short-distance teleportation, he could engineer a long-range teleportation portal? A gateway that could take him across entire regions in a heartbeat?
The possibilities stretched before him, endless and exciting. But first, he had to master the basics. Raiden glanced back at the scroll and picked up his brush once again. His strokes were a little more controlled this time, and he felt the chakra flow through the brush more evenly. He worked slowly, trying to channel his chakra into each stroke, feeling out the balance as he moved the brush across the page.
When he finished, he wiped the sweat from his brow and placed the kunai on the seal again. His heart raced as he activated the seal. This time, the ink glowed brightly, and the kunai vanished from sight, sucked into the scroll.
A wide grin spread across Raiden's face. "Finally," he whispered, pride swelling in his chest. He was far from mastering the art, but this was a step forward.
His mind, however, wasn't content with just the basics. He daydreamed once more of the diamond-shaped seal that Tsunade used, storing chakra in a way that allowed for regeneration and powerful bursts of energy. Could he replicate that? What if he could store not just chakra but other things? What if he could store techniques? Raiden's imagination ran wild, thinking of the endless ways fūinjutsu could be used.
He chuckled to himself, shaking his head. The idea of creating seals for teleportation and chakra regeneration seemed like a distant dream for now, but it was something to aim for. Every seal he created brought him one step closer to that future.
Suddenly, Raiden was pulled out of his thoughts by the gentle sound of his mother's voice. "You've been in here for quite a while, Raiden."
He looked up, startled, as his mother, Naomi, entered the library. She had that same affectionate smile she always wore when she saw him engrossed in his studies. "You must be tired from all this," she said, stepping closer and glancing at the scrolls scattered around him. "What are you working on this time?"
"Just… practicing my seals," Raiden replied, trying to sound casual as he rolled up the scroll he had been working on.
Naomi knelt down beside him, brushing a strand of his red hair out of his face. "You're always so focused," she said warmly. "But remember, balance is important too. Don't forget to take breaks."
Raiden smiled up at her, feeling a surge of gratitude for his mother's gentle encouragement. "I know," he said, though in truth, the thrill of making progress in fūinjutsu made it hard for him to stop. He wanted to keep going, to push his limits and see how far he could take the art.
Naomi leaned in and gave him a soft kiss on the forehead before standing up. "Don't work yourself too hard," she said. "I'll be making dinner soon."
Raiden watched her leave, feeling the warmth of her affection lingering. But even as she walked away, his mind returned to the seals scattered before him. There was still so much more to learn—so much more he could do. He wasn't content with just learning what his clan had already mastered. He wanted to go further, to push the boundaries of what fūinjutsu could achieve.
With a newfound sense of determination, Raiden picked up another scroll. This time, he would focus on more advanced chakra containment techniques. He wanted to understand the mechanics behind chakra storage and release, particularly how to control the amount of chakra held within a seal without causing it to destabilize.
The next few hours were spent in intense concentration as he tested new seals, each failure teaching him more about the intricate balance of chakra control. Some seals fizzled out, while others exploded in sparks, but with every failure, Raiden grew more confident in his ability to fine-tune his chakra flow.
His hands ached by the time he finally succeeded in crafting a functioning chakra storage seal. It wasn't perfect, but it held steady, the ink glowing faintly as it absorbed a small amount of his chakra. Raiden grinned again, feeling the rush of accomplishment wash over him.
Sealing jutsu wasn't easy—it demanded patience, precision, and relentless effort. But as he stood there, staring at the glowing seal, Raiden knew that he was on the right path. The more he learned, the more he could push the limits of what was possible.
And one day, he would master it all.