Chapter
14: Three Body Techniques
Over the past year, nearly two
years, Iruka had gradually changed his view of Menma. To be more precise, Umino
Iruka was truly a gentle person who clearly understood the difference between a
Jinchūriki and a Tailed Beast. Unlike the general public, who faced Jinchūriki
with the same fear, rejection, and even disgust as they would a Tailed Beast,
Iruka could distinguish between the two.
After spending time together day in
and day out, Menma began to perceive the gradual change in Iruka's attitude.
This made Menma feel a little conflicted. Before this, apart from his special
feelings for his blood brother Naruto and Hinata, whom he had a soft spot for
from his previous life, he didn't have any good feelings for other people in
the Hidden Leaf Village. But now, Iruka's attitude change made Menma feel a bit
"restrained." Of course, this could very well be one of Sarutobi
Hiruzen's strategies, but Menma could definitely sense the utilitarian motives
with Sarutobi Hiruzen.
Unlike Hiruzen, Iruka's sincerity
was evident to Menma. Iruka simply regarded him as a student, a student in a
difficult situation who needed care. From all signs, Menma could empathize with
Iruka because they were both orphans. This made Menma uncertain about how to
face Iruka now and in the future. After all, Menma was not a truly cold-blooded
existence. He couldn't completely ignore the kindness of others. He decided to
take it one step at a time.
Iruka's willingness to spend more
time with Menma was a good thing. At least Menma could learn a lot from him.
Don't underestimate Iruka just because he was a Chunin. It should be noted that
those promoted to Chunin in the ninja world were already considered to have
certain talents. Iruka's position as a teacher at the ninja academy , guiding
many next-generation geniuses like Menma, Naruto, and Sasuke, proved his
capability. Konoha was a big ninja village, and the fact that Iruka was in
charge of Menma's class instead of others spoke volumes.
Menma trusted Iruka very much for
basic training. After seeing Menma's learning attitude and ability, Iruka was
willing to give him more guidance outside of class. For example, the three-body
technique, essential for ninjas, was something Menma learned in advance.
Menma quickly proved his genius by
mastering the three basic and important techniques for ninjas: transformation
technique, substitution technique, and clone technique, in less than a week.
While this was just initial mastery, it still astonished Iruka. After all,
learning the three-body technique required considerable chakra control. It took
Iruka over a week to master a single technique and even longer for the clone
technique. Seeing Menma master all three in a week left him amazed.
However, Menma was not very
satisfied.
"Bang! Bang!" The small
stump fell to the ground as Menma frowned slightly. The substitution technique
was the easiest to learn among the three but the most difficult to use
effectively. It emphasized precise timing and didn't have any characteristics
of a space technique. Essentially, it was just a sleight of hand, making it
challenging to achieve a deceptive effect in high-level battles. Transformation
and clone techniques also depended on how the caster used them. Higher-level
clone techniques like water clones, earth clones, and shadow clones were more
effective.
Menma didn't aim for perfection in
substitution technique but used it to further hone his control over the
technique. It was a way to kill two birds with one stone. Striving for
perfection in transformation technique was also a goal, though it required time
and repeated training.
'It still takes a little time, or
perhaps it should be used in confrontation to achieve better results,' Menma
thought silently. Practice was the most direct way to improve personal skills,
but actual combat was the most effective. Self-practice would always be a bit
lacking. Only real fighting could truly improve ninjas, especially
life-and-death battles that pushed ninjas to break through their limits.
'If possible, why not ask
Iruka-sensei for a spar later? This idea should be okay, right?'
Just as this idea popped into
Menma's mind, he heard a clear voice.
"Menma!" Iruka's familiar figure
appeared not far away.
"Hmm? Iruka-sensei, why are you
here?" Menma hurried over and asked.
"I just went to your house to
look for you, but you weren't there, so I knew you must be here. Didn't all
your ninja tools wear out before? I bought you a new batch so you don't need to
use the worn ones anymore." Iruka smiled and took out a sealing scroll
from his arms, making hand seals.
"Puff."
A burst of white mist appeared and
then dispersed. A slightly heavy bag of ninja tools appeared in front of Menma