"By the time a man realizes that maybe his father was right, he usually has a son who thinks he's wrong."
- Charles Wadsworth
...
As the leader of one of the most important clans in Konohagakure, Shibi Aburame barely had any time to himself.
Right after breakfast, he had to dive headlong into the clan archives to keep abreast of the records of the rare insect colonies in the Land of Fire. Some Aburame shinobi specialized in this subject. Any unusual activity in the insects, like a sudden disappearance, could mean individuals were studying them. As the world's largest clan specializing in insects, the Aburame knew the danger of this.
As well as reading the records and reports, for Shibi the meetings with the clan advisors were constant. They discussed alliances, ways to increase the clan's wealth, and preserving the Aburame legacy.
He still found time for high-level missions, ensuring that the clan remained indispensable to Konohagakure.
These were more peaceful times than a few years ago, but the villages still studied each other, and it was undeniable that they all wanted more and more power. Konohagakure would always be a target too, so it was essential to stay one step ahead.
At night, when everyone was asleep, Shibi still worked in silence, analyzing new methods of improving his techniques.
His life was an uninterrupted cycle of responsibility and duty.
That's why that walk with me in the forest behind our house seemed so abnormal to him.
Shibi and the old Aiden never had a good relationship. So, as much as I didn't hold any grudges against him about it, Shibi didn't know that.
I hoped that with this training, he would realize this.
We stopped by a stream in the forest. There was some gravel at the edge of the river, so I bent down and picked up a small circular stone. As I threw this stone up again and again, I said:
"Sir, I think the best way for me to grasp the ideas of the basic jutsus will be for you to show how you do it and explain it to me. I have a vague idea, but I think it's best to watch how an elite ninja does it so that I can reproduce it," I said, closed my palm with the stone in it, and looked at Shibi. "To begin with, can you show me how you do the Kawarimi no Jutsu?"
Shibi Aburame watched me for a few moments, her eyes hidden by the lenses of her sunglasses.
"As you wish," he replied in a calm voice. "Kawarimi no Jutsu is a basic technique, but its simplicity doesn't diminish its importance. Many ninjas underestimate the power of a basic jutsu, and that makes them vulnerable. Never make that mistake."
He took a few steps toward the stream and pointed to a tree on the other side, which was a little way from the other bank.
"The substitution works with a simple concept: an almost instantaneous exchange of position between the user and an object of similar weight, using the flow of chakra. To do this, you need at least three things: concentration, speed in manipulating chakra, and a well-defined target for the exchange."
He then threw a piece of paper toward the tree he had pointed to. This paper was white, had something written on it, and stuck to the tree when he got too close.
"You must link your chakra to the target object. You can do this the way I'm doing it, by using a ninja artifact like a piece of paper, or by focusing and manipulating your chakra directly so you don't need markers. But this second approach requires greater precision and mastery, which only comes with many years of practice. I'm sure they won't demand this of you at the academy, so I'll teach you the first way for now."
"The marker I've just used makes the link easier, especially for beginners. It acts as a focal point," Shibi continued.
"So, I'm supposed to imbue some chakra into the paper and concentrate on that?" I had to ask because Aiden's memories on the subject were vague, and it was better to be sure.
"Exactly. If you're familiar with using chakra, you'll be able to feel it more easily. It will help you focus without even having to look at the target, which is why we use paper with our own chakra. Using your chakra, you can also sense if the paper is destroyed... Now, watch."
Shibi made a simple hand seal, and with a small burst of smoke, it disappeared, leaving just a wisp of smoke in the air.
In the blink of an eye, Shibi moved to where the seal had been placed, and a large log fell to the ground next to me. On this log was the paper my father had thrown.
Shibi turned to me and started walking toward me. "That was a direct substitution, but it's best not to use entire trees because they... well, they fall over." He said.
As he was walking over the water of the stream, the tree, missing a sizable chunk of its trunk, sensed his absence and tipped its top to the side.
"It sounds simple, Aiden, but the process isn't just physical; it involves a mental calculation because of the use of chakra. Depending on the distance traveled, it consumes more or less chakra. So even if you have magnificent sensory ability and can feel your chakra from hundreds of meters away, the best idea isn't always to use substitution."
"The secret lies in anticipation, in study. Decide the right moment to use this technique, because it can be too early or too late. And if you stay too far away from your marker, the chakra drain will still kill you, even if you escape the battle."
Shibi walked over to me and picked up a stone from the ground, imitating me. "Without the marker, the process is more challenging. You would need absolute focus, more time, and also more chakra to use the substitution. However, don't worry too much about that. Strong shinobi have other ways of saving their own lives besides Substitution. That's why people consider this a basic jutsu. Having a range of options for every situation differentiates an average ninja from an elite one."
What my father explained to me made me understand how things were always more complex than they seemed. Even such a basic jutsu in this universe had its technical complexities. It only made me admire anime ninjas more and realize how talented most of them really were.
"Now, you must try." He turned the stone into a piece of paper, as if he had used substitution to do so.
Although this seemed trivial to him, the weight of it was enormous to me. It was the first time I had tried to perform a jutsu.
Since arriving in this world, all I had done so far was master my chakra, nothing too complex. Even so, I was ready to try.
I held the paper, closed my eyes for a moment, and thought:
'The first step is chakra...'
I visualized the flow of energy in my body and, concentrating on that, I made the energy go to my fingertips. Not that difficult. With the chakra concentrated, I tried to imbue it into the paper. I knew it had worked when I felt that the paper was a part of my body.
Opening my eyes, I raised my arm and aimed at the top of the fallen tree. With a throwing motion, I launched the marker toward the tree. It automatically stuck to the wood as it approached.
It felt strange. The paper had my chakra on it, so I was feeling it as if it were an arm or leg of mine that I couldn't move.
Anyway, now was the tricky part.
I put my hands together, forming the simple seal that Shibi had showed: two index fingers pointing up, and the other fingers folded and intertwined.
'Absolute focus... It can't be that hard,' I thought, and then mentally shouted: 'Substitution!'
With a *Poof*, a cloud of white smoke enveloped my body. When the smoke cleared, I realized I was standing where the piece of the tree had fallen. I looked down and saw a stone near my feet.
An involuntary smile appeared on my face.
"I did it," I muttered.
On the other side of the stream, my father clapped his hands. "It wasn't bad for the first time. You linked the chakra to the marker and made the switch with no problems. This is because of your natural affinity with chakra. We, Aburame, have precise control of it. Our generations-long connection with insects gave us that. But, it's impressive that you can do this so easily while your chakra is consumed at every moment by the growing Kikaichuu colony."
"Thank you, sir. By the way, I wanted to ask you something about that."
"About the replacement?"
"No, about the colony. Earlier, I realized that I still have very few Kikaichuus. How soon will I have enough to use our clan's more complex techniques, like Torune already uses?"
Shibi put his hands in his pockets and turned away. "It's hard to say. If you don't get hurt and don't use too much chakra, in a few years you could reach the amount he has now. To match it, it might take a little longer."
My eyebrows rose. "All that?"
"He's been a host for almost five years, and you've only been a host for five days. He had a childhood far from danger and far from battles, and that's why he has so many. At your age, I only had a few hundred because I was fighting in the war." Shibi took one of his hands out of his pocket and put it on my head, stroking it. "Just keep a balanced diet, and you'll make it into the thousands someday. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have some things to sort out."
I had asked my father to help me with all the basic jutsus that were required for the Genin Exam, but, apparently, he had understood that it was only with Substitution. So, he left me alone by that stream and went back to our house.
Therefore, I still needed to learn Kage Bunshin no Jutsu and Transformation Jutsu. Luckily, these were two jutsus that required more precision in the execution of the hand seals than tricks. I wasn't too worried about whether I could learn it. If I practiced a few times, I knew I could do it.
What was really worrying me was the growth rate of my Kikaichuu army. How could I increase it?
*
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