Chapter 185: The life of a Genin (part 1)
The morning sun cast a golden glow over the tranquil plains near the outskirts of Konoha. It seemed like any other day until Homura's sudden leap into action, his short blade slicing through the air towards a massive wild boar.
"Homura, watch out!" Naruto shouted, his eyes widening as he realized the danger his teammate was facing.
But it was too late. The boar, towering over them like a behemoth, easily deflected Homura's attack with a swift movement of its tusks. The force of the impact sent Homura tumbling backward, his body crashing into the ground with a thud.
Naruto sprang into action, leaping in front of his teammate with a mix of concern and annoyance evident in his voice.
Naruto: What are you doing, Homura!?
Homura's response was dismissive, his tone tinged with sarcasm as he replied, "Oh, you know, just trying to get myself skewered by a giant boar. You know, just a normal day in the life of a ninja. The h*ll did you think I was trying to do?!"
Naruto did not have the time to process Homura's response as the boar's advance grew closer and closer by the second.
Naruto's brow furrowed in frustration, but before he could retort, the impact from the clash reverberated through Homura's body, reopening old injuries on his arm.
Unaware of Homura's struggles, Naruto summoned his shadow clones with a swift hand gesture, surrounding the rampaging beast. The clones sprang into action, attempting to halt the creature's advance, but it was evident that they were struggling to contain its ferocity.
Naruto:" Shadow Clone Technique!"
Clones of Naruto sprang into existence, surrounding the boar and attempting to restrain its rampage. But it was clear to everyone present that even with the combined efforts of Naruto and his clones, they were struggling to contain the massive creature.
Seeing the situation grow dire, Naruto turned to Sasuke with an urgent plea.
Naruto:" Sasuke, do something! I can't hold this thing off much longer!"
Sasuke's eyes narrowed in annoyance at Naruto's impatience. With a sharp exhale, he muttered under his breath, "Always rushing into things without thinking."
Ignoring Naruto's protests, Sasuke swiftly descended from the sky, his movements fluid and precise. As he fell towards the earth, he hurled two kunai with precision accuracy, the sharp blades slicing through the air with deadly intent.
The kunai embedded themselves into the ground, their attached strings snaking around the boar's tusks in a matter of seconds. With a swift tug, Sasuke propelled himself downwards, his descent accelerated by the tension in the strings.
In a breathtaking display of skill and agility, Sasuke unleashed a devastating dive kick aimed squarely at the beast's skull. The impact echoed through the air with a resounding thud as the wild boar crumpled to the ground, unconscious and defeated.
The tension in the air dissipated as the threat was neutralized. Naruto let out a sigh of relief, his shoulders sagging with exhaustion. "Tch! Show off," he muttered, his voice tinged with gratitude.
Sasuke offered no response, his expression stoic as ever. Instead, he turned his attention to Homura, who stood amidst the aftermath of the battle, nursing his injured arm.
"Pathetic," Sasuke remarked with a snort, his tone dripping with disdain as he observed Homura's state.
Homura bristled at the insult but said nothing, masking his hurt behind a facade of indifference.
Naruto shot Sasuke a reproachful glance, but Sasuke ignored him, his attention already drifting elsewhere.
"Let's go," Sasuke said curtly, gesturing for the others to follow as he began to make his way back.
They dragged the animal close to what seemed to be a farming field.
Which then the 3 boys proceeded to wait while occupied in their own devices.
Sasuke's eyes narrowed as he watched Homura tend to his injured arm, a flicker of concern crossing his features before he quickly masked it with indifference. Naruto, on the other hand, fidgeted restlessly, his mind wandering as he absentmindedly kicked at the dirt beneath his feet.
Homura winced as he applied the gel to his swollen arm, his movements slow and deliberate. The pain radiated through his body, a constant reminder of his limitations. He gritted his teeth, determined to push through the discomfort and continue his mission.
As they waited for Kakashi to arrive, the atmosphere grew tense, the silence punctuated only by the occasional rustle of leaves in the breeze. Each boy was lost in his own thoughts, contemplating the challenges they had faced and the trials that lay ahead.
Naruto paced back and forth, his frustration mounting with each passing moment. "What a waste of time," he muttered, his voice laced with annoyance.
Sasuke remained silent, his gaze fixed on the horizon. He had little patience for idle complaints and found himself growing increasingly irritated by Naruto's outburst.
Suddenly Naruto's expression shifted as seemingly remembered something.
As Naruto approached Homura, the latter was busy wrapping bandages around his injured arm. Naruto wasted no time in bombarding him with questions about Sasuke's impressive display during their encounter with the boar.
"Did you see what Sasuke did back there?" Naruto asked while looking out discreetly towards Sasuke to make sure he was not paying attention to them, his eyes full of skepticism. "He just... vanished and then appeared in the air, attacking the boar from above! Without even weaving any hand seals… How did he do that?"
Homura glanced up briefly, his expression unreadable, before returning his focus to the task at hand. "Yeah sure, the weather sure is nice today," he replied nonchalantly, his tone lacking any hint of enthusiasm.
"What the? what the hell are you talking about? I asked you if you saw that edgy bastard disappear too that fast like Kakashi sensei, and he was even holding weapons," Naruto's patience wore thin as he shook Homura by the collar of his vest.
Homura sighed inwardly, knowing that explaining chakra control to Naruto would be no easy task. Naruto had a habit of oversimplifying things, and Homura struggled to find the right words to convey the complexity of Sasuke's abilities.
Especially given the boy's penchant for mischief and lack of focus.
Not only that, Homura found that having to explain the topic of chakra control a bother especially when it came to matters of ninja techniques.
What Sasuke had accomplished was far beyond the capabilities of an ordinary genin. It wasn't just about physical strength or speed; what he accomplished at that time was about chakra control proficiency.
In the world of shinobi, chakra control was the bedrock of all abilities, not that all abilities required a large amount of chakra control proficiency; at the end of the day having more chakra was arguably better. Still chakra control and potency is what allowed people to use ninjutsu effectively. Techniques or abilities could vary greatly depending of one's ability to use and mold their chakra.
It generally was a key point in determining a ninja's strength, agility, and even their dexterity among may other things. The better a ninja's chakra control, the more extraordinary feats they could achieve with more efficiency without getting too tired or spending their chakra reserves too much– from moving with unparalleled speed to summoning incredible strength at a moment's notice.
Most academy students and even genins, struggled with mastering chakra control, unable to tap into its full potential. Even the simplest techniques could require precise manipulation of chakra, a skill that often eluded inexperienced ninja. But Sasuke was different. In fleeting moments, he demonstrated a level of chakra control that surpassed that of the average genin. Either due to what they call talent, intelligence, training regiment or even hard work, he had managed to fundamentally be able to use his chakra quite well without any seemingly side effects.
Still Homura was quite lazy when it came to helping others, so he basically decided to give a non-answer.
"Oh! That…Well, it's all about chakra control," Homura began, trying to sound casual.
Naruto scratched his head in confusion. "Chakra control? What's that got to do with it? he wasn't doing any hand seals," he asked, his brow furrowed in bewilderment.
"You see, Sasuke has really good control over his chakra, which allows him to perform small feats like that. (though I don't think it is very wise for him to waste chakra like that, he is definitely still not fully chunin level, he must be wasting a bit more chakra than necessarily, though Uchihas should have a larger reserve of chakra compared to most…Is that some kind of training regiment? Maybe I should take some notes. )"
Naruto nodded eagerly, though it was clear he was struggling to grasp the concept. "But how does that help him move so fast and accurately?" he pressed, his brow furrowed in concentration.
"Huh? Hm…(how do I put it into words, so that dumb people can understand…)" he thought as he tried to not give away his inner thoughts.
Homura hesitated, trying to come up with a way to explain it that Naruto would understand. Finally, he settled on an analogy that he hoped would get the point across.
"It's like... farting," Homura said, feeling ridiculous as the words left his mouth. "Some people can fart on command, right? Well, Sasuke's chakra control is like a series of short bursts of... uh, chakra, that he can use to move quickly and precisely for a short moment, thus he doesn't require hand seals."
Naruto's eyes widened in understanding, though there was a hint of amusement in his expression. "So you're saying Sasuke's chakra control is like farting?" he repeated, trying to suppress a laugh.
Before Homura could respond, a kunai came flying towards them, causing both boys to dive to the ground to avoid it. As they scrambled to their feet, they spotted Sasuke leaning against a nearby tree, his eyes closed and his expression unreadable.
"He must be really mad," Naruto muttered, exchanging a nervous glance with Homura.
"Yeah, and whose fault is that?" Homura retorted.
"Yours," said Naruto.
"Me? I just wanted you to leave me alone." rebuked Homura while giving Naruto a side glance.
"You're the one who said he was farting or something," Naruto told as he struggle to not think of the image of Sasuke farting while running.
"…fair point," relented Homura.
chapter end