Explosive Seals

Outside of the training sessions with Sakumo, Kaizen kept up his familiar routine of exercise while also placing more emphasis on studying ahead of the first-year academic topics.

Most of the material he was covering wasn't foreign to him, which made learning and remembering everything a much easier task.

'Although I could put more emphasis on training, I doubt I will achieve much better results than my current workload. Until I become older, I will have many limitations on my training plans. It will be better in the long run if I can learn all of the academic material needed to graduate early in case that becomes the right path for me. I intended to ask Principal Kamiko about it, but I guess I will have to wait now that our meeting was canceled.'

During this week, Kaizen also worked on improving the practical skills he has learned thus far rather than spreading himself too thin while trying to learn too many new things all at once.

'It's been several days since I started learning Fuinjutsu. For such a low-level storage seal, it has been a lot more troubling to master than I initially thought,' he mused.

'I've only gotten my time down from five minutes to inscribe a seal to four minutes. Despite the numerous possibilities that field has to offer, it will be an insanely high time drain before I am able to reach a high level.'

Kaizen's foray into Fuinjutsu was a testament to his thirst for knowledge. The intricacies of seals fascinated him, but he quickly realized the immense patience and accuracy required to master them. Even the process of inscribing a basic storage seal continuously tested his concentration and control over chakra. Yet, he found the challenge invigorating, pushing him to refine his technique further.

Each time Kaizen sat down to inscribe a seal, he felt a familiar sense of purpose and focus, reminiscent of his previous life's relentless pursuit of self-improvement. The repetitive yet intricate nature of Fuinjutsu demanded his full attention, allowing no room for error. This level of dedication and the continuous mental challenge it provided were exactly what he craved.

In his prior life, Kaizen had often felt bored due to the lack of new challenges to face. From his earliest memories, self-improvement and the relentless pursuit of higher attainment were ingrained into him. His peers often viewed him as a madman, bewildered by his unwavering work ethic and the impossibly high bar he set for himself. In this new life, that same drive persisted, shaping his every action and decision.

Unbeknownst to Kaizen, Hiruzen and Principal Kamiko were well aware of his rigorous training regimen. They had taken steps to increase security around him, assigning guards to watch over him from the shadows. The reports they received on his training were both impressive and concerning, highlighting the extent of his dedication and the extraordinary lengths he went to in order to improve.

'If I can master Fuinjutsu, it could become a significant asset,' Kaizen reflected.

'Seals have so many applications, from combat to utility, and it could give me the edge in various situations.' He understood that this discipline would not yield quick results, but he was willing to invest the time and effort needed.

Kaizen marveled at the diversity of Fuinjutsu, noting the different ranks of seals: F, E, D, C, B, A, and S.

'Although I suspect that there are higher ranks, and it was even hinted to me that the Uzumaki clan leader was capable of using seals higher than S rank, which is a scary thought in and of itself,' he pondered.

'Then, there are statuses within each rank which I would probably imagine there to be some sort of equivalent within shinobi ranks as well. The statuses go from low to mid to high, with peak being the top status of a seal within a given rank.'

Kaizen had learned this information after inquiring about the storage seals he was inscribing and how to make them more effective, including expanding their capacity. His current storage seal was considered a low F rank, and he knew that higher ranks would greatly increase both complexity and utility. Such complexity was evident across many different types of seals.

As an example, Kaizen had been instructed to begin learning a different seal since he could inscribe the low F rank storage seal with ease. Given a list to choose from, he decided on the explosive tag seal, recognizing its potential utility in various situations.

He faced similar difficulties when learning to inscribe the explosive tag seal, managing to complete it after half an hour on his first try. He could still recall the humorous exchange he had with his instructor.

"So, what are the safety precautions for activating an explosive tag like this one?" Kaizen asked, his curiosity piqued.

"Well, usually there would be high precautions with any type of explosive, but in this case, there is nothing to worry about. This is a low F rank seal after all. The seal you learned has a three-second timer after activating it with your chakra," the instructor explained with a reassuring smile.

The instructor then invited Kaizen outside, activating the seal on the ground a few feet away. The result left Kaizen both confused and frustrated.

The explosion was akin to a firecracker from his previous life. It would only pose a danger to a civilian holding it in their hands. The fact that this low-level explosive had taken him so much time to inscribe certainly irritated him.

"If the result is only this, then what use does the seal have?" Kaizen asked, his tone reflecting his disappointment.

"Well, it wouldn't be useful to any shinobi, but civilians buy these types of seals for recreational fun on holidays. It also provides Fuinjutsu users with base levels of experience with this category of seals. The higher-ranked versions often retain a similar base of symbols as the ones used in this rank," the instructor explained, chuckling at Kaizen's reaction.

"I know you mentioned the level of complexity playing a factor in a seal's strength as well as its subsequent rank, but is there no way to allow a seal like this one, for example, to jump ranks without increasing the complexity of its symbol structure?"

The instructor chuckled, "You have a great mind, Kaizen. You are correct in your line of thinking as there are indeed ways to circumvent ranks with lower-level seals. Although there are many ways to do so, they will not be the most efficient way of achieving the same result as a higher-ranked seal. Some of the only real scenarios that I can think of for that would be a Fuinjutsu user who is unable to inscribe higher-level seals or someone that doesn't have enough time to inscribe them."

"One of the ways that you may have already considered is to pour more chakra into the ink as you are inscribing the seals. However, this can be dangerous depending on the type of seal you are inscribing, as it could easily result in a catastrophic failure. For the low F-ranked explosive seal, the formation of symbols can only handle a certain amount of chakra input in the inscription before the formation breaks down and the seal detonates," the instructor warned, his tone growing serious.

"So, theoretically speaking, if I were to pour more chakra into this F-rank explosive seal, how much more powerful could it become?"

The instructor's brow furrowed. "Theoretically? Well, you might boost it to a high F rank. How much you can push the limits is also dependent on the initial rank and strength of the seal formation. But I must stress, Kaizen, this is not a recommended practice."

"And why's that?" Kaizen asked, his mind already racing with possible uses for overcharging seals.

"Because, my eager student, you'd be playing with fire – quite literally," the instructor chuckled, though his tone remained serious.

"Overloading a seal is like trying to fit an elephant into a mouse hole. Something's bound to give, and it's usually explosive."

Kaizen nodded, absorbing the information. "But what if we were to modify the seal structure slightly? Perhaps add a stabilizing formation to handle the increased chakra load?"

The instructor raised an eyebrow, impressed by Kaizen's quick thinking. "Now you're venturing into the realm of seal modification – a dangerous but fascinating field. It's possible, but it requires a deep understanding of seal mechanics and chakra flow."

"Could you teach me?" Kaizen asked, his voice brimming with enthusiasm.

The instructor let out a hearty laugh. "Slow down, speedster. You've just learned to crawl; let's not jump straight to running marathons. Master the basics first, then we'll talk about pushing boundaries. You shouldn't even think of modifying seals until you are at least capable of producing B rank seals."

Kaizen nodded thoughtfully, absorbing the information. He realized that while shortcuts existed, they might also present significant risks.

Thinking back on that conversation left Kaizen with a better understanding of the Fuinjutsu system. The low F rank explosive seal now only took him ten minutes to inscribe, but of course, that was still considered unacceptable to him.

'I suppose when I get the time down to five minutes, I'll start working on another seal while also improving the others. Learning more of the symbols and some base formations of the symbols used should be my main priority for Fuinjutsu right now.'

Knowing he needed to keep studying, Kaizen brought his thoughts back to the books in front of him. He would worry about his Fuinjutsu skills later.

While Kaizen was studying peacefully in his dorm, there happened to be a bad situation unfolding in another part of the village.