Chapter 8: The Three Basic Jutsus

Upon returning home, Natsuro looked at the scroll of the Three Basic Jutsus on his desk, along with a piece of chakra paper he had bought on the way back.

He first picked up the chakra paper and infused his chakra into it. Soon, the paper tore in the middle, and the part he was holding crumpled.

"Wind and Lightning, huh?". He wasn't particularly surprised. His unknown father was apparently wind-based, and his mother had previously mentioned her chakra nature was lightning.

So, he had inherited the dual chakra natures of his parents, which was quite good. He couldn't recall if wind and lightning combined to form a specific bloodline limit, but he hadn't planned to attempt fusion anyway. After all, attempting to create a bloodline limit was akin to courting death; if it were easy to achieve, these abilities wouldn't be so rare in the world.

In his view, existing bloodline limits were either the result of death-defying acts or mutations. Unless he had Naruto's lineage, Tsunade's medical prowess constantly monitoring him, and Might Guy's physical strength, it was impossible for him to try something so reckless.

For now, wind and lightning were quite good. He could potentially learn techniques like the Rasenshuriken or Chidori. The Rasenshuriken required a significant amount of chakra and Sage Mode to be effective, while Chidori needed exceptional dynamic vision.

Sage Mode was on the agenda but not immediately available, so that would be skipped for now. Dynamic vision was generally reliant on inherent abilities or bloodline limits, like the Sharingan or Byakugan.

However, he wasn't keen on transplanting someone else's eyes. The Sharingan would likely drain his chakra entirely, making it unfeasible. The Byakugan might be more manageable but was still something he wasn't interested in obtaining if it came to that.

He wondered if combining Sage Mode with Chidori could offset its limitations. Sage Mode was a comprehensive enhancement and might offer dynamic vision. He could try that in the future if given the chance.

Next, it was time to start learning the Three Basic Jutsus. He began reviewing the scrolls.

The Three Basic Jutsus were not complicated, and he quickly finished reading both the jutsu and Iruka's annotations.

The Three Basic Jutsus were the Transformation Jutsu, Clone Jutsu, and Substitution Jutsu—simple yet practical basic ninjutsu techniques.

Among them, the Transformation Jutsu required only one hand sign, the Clone Jutsu required three hand signs, and the Substitution Jutsu required five. The difficulty was proportional to the number of hand signs.

The learning process went as he had expected. Hand signs were merely a guide to channel chakra changes more effectively. The essence of releasing ninjutsu lay in chakra transformation.

Each jutsu had its own unique chakra transformation, so merely knowing the hand signs wasn't enough to use the technique.

Conversely, if he became familiar with chakra transformation, could he release jutsus without hand signs? Just like later techniques that were performed with a simple clasp of hands…

As for the Three Basic Jutsus, he planned to learn all of them, but would prioritize mastering them differently. The Transformation Jutsu needed to be proficient enough, the Clone Jutsu could be practiced more if time allowed, and he intended to focus on the Substitution Jutsu.

The Substitution Jutsu was a simple yet highly practical technique, but with five hand signs, it currently took Natsuro almost two seconds to execute. Against a fast ninja, he might not have enough time, so he needed to reduce the execution time to under one second.

It was time to put his learning to the test. he followed the scroll's instructions, manipulating his chakra flow while performing a hand sign, and visualized an image in his mind.

"Transformation Jutsu!"

A puff of white smoke rose, and when it cleared, a petite but graceful female figure appeared. He looked at the reflection of "Tifa" in the mirror and, feeling suddenly embarrassed, dispelled the transformation.

He hadn't expected to succeed on his first try, and he suddenly felt that perhaps he should practice the Transformation Jutsu more. Clearing his throat, he thought about it.

After making sure no one was around, he relaxed. He could practice the Transformation Jutsu a few more times to get familiar with it, as it was only one hand sign and couldn't be simplified further.

His room soon filled with various small, yet increasingly detailed, figures—Asuna, Misaka Mikoto, Akame…

Time passed quickly, and by the time his mother had returned, Natsuro had already mastered the Clone Jutsu and Substitution Jutsu. It seemed much easier than he had anticipated.

Unlike the single hand sign for the Transformation Jutsu, his use of the Clone Jutsu and Substitution Jutsu was not yet smooth. His chakra transformations were lagging behind his hand sign speed. But with practise he knew he'd improve.

At this point, he realized his talent might be stronger than he had previously thought. Even with the simplicity of the Three Basic Jutsus, mastering and successfully using them on the first try was a clear indication of talent.

"So, I'm a genius, huh?"

"Mom, welcome back." Hearing the door open and Shinai's voice, he came out of his room to greet her.

"Ta-da!" she proudly presented a scroll, "Look at this, Natsuro!"

"Shadow Clone Jutsu" he said calmly.

"Yes, it's the Shadow Clone Jutsu. But shouldn't you be a bit more excited?" she noticed Natsuro's reaction seemed rather lukewarm.

"Mm, I'm very happy" he said with a smile.

"Ah, here you go, my little adult" she said, handing the scroll to Natsuro. "I'm going to see the teacher now. He said the Shadow Clone Jutsu isn't suitable for you."

"Mm, but I think it's quite suitable" he replied, taking the scroll with some excitement.

"I knew you wouldn't listen to advice, so I went ahead and exchanged it. But thankfully, it was just the Shadow Clone Jutsu. If it were another B-rank jutsu, it might not have been possible to get" she said.

"Why's that?"

"The teacher said that while the Shadow Clone Jutsu was developed by Konoha, it was actually learned a long time ago by other villages, so there's no need for secrecy. Other techniques are much more valuable and generally not available for exchange to those who might leak them" Shinai explained.

He nodded, understanding this explanation. Nevertheless, he was pleased to have obtained the Shadow Clone Jutsu. With this, his next learning goals were set.

"Oh, and Mom, I won't be home for dinner tonight" he remembered his plan to treat Iruka to a meal and wander around the village afterward.

"Hmm? Why not? Is my cooking no longer good enough for you?" she feigned disappointment, wiping imaginary tears.

"Of course not" he said, explaining his plan to treat Iruka and his intention to spend some time in the village.