CHAPTER 46; THE RAINBOW JUTSU

"If I can master the Rainbow Jutsu, I might stand a fighting chance against Shekan and Tristran" Ryu said.

"It is as I said. You must master magic" Master Hiruko said.

"But isn't magic inferior to ninjutsu?" Ryu asked.

"YOU IDIOT! I NEVER SAID THAT!" Master Hiruko scolded him.

"Then what do you mean by Tristran was immune to all magic except for that of body and spirit combined?" Ryu asked.

"That is because, as a dragon, Tristran was purely a spiritual or magical being to put it in simple terms. However, in Shekan's body, as he is now, he will be vulnerable to almost any form of attack. Ninjutsu is a combination of bodily and spiritual energy. Magic on the other hand is a combination of mental and spiritual energy" Master Hiruko explained.

"I get it now. So if I master both magic and ninjutsu, I should be able to fight on equal footing with Tristran right?" Ryu asked.

"Who said anything about equal footing? You would never stand a chance against Tristran even if you learned magic and ninjutsu for millennia. Don't underestimate him. After all, he is Ryuujinn's archenemy" Master Hiruko said grimly.

"In other words, I've already lost the fight. What a nice way to encourage your student" Ryu said suspiciously.

"The only chance to defeat Tristran will be while he is still in Shekan's body. Once he is completely revived, there will be nothing more you can do" Master Hiruko said. "But you're pretty much a master of ninjutsu already however, you still can't control the other elements and you have no idea what the nature of flame jutsu even is" Master Hiruko ordered.

"That's where you're wrong! Watch this! HORSE! TIGER! FIRE ELEMENT! GRAND BLAZING FIREBALL JUTSU!" Ryu called as he created a huge fireball and hurled it. It exploded when it hit the walls but there was not much damage.

"That's not it you idiot!" Master Hiruko called as he knocked Ryu on the head.

"Ouch! What did you do that for?!" Ryu yelled angrily.

"It's more like this. Watch carefully, HORSE! SNAKE! TIGER! DRAGON! FLAME ELEMENT! FLAME GEYSER JUTSU!" Master Hiruko called as huge eruptions of blue flame rocked the underground Temple!

"Wow! Amazing! But why are the flames blue?" Ryu asked.

"Ryu, if you were not a fire ninja, you would have been ashes by now" Master Hiruko said.

"It's that hot?!" Ryu exclaimed in awe.

"Hotter than hot" Master Hiruko said. "The distinguishing mark of the Flame ryu is the blue flame" Master Hiruko said.

"Lemme try it! HORSE! SNAKE! TIGER! DRAGON! FLAME ELEMENT! FLAME GEYSER JUTSU!" Ryu called.

There was a small eruption of fire but it was orange, just like the usual flames Ryu was used to creating.

"What?! But I made all the right seals!" Ryu sighed in disappointment.

"Don't give up yet!" Master Hiruko encouraged him.

Ryu nodded with determination.

"First, master this and then your real training will begin" Master Hiruko said.

***** ***** ***** ***** *****

Ryu trained continuously for two weeks. For the first week, he could only create fire. He didn't seem to understand why the technique wasn't working as it was supposed to. Then he decided to try to think of Shekan who was a master of flame. When he thought of Shekan, he slowly began to understand the nature of flame. Flame was a wilder element than fire was, much hotter. It would take much more discipline and courage to master flame. Ryu realized that to master flame, he would have to risk damaging his body. He decided to try it nonetheless. To master flame, he knew he didn't just have to be courageous. He had to be both courageous and foolhardy, in other words…reckless! Ryu formed the seals and released all the chakra within him all at once in the form of flames. It was almost like an explosion. The fire began to burn him.

"I need to release more power! Giving up now would be unworthy of a flame ninja!" Ryu declared as he took in a deep breath.

There was a technique his father had taught him while he was training in Crystal. When fighting an enemy or using a technique that required more power than your body can offer, using the art of screaming can release more power and enhance a technique or a hit by tightening the major seat of chakra nested in the bowels.

Ryu breathed out and took in another deep breath.

"Flame is a form of breath, it breathes. Screaming also releases a great amount of breath. Perhaps, if I combine the two…" Ryu thought as he opened his mouth and screamed at the top of his lungs.

A sudden release of fire gushed out of his body and the flames turned blue.

Ryu sighed and dropped the technique.

"I did it" he said as he dropped to the ground and lost consciousness.

For the following weeks, he trained on increasing his chakra through meditation and physical exercises. Eventually, he did not need to scream to turn his fire into flames. By the time he had mastered flame, two months had passed. Master Hiruko came in to check on him one day and saw him practicing flame techniques.

"Oh? So you finally mastered it?" Master Hiruko said as though he wasn't surprised.

"Where's the fun in that? Check this out! HORSE! SNAKE! TIGER! CHEETAH! DRAGON! FIERY ELEMENT! FIERY GARGANTUAN GEYSER JUTSU!!!" Ryu called as he released a tremendous outburst of orange and blue flames.

"What is this?! You were actually able to combine fire with flame to create an even more powerful technique?!" Master Hiruko exclaimed in surprise.

"Heheh! It's not so big a deal" Ryu laughed.

"I guess it's time to start mastering magic" Master Hiruko said with a satisfied smile.

"Ryu, there is no need for you to be so worried. Magic and ninjutsu are quite alike except for which human aspect they draw their power from" Master Hiruko said.

"So where do I start?" Ryu asked.

"First, you must let go of your natural senses, those you've adapted to by living in the physical world and focus on your spiritual senses, your sixth and seventh senses" Master Hiruko said.

"And those are?" Ryu asked.

"The powers of intuition and perception" Master Hiruko said.

"And what are those exactly?" Ryu asked.

"Your power of perception will allow you to see the things you cannot see with your eyes alone, to sift out lies from truth. Your power of intuition will boost your confidence, certainty and to some extent allow you to predict the effects resulting from a cause or action. If you ask me, I'd say you have a lot of that already" Master Hiruko said.

"How exactly can I develop these senses?" Ryu asked.

"First, we will develop your power of perception. Are you ready?" Master Hiruko asked.

"How do I begin?" Ryu asked.

"First…" Master Hiruko said with a sly smile. "…I want you to see…with your eyes closed!" Master Hiruko instructed.

"WHAT?! THAT'S IMPOSSIBLE!" Ryu exclaimed in shock.

"All foolish girls can do this and besides, if you can't do it…it means that…" Master Hiruko said as his lips curved into a sly smile. "…YOUR FATHER WAS A FOOL!" Master Hiruko said with an evil laugh.

"WHA…?! HOW DARE YOU INSULT MY FATHER?!" Ryu yelled.

"I'm not insulting him. That is up to you. Will you insult him by failing this test?" Master Hiruko challenged as he pulled his beard mischievously.

"I WILL DO IT AND PROVE YOU WRONG!" Ryu yelled.

"Well well, that's some confidence. You haven't even let me explain the basics of magic" Master Hiruko said.

"With what you said, I don't need them anymore. I'll master this on my own!" Ryu declared.

"If you say so, I guess I'll leave you to your training then" Master Hiruko said as he left Ryu alone.

Ryu sat down and shut his eyes. Everything went dark.

"Okay, now I guess I just have to see with my eyes closed" Ryu said.

Nothing changed, it was still dark.

"I think I should concentrate some more!" Ryu thought as he concentrated but nothing changed.

Eventually, he fell asleep. There was a brief moment of darkness around Ryu, then suddenly, everything became bright. Ryu found himself in front of the Crystal Temple. He saw his father standing in front of the gates as though he was waiting for Ryu.

"Father!" Ryu called as he ran towards his father.

"Let me guess, you are trying to awaken your power of perception and your master has insulted me" Ryu's father said with a smile.

"Yes but I have no idea how" Ryu said.

"We'll give your master the shock of his life! My pride will not allow me to be called a fool so I'll teach you the basics right away. Listen to me Ryu, seeing with your eyes closed; in other words, enhanced perception can only be achieved by overcoming two psychological tricks. If you were an ordinary human, you'd have to deal with just one but as a ninja, if you are not told of the second trick, there is no way you can overcome it" Ryu's father said.

"I see. What are they?" Ryu asked.

"First of all Ryu, do you believe it is possible to see with your eyes closed?" his father asked.

"No, I just can't see that happening" Ryu said seriously.

"And that is psychological barrier number one. Everything in this world happens as a result of a continuous transference of power between the spiritual and the physical. The potentials of a human are first of all based on faith. Think of it like this Ryu, there is a house. You want to bring a pillow into your room and the house has only windows that are high up and no doors, what is the logical thing to do?" his father asked.

"Throw the pillow into the house through the window…I guess" Ryu said.

"Exactly. Now think of this, instead of a pillow, now you want to bring a cart into your house and the cart cannot be carried, only pushed. What will you do?" his father asked.

"Hmm, I can't bring it through the window since it's high up. I guess the only thing to do is create a door" Ryu said.

"Exactly, the outside is the spiritual world. The inside of the house is the physical world. The walls are barriers caused by your faith. The pillow represents the little things a human can easily believe in and the window is the faith that allows those things to be manifested in the physical world. On the other hand, the cart represents the things that exist in the spiritual world and need extraordinary faith to be manifested in the physical world. The window becoming a door represents the actions you will take to make the things you desire that seem impossible come to pass. Do you understand? Nothing is impossible. What makes it impossible is the fact that you believe it is impossible" Ryu's father explained.

"I understand" Ryu said.

"Surprisingly, the barrier humans will have to overcome to strengthen their powers of perception, what I've just explained is not as trivial as the barrier a ninja will have to overcome to develop his" Ryu's father said.

"Why is that father?" Ryu asked.

"When your Master told you to see with your eyes closed, what was the first thing you told yourself to do in order to accomplish the task?" Ryu's father asked.

"Concentrate" Ryu said.

"Exactly. Ninja are used to rigorous mental and physical exercises so doing something so simple defies their normal logic" Ryu's father said.

"How so?" Ryu asked.

"Why do you think ninja rule number one is 'expect the unexpected?'" Ryu's father asked.

"We need to be prepared for all forms of surprises?" Ryu asked.

"That's true, think outside the box. However, when a ninja thinks outside the box of ordinary folks for too long, he creates a box for himself that is harder to get out of. Being a ninja involves being able to overestimate and underestimate your enemies. Ninja will always think five steps ahead of a normal person so if you sometimes think just a step below what a ninja expects, you can surprise him. In that way, direct attacks are also effective" Ryu's father explained.

"Whoa! Was Dad always this scary? It's like he knows everything" Ryu said.

"Ryu, what would you call this experience. You are asleep aren't you?" his father asked.

"Yeah, I guess I'm dreaming" Ryu said.

"And wouldn't you call that seeing with your eyes closed?" Ryu's father asked.

"I guess but…it's not quite the same" Ryu said.

"Ryu, do you know when a human is most aware of his surroundings?" his father asked.

Ryu shook his head.

"A moment before he falls asleep. That is when your senses are truly heightened. At times, you can hear voices that aren't even yours and see glimpses of the things happening around you, right before you fall asleep. Sleep requires relaxation, not concentration. It is when you are most relaxed that your senses are truly sharp. The trick to using your senses in an extraordinary sense is capturing that moment, right before you sleep and letting your mind remain in a state between consciousness and sub consciousness" Ryu's father said.

"Amazing! Wow, father, you are amazing!" Ryu exclaimed in joy.

"Hmmph! I wouldn't have been the Shadow Of Crystal if I didn't even know something as simple as this" Ryu's father boasted.

"I hope I can become like you one day dad!" Ryu exclaimed in pride.

"You should aim to become greater than I was!" Ryu's father scolded him.

"Sorry, sorry" Ryu apologized.

"I guess I'll see you later dad" Ryu said.

His father nodded and then he opened his eyes. He was back underground in the Light ryu's Temple.

Ryu stood up and trained some more to tire himself out. He exercised building up more stamina and chakra in the process. When he became tired again, he sat down and shut his eyes. At first, nothing seemed to happen, then he began to hear voices. He heard Master Hiroshi strictly training Rokkan, then he could see Rokkan wielding the Sword Of Rai and performing amazing swordsmanship techniques, then he could see Master Hiruko laughing mischievously.

"I mustn't fall asleep" he thought to himself. "…And I mustn't wake up" he thought.

He sat up. He could hear and see Master Hiruko descending the stairs. Master Hiruko held a kunai in his hands. He smiled and hurled the kunai at Ryu. Ryu dodged the kunai and caught it with ease without moving from where he was sitting.

"Have you already awakened your power of perception? It has been a week already" Master Hiruko said.

"Apparently, my father was a very wise man" Ryu said with a mysterious smile.

"Very wise indeed" Master Hiruko added.

"I guess, next is my power of intuition right?" Ryu said.

"Indeed, once you've developed your power of intuition, performing the Rainbow Jutsu will be a piece of cake" Master Hiruko said.

"It's that great?" Ryu asked expectantly.

"Without it, it would be almost impossible for you to perform the Rainbow Jutsu" Master Hiruko said.

"Then let's get started" Ryu said.

"For this training, we need to move to another part of the Temple, the Target Practice Training Grounds" Master Hiruko said.

So Ryu was led to the Target Practice Training Grounds.

"Whoa! There are a lot of target practice dummies around here!" Ryu exclaimed in awe.

That was the truth for that part of the Temple had all its walls covered with dummies that had bull's eyes imprinted on their chests.

"DON'T TELL ME I HAVE TO HIT ALL OF THEM!" Ryu exclaimed in dismay.

"No, I will be the one doing the throwing. All you have to do is predict where the kunai will hit" Master Hiroku said.

"Phew" Ryu sighed in relief.

"But this will be much more difficult than you think especially since, you will be doing this without your power of perception" Master Hiruko said with a sly smile.

"Hmmph! How tough can this possibly be?" Ryu asked confidently.

"And you are not allowed to use your Ryuugan either" Master Hiruko warned. "Shall we begin?" he said as he raised a kunai.

Ryu looked at the kunai and Master Hiruko's stance. He mentally calculated the path the kunai would take.

"Hmm, the kunai will hit the middle target on the ground" Ryu predicted.

"If you say so" Master Hiruko said as he threw the kunai. It headed towards the target Ryu had predicted.

"I was right after…HUH?!" Ryu suddenly exclaimed in shock for just before the kunai hit the target he had pointed to, it suddenly curved upwards and hit the uppermost target in that column.

"TH-THE KUNAI…NO WAY! THAT'S IMPOSSIBLE! HOW COULD IT CURVE LIKE THAT IN MID-AIR?!" Ryu exclaimed.

"It looks like you were wrong. Don't worry; it only took me five millennia and a half to awaken my powers of intuition" Master Hiruko laughed.

"N-No way! I…I must master the Rainbow jutsu!" Ryu said with determination.

They continued with the training. All of Ryu's predictions ended up being wrong. Master Hiruko even reprimanded him seriously many times for guessing instead of predicting. Eventually, Master Hiruko ended the training for the day and Ryu remained dazed. He argued that they should continue with the training and that was when Master Hiruko dropped a hint.

"Oh yes, that's right. I forgot to tell you something important. In awakening your power of perception, you had to let go of your natural senses. However, to awaken your power of intuition, you need only your animal instincts" Master Hiruko said.

"NOW YOU TELL ME!" Ryu yelled angrily.

"Take it easy on me. I am an elderly man after all" Master Hiruko said with a laugh. "Get some rest Ryu. You need an energized mind to be able to awaken your power of intuition" he advised.

The next day, Master Hiruko resumed the training with Ryu. Days passed without improvement, then weeks, then a month. Ryu's confidence was rapidly increasing. Then two months passed, then another month passed. By then, Ryu began to see the path the kunai would take when thrown. He could sense Master Hiruko's breath and the changes in the wind and soon, he could predict the paths of all the kunai without error.

"Ryu, you have greatly improved. You have awakened both your senses of intuition and perception. Now you must learn to control all the elements without entering the Jinn State" Master Hiruko said.

For the next two months, Master Hiruko taught Ryu how to control each element by making use of every unique emotion a human possesses. This was the art of magic. After three months, Ryu had completely mastered magic.

"Ryu, it has been exactly eight months since you came to the Light Ryu and you have improved greatly. Now you will perform the jutsu that surpasses Gaiden's in every sense" Master Hiruko said.

"Seven months already?! I thought it had only been two months!" Ryu exclaimed in shock.

"Hmm, I see his rigorous training has rendered him chronologically disoriented" Master Hiruko thought to himself.

"Atlanta, don't worry. I'm very close to breaking your pact for you" Ryu thought silently as he recalled Atlanta's face and her mannerisms.

"Ryu…RYU! ARE YOU EVEN LISTENING TO ME?!" Master Hiruko yelled angrily.

"Uh…Oh sorry Master, I was a little lost in thought. What were you saying?" Ryu asked with a sheepish grin.

"I was telling you to try performing the Rainbow jutsu without your powers of perception and intuition" Master Hiruko said.

"Why?" Ryu asked.

"I want to show you just how much you have improved" Master Hiruko said.

"OKAY! HERE I GO!" Ryu called as he began to focus his spiritual and mental energy into his right hand.

"CRYSTAL! EARTH! FIRE! I-I don't think I can control it. The elements are going haywire! IT'S GOING TO…!" Ryu exclaimed in fright as the elements began to go out of control in his hand and then…BOOM! The elements exploded in his face and sent him flying.

He crashed into a pillar and fell to the ground.

"You were able to summon and control only three elements but you see how much power the jutsu contained?" Master Hiruko said.

"It's great!" Ryu exclaimed in joy.

"Now you will use both your powers of intuition and perception" Master Hiruko said.

"GREAT!" Ryu exclaimed excitedly.

Then he focused his mind and spirit.

"First, I'll activate my power of perception" Ryu said as he felt his eyes open.

His surroundings began to change appearance till he could notice every detail and his other senses were heightened.

"Now, my power of intuition!" Ryu thought as he focused.

He felt a boost in his confidence and became calm. He stretched out his right hand. He could see a watery energy in his hand.

"My powers of perception and intuition are telling me what elements to use, in which order to use them as well as the timings!" Ryu realized. "WATER! EARTH! WIND! LIGHT! DARK! FIRE! CRYSTAL! DRAGON AND HUMAN! OMNI-ELEMENT! RAINBOW JUTSU!" Ryu called as a huge burst of power enveloped his whole hand.

Master Hiruko teleported him to the Target Practice Training Grounds.

"Release it here" Master Hiruko instructed.

Ryu smiled and charged with great speed towards the dummies. Then he punched the closest one against the wall. There was a cracking sound as the elements exploded, engulfed the wall and spread out, destroying every dummy in the room. Master Hiruko stared in awe.

"Amazing!" Ryu exclaimed in awe, then he lost consciousness after the elements disappeared.

"Controlling all the basic principles of magic at the same time tired him out" Master Hiruko said as he carried Ryu out of the Sacred Underground Temple to the Temple above.

Master Hiroshi at that time was also carrying an unconscious Rokkan and coming out of his Sacred Underground Temple.

"What's wrong with Ryu?" Master Hiroshi asked.

"You should know better younger brother. This Temple was built with the principle of Dragon Zone. Having them both training in the Light and Dark Underground Temples has allowed them to absorb the experiences of one another. Unconsciously, they have both shaped the experiences of each to fit their will. Ryu will have absorbed Rokkan's swordsmanship techniques and Rokkan, Ryu's sharp senses. However, they both possess traits unique to each. Rokkan will only be able to use Gaiden's lightning and his own earth techniques. Ryu will also be able to use magic, flame and the next technique I will teach him" Master Hiruko said.

"You plan to teach him that technique don't you brother. You know it can destroy him" Master Hiroshi said.

"I believe he can master it because he is…the one" Master Hiruko said.

"Even so, that technique requires the ultimate sacrifice" Master Hiroshi said.

"I know. That is where the problem lies" Master Hiruko said grimly.