Chapter 121: Chakra induction test paper

The next day, after Homura had acquired most of the items from the man who turned out to be TenTen's father, he retreated to his secluded bunker for a period of research. However, it wasn't because he remembered TenTen or any of Team Guy's members. In fact, he had completely forgotten about them, including the prominent Hyuga clan member, Neji. Homura's memory only retained information about those he deemed strong or powerful, while everything else seemed useless or unimportant.

His life revolved around relentless training and devising new methods to become stronger or earn money. The events of a year ago had dramatically altered his perspective, but given that he was merely seven years old and had come so close to death, it was understandable. If not for what could only be described as a borderline divine intervention, he would have become just another victim to be interred in the Uchiha clan mass graveyard.

Such an experience had profoundly shaped his worldview, teaching him that hesitation and fear ultimately led to death. Consequently, Homura became fiercely proactive in all his pursuits. Even his bunker was filled with contraptions he had meticulously built, and he had plans to create an even better and more advanced version in the future. Homura had been experimenting with gear technology, even entertaining the idea of constructing an elevator. However, such an ambitious project would require a few more years of preparation. Nonetheless, he had successfully crafted several smaller machines that shared similar mechanisms.

In his sanctuary, Homura utilized one of these machines to sharpen his blades, but today his focus lay elsewhere. He spent two hours deep in thought, fixated on the chakra paper before him.

-.....

Seated on the floor in complete silence, Homura seemed to be waiting for something. However, beneath the surface, his mind was engrossed in the search for every fragment of information he possessed about chakra paper and chakra as a whole. While he had claimed to know how to use the chakra paper when he purchased it, that was somewhat of a lie. Though he understood the basic concept of applying chakra to the paper, he was uncertain how it would work with someone possessing an elemental kekkei genkai, like himself. Confusion clouded his thoughts as he pondered whether to use raw, unfiltered chakra or gather as much chakra as possible and place it onto the paper.

Homura grappled with numerous questions, unable to decide which approach was correct. Chakra paper was quite expensive, and he couldn't afford to buy another one soon. Acquiring another would plunge him deep into debt. Ultimately, Homura found himself bewildered, unsure of what course of action to take.

After two hours of contemplation, Homura still hadn't arrived at an answer. Technically, both approaches were correct and yielded the same result. Generally, a person's chakra had an affinity for one of the five elemental types of ninjutsu. Therefore, merely applying chakra to the paper would reveal the answer, regardless of his method. But how would Homura accomplish this?

As shinobi learned to manipulate and sense their chakra, they developed a vague understanding of how their chakra felt and looked. Homura's own chakra typically appeared as a dark shade of green. However, when he attempted techniques such as the fireball jutsu, he noticed slight changes in both color and sensation. This was because every shift in chakra nature influenced its characteristics.

There were five primary nature transformations: fire, earth, water, wind, and lightning. When a ninja attempted to use a specific elemental jutsu, their chakra had to transform to match the desired nature. This process made it incredibly challenging for many individuals to utilize elemental ninjutsu, leading to many that can use more than one chakra nature to be a cut above the rest.

Unless one's chakra matches, or has a natural strong affinity for the specific element that they are trying to reproduce, changing one's chakra nature is incredibly difficult.

Not even using key hand seals to match the specific chakra nature they are trying to perform helps much with the process.

It is not uncommon for ninjas to forgo entirely the usage of elemental ninjutsu since it is so difficult to perform changes in chakra nature.

Or only use one type of elemental nature transformation.

This entire process is why changes in chakra nature are so hard to perform since people have to literally transform their chakra to match the elemental transformation they are trying to induce.

Unless one has a clear aptitude in a specific chakra nature, the likelihood of them trying to use another is rarer as the difficulty only increases after that.

For Homura, whose chakra control is far from the best, he never truly cared too much about learning elemental ninjutsu besides fire release since it was something people in the Uchiha clan usually are born with a high aptitude for.

People in the same clan or family tend to, but not always, have similar-colored chakra or the same affinity.

Though it is usually with one of their parents or siblings.

-…Tch, this is taking forever… - Thought Homura as he opened his eyes after looking at everything inside his mind that he knew about chakra.

He then proceeded to grab the chakra paper in his hand.

- (I only have one shot… I will simply try to circulate my chakra inside my body and see if anything happens)

Homura then proceeded to join his hands together in a praying motion with the paper stuck in between them and closed his eyes as he tried to meditate.

-...

He tried to swirl the energies inside him counterclockwise; since for him, it was how he was able to do it.

Most people usually can only rotate the energy inside their bodies clockwise.

People who do the opposite aren't truly rare, it was simply the same for people being left-handed or right-handed.

The way to discover if your chakra flowed in which manner was to simply try to do it clockwise, but if one couldn't, it usually meant that they had to do it counterclockwise.

Or one could also see through one's hair follicle pattern.

If one's hair pattern was either clockwise or counterclockwise, it usually meant that one's chakra flowed that way.

Normally this entire process occurs unconsciously in a person's body since most living beings had chakra inside of them, or more likely the energies that chakra was composed of.

Otherwise, they would be dead.

But shinobi learned how to expedite the whole process so that they could recover their chakra faster than most other living beings, or at least draw more chakra from their natural reserves of chakra available to them.

Since all living creatures had limiters to prevent chakra from being recklessly abused, exhausting one's chakra could lead to one's death.

It would be as if one emptied the energy that allowed one to move or think, leading to death in the physical sense.

As the soul inside the body is forced to move to a higher plane.

*crack*

-!

As Homura was busy rotating the energies inside his body, he heard an almost inaudible sound that disturbed the quiet he was experiencing.

The paper in between his hands had something happen to it.

Some of Homura's chakra had finally reacted to it.

Putting one's palms together was one of the best ways to draw chakra from within.

Though as he undid his hands from being stuck together, he was shocked by the revelation he witnessed.

-... N-no way. - A flabbergasted Homura could not believe the result in front of his eyes.

The chakra induction paper was split straight in the middle... but both halves also crumbled as they hit the ground immediately.

Which could mean many things, but in this case, it was a clear sign of something very specific.

If the paper induction paper splits in the middle, it means a strong affinity for wind release. However, if it crumbles as well, which is not something that should normally occur as it had already split in half, it could potentially mean that two things may have had occurred... and in this specific case, it could mean that Homura had an affinity for lightning release as well; on top of his already strong affinity for wind release.

This exceeded his expectations to a very large degree.

Since this changed how he saw things.

Chapter end.