Chapter 143: wind jutsu?…

Near the woods, in one of Konohagakure's training grounds, three young shinobi found themselves in an unexpected encounter. Naruto Uzumaki sat on a wooden trunk, engrossed in a book he was reading, while Choji stood next to him, munching on a bag of chips. Nearby, Shikamaru lazily leaned against a tree, seemingly uninterested in the world around him.

Naruto: Excitedly "Wind style, huh?"

Choji: Chewing on chips "You know, it kind of has a nice ring to it! Like, kinda cool, you know?"

Naruto continued reading, his curiosity piqued. As he reached a particularly interesting section, he closed the book with an exhilarated expression. Rising from the wooden trunk, he brimmed with excitement at the prospect of mastering a new jutsu.

Naruto: Determined "All right, I am absolutely gonna master this one."

However, his moment of joy was abruptly interrupted by the presence of Shikamaru, who stood nearby, his nonchalant expression unchanged.

Shikamaru: Skeptical tone "Yeah, right. You can't even clone yourself."

Shikamaru couldn't fathom Naruto's enthusiasm, knowing well that the young cadet struggled with basic jutsu like the clone technique.

Naruto: Embarrassed and frustrated "Shut up!" Pointing at Shikamaru "Grrrr! Darn it!"

Meanwhile, Choji, wanting to demonstrate his own abilities, seized the opportunity to showcase a wind-based jutsu. He positioned a log where Naruto had been sitting earlier and carefully lined up a row of potato chips.

Choji: Confident "You know, I can actually use a bit of it. Watch this."

With a series of hand seals, Choji prepared himself, capturing the attention of both Shikamaru and Naruto. As he shouted the jutsu's name, "Fuuton! Great Suction!" Choji dropped to his knees next to the log and began eating the chips, seemingly inhaling them with a gust of wind.

Choji: Grinning, thumbs up "See?"

Naruto and Shikamaru stood there, stunned by the unexpected display. Naruto's disappointment and shock were evident.

Naruto: Incredulous "EHHHHHHHHH!!!"

Infuriated, Naruto stormed closer to Choji, his fist raised in anger.

Naruto: Veins pulsating on his face "What kind of Fuuton ninjutsu is that supposed to be, huh?!"

Taking a moment to calm himself, Naruto continued, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

Naruto: Mocking tone "That kind of Fuuton even I can do as much!"

Naruto quickly formed hand seals, preparing to unleash his own wind-based jutsu.

Naruto crouched down, preparing to perform his jutsu.

Naruto: "Fuuton, Asshole Jutsu-Gah!"

However, before he could finish, Sakura Haruno suddenly appeared, running at full speed to intercept him.

Sakura: Determined "Not on my watch!"

With incredible force, Sakura delivered a powerful punch to Naruto, sending him flying through the air. He collided with a nearby tree, leaving the two boys bewildered by Sakura's sudden arrival.

Shikamaru: Nervously "W-where did she come from?"

Choji: Nonchalant "...Who knows."

Sakura, satisfied with her intervention, walked away, leaving the boys in awe of her strength. As they watched her depart, a sound caught their attention—a young boy fell from the sky and landed on the ground with a thud.

The boy looked up at the two bewildered boys, his eyes closing once again. The boys seeing this felt like running away but before they could, the previously unconscious boy had already grabbed the both of them by the shoulder, showing a sinister smile.

.....

..….

…

Naruto: "Man, Sakura-chan truly blindsided me. Ouch!"

As Naruto headed back to his previous spot, his left cheek throbbing with pain, he tried to alleviate the discomfort by rubbing it. The impact of Sakura's punch had left a noticeable swelling, reminding him of her incredible strength. It was astonishing how she could channel her chakra to enhance her physical power, almost like a wild animal in its prime.

Walking through the woods, Naruto's attention was immediately drawn to Shikamaru and Choji, who were in a dogeza position, seemingly involved in an unusual situation. However, his focus quickly shifted to another boy standing before them, catching Naruto off guard. A burst of laughter escaped his lips as he took in the sight of the boy's head, looking rather peculiar.

Naruto: "What the hell happened to your head, Homura?"

Naruto couldn't contain his amusement.

Homura: "Look who's talking! Your left cheek looks like it imploded, you stupid brat!"

Naruto: "What did you say?! Grrr!"

Homura: "Exactly what I said, dumbass! Grrr!"

Naruto's brows furrowed, a mixture of anger and frustration washing over him

(The two boys lock eyes, growling at each other like wild animals trying to assert dominance.)

With sparks of animosity in their eyes, Naruto and Homura engaged in a silent showdown, their expressions mirroring the fierce determination of untamed beasts vying for dominance.

Breaking the tense silence, Naruto defended himself.

Naruto: "I'll have you know that Sakura-chan hit me as a sign of love!"

Homura paused, his gaze shifting with a mix of surprise and realization.

Homura: (pauses, contemplative) "Sakura... so it was true, huh?"

He muttered, his voice filled with intrigue.

Shikamaru, ever the calm observer, sighed wearily.

Shikamaru: (sighs) "We told you it was Sakura and Naruto's fault, not ours... what a drag."

(Shikamaru releases his dogeza posture, relaxing once again.)

As Shikamaru eased out of his dogeza posture, his body relaxed against the tree. The situation had become too much of a hassle for his liking.

Perplexed by the sudden turn of events, Homura questioned his own sanity.

Homura: (confused) "Am I supposed to believe that Haruno Sakura just showed up out of nowhere and punched Naruto for no reason?"

Joining the conversation, Choji chimed in with a hint of mischief in his voice.

Choji: (chiming in) "Well, that's pretty much how it happened. There was also a fart involved."

Homura: (bewildered) "Hm? Who the hell are you, actually?"

Choji: (stuttering) "I'm Choji..."

(Homura's left eyebrow raises, a hint of recognition on his face.)

Homura's confusion deepened, his brows furrowing in disbelief. As dense as Homura was he never paid much attention to his classmates, in fact, he still didn't know most of his classmates' faces. However, before the break, Choji was just a bit overweight, but in the 3 months he hadn't seen each other after the break, he now seemed like his weight almost doubled.

Homura: (curious) "Ha, Choji?…You really let yourself go in 3 months, huh? How did you gain so much fa-!"

(Homura is interrupted as Choji's gaze changes, his demeanor shifting to that of a predator.)

Choji: (grinning) "M-muscle, I mean, how did you gain so much muscle so fast?"

(Homura nods, understanding Choji's explanation.)

Choji, beaming with pride, couldn't contain his excitement.

Homura: "I see."

(Homura internally hopes that his own genetics won't lead to weight gain easily now that he had incorporated Choji's DNA into himself, now regretting slightly more than before.)

Naruto: "What are you doing here, Homura?"

Homura: (nonchalant) "I was taking a nap. Why do you care?"

Naruto: "A nap, huh? That sounds suspicious…"

Homura: *sigh*

Homura not being able to keep his composure, just drops to his knees before just seating on the ground as if he was exhausted.

As Homura sought refuge against a nearby tree, his body still feeling sore. Though his recent injuries did not help the case but now, the many thoughts inside Homura's head were actually the main cause of his unrest. Naruto couldn't help but find the situation rather peculiar. He approached Homura, curiosity piqued, and asked him what he was truly doing in the middle of the woods, taking a nap in the afternoon.

Homura, his eyes tired and his voice filled with irritation, retorted, " Go mind your own business somewhere else; slacker."

Naruto's eyes widened in disbelief. "What? Me, a slacker? Coming from someone who falls asleep in the middle of the woods in the afternoon?"

Homura's expression hardened. He couldn't tell Naruto that he fell asleep because he wanted to avoid someone, especially a girl. Who knew what kind of nonsense Naruto would pull. "That's none of your concern."

Sensing the tension between the two, Shikamaru chimed in with his trademark nonchalant tone. "He's got a point, Homura. Naruto won't let it go. Maybe you should just say what's on your mind."

Naruto's mischievous grin widened. "Yeah, spill the beans, Homura! What were you really doing out here?"

Reluctantly, Homura sighed and decided to share his inner turmoil. "Fine. Do you guys... think I'm a good person?"

Naruto couldn't help but burst into laughter. "Are you kidding? You're far from it!"

Shikamaru, his eyes scanning the surroundings, responded with his characteristic laid-back manner. "I wouldn't go as far as saying 'good person.' Let's just say you have your own ways."

Choji, always the honest and straightforward one, chimed in. "Honestly, that never even crossed my mind."

The weight of their words hung heavy in the air, causing an uncomfortable silence to envelop the group. Naruto, seizing the opportunity, decided to list all the perceived flaws and bad habits he could think of, determined to get a reaction from Homura.

"Homura, where do I begin? You're always so serious, never letting loose. And don't get me started on your brooding and distant nature. You never show any emotion! It's like talking to a brick wall! You're cheap! Stingy! A show off! You lie all the time! You always c-!"

Homura's frustration boiled over, and he couldn't hold back any longer. "Ok! OK! I..I get it! I was a fool for expecting anything from you guys."

Shikamaru, trying to diffuse the tension, stepped forward. "Alright, that's enough, you two. Let's not make things worse."

As the group settled into an uneasy silence, each of them contemplating their own thoughts, they couldn't help but wonder what lay beneath Homura's seemingly impenetrable exterior. Naruto, eager to uncover the truth, turned his attention back to Homura and poked him with his fingers.

Naruto: "Come on, Homura. What were you really doing out here? Are you secretly training for some type of jutsu? Or were you eavesdropping on someone?"

Homura turned his head away, avoiding eye contact. His silence spoke volumes, leaving the others curious and intrigued by his mysterious demeanor. Shikamaru, always observant, knew Naruto wouldn't let it go.

Shikamaru: "You know, Naruto won't rest until he gets an answer. You might as well tell us what's on your mind."

Naruto: (laughs mischievously) "That's right, Homura. You can't hide anything from us!"

Homura let out a heavy sigh, his expression softening with a mix of vulnerability and hesitation. He reluctantly decided to open up to his fellow cadets.

Homura: None of those things. And why do you keep asking about ninjutsu? You can't even perform the clone technique.

Shikamaru: (nodding) He's got a point. I've said the exact same thing before.

Naruto: (defensive) Hey, both of you, shut up! I can do anything if I work really hard!

Homura and Shikamaru exchanged knowing glances, silently acknowledging Naruto's overconfident nature. It almost seemed like Naruto was saying he wasn't trying hard enough to master the clone jutsu.

Naruto: And you know what? One day, I'll master wind release too, just like it's described in this book!

Hearing Naruto mention wind release, Homura's curiosity was piqued. He swiftly snatched the book from Naruto's hand, wondering if it was the same book he had read when he first delved into wind style. Flipping through the pages at lightning speed, Homura's keen eye detected striking similarities between the texts.

In a flash, a small green box appeared in Homura's mind, indicating an 86 percent similarity between the contents of Naruto's book and another one he had read. Homura closed the book, shutting out Naruto's claims. Shikamaru, intrigued by Homura's actions, questioned if he had finished reading.

Shikamaru: Did you already finish reading it?

Homura: No, I've already read something similar. Naruto would have to be a genius to learn wind release from a book like this, which he isn't.

Naruto, growing increasingly frustrated, was about to retort, but Homura interrupted him, claiming that he would teach him a wind style ninjutsu. Naruto was taken aback, unable to comprehend Homura's sudden offer.

Homura: I'll show you a wind-style technique. If you're truly desperate to learn, I'll demonstrate it for you.

Homura: ( Skeptical)…Eh is that so? How great of you…

Naruto said with a clearly disinterested look on his face and voice. he expected something stupid as with Choji's demonstration a bit earlier.

Naruto remained skeptical, doubting that Homura had the ability to teach him wind style. The other boys, slightly confused by the situation, looked on. However, they also recognized that Homura possessed a certain level of genius within their class, despite his flaws.

Homura: *Sigh* Here I go…(Such a pain but this may prove to be in my favor.)

Homura stepped a bit away from the three boys, weaving hand seals with practiced precision. As he completed the sequence, he declared, "Fuuton: Ressempu!" and began exhaling a strong gust of wind, directing it with his right hand, leaving only two fingers open close to his lower lip.

The wind unleashed from Homura's mouth was powerful, albeit slightly small in scale. Nevertheless, it packed a punch, sending flower petals and dust swirling in its wake. Homura knew he could perform the technique at twice the power, but for now, he had no intention of doing so. This demonstration served its purpose.

No way a normal human could blow wind from their mouth with such a strength, without being enhanced in some way. Even for a trained shinobi, this was a tall feat, so Homura could only be molding chakra into wind style.

Naruto: (excited) Wow, Homura! That was amazing! Your wind style is nothing like Choji's!

Choji: (looking disappointed) Aw…

Shikamaru: (sighing) Naruto, it wasn't actually wind style. Don't get your hopes up too much.

But Naruto paid no attention to Shikamaru's remark.

Naruto: Homura, teach me! Teach me how to do that!

Homura found himself in a slightly awkward position. He knew that there wasn't much to teach when it came to elemental ninjutsu of that simplicity. Mastery of such jutsu would take years for a normal shinobi, and Homura himself was far from claiming mastery. His technique was not even 40 percent complete, with numerous details that still needed improvement.

Even in combat such a jutsu could not be useful in its current state and would only be a waste of chakra until Naruto had better control over it, it was not something the current Homura with his abilities could do.

However, Homura understood that teaching the hand seals and the basic principles to someone like Naruto, who had a strong affinity for wind release, could yield impressive results.

Or at least enough that he could actually be able to use it ever so slightly, he certainly had the potential for it, but the mindset and mental fortitude for it may prove to be another thing altogether.

If Naruto could properly mold his chakra and exert enough of it, he might be able to achieve some type of results in just a week of training. Still for the current Naruto…it was very doubtful and elemental affinity alone didn't guarantee success. Different individuals had unique ways of utilizing their elemental chakra affinities.

Just because two people could program software it didn't mean that they would program it in exactly the same manner, the same was more or less true for chakra. You didn't need to use the exact same hand seals for an individual or all similar jutsus, or even the same amount. Just how the Chidori could be performed with 3 hand seals, 8 hand seals, or none.

Or how the clone jutsu could be performed by using completely different hand seals.

What matters the most when using chakra was the act of molding it, and being able to have enough chakra, chakra control, and compatibility/affinity which might involve several different things in order to perform a jutsu.

Though having learned the right sequence for performing a jutsu is very important and exists for a reason, the fact some shinobi could more or less ignore it or use different seals to perform the same jutsu is one of the many factors that separate an average shinobi and one with much more potential than the average.

Homura: (thinking) Teaching Naruto the hand seals might be a good start. But I'll have to explain how I came to try using wind chakra in the first place…This is going to be messy, I don't think he completely understands any complicated terminology or theoretical concepts. The way I learned will definitely not be suitable. Though I guess it doesn't matter to me.

Naruto rejoiced at Homura's willingness to teach, unaware of the complexities involved. Homura prepared himself to guide Naruto through the process, but he knew that the outcome would ultimately depend on Naruto's own abilities and how well he could channel wind release within his body. The jutsu Homura demonstrated might not work for Naruto if his way of utilizing wind chakra differed from Homura's own approach, despite their shared affinity for wind release.

Teaching how to use an elemental release was a nightmare that did demand a lot of hard work, so much so that it was one of the reasons the academy did not promote mandatory classes on such topics, that and the fact that not all ninjas are able to use elemental release, at all.

It was overall better to let the shinobi graduate from the academy and have a decent understanding of their abilities or have a more mature body and more experience before letting them use such a complicated endeavor.

Though there is no reason that children can't perform elemental release at a young age, usually not to a degree that can be used in real combat situations or will be learned fast enough as one would likely be able to if they are of a certain age.

After all, experience was also very useful to make one's chakra stronger and more refined.

Even Homura himself understood that he was lucky to be able to use any elemental ninjutsu. His body and overall genetics played a major role in getting this far, though it was not without a lot of effort on his part and arduous training.

However, it was almost undeniable that he was built to get there from the get-go but teaching something that was so heavily dependent on his own experiences was surely not the right answer.