Uncontrollable Paranoia

Creating a new ninjutsu required two main ingredients. First is imagination. If the user cannot imagine the jutsu and understand it themselves, they cannot create something out of nothing. Second is chakra. Even if the shinobi can imagine a jutsu on their own, they cannot realize it without enough chakra. Even a low-rank jutsu would require a lot of chakra to create from scratch because of the process of nature transformation and shape transformation.

Ultimately, hand seals were a shortcut for new shinobi to direct their chakra. The original creators of a specific ninjutsu likely did not need hand seals since they invented the pattern first, and then it was later deconstructed and simplified with hand seals. This was also true for experts that have fully mastered that jutsu. Once the chakra flow, nature transformation, and shape transformation are perfected, hand seals only slow down your attacks and telegraph to your opponents what technique you are performing.

Fortunately, with Natsume's inherited memory, she had a plethora of examples to compare and deduce. In a way, her past life was her source of imagination since many of the things in that world did not exist in the shinobi world. Also, the future ninjutsu were a great source of inspiration since most of the characters that performed at the peak of the world had their jutsu shown in great detail.

Natsume only had three months left on Mount Kakazan, so spending that time creating ninjutsu was mostly a waste. Therefore, she decided to put off ninjutsu and focus on senjutsu. The problem was that she didn't know where to start. So, Natsume began to explore the rest of the peak. Other than the statue, staff, and wall, there weren't many notable features on the peak. However, using her sharingan, she managed to find a small opening around the back in natural rock.

Out of curiosity, she crawled into the hole. It was a tight squeeze for her since she grew so much in the last few months, but barely managed to get through. On the other side, the hole widened enough to stand in. On the ground, there was a small stone altar with an incense tray and unused incense sticks. She created some more light and saw the stone walls all over the cave were covered with names. The names were packed very tightly, adding up to thousands.

Natsume approached the altar and carved on the top of it were the words 'May you find peace and happiness in the Pure Lands.' She brushed her finger over the words and suddenly felt her emotions surge up. Natsume got on her knees and lit one of the incense sticks. She thought about the Uchiha that had died in battle, recounting them by name. Then, she thought about her mother, sensei, brother, and the farmer couple. The intensity of her emotions caused her eyes to tear up uncontrollably.

After the incense stick was completely burned up, Natsume wiped away the tears on her face and stood up. "May you find peace and happiness… in the Pure Lands." She repeated the words on the altar and included her family and clan members in her heart. As she crawled out of the memorial cave, the air seemed clearer, and the sky felt brighter. Natsume smiled unconsciously and reached up to touch her face in surprise.

Natsume wondered if her past life had a Pure Lands as well, and why her soul didn't make it there, instead reincarnating into this world. Perhaps there were too many regrets and grudges to move on, or a world without chakra could not support a soul. She didn't understand the philosophy or theology of either worlds very well nor did she care to learn, so she didn't ponder it too long. The only thing she understood in that moment was that she felt a burden lifted from her shoulders.

The day that Hideyoshi passed away, she captured a glimmer of this radiant hope. Today, she managed to grab onto it more tightly. Natsume walked back to the wall and sat down in front of it. She carefully read everything that could be read and tried to comprehend every marking. The progress was slow since she would often enter a trance like state and experience the moments in her mental realm that the owner of the markings left behind. Some of the markings were too old and the traces had eroded away over time.

After a month, she discovered one particular palm imprint. When inspecting it, Natsume was brought to her mental realm once more. A giant monkey appeared with a withered appearance. He began to preach about the time before chakra and the creation of the current shinobi world. However, just as he reached the point in the story to introduce Kaguya, a flash of black came from behind him and destroyed the old monkey. Natsume's heart rate increased, and she forcefully left her mental realm, forcing out the invader.

Looking at the palm imprint, it had a new slice through it. Natsume realized something was very wrong. If not for her inherited memories, she would have been frightened to death. She recognized what that being was. Suddenly, she thought about her journey and all of the stumbling blocks along the way. The desert nomad calling her a bringer of calamity. The elder lady saying she had the karma of disaster. Natsume even thought about how absorbing Nature energy had almost killed her several times.

'Is it all his conspiracy?' Natsume became paranoid, but if it wasn't all a coincidence, and he was pulling the strings, everything could be explained. Then, she started to overthink and blame her tragedies on him. Her mother was probably controlled. Hinako could have escaped on her own but was sabotaged. Her location was leaked to the shinobi of the Land of Rice Paddies.

The rage in her heart that had finally settled before exploded once more, but with increased vigor. Her chakra began to roil and her sharingan went directly to Mangekyou. However, just as her anger was about to make her turn destructive, a large palm settled on her shoulder.

"Natsume… no mad." A familiar yet unfamiliar voice spoke to her and she turned back in anger. However, when she saw Saru, his body had completely transformed. His hair had receded in many places and looked more like Enma. He even wore a tiger skin kimono. Seeing her friend, her rage was snuffed out and calmness returned to her mind.