Chapter 12: Chakra Attributes

Chapter 12: Chakra Attributes

At this moment, Ishiro's advantage as a transmigrator truly came into play. Chakra's applications were endless, and solving the problem of solidifying water into a fixed shape wasn't difficult—it just depended on what his chakra attributes were.

With this thought, Ishiro couldn't hold back any longer. He immediately left the house and went to the village's task hall, using the contribution points he earned from copying books to exchange for a Chakra Test Paper.

After exchanging the paper, Ishiro felt a pang of regret as he walked home. The test paper cost him fifty contribution points, which took up 80% of the points he earned from copying books.

The production of Chakra Test Papers wasn't difficult, but they were expensive because they were a necessity. Every ninja needed one to know the direction their path would take in the future.

Once home, Ishiro eagerly inserted his chakra into the test paper and watched as half of it got wet and the other half shattered.

"Hm, Water and Earth," Ishiro murmured.

The result didn't exactly bring joy or disappointment. His long-term goal of mastering Dust Release required Fire and Wind chakra, but since Ishiro didn't possess those attributes, the difficulty of developing Dust Release increased significantly. On the other hand, Earth chakra, which was needed for some immediate problems, seemed to be within reach.

Sighing, Ishiro snapped back to his senses and began pondering how to use his Earth attribute to fix the shape of water.

This was going to be a tough project, but it wasn't beyond his capabilities. Although Ishiro's overall strength was far below the level of a typical genin, his progress with ninjutsu was far ahead. He was ready to move on to the next stage: Nature Transformation.

Typically, when a ninja could proficiently use the Three Techniques (Transformation, Clone, and Substitution), their chakra level would be high enough to use C-rank jutsu. After doing a few missions, adjusting to chakra usage in combat, and gaining the necessary experience, they would then be ready to learn elemental ninjutsu.

Learning Nature Transformation, along with the casting of jutsu, was far more challenging than the practice of the Three Techniques. The process would be slow, especially since chakra couldn't be freely used in combat. Without the assistance of exceptional talent, most ninjas would only start to learn C-rank jutsu after becoming a chunin, when the village would provide more specialized training.

Ishiro's situation was unique. Even though he had mastered the Three Techniques, it was entirely due to his extraordinary chakra control. His chakra reserves were still not sufficient for C-rank jutsu. Technically, he didn't need to practice Nature Transformation yet, but now that he had discovered a new use for it, he decided to prioritize it in his training.

When Ishiro decided to start practicing Earth Nature Transformation, he had no real guidance. In his past life, Naruto's training for Wind Nature Transformation was based entirely on muscle memory. This didn't suit Ishiro, as his body wasn't suited to that type of mindless practice.

But it didn't matter. In Iwagakure, there wasn't much help for training in other attributes, but training Earth chakra? That was something Ishiro could definitely handle.

When Ishiro told Ishikawa about his plan to train in Earth Nature Transformation, his teacher just raised an eyebrow and told him that the village had a designated place for training Earth chakra transformations. It was open to all villagers for free.

At lunch, Ishiro followed Ishikawa's directions to the No. 9 training ground. This particular training ground was unlike the others. Instead of targets for kunai practice or human-shaped wooden figures for taijutsu training, this place was filled with various rocks in all shapes and sizes.

As Ishikawa had told him, these rocks were formed by different Earth-style jutsu from various top ninjas of Iwagakure, starting from the very first Tsuchikage. The reason the village was built on this land was due to the specific properties of the soil that helped retain Earth chakra.

Don't find this strange—there are many inexplicable places in the ninja world. For example, the winds of the Land of Wind blow non-stop, and the thunder in the Land of Lightning defies scientific principles.

Iwagakure's advantage lay in this sacred training ground for Earth chakra.

Ishiro strolled through the stone forest, searching for a rock that resonated with his chakra. If he could find such a rock and sit next to it to meditate, there was a high chance he could train in Earth Nature Transformation. This was why Iwagakure had the largest number of ninjas in the Five Great Shinobi Countries. The cost of training Earth chakra was much lower here, so the country could afford to train more ninjas.

As Ishiro wandered through the area, he felt something strange. It was as if the rocks had lives of their own, each with its own preferences. He could clearly feel that some rocks didn't resonate with him, some were indifferent, and some seemed to call out to him.

The rocks that called to him felt like children calling out to their mother. Ishiro didn't rush; he first walked around the large area, before finally finding a rock that resonated most strongly with his chakra.

This rock had a perfect spherical shape. Ishiro recalled a technique from his memory—a jutsu similar to the one used by a member of the Sound Four, one that trapped people inside while absorbing their chakra. Was it called the Earth Prison?

Ishiro circled around the spherical rock several times before selecting a spot where the feeling of resonance was the strongest. He placed his left hand on the stone, made a hand seal with his right hand, and began to channel chakra into the rock.

As Ishiro's chakra connected with the stone, it was as if he established a link with the user of this jutsu. In this faint connection, Ishiro glimpsed some blurry memories from the original user. These fragments seemed to be deeply imprinted in the original owner's mind, but their sequence was too chaotic to make sense of.

At the same time, Ishiro was completely focused on understanding the technique of the jutsu. He couldn't make sense of most of the memories.

From the outside, it seemed as though Ishiro was completely still, but his mind was engulfed in a warm, liquid sensation. It felt like he was back in the womb—completely curled up and unable to move. After an undetermined period of time, Ishiro slowly began to adjust to this sensation and began to gently stretch his limbs. Eventually, he was able to walk within the liquid.

Ishiro didn't dare step outside of it but deliberately walked around the various corners of the liquid. It was hard to describe the feeling. It was as if his mind had suddenly expanded, but at the same time, nothing had changed.

If he had to compare it to something, it felt similar to learning to ride a bicycle in his previous life. Before mastering balance, it was impossible to stay upright, but once it was learned, it became hard to lose balance.

Slowly, Ishiro realized that the liquid surrounding him was chakra—Earth chakra, left by the original user. It was an extraordinary feeling. He also understood how to change the attributes of chakra.

Naturally, Ishiro opened his eyes, emerging from his previous still state. But this time, he wasn't outside the spherical rock—he was inside it. Through the process, Ishiro had gradually merged into the Earth Prison technique's interior.

After becoming fully aware of the situation, Ishiro sensed his chakra reserves and sighed. His chakra was completely depleted. Although he wasn't sure why he had ended up inside this jutsu, he knew that to leave, he would first need to replenish his chakra.

But then, something that made Ishiro speechless occurred. The chakra he was replenishing was slowly being absorbed by the jutsu. The absorption rate was very slow, but given how little chakra Ishiro had left, he wasn't sure how much more was needed to escape. If it wasn't enough, he might be stuck inside waiting for rescue.

Fortunately, it was just after lunch, and there was still some chakra left in his body. Ishiro carefully scanned his surroundings, choosing the spot where the absorption rate was slowest. He sat down and focused on replenishing his chakra. Now that Ishiro could stand while cultivating chakra, he could even practice while using chakra. However, this slowed the process down, and since his chakra reserves were already limited, wasting too much time would only result in more absorption.

After what felt like an eternity, Ishiro finally reached his limit. He focused on the unique sensation he had learned, released his chakra outside his body, and slowly passed through the Earth Prison technique.

Once he was free, Ishiro sighed with relief. The short minute it took had left him almost completely drained. Looking back, he realized how close he had come to being trapped inside. If his chakra had run out halfway through, he might have been stuck.

But fortunately, Ishiro had made it out safely, and he was more excited than frightened. This trip had been worthwhile. Without realizing it, he had learned how to perform Earth chakra transformation.

Filled with excitement, Ishiro headed toward the ninja academy. The time spent cultivating chakra had been long, and combined with the hours spent searching for the right stone, it was already nearing the end of the school day. But before leaving, he wanted to report to Ishikawa and share the good news.

When Ishikawa saw Ishiro return, he breathed a sigh of relief. He had been worried and was already thinking of searching for Ishiro at the No. 9 training ground if he hadn't returned after school.

Seeing that Ishiro looked more fatigued than at lunch, Ishikawa comforted him, "So, did you get to experience the magic of that place? Your chakra is a bit limited, so your insight will take longer than others, but after a few more visits, you should start to see results."

Before Ishikawa could say more, Ishiro quickly responded, "Ishikawa-sensei, it's not like that. I've already had a breakthrough!" He then recounted his experience in detail.

After listening, Ishikawa was speechless. With Ishiro's chakra reserves, he couldn't have even achieved 10% of what he himself had accomplished back in the day. He didn't even dare to calculate how many trips it had taken for him to get results.

While Ishikawa was worried about Ishiro's recklessness, he didn't say much. After all, Ishiro only went to the stone forest once, so it was unlikely he'd get into too much trouble. He just let it go, not scolding Ishiro further, sparing him from his usual reprimands.