Mystery Of The Crystal

The stone steps leading up to the Hokage's Tower always felt colder when Ayanokoji climbed them alone.

The summons had been direct and private—delivered not by a Chūnin, but by Kakashi himself. No explanation. Just an order to appear before the Hokage by midmorning.

When he entered the Hokage's office, the towering bookshelves, the ever-burning incense, and the softly rustling paperwork created a peaceful façade. But Ayanokoji knew better. Peace didn't last in places like this.

Hiruzen Sarutobi stood at the window, looking over the village. He didn't turn when he spoke.

"You're early."

"I'm always early," Ayanokoji replied.

A puff of smoke escaped from the old man's pipe as he chuckled. "So you are."

Hiruzen turned, his aged eyes sharper than most shinobi half his age. "You've proven yourself, Ayanokoji. Not just as a student—but as a shinobi of Konoha. Your composure during the ambush, your control of four elements, and your loyalty in reporting what matters… It's time I rewarded you."

Ayanokoji said nothing. He waited.

The Hokage motioned to the large scroll resting on his desk.

"This is a curated selection of jutsu. A-rank and below. Normally, these are locked away for Chūnin and above. But I'm granting you access to pick one. Choose wisely."

He unsealed the scroll with a simple hand sign. The parchment unrolled halfway across the room.

Dozens—no, hundreds—of jutsu were inscribed. Organized by element, nature, specialization, complexity, chakra cost. The average shinobi might take hours to read through even a tenth of it.

Ayanokoji took less than two minutes.

His eyes skimmed, processed, and mentally recorded everything. He remembered every hand sign. Every chakra requirement. Every subtle flaw in their structure.

He ran a finger slowly across the list, pretending to read carefully.

"I'll take Gale Fang," he said. "B-rank. Wind-nature. Mid-range slicing jutsu."

"Solid choice," Hiruzen nodded. "Wind suits your temperament."

Ayanokoji said nothing.

The scroll sealed itself again with a puff of smoke.

In the Hokage's Office

"Now," Hiruzen said, stepping toward a shelf behind his desk, "it's time we determine your dominant elemental affinity. You've shown skill in all four primary elements—an anomaly, even among elite clans. But there's always one that runs deeper in the soul."

He returned with a smooth, translucent crystal—a chakra nature crystal.

"Infuse your chakra into this. Let's see what speaks loudest within you."

Ayanokoji took the crystal, pressed it between his palms, and concentrated.

The glow came instantly.

A sharp, clean blue shimmered across its surface—but it wasn't pure water blue. Inside the crystal, streaks of silver lightning danced. Wind pulses sliced around the edges in faint gusts, and beneath it all, a faint earthy core hummed.

But one element outshone the others—Wind.

The edges cracked slightly from the force of it.

"Remarkable," Hiruzen whispered. "You weren't exaggerating, Kakashi. His control is monstrous."

He walked to a locked drawer and opened it.

Inside were dozens of tiny, polished gemstones—chakra refinement crystals, glimmering with elemental signatures. Hiruzen pulled out two.

"Your reward," he said, holding them out.

One crystal was a pale cyan—the mark of Wind. The other, a golden-silver gleam of Lightning. "You may choose two. They are chakra refinement crystals—highly rare. Each one you refine boosts your chakra reserves by roughly one percent. But more importantly, they deepen your bond with the element they align to."

Ayanokoji took both crystals without hesitation.

"Wind and Lightning," he confirmed.

"Refine them carefully. If you crush them incorrectly, you'll lose the energy."

"I won't."

Hiruzen smirked. "Somehow, I believe that."

In the Nara Compound

That evening, Ayanokoji sat beneath a paper lantern in the inner courtyard. The night was quiet. Wind whispered through the trees like an old friend. Before him lay the two elemental crystals, each placed on a small square of cloth.

Most shinobi would meditate and slowly absorb the crystal's chakra over weeks.

He had a different plan.

He placed the Wind crystal between his palms, closed his eyes, and began funneling his chakra—not just into the crystal, but around it. Mapping it. Testing pressure points. Observing how it pushed back.

He wasn't just refining it.

He was reading it like a code.

After fifteen minutes, the crystal cracked, releasing a surge of wind chakra into him. It rushed into his network—not just boosting his reserves, but sharpening his senses. He could hear distant footsteps. Feel the change in air pressure as leaves shifted.

The crystal hadn't just made him stronger. It had awakened something.

Then he picked up the Lightning crystal.

This one responded violently. He had to slow his breath, adjust the frequency of his chakra waves to match the crystal's rhythm.

It cracked—but instead of dispersing, it pulsed once and embedded a faint spark behind his heart, like a dormant seal.

He opened his eyes, stunned.

These crystals weren't simple power boosts.

They were keys.

He stood, left the courtyard, and walked directly to Shikaku's study.

In the Nara Clan Study Hall

Shikaku was reading over mission reports with a cup of sake at his elbow when Ayanokoji entered.

"Back already?" the strategist asked. "Let me guess. Hokage promoted you to ANBU Commander?"

"No," Ayanokoji replied, placing the cracked Wind and Lightning crystals on the table. "I found something in these."

Shikaku raised an eyebrow. "You cracked both already?"

"I didn't crack them. I listened to them. Each crystal doesn't just amplify an element. It interacts with chakra nature ratios. The lightning one bonded directly to my nervous system. The wind one enhanced perception. These aren't just chakra amplifiers—they're elemental seeds."

"Seeds?"

Ayanokoji nodded. "Given the right techniques, they could be cultivated. Grown into something permanent."

Shikaku leaned back in his chair, gaze sharpening.

"So you're saying with enough of these crystals…"

"…I could become one with each element," Ayanokoji finished.

A pause.

Then Shikaku laughed under his breath. "You really are a Nara. Mad enough to challenge the gods, but calm enough to do it with tea."

Ayanokoji smiled faintly for the first time that day.

But his mind was already racing.

If there were more crystals…

If they could be refined further…

If these were just the first keys…

What would the door look like?...