Mito gradually increased the difficulty of the task. The geometric patterns she demonstrated became more intricate, and the number of chakra threads required grew with each step. These threads wove densely between the hands, forming elegant, glowing designs.
Maki's pace began to slow. She was now consistently the last to finish each pattern. Naori's expression grew tense—she, too, was starting to struggle. Only Hitomi remained calm and composed, her hands moving with practiced ease.
Observing the three girls, Mito offered a gentle smile.
"You all have excellent control over the basic chakra release techniques. Now then—how about this?"
She clasped her hands together. When she opened them again, an incredibly complex formation floated between her palms. It was no longer just a two-dimensional figure. Mito had added a Z-axis, transforming it into a three-dimensional shape: a large triangle composed of many smaller ones layered in space.
"If you can replicate this," Mito said with a smile, "you've taken your first real step into the world of sealing techniques. And medical ninjutsu will demand even more precision."
Maki drew a deep breath and formed the hand seal. A flickering, misshapen triangular structure appeared—fragile, and on the verge of collapse. She could barely hold it together.
Naori didn't fare much better, though her pattern looked slightly more stable on the surface. But a closer inspection revealed missing triangles within the larger shape.
Hitomi, by contrast, completed the shape flawlessly. It was stable, elegant, and perfectly formed.
"As expected of the Hitomi. The Hyuga clan's talent has not gone to waste," Mito praised, clearly pleased.
Naori frowned in confusion.
"Isn't the Hyuga clan's gift just their eyes?" she muttered to herself.
Meanwhile, Maki stared at Hitomi with thoughtful curiosity.
'Delicate chakra control?' she pondered.
'If chakra was being released from every acupuncture point in the body… wasn't that incredibly complex?'
A realization struck her. She looked down at her own hands in shock.
"Acupuncture points…" she murmured.
"You've figured something out, Maki?" Mito asked, watching her closely.
"It's the opening and closing of the acupuncture points that's interfering with the continuous chakra release," Maki replied, meeting her teacher's gaze.
Mito's eyes sparkled with approval.
"Your mind works quickly. That's exactly it."
She continued:
"As we know, chakra is the fusion of spiritual and physical energy, and it's controlled directly by the user's will. So then, Maki, if chakra is governed by thought, why isn't it as fluid and unrestricted as our own thoughts? Why is it still difficult to control?"
Maki thought for a moment.
"Because of physical obstructions. Once chakra is extracted, it travels through the body, but like water, it encounters resistance."
"Well said," Mito nodded.
"Chakra flows through the meridians—natural channels within the body, consistent across all people, though individual details may differ. These meridians are like pathways, and the tenketsu are like valves that regulate chakra output. If a valve is closed, chakra can't be released. The essence of chakra manipulation, then, lies in fine-tuning control over the physical body."
Maki blinked, slowly understanding.
"So… if I can't accurately control the opening and closing of the tenketsu in my hands—if they're partially open or closed without me realizing—it makes the chakra unstable?"
"Exactly. And not just partially. You lack conscious control over all the tenketsu in your hands. You'll need to manage each point as precisely as Hitomi does."
"What about Naori?" Maki asked.
"She faces the same issue," Mito explained, "but the difference lies in your methods of compensation."
"A pattern is a line connecting two points. Maki, you're highly sensitive to graphic structure, and you used the fewest chakra threads to form your shapes. But even that exceeded your current limits. Your tenketsu were opening and closing unintentionally, which disrupted the chakra flow and caused the lines to deform."
"Naori, on the other hand, used many more lines to construct her shape. Since her chakra threads couldn't be finely divided, she compensated by overlapping and splicing larger lines. It was a clever workaround—and almost worked."
Maki and Naori looked over at Hitomi, who stood silently with perfect composure.
So this… was the talent of the Hyuga clan.
"So, when it comes to top-tier chakra control, there are two extremes: fine, precise control throughout the body—and the ability to channel such a massive amount of chakra that it overflows beyond the body's natural limits!"
"Even among the Hyuga clan," Mito continued, "I've only seen a talent like Hitomi's once."
"And as for the latter… I've only seen it in one person."
"The First Hokage?" Maki asked, nodding with understanding.
At that moment, Mito grinned proudly. "Nope. That person… is me!"
As the Nine-Tails' Jinchuriki from the Uzumaki clan, she had every reason to be confident.
"I'm pretty amazing, right?" Mito added, looking at the three girls with anticipation.
"Yes, yes," Maki replied flatly. "Incredible."
Naori, on the other hand, looked at Mito with genuine admiration. She couldn't even imagine having such power.
Meanwhile, Hitomi lowered her head shyly, her lips trembling. Not from fear—but from pure excitement.
She won.
First place.
And she had beaten two monsters to get there!
She was improving. Life was changing.
Hitomi clamped her hand over her mouth.
She wanted to laugh.
Maki glanced toward Mito. So that's what it meant to have chakra so immense that it defied the body's limits? Just raw energy doing the impossible?
What was there to be proud of in that?
...Everything.
She was a little bitter. The Uzumaki clan… someday, they would rise again. And when they did, they'd soar to the skies. They just had to look further—beyond what anyone imagined.
"For most ordinary ninjas, chakra control at your current level is more than enough," Mito said, breaking Maki out of her thoughts.
"With it, you can perform most jutsu. After all, forming seals doesn't require fine chakra control."
"Chakra flows through the meridians. By manipulating specific acupoints, we redirect that flow. Seals are just a tool that help us do that."
As she spoke, Mito pressed her palms together in a seal.
"Use your imagination. What do you think happens?"
Naori hesitated. "...A connection? Like... chakra flows through both hands and forms a closed circuit?"
"Don't look at me with your Byakugan, Hitomi," Mito said teasingly.
Startled, the veins on Hitomi's face faded as she replied nervously, "Maybe… like hypnosis? You trick your body into believing the shape of the flow?"
Mito turned to Maki.
"The direction of flow has changed," Maki said thoughtfully. "Like two great rivers crashing into each other—undercurrents surging back, breaking through floodgates and reshaping the riverbed."
Mito smiled, pleased. "Exactly. Hitomi, I told you—the real obstacle to chakra control isn't mental. It's physical."
"Just like Maki described, when chakra flows against the natural current, it forces its way through the meridians and acupoints, temporarily reshaping them to perform a specific technique."
She then demonstrated a seal.
"Each seal links different points together. And depending on how those points are connected, the reverse flow creates a different undercurrent."
"By adjusting those connections with the right seals, we can control how chakra moves through the body—and thus, cast different kinds of ninjutsu."
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