In the past, Shirayuki Haruba only knew a few simple chakra control tricks—things like walking on water or running up trees.
So when he saw the technique Shirayuki Yazan was showing him now, he couldn't help but stare in amazement.
Noticing Haruba's wide-eyed look, Yazan's lips curled into a faint smile."This is a technique only a jōnin would know. Normally, it's not something we teach to genin."
The flow of information in the shinobi world was tightly controlled.
Here, your status often came first—then your talent.
For example, ninja from clan families were often exposed to advanced chakra nature training from a young age. Take someone like Uchiha Sasuke: before he'd even entered the Academy, he'd already learned the Great Fireball Technique. But most civilian-born ninja, even upon graduating, still only knew the Three Basic Techniques.
Of course, if you had an elder with high status and skill, you might get the chance to learn things earlier than most—just like Haruba, who'd been taught bits and pieces whenever his uncle Yazan had time.
For ordinary civilians, genin knowledge stayed at the genin level, and jōnin knowledge stayed with the jōnin.
In the original story, even Naruto Uzumaki himself didn't learn about chakra nature transformation until much later—when he started training with those colorful rasengan variants.
Haruba picked up a twig and tried to copy Yazan's demonstration, infusing it with chakra. But instead of a sharp, cutting aura, his twig was just wrapped in a faint blue glow—completely lacking the lethal edge of his uncle's.
Puzzled, he glanced at Yazan.
Yazan chuckled. "To master chakra nature transformation, you need training. And you'll need a good amount of chakra to sustain it. Right now, your reserves are about genin level—you've just barely reached the starting line."
"How do I train, then?" Haruba asked.
Yazan stroked his chin, thinking about how to explain."First, you have to find the feeling of cutting."
He plucked a single blade of grass from the ground. Without any visible movement, the grass suddenly split in midair and fell in two pieces to the dirt.
"Got it?"
After his little demonstration, Yazan looked at Haruba with a serious expression.
Haruba blinked slowly, his face clearly saying, You're joking, right?You just said, "Find the feeling of cutting," snapped a grass blade, and now you're asking if I've mastered it? That's like saying, 'Now that you know what uranium is, go build a nuclear bomb.'
"Uh…"
Yazan seemed to pick up on Haruba's thoughts and realized that, yes, his explanation was a little abstract. But in truth, he'd learned these skills himself on the battlefield at twelve years old—no teacher, no clear guidance—so explaining them to others wasn't his strong suit.
"A lot of things… we can't explain clearly. It's really just a feeling. Start by using these grass blades. Keep trying to sense that cutting sensation. Over time, you'll understand."
"When your sister Yugao learned it, she did it the same way."
Clearly sensing that his instructions were vague, Yazan had pulled out the one successful example he could think of.
Haruba frowned but obediently pulled a blade of grass and began trying.
Some things were indeed hard to explain—just like the "sword intent" in martial arts novels from his previous life. If you got it, you didn't need anyone to tell you. If you didn't, no matter how many words they used, it wouldn't click.
And so, all morning, Haruba held a single blade of grass, injecting chakra into it now and then, trying to find that elusive cutting sensation. When his chakra ran low, he rested. Once it recovered, he went right back to it.
The training lasted all the way into the afternoon.
After lunch, he went straight back into the yard to continue.
Yazan, watching his nephew's determination, nodded with quiet satisfaction.
KNOCK, KNOCK, KNOCK!
A sudden knock on the door interrupted the silence.
Haruba glanced over, curious who it could be at this hour.
Standing outside was a familiar figure.
"Haruba, long time no see! I didn't expect to find you home today—you're usually out with your little girlfriends."
Only fifteen years old, Uzuki Yugao radiated youthful energy. Her silky, violet hair was loosely tied back, giving her an extra dash of spirit. She still wore the flak vest of a chūnin—probably fresh from a mission.
Her face carried a warm smile, but her brown eyes shone with barely hidden delight.
Without waiting, she reached over the low iron gate of the yard and swung it open. Gates like these in private compounds were more for formality than for real security.
"It hasn't been that long," Haruba muttered, rolling his eyes. "It's only been a few days."
"Ahhh—""Haruba's already been charmed by other girls. Now he's even starting to brush me off," she sighed, pretending to look wounded.
She walked over to see what he was doing.
Yugao was more than just an old acquaintance—she'd once saved Haruba's life.
During the chaos of the Nine-Tails' attack, ten-year-old Yugao had pulled him from the rubble of a collapsing house. If not for her, his new life in this world might have ended just as quickly as it began.
As repayment, Yazan had taken her on as his student.
Since then, whenever Yazan was away on missions, Yugao often looked after Haruba. She'd practically watched him grow up.
But after she graduated from the Academy, and especially after becoming a chūnin, her missions left her less time to visit.
"Eh—"
Yugao's eyes widened as she saw Haruba channeling chakra into a blade of grass.
"You're practicing chakra nature transformation already?"
"Yeah. The problem is, I still can't figure out what this 'cutting sensation' is supposed to feel like." Haruba's brow furrowed.
At that, Yugao froze for a moment. Something clicked in her mind, and the corners of her mouth twitched."Don't tell me… this is how Sensei taught you?"
Before Haruba could answer, Yazan emerged from the house."Oh, it's you, Yugao." Seeing her mildly exasperated expression, he asked, "What? Is there something wrong with the way I taught him? I'm pretty sure that's how you learned it."
Yugao's look became even more aggrieved."Exactly. That's why it took me forever to get it."
She plucked a single strand of her violet hair, holding it between her fingers, and placed it in front of Haruba."Haruba, put your hand on mine. Feel the chakra for yourself."
He obediently placed his hand on her wrist.
For a moment, he noticed how soft her skin felt. For a ninja, it was surprisingly smooth—reminding him of Ten-Ten from the Academy, whose hands stayed soft despite all her shuriken training.
Maybe that's the magic of chakra, he thought.
His idle thoughts were cut short by a sudden sharp sensation. The strand of hair between Yugao's fingertips split cleanly in two.
"Now, you should have a bit of an idea, right?" she asked gently, her chakra conversion slowed down so he could feel it more clearly.
Haruba nodded slowly. He hadn't fully grasped it yet, but he was beginning to understand what "cutting" meant.
Yugao smiled, clearly pleased."Your chakra output isn't strong enough yet. For now, it's best to practice with hair."
"I understand." Haruba gave a firm nod.