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Naruto: Veil of Frozen Bones Chapter 21
🕑 Added 2025-05-10 17:11:07 +0000 UTCRyuu walked past the iconic tree with the simple swing each morning, glanced at the imposing kanji for "Fire" above the main entrance, and navigated the bustling corridors filled with older students who already moved with a confidence he currently lacked.
Their classroom, 1-B, was large and airy, the high ceilings supposedly fostering 'expansive education' as the village doctrine claimed. From his preferred seat near the back, Ryuu had a clear view of the massive blackboard, the instructor's podium, and, more importantly, his classmates.
He continued his silent analysis, noting the subtle shifts in the class hierarchy, the budding rivalries, the quiet friendships forming.
The curriculum unfolded methodically. Mornings were often dedicated to theory: history , geography, mathematics, basic science, and endless drilling on the Shinobi Rules and the Will of Fire philosophy. Ryuu absorbed the factual information easily, though he often had to consciously slow himself down during written exercises to avoid appearing too advanced. The philosophical aspects he treated as necessary indoctrination to understand, if not necessarily believe.
Afternoons were dedicated to practical application. Taijutsu remained a struggle, though his evasive speed and stamina were improving under the relentless drills. Weapon practice with kunai and shuriken saw him achieve respectable accuracy through sheer repetition and focus, but he lacked the natural fluidity of Kenjiro or the raw power of others.
Stealth exercises were a strength, Kasumi's private training giving him an edge in silent movement and concealment. Trap-setting basics appealed to his analytical mind.
Then came the day Tamura-sensei deemed them ready for the true cornerstone of Academy Ninjutsu: the Three Basic Techniques.
"Alright, listen up!" Chiyo Tamura's voice cut through the usual classroom murmur as she stood before them, radiating stern authority.
"Up until now, you've focused on conditioning your bodies and absorbing basic knowledge. Today, we begin applying chakra in more complex ways. We move beyond simple control exercises to the fundamental techniques every Konoha shinobi must master: the Henge no Jutsu (Transformation Technique), the Bunshin no Jutsu (Clone Technique), and the Kawarimi no Jutsu (Substitution Technique)."
A buzz of excitement went through the class. This was what many had been waiting for – actual jutsu.
Tamura held up a single hand seal, the Ram seal. "Chakra," she began, her voice sharp and precise, "is the foundation. You've learned to feel it, to pool it, to stick leaves. Now, you learn to shape it, to project it with intent."
"First, the Henge." Tamura explained, "This technique allows you to alter your appearance, to disguise yourself as another person, an animal, even an inanimate object like a rock or log. It is essential for infiltration, espionage, creating diversions, or simply avoiding unwanted attention."
She formed the Ram seal again. "The principle is simple, the execution requires focus. You mold your chakra, visualizing the desired form with absolute clarity – every detail, texture, color. Then, you project that chakra around your body, sustaining the image."
She demonstrated. With the Ram seal held steady, her form shimmered for a brief second, then resolved into a perfect likeness of Hiruzen Sarutobi, complete with his aged features and Hokage robes. The transformation was flawless, down to the slight stoop in his posture. Several students gasped.
"Observe," Tamura's voice, now mimicking Hiruzen's perfectly, emanated from the transformation. "Maintaining the Henge requires constant chakra flow and concentration. Breaking focus, or sustaining significant damage, will disrupt the jutsu." With another shimmer, she reverted to her normal form.
"Your task," she instructed, gesturing towards various objects around the room – a chair, a broom, a simple rock placed on her desk, "is to transform into one of these inanimate objects. Focus on simplicity first. Visualize clearly. Mold your chakra. Project. Begin!"
The classroom erupted in focused effort. Students held the Ram seal, faces scrunched in concentration. Ryuu observed Kenjiro closing his eyes briefly, likely forming a perfect mental image before attempting. Daichi seemed to be struggling, his face turning red. Asami Hyuga held the seal with perfect poise, her chakra signature flaring slightly with controlled energy.
Ryuu took a deep breath, calming his mind. He chose the rock on Tamura's desk – simple shape, texture, color. He visualized it meticulously: the grey, slightly rough surface, the faint lines running through it, its weight, its stillness. He gathered his chakra, that cool current within, and tried to project it outwards, shaping it around himself according to the mental blueprint, holding the Ram seal steady.
Poof!
He felt a strange disorientation, a brief lightness, then looked down (or rather, perceived downwards from his new perspective). He hadn't quite managed the rock. Instead, he seemed to have transformed into a slightly lopsided, vaguely rock-shaped... log? The texture was wrong, too smooth, the color too brown. He could feel the chakra drain, the effort required to maintain even this flawed transformation.
He glanced around subtly. Many students hadn't managed anything beyond a puff of smoke. Daichi had seemingly turned into a vaguely chair-shaped blob that quivered erratically. Kenjiro had achieved a fairly convincing rock, though perhaps slightly too smooth. Asami had produced a near-perfect replica of the broom, down to the individual bristles.
"Maintain focus!" Tamura barked, walking among them. "Haru, your rock looks more like a melting dumpling! Ryuu," her sharp eyes landed on Ryuu's log-form, "better definition needed, but the chakra projection is stable. Hold it."
Ryuu concentrated, pouring more chakra into maintaining the flawed image, feeling the drain increase. Holding the transformation was harder than initiating it. After a few minutes, Tamura called for them to release the jutsu.
Ryuu reverted with another poof, feeling slightly dizzy and noticeably weaker. His chakra control was good, allowing stable projection, but his reserves were still relatively low compared to others like Kenjiro or Asami, making sustained Henge difficult. Interesting data.
"Next, the Bunshin," Tamura announced, letting them recover briefly. "This creates intangible copies of yourself – illusions. They have no substance, cannot attack, and disperse upon contact. Their purpose is deception, confusion, creating openings, or acting as decoys."
She formed another sequence of seals – Ram, Snake, Tiger. "Unlike Henge, Bunshin requires projecting chakra outwards to form distinct, separate images. Control is key to making them appear realistic, matching your movements."
Poof! Two perfect copies of Tamura shimmered into existence beside her, mimicking her stern expression exactly. They moved slightly, mirroring her posture. "These are illusions," she stated, her voice coming from all three figures simultaneously. She poked one clone, and it dissolved instantly into smoke. "Weak, but effective for misdirection if used correctly." The remaining clone dispersed as she released the jutsu.
"Your turn. Aim for one stable, realistic clone first. Ram, Snake, Tiger. Visualize. Project. Create!"
Concentration filled the room again. Ryuu focused, recalling the seal sequence. He visualized himself, standing neutrally. He gathered his chakra, less than for the Henge, and tried to project it outwards, shaping it into his likeness beside him.
Poof!
A hazy, translucent figure flickered into existence next to him. It vaguely resembled Ryuu but was pale, indistinct, almost ghostly, and wobbled slightly before dissipating after only two seconds. A failure. He felt the chakra drain, less than the Henge but still significant.
He looked around. Results were varied. Daichi produced only smoke. Kenjiro managed one fairly solid, stable clone that mimicked his stance. Asami created two clones, both sharp and clear, though one flickered slightly. Sora Ishikawa produced one clone that looked realistic but remained completely motionless. Yori Tanaka managed a hazy copy similar to Ryuu's first attempt.
"Weak!" Tamura snapped. "Aburame, your clone looks half-dead! Yamanaka, control the projection, it's fading! Yuki, your clone lacked density, more chakra needed for stability!" She continued her critiques, highlighting flaws.
Ryuu tried again, focusing on projecting more chakra, willing the image to solidify. Poof! This time, the clone was slightly more opaque, held its form for nearly five seconds, and even managed a slight mirroring of his posture before dissolving.
Better. But still far from practical.
"Finally," Tamura said, seemingly unimpressed by their cloning efforts, "the Kawarimi. Perhaps the most crucial survival technique you will learn here. This allows you to instantly switch places with a nearby object – typically a log – the moment an attack is about to land, leaving the object to take the hit while you escape to a nearby location."
She picked up the simple log often used for demonstrations. "This requires precise timing, speed, spatial awareness, and chakra manipulation. You must sense the attack, prepare the substitution object mentally, and execute the switch in the fraction of a second before impact." She formed a short sequence of seals – Ram, Boar, Ox, Dog, Snake.
"Imagine an incoming projectile," she instructed. "Feel its trajectory. Just before it hits..." She blurred. For an instant, the log seemed to jump into her place, and Tamura reappeared crouching silently several feet away. "...you switch."
She gestured towards a pile of substitution logs near the training dummies. "Pair up! One partner throws a slow, marked training kunai. The other attempts Kawarimi with a log. Focus on timing, not distance. Do not actually hit your partner, aim slightly off! Move!"
Chaos ensued. Students paired off nervously. Ryuu found himself partnered with Sora Ishikawa, whose quiet nature seemed less likely to result in accidental injury. Sora threw the padded training kunai with careful aim, slightly to Ryuu’s left.
Ryuu focused, sensing the incoming projectile. He visualized the log beside him, gathered chakra, held the seals. Timing. He needed to switch just before impact... Now!
He blurred, felt a jarring displacement, and found himself crouching where the log had been. The log appeared where he had been, the padded kunai thudding harmlessly against it a split second later. Success! A surge of relief and accomplishment washed over him. It felt... intuitive, almost easy compared to the sustained control needed for Henge or the projection for Bunshin.
It was about timing, speed, and a brief burst of focused chakra – things his training with Kasumi had emphasized.
He looked over at Sora, who gave him a small, approving nod. He then took his turn throwing for her. Her execution was similarly smooth, if slightly less instantaneous than his own attempt.
He glanced around the yard. Kenjiro executed the Kawarimi flawlessly, reappearing behind his partner with casual ease. Daichi, predictably, ended up switching with the kunai, resulting in him holding the projectile and the log remaining untouched, earning a loud groan from Tamura.
Asami switched perfectly, her movements economical and precise.
Tamura spent the rest of the session drilling the Kawarimi, emphasizing the timing and the need to immediately move after substituting, not just stand there admiring your work.
