NOVEL NEXT Chapter 12: CHAPTER 9
Ryuga stretched out his right hand, introducing himself to the three Uchiha in front of him. His calm demeanor remained as he waited, observing their curious expressions as they stared at his outstretched hand, clearly unfamiliar with the gesture. Noticing their confusion, Ryuga explained.
"It's a way of introducing oneself by shaking hands. It shows goodwill and mutual respect… or something like that," he explained, looking towards Shisui.
Understanding the cue, Shisui stepped forward, extending his hand and giving Ryuga a warm handshake. "I'm Shisui Uchiha, ANBU member, and a friend of these brothers here," Shisui said, glancing at Itachi and Sasuke.
Following Shisui's lead, Itachi also stepped forward and shook Ryuga's hand, introducing himself with a soft smile. "I'm Itachi Uchiha, also an ANBU member. Sasuke's older brother, and Shisui's friend," he said, then looked expectantly at Sasuke.
Sasuke shifted uncomfortably, clearly unaccustomed to this gesture of camaraderie. But as he met Itachi's eyes, he caught the silent message in his brother's gaze: If you don't do this, I'm not training you. With a reluctant sigh, Sasuke finally stretched out his hand to shake Ryuga's, though his expression was still guarded.
"I'm Sasuke Uchiha," he murmured, his face turning slightly pink as he quickly looked away.
Ryuga suppressed a grin at Sasuke's reaction, feeling an unexpected warmth in this moment. He had seen a different side of Sasuke, a softer, more vulnerable side, which felt like a small accomplishment. It wasn't often that Sasuke let his guard down, and Ryuga could sense the tentative start of a bond between them.
After a moment, Sasuke's demeanor shifted back to his usual stoic self. Turning to Ryuga with a suspicious look, he asked, "So, why were you following me and watching my training from a distance?"
Ryuga let out a small sigh, keeping his expression calm. "It's just as I told Itachi," he answered simply. "I wanted to watch and learn from your training—maybe pick up some of your clan's jutsu by observing."
Sasuke's expression didn't relax, and he scrutinized Ryuga for a moment before reluctantly letting it go. But Itachi, still curious, leaned in slightly and asked, "Ryuga, how could you see Sasuke's training from so far away? You don't have any special bloodline abilities, or at least none that are visible. Is it because of your left eye?"
Ryuga noted the interest in Itachi's eyes. His own eyes were mismatched, his left eye a striking light purple while the right remained an ordinary black, so it was no surprise they had noticed the difference. With a relaxed shrug, Ryuga replied, "I just applied some chakra to my eyes, which let me see at a long distance. It wasn't too hard to observe Sasuke from around 150 meters away. Though, I can't keep it up for too long—it strains my eyes and gives me a headache."
The three Uchiha looked at each other, clearly impressed by this unexpected revelation. The idea of an eight-year-old controlling chakra at such a precise level and applying it to his eyes was remarkable, to say the least.
"Who taught you how to apply chakra to your eyes to see farther?" Shisui asked eagerly, his curiosity piqued. "That level of chakra control is pretty advanced, especially for someone your age."
Ryuga gave Shisui a puzzled look, as if the answer was obvious. "No one taught me. When I first tried to watch Sasuke's training and couldn't see him clearly, I just thought about putting some chakra in my eyes. It was only a guess, but it worked."
Shisui blinked, momentarily taken aback by the straightforward answer. Itachi's expression, too, reflected quiet amazement. Sasuke, meanwhile, seemed to be trying the technique himself, squinting as he attempted to channel chakra to his own eyes, though he appeared frustrated by the lack of results.
After a brief pause, Shisui pressed on, wanting to clarify. "I mean, how did you learn to control chakra so precisely in the first place? It's rare to see that kind of chakra control without some form of formal training."
"Oh, that," Ryuga replied, nodding in understanding. "Back when I was at the orphanage, there was a caretaker named Nina who would tell us stories about ninjas and their amazing abilities—like how they could breathe fire or slice through rocks with their blades. All the kids would ask her to show us these things, and she'd humor us by creating small water balls and using wind to cut leaves."
Ryuga's gaze softened slightly as he recalled those early memories. "We kept begging her to teach us, but she always said we'd have to wait until we were older. When I left the orphanage, she gave me some advice: 'If you can control and move chakra as you wish, you can do all sorts of things, like I did with the water ball and wind.' So, I practiced, day and night, for the past three years. Now I can shape my chakra pretty well, which is how I managed to enhance my vision by focusing chakra into my eyes."
As Ryuga finished, he noticed the three Uchiha watching him intently, each with a different expression. Sasuke seemed amazed, trying once again to channel chakra into his eyes. Itachi, on the other hand, looked contemplative, perhaps reevaluating his understanding of what young shinobi were capable of. Shisui seemed simply impressed, his admiration evident as he regarded Ryuga with newfound respect.
Itachi and Shisui exchanged a silent glance, understanding that the boy before them had a natural aptitude that went beyond what even some trained shinobi could achieve at his age. They were witnessing a level of potential that was both impressive and, to some extent, bewildering.
Ryuga, sensing the weight of their attention, smiled softly. He knew they would likely investigate him further after this encounter, but he had prepared his explanation, blending a mix of truth and subtle deception. The truth about Nina's advice and his self-driven practice, combined with a small lie about how he'd begged her for jutsu lessons, made for a convincing story.
Once the topic seemed to settle, Itachi took Sasuke aside to begin their training, focusing on kunai and shuriken techniques. Ryuga watched the brothers from the sidelines, standing next to Shisui, who observed the training with a critical eye.
After a moment, Ryuga turned to Shisui, his curiosity evident. "Shisui, could you show me some more advanced jutsu? I'd like to train and learn as much as I can."
Shisui grinned at Ryuga's enthusiasm. "I can teach you the shadow clone jutsu," he offered. "It's a versatile technique and will be useful as you progress."
Ryuga nodded, grateful for the lesson. As Shisui demonstrated the shadow clone jutsu, Ryuga observed intently, memorizing every hand seal and subtle movement. His eyes glowed with excitement as he practiced, gaining a deeper understanding of the technique and its potential uses.
After Ryuga succeeded in creating a shadow clone, he looked up at Shisui, still hungry for knowledge. "Can you teach me how to control chakra to use elements like fire and water in jutsu?"
Shisui considered this for a moment before nodding. "Alright. You already have a good grasp on chakra control, so I think you're ready to start learning chakra nature transformation." He motioned for Ryuga to follow him to a quieter section of the training field, away from Itachi and Sasuke.
Shisui began by explaining the five basic chakra natures: fire, wind, lightning, earth, and water. He also mentioned the rare yin and yang chakra natures, describing each with patient detail.
"Each nature has strengths and weaknesses," Shisui explained. "Fire is strong against wind but weak against water. Wind is strong against lightning but weak against fire, and so on."
Ryuga listened intently, committing each detail to memory. The explanations made sense, yet something about the process felt oddly primitive to him. When Shisui described how to transform chakra into fire by splitting it and rubbing it together to generate heat, Ryuga felt a slight sense of disbelief.
He couldn't help but think of ancient methods from his past life, like how humans had once created fire by rubbing stones together. The method felt archaic and cumbersome, but he held back any comments, focusing instead on observing Shisui's demonstration.
As Shisui showed him the fire chakra transformation, Ryuga kept his expression neutral, hiding his true thoughts. He already understood chakra to a degree where he could transform it through sheer will and imagination. Still, he recognized the importance of appearing to learn from Shisui, so he carefully followed along, mimicking the actions.
After a few moments, he couldn't resist the urge to consult Wiz. "Wiz, why am I able to transform chakra into different elements just by imagining the nature I want?"
'ANSWER: YOU ARE USING 90% CHAKRA AND 10% OF A HIGHER FORM OF NATURAL ENERGY PRESENT IN THIS WORLD.'
The response left Ryuga feeling a mix of satisfaction and intrigue. Wiz's answer explained why he could bypass traditional methods of chakra transformation, making the process intuitive and simple for him. However, he knew he had to keep this knowledge to himself, as it could easily raise suspicions if revealed.
Returning his focus to Shisui, Ryuga pretended to be absorbed in the lesson.