This House Can't Withstand Earth Release

When Hiroshi pushed open the door, he was completely stunned.

The ground was covered with scrolls.

"What is this?" Hiroshi rubbed his eyes, making sure he wasn't hallucinating.

Shin-chan was in the middle of the scroll. He looked up and saw him, and his eyes lit up instantly.

"Dad, please teach me this!"

Hiroshi changed his shoes, carefully walked around the scroll on the ground, and squatted down next to Shin-chan.

The scroll on the ground had the words "Earth Release Earth Release: Moving Earth Core - Detailed Explanation" written on it, and below it were rows of densely packed Hand Seals and Chakra flow diagrams.

Hiroshi swallowed hard. "What is this?"

"Earth Release is a type of magic/technique)," Shin-chan said. "I wanted to learn how to dig ditches, Grandpa Hokage had these sent over."

"Dig a ditch?" Hiroshi's voice rose a little. "Hokage-sama?"

"Yes."

Hiroshi looked down at the scrolls scattered on the ground, ranging from the most basic Earth Release: Earth-Style Wall to the advanced Earth Release: Swamp of the Underworld, and even a few he didn't recognize.

The variety is quite complete.

Hiroshi swallowed hard, then turned to look at the kitchen. "Beautiful, did the Hokage-sama send all of this?"

Miya came out of the kitchen, wiping her hands. "They were delivered this afternoon. They said Shin-chan wanted to learn Earth Release, and these things were useless to him, so they gave them to Shin-chan."

"Useless?" Hiroshi's voice rose a little higher. "Countless people would love to learn these Earth Release but can't."

"I don't remember the exact words," Miya thought for a moment, "But that's roughly the gist of it."

Hiroshi opened his mouth, his eyes filled with disbelief.

Shin-chan, holding a scroll in his hand, said, "Dad, teach me Earth Release Technique!"

Hiroshi took a deep breath, squatted down, picked up the scroll, and flipped through it.

"Earth Release: Moving Earth Core— " Hiroshi read the words on the scroll, "... using Chakra to vibrate the ground, causing the soil to rise or sink, which can be used to alter terrain and create bunkers—"

He looked down and saw the sequence of Hand Seals drawn on the scroll: Yin, Wei, Zi...

Hiroshi reviewed the information in his mind, found the order correct, and continued reading. Below was an explanation about Chakra flow.

It read something like, "Chakra at the soles of your feet and inject it into the ground in a spiral motion; the vibration frequency must be synchronized with the soil—"

Hiroshi stared at the description for five seconds, then his gaze began to wander.

"Dad?" Shin-chan tilted his head to look at him.

"Wait a minute," Hiroshi said, snapping out of his daze. "Let me take another look."

He stared for another ten seconds, his lips moving slightly, as if he were silently reciting something.

Then his expression changed from focused to confused, from confused to bewildered, and from bewildered to a subtle look that seemed to say, "Should I understand this, but I don't think I really do."

"Dad?" Shin-chan called out again.

"Hmm." Hiroshi put down the scroll, rubbed his eyes, "Well—"

Have you learned it?

"I've learned it." Hiroshi cleared his throat. "The sequence for the Hand Seals is Yin, Wei, Zi..."

"Then what?"

"Then," Hiroshi picked up the scroll again and glanced at it, "He concentrated Chakra at the soles of his feet, in a spiral..."

He spoke fluently, but Shin-chan noticed that Hiroshi's eyes were constantly looking at the scroll while he was saying this.

"Dad."

"Um?

Are you reading it aloud?

"I'm teaching you."

"You read it exactly the same as what's written on it." Shin-chan leaned closer to take a look at the scroll. "Not a single word is different."

Hiroshi put down the scroll, paused for a second, and said, "Because I was afraid of saying something wrong, it's more accurate to read it aloud."

Shin-chan tilted his head and glanced at him, but didn't ask any further questions. Then he stood up, walked to a more open area in the Living Room, and began to Hand Seals.

"Wait a minute." Hiroshi suddenly stood up and grabbed Shin-chan's hand. "Don't rush to practice Ninjutsu."

Shin-chan's hand was grabbed, held in the final gesture. "What's wrong?"

"This house," Hiroshi's voice was serious, "Still has thirty-two years of mortgage payments left."

Shin-chan blinked.

"So," Hiroshi squatted down, placing his hands on Shin-chan's shoulders, "This house can't withstand Earth Release, do you understand?"

Shin-chan nodded. "Understood."

"Do you really understand?"

"I really understand," Shin-chan said. "It just means we can't use Ninjutsu at home, it'll damage the house."

"Yes." Hiroshi breathed a sigh of relief. "It would cost a lot of money to fix if it were broken."

"If I spend money, I can't buy Chocolate Stick."

Hiroshi paused for a moment, then laughed, "Right, if I spend money, I can't buy Chocolate Stick."

"Where shall we practice then?" Shin-chan lowered his hand.

Hiroshi thought for a moment and said, "There's an open space over there on the back hill, not many people around. I'll take you there later."

"Shall we go after we finish eating?"

"We'll go after we finish eating." Hiroshi nodded, then glanced at the scrolls on the ground. "Put these away first, it's time to eat."

Shin-chan said "Oh," and squatted down to start collecting the scroll.

Miya placed the dishes on the table, glanced at Hiroshi, and lowered her voice. "Do you know how to teach?"

Hiroshi also lowered his voice. "Take him out and try first. If it doesn't work, find someone else tomorrow."

Didn't you just say you learned it?

"That's an act," Hiroshi said. "A father can't let his child think he's useless."

Miya glanced at him, said nothing, and turned to get more rice.

Shin-chan carefully put the scroll away and sat down at the dining table. "Let's eat!"

While eating, Hiroshi suddenly sighed.

Miya looked at him. "What's wrong?"

"It's nothing," Hiroshi shook his head, "It's just that I think my son is much better than me."

Shin-chan looked up. "Why?"

"Because you wanted to learn Earth Release is a type of martial arts technique) when you were five years old." Hiroshi's smile was somewhat bitter. "When your father was five, he was still playing in the mud."

"Isn't Earth Release just mud?"

Hiroshi paused for a moment, then laughed and said, "That's right, playing in the mud is also Earth Release."

After finishing their meal, Hiroshi packed up a few scrolls and took Shin-chan out.

"Dad."

"Um."

Is Earth Release Difficult?

"It's not difficult."

"Then why can't you?"

Hiroshi paused for a moment, then said, "Because Dad didn't study hard."

Why don't you study hard?

"Because I felt it was enough."

"And now?"

Hiroshi sighed, "Now it doesn't feel like enough."

"Then I'll learn more and teach Dad later."

Hiroshi paused for a moment. "Okay."

The open space behind the hill was large, and the moonlight shone brightly on the ground.

Hiroshi took out a scroll, spread it on the ground, and then pointed to the handprints on it.

"First, Hand Seals, then send the Chakra to your feet, imagining yourself descending."

Shin-chan -chan nodded, recalled the Hand Seals sequence, and followed Hiroshi's instructions step by step before pressing his hands down on the ground.

"Earth Release - Earth Release: Moving Earth Core".

The ground shook, and the soil beneath our feet began to sink.

Hiroshi swallowed hard. "You learned it so quickly?"

"Does that mean I've learned it?" Shin-chan scratched his head.