Chakra Nature

On the way back to Konoha, the four members of Team 7 appeared quite relaxed, as if they were returning home after a casual outing.

"Hmm~ The weather is really nice today!"

Sakura stretched her back: "It feels like we've been in the Land of Waves for a long time."

"I wouldn't have minded staying longer."

Sasuke felt a bit of attachment to the surroundings of the Land of Waves, specifically the vast ocean: "It's convenient for training."

"We have been away from the village for quite some time now."

Kakashi said with a sigh: "If we don't go back soon, the Third Hokage might send someone to look for us."

Naruto: "Eh~ Is Grandpa Third really that impatient?"

"He has already been very lenient."

Kakashi reminded the two of them: "Given your and Sasuke's situations, if you were in any other hidden village, you probably wouldn't even be allowed to leave the village gates."

"I can understand Sasuke, but why Naruto?"

Sakura asked Kakashi: "Is it because he is from the Uzumaki Clan?"

"Not entirely."

Kakashi cautioned: "Naruto might know himself, but there are some things that cannot come from my mouth."

Sakura and Sasuke thought for a moment, then looked at Naruto with eyes full of curiosity.

Naruto pondered for two seconds and said: "If it's Grandpa Third, he's probably worried about Kurama inside me."

Sasuke: "Kurama, who is that?"

Sakura: "Inside you?"

"Explaining this would require explaining many things, and it involves some secrets."

Naruto said with some distress: "Master Kakashi is also considering this, which is why he can't tell you."

Kakashi nodded: "Those secrets are things the Hokage has explicitly forbidden anyone in the village from speaking about."

Sasuke realized something: "The way people in the village treat Naruto is also related to those secrets, right?"

Kakashi nodded silently.

The atmosphere suddenly became somewhat heavy.

"Alright, there's no point in dwelling on the past."

Naruto flashed his signature, ancestral sunny smile: "Now that you've finished the tree-climbing and water-walking exercises, and are gradually getting used to Qi Refining, based on my experience, once we return to the village, Master should arrange new training plans for you."

Sasuke's attention was immediately diverted: "What will he have us train in?"

Sakura reacted a beat slower, then looked at Naruto as well.

"Hmm... Master said he would adjust things based on our individual situations, so it will be different for everyone."

Naruto communicated with Master in his mind for a moment before relaying the gist: "Sasuke's Sharingan still has a lot of potential to be tapped; compared to learning other techniques, improving his ocular power will make him stronger faster. Although Sakura doesn't have much chakra, she has natural strength and a great talent for chakra control, so the focus should be on taijutsu and medical ninjutsu."

"Why no genjutsu?"

Kakashi suddenly asked: "Sakura's chakra control is excellent; compared to being a medical ninja, she should be more suited to being a genjutsu ninja."

"I'll let Master explain it."

Naruto promptly went offline.

"Because for a ninja without a bloodline limit, the floor for genjutsu is too low."

Master spoke through Naruto's mouth to Kakashi: "Not to mention the existence of the Sharingan, which almost renders genjutsu meaningless, even for an ordinary ninja without any bloodline, as long as they have a companion by their side, it is enough to make most genjutsu ineffective."

"...That is true."

Kakashi was silent for a moment, expressing his agreement, then asked: "Are you also well-versed in medical ninjutsu?"

"To be precise, I have a certain understanding of every technique that has ever existed in this world."

Master gave a rather heavy-hitting answer: "But don't expect to get anything from me. My purpose in coming to this world is to teach my students, and that is all."

Kakashi nodded thoughtfully, staring at Naruto until Naruto's consciousness came back online.

Before they had walked two more steps, Sakura asked again: "Kakashi-sensei, how does medical ninjutsu perform in combat?"

"Probably a bit more formidable than you think."

As Kakashi spoke, the image of Konoha's strongest medical ninja appeared in his mind: "For example, the 'Chakra Scalpel' can cut into a target's body without leaving any external wounds. If one can master it, in actual combat, you could even destroy an enemy's internal organs with just a simple touch, subsequently killing them."

"Directly damaging internal organs?"

Naruto was shocked: "Is medical ninjutsu that terrifying?!"

"It is exactly that terrifying. Furthermore, medical ninjutsu is one of the few techniques that is difficult to use even if you copy it with a Sharingan."

Kakashi said: "Because medical ninjutsu requires corresponding knowledge to complement it, and the requirements for chakra control are higher than other ninjutsu of the same level."

"That sounds amazing!"

Sakura couldn't wait any longer: "Let's get back to the village quickly; I want to start learning medical ninjutsu from Master right now!"

Fortunately, Sakura calmed down quickly, though the group's pace quickened slightly.

"Right," Kakashi said, as if remembering something, and asked, "Has your Master ever helped you test your chakra natures?"

"I've already tested mine," Naruto said. "My chakra nature is Wind, though I'm still better at Yang-style techniques."

Sakura looked confused. "What are chakra natures?"

"The chakra we refine within our bodies can undergo two types of changes based on how it's used: shape transformation and nature transformation. If we find that a certain nature transformation occurs particularly smoothly when we apply it to our chakra, we consider our chakra to possess that specific nature."

Kakashi explained, "There are seven known chakra nature transformations, corresponding to seven chakra natures, though two of them are quite special and rarely appear."

Sasuke immediately asked, "What are the seven, and which two are the special ones?"

"The five basic nature transformations are Water, Fire, Earth, Wind, and Lightning, which correspond to the five elements and their respective release techniques. The two special ones are Yin and Yang. However, techniques involving Yin and Yang nature transformations are actually quite common. For instance, some medical ninjutsu involve Yang nature transformation, while most genjutsu require Yin nature transformation."

Kakashi explained in detail, "As for shape transformation, it's easy to understand. Think of it like water: if you put it into different containers, it takes on different shapes. The formulas for different ninjutsu are like those containers, and the chakra is the water."

"I understand." Sakura grasped it quickly. "The essence of a ninja using various techniques is simply forcing chakra to undergo specific shape and nature transformations."

"Exactly," Kakashi affirmed. "Whether it's performing hand seals or shouting out the name of a technique, it's all done to complete the shape and nature transformations of chakra more quickly and stably."

Sasuke asked, "Does that mean as long as one can complete the specific shape and nature transformations of chakra, they can perform ninjutsu even without hand seals?"

"Correct," Kakashi confirmed. "But for most ninjutsu, it is extremely difficult to perform them without hand seals; it is far more efficient to master the seals to increase your casting speed."

Sakura, still quick on the uptake, immediately asked, "Then how do we test our chakra natures?"

"The simplest and fastest way to test chakra natures is to use a special type of 'paper.' You can find it in ninja tool shops; you can buy some yourselves once we return to the village."

Kakashi explained, "You channel your chakra into the paper: Water nature will make it damp; Fire will make it burn; Earth will make it crumble; Wind will slice it; Lightning will make it wrinkle."

Sasuke asked, "What happens if someone possesses two or more chakra natures?"

Kakashi replied, "If you have more than two natures, the paper will split into sections showing different reactions. The amount of chakra you channel determines how intensely the paper reacts."

"That Haku who fought Kakashi-sensei earlier—which nature does his Ice Release belong to..."