The Meaning of Heaven and Earth

"Use Sealing Jutsu as a tool..."

Sakura followed Naruto's train of thought. "Almost all Sealing Jutsu are very stable. If we could make flexible use of that... No, it still feels really difficult."

"It is difficult," Naruto said. "Even my mom said that not even the most skilled Sealing Jutsu user in the Uzumaki Clan could create a Sealing Jutsu like this."

"But the master did it."

"According to the master, he used technology from another world. I can't understand it or master the technology itself, but I can learn the Sealing Jutsu created with it."

Naruto explained, "The effect of the Sealing Jutsu is simple, too. It seals the chakra we refine inside our own cells directly within those cells. As long as we keep refining chakra as much as possible, the chakra that accumulates inside our cells will temper them. But to prevent the cells from collapsing under the strain, the Sealing Jutsu consumes some of the chakra to keep them in a normal state."

After hearing Naruto out, Sakura was stunned.

She wasn't surprised by the training method itself. She was amazed by Naruto's courage in daring to try it, and even use it in actual combat. "If you do what you described, the slightest mistake could cause your body's cells to collapse. Your tissues might even turn directly into minced meat. And even if the cells stayed stable, the chakra accumulating inside them would generate heat and cook them."

"My mom thought the same thing at first, so she wouldn't let me try it no matter what."

Naruto smiled. "The master spent a whole week proving it was safe before my mom agreed."

"Hmm..."

Sasuke mulled it over for a moment, then asked, "If we want to learn it, do we have to study Sealing Jutsu first?"

"You can learn it if you want, but you don't have to."

"Sealing Jutsu isn't ninjutsu or genjutsu," Naruto said. "I can apply it directly to you."

Sakura looked a little uneasy. "You're going to do it? Are you sure nothing will go wrong?"

"Of course not!"

Naruto was brimming with confidence. "The master taught me personally, step by step, and I've experienced it firsthand. Even the master doesn't understand this Sealing Jutsu better than I do!"

"By the way, you've been calling it Sealing Jutsu this whole time."

Sasuke asked, "Doesn't this Sealing Jutsu have a name?"

"No."

Naruto looked helpless. "The master says he has trouble coming up with names. The only name he's ever given it that even counts as a name is 'Training Seal No. 1,' shortened to 'Sealing Jutsu: Number One.'"

"Number One?"

Sasuke pressed him. "Does that mean there's a Number Two, Number Three, or even more?"

"There are a Number Two and a Number Three, but nothing beyond that."

Naruto said, "The effects of Number Two and Number Three are too strong. I still can't control them well, so they're no good for fighting. If you want to try it, I can apply Number One to you once the Chunin Ninja Exams are over."

"Apply it..."

Sakura hesitated. "So these training seals really do have to be applied directly to the body?"

"Of course not."

Naruto knew what Sakura was worried about. "Just like the Forehead Protector I gave Kakashi-sensei, it's fine as long as the Sealing Jutsu can make direct contact with our bodies and be controlled through chakra."

So Sakura and Sasuke both decided to give it a try.

The three of them rested where they were for five minutes, and Naruto recovered his strength.

"We made quite a commotion during that fight."

Naruto looked around. "There are three teams approaching, and two teams hiding nearby... Team 8 and Team 10. We probably don't need to worry too much."

"Perfect timing."

Sasuke looked eager for a fight. "Let's take a Scroll of Earth and hurry to The Tower."

"Yeah. Let's go," Naruto said.

A little later, they ran into a team from Otogakure. Before they could figure out how the Sound Ninja attacked, they had already taken down all three of them and searched out the scrolls they had hidden on their bodies.

"Not bad luck. It's a Scroll of Earth."

Naruto put the scroll away. "Another team is coming. Let's go."

With the scroll in hand, Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura picked up the pace. After more than thirty minutes, they arrived at The Tower without incident. The team pursuing them had no choice but to stop. Entering The Tower without collecting both scrolls meant meeting the conditions for disqualification.

"Even though we grew up in the village, there are so many places here we've apparently never been."

Naruto looked around inside The Tower. "This place feels like it's been here for years. If it weren't for the Chunin Ninja Exams, I wouldn't have known the village had a place like this."

"We were always at the Ninja Academy, and after class we went home to train. We never had time to wander around places like this."

Sasuke looked around as well. "Why aren't there any teachers here? We've already met the requirements for the second exam. We should have passed."

"Look, there's something written on that wall."

Sakura pointed to a framed inscription on the nearby wall and read it aloud. "Without [Heaven]... I get it. This is telling us to open the scrolls."

"Probably."

Sasuke recalled what Anko, the chief examiner, had said when the second exam began. "We've reached the 'mission location' according to the 'mission requirements.' We won't be disqualified if we open the scrolls now."

They placed the two scrolls on the ground and gave them a gentle push. Before they could roll to a stop, the three of them stepped back, keeping a safe distance.

The scrolls unfurled completely. They contained only a few characters, and Sasuke recognized what they meant. "It's the Cursed Technique for [Possession]. Someone's coming."

The characters on the scrolls slowly rose up and floated free. Wisps of white smoke began to emerge, then swirled and gathered until, with a "poof," someone they knew appeared. "Yo! Long time no see!"

"Iruka-sensei?"

Naruto froze for a moment, but quickly understood. "Iruka-sensei is the one in charge of meeting us for this exam?"

"That's right. As arranged by Lord Hokage, many Chunins from the village have been assigned to welcome the examinees who pass," Iruka said with a smile. "But running into me was just a coincidence."

"Ha, looks like we're pretty lucky!"

Naruto grinned. "Then, Iruka-sensei, let's get straight to business. You can take us right to the third exam arena!"

"Don't rush. The second exam lasts a full 120 hours. Even though you passed early, you still have to wait until time runs out or all the remaining teams are eliminated or pass. Besides, your second exam isn't completely over yet."

Iruka patiently explained, pointing to the words on the wall. "You opened the scrolls after seeing this inscription, right? These words are actually Third Hokage's reflections on what it means to be a 'Chunin.' [Heaven] refers to a person's spirit and symbolizes wisdom; [Earth] refers to the body and symbolizes stamina."

"When carrying out missions, a Chunin can serve as a 'team leader.' When necessary, they have a duty to guide the rest of their team into action, so having a certain level of wisdom is important. Also, as the team leader, you need enough stamina to complete the mission."

"You passed the exam so quickly, and it seems to have been pretty easy for you. That shows all three of you have already reached Chunin level in both wisdom and stamina. I'm proud of you!"

The praise from an elder brought happy smiles to all three of them.

Then, guided by Iruka, the three of them went to a room inside The Tower to rest and wait for the second exam to end.