It had only been two or three days since Hanyu had first learned about chakra—at least, openly. He didn't know why Sanshao had brought along a deadweight like him... He had no idea what this squad was about to do, but it was obvious that this was a very important mission.
Hanyu was definitely against the arrangement, but... of the five people in the squad, three had a say, and two didn't. Guess which category Hanyu fell into?
After leaving Konoha, the ninja squad headed northwest. Before long, Hanyu sensed something was off about their pace... They weren't moving too fast, but too slowly. Normally, there was no way someone like Hanyu could keep up with a ninja's pace. Yet though he was struggling and exhausted, he could still match the squad's speed.
Were they slowing down on purpose to accommodate him? All right, that was a rather conceited way to think about it.
"Sanshao, we can take a break." Two hours after leaving the village, they reached the bank of a river flowing from east to west. Mitokado Homura actually decided that they should rest.
Wasn't this an urgent mission? Was it really all right to travel so leisurely?
Then Hanyu's puzzled gaze shifted to Sanshao's face, and her pale complexion explained everything... Apparently, even cold-blooded ninja could show a little human compassion. It just depended on who they were dealing with.
Sanshao wasn't a particularly powerful ninja. In fact, the opposite was true: her physical condition seemed rather frail.
She didn't refuse the suggestion to rest. With an apologetic expression, she nodded to Mito, then sat down on a rock by the river.
Hanyu also found a spot to sit. Compared to the three composed, bona fide ninja in the squad, he looked far more exhausted and disheveled.
Taking advantage of this rare break, he rolled up his sleeve and unwound the bandage wrapped around his arm. After carefully examining the tiny wound, he saw that the dark marks had indeed faded considerably. It was just as the medical ninja had told him: the chakra erosion in his body wasn't severe, and the injury would heal on its own with time.
His health seemed to be improving, and the discovery naturally lifted Hanyu's spirits. Even his exhaustion seemed to fade away.
"Hanyu, come over here." Sanshao, who had caught her breath, called him to her side.
"Yes, Teacher Sanshao." At her summons, Hanyu quickly got to his feet and went over to her.
"Is the injury you suffered earlier all right now?" Sanshao asked, glancing at his exposed arm.
"It's fine now. It won't interfere with what I can do," Hanyu said. The worst wound, on his shoulder, still stung, but compared with the chakra erosion he'd been worried about, an ordinary injury like this wasn't worth fretting over. Thanks to the treatment at Konoha Hospital, he could already move around freely.
"Is that so? That's good." As she spoke, Sanshao motioned for Hanyu to raise his arm, then helped him rebandage the wound. "A lot has happened to you these past few days. After an experience like this, you should understand that in times of war, no place is absolutely safe. A person won't necessarily end up on the battlefield, but danger will always find them. In a situation like that, the only person who can protect you is yourself... Do you understand what I mean?"
She had deft hands and finished bandaging Hanyu's wound as she spoke.
"I understand." Hanyu knew exactly what she meant. For someone who had spent most of his life hovering around the poverty line, he'd never had the spare energy to think about anything beyond food and clothing. But now things were different—if he had gained some kind of power, then learning to control it was essential.
That was what Sanshao meant. But... was she willing to help him? Hanyu looked into her eyes, wondering.
"The physical energy drawn from the body's cells represents the yang aspect. The spiritual energy developed through training and accumulated experience represents the yin aspect. When the two energies are balanced and combined, the resulting power is called chakra. It's the foundation for a ninja's use of ninjutsu, genjutsu, and taijutsu. Chakra is what makes a ninja a ninja."
The answer was yes. Sanshao seemed happy to teach Hanyu about the ways of the ninja. Otherwise, she wouldn't have brought him along... The mission at hand didn't require Hanyu. He wasn't necessary; it was only because Sanshao had decided to take him that he had the chance to come along.
"Of course, having chakra doesn't mean you can use ninjutsu. To turn pure energy into a technique capable of inflicting damage, you also need hand seals."
"For someone determined to become a ninja, the first step is both the most important and the most difficult. The concept of chakra isn't complicated to explain, but drawing out physical energy is no simple matter, and spiritual energy is even more elusive... Fortunately, you've already skipped the hardest step for a beginner. Next, you need to produce more chakra and make it flow through your body along a set route."
Then Sanshao held out a finger and tapped dozens of points on Hanyu's torso and limbs in a certain order. A warm, burning sensation welled up wherever her finger touched.
"You should be able to feel that power inside you. Now you need to guide it through the points I showed you, and repeat the process..."
What Sanshao was teaching Hanyu was precious to him, so he listened with rapt attention.
"As for elemental techniques, considering how you became a ninja, I think you can use Water Release. It should come naturally. Calm your mind and focus on what you feel. I think you'll be able to sense your chakra transforming into another state... As long as you have some idea of what water is, it shouldn't be a problem." She continued.
An idea of what water was? Hanyu had plenty. Not everyone had been pierced straight through by a powerful Water Release technique, after all. Following Sanshao's instructions, Hanyu closed his eyes and focused, recalling over and over the sensation of being stabbed through. Then he understood what Sanshao meant by transforming the state of his chakra.
"So this is... Water Release?"
"To be precise, it's water-natured chakra," Sanshao gently corrected him. "I'll teach you Water Release Ninjutsu later. For now, you need to practice circulating chakra through your body, as well as converting it efficiently and instantly into water-natured chakra...
"Unlike chakra, which circulates through your entire network of pathways, water-natured chakra must first be concentrated at these points." As she spoke, Sanshao tapped several spots on Hanyu's body again, then asked, "Have you memorized them?"
"I have, Teacher Sanshao," Hanyu said.
He didn't quite understand what she meant by efficiently converting water-natured chakra in an instant. When he'd just tried changing its nature, he hadn't felt any resistance at all. It seemed as though he could already perform the conversion with ease. At that moment, Hanyu still didn't understand what the Second Hokage had left inside him.
And Sanshao had specifically told him to circulate the converted water-natured chakra through certain pathways in his body. Was she preparing him for something?
"Sanshao, it's about time," Mitokado Homura came over to remind them. Hanyu lost his chance to ask.
"Let's leave it there for now. The mission comes first. Hanyu, make sure you practice. There could be a battle at any point along the road, and even I might have to fight. So you'll be in danger too... You don't want to lose your life so easily, do you? Then become a ninja as soon as you can." Sanshao patted Hanyu on the shoulder and stood up.
At some point, either Mitokado Homura or Kagami Uchiha had summoned a huge White Wolf. Sanshao walked over to the summon and climbed onto its back.
It seemed the ninja were about to pick up the pace.
Whether or not he practiced, Hanyu had at least realized that his ordeal was about to begin... After all, he couldn't outrun a four-legged canine, let alone a two-legged ninja.
And when they really needed to hurry, neither of those creatures was likely to slow down for him.
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