The next morning, sunlight spilled across the land. Amber curled up on the rooftop, lazily basking in the sun.
In the courtyard of Hui's home, Hui and Chuanhe stood facing each other.
"Today, I'll teach you what the Five Elemental Releases are. Yesterday, you learned that chakra is matter. So, Hui, what are the Five Elemental Releases?" Chuanhe asked.
Hui only needed a moment to think before he understood what his father was asking. "They're matter."
"Exactly, they're matter. Now here's the question: a powerful ninja can use their own chakra to release the Five Elemental Releases. It appears as though one kind of matter is being transformed into five different kinds. How would you explain that?" Chuanhe asked.
Hui fell silent again. Clearly, this question was beyond the grasp of a six-year-old Uchiha.
"Haha, Hui, I'm not asking you to give me the answer outright. Scientific exploration begins with forming hypotheses. It doesn't matter how far-fetched your answer is."
"Let your imagination run free. Don't let what you already know hold you back."
After a brief silence, Hui tentatively offered an answer. "Are the Five Elemental Releases and chakra actually the same kind of matter?"
"Good. Any other ideas?"
"Um, shouldn't you tell me whether I'm right or wrong first?" Hui asked, puzzled.
"Hui, it's far better to consider several possibilities and then test your conclusions than to act on the first thing that comes to mind. Keep thinking until you run out of ideas," Chuanhe replied.
Hui suddenly understood, so he kept thinking.
"Does chakra combine with different kinds of matter in the outside world to form entirely new matter?"
"Could chakra form ninjutsu through different combinations, like atoms arranged in different ways?"
"Sorry, Father, those are the only three ideas I can come up with for now," Hui said, then looked at Chuanhe.
"Three is enough. Now, Hui, try to test whether your three hypotheses are correct."
Chuanhe held out his right hand without forming any Hand Seals. He gathered flames in his palm, then let the chakra dissipate. One after another, he formed water, lightning, rock, and a gust of wind.
"These are the so-called Five Elemental Releases. Do you think they're all the same kind of matter?"
"If we were talking only about Wind Release, Fire Release, and Earth Release, we might be able to say they're the same kind of matter. But Water Release and Lightning Release don't seem explainable by the same theory."
"Hui, your first and third hypotheses are quite similar. Neither can easily explain what we're seeing."
"Your second hypothesis doesn't hold up to scrutiny either. Ninjas can still use ninjutsu normally even in a vacuum. A vacuum doesn't mean there's no matter from the outside world, but I'm sure you weren't referring to that kind of matter."
Chuanhe's string of explanations left Hui feeling a little dejected.
"Father, then what are the Five Elemental Releases?" Hui asked again.
Chuanhe kept him in suspense and pointed around them. Hui followed the direction of his father's finger, letting his eyes sweep across the courtyard.
"Hui, look around. What do you see?" Chuanhe didn't answer his question directly. Instead, he asked something that seemed unrelated.
"Amber, the house, the wall, the ground..."
"Hui, you know that's not what I mean. Think carefully. Here's a hint: look for what they have in common," Chuanhe interrupted.
Hui fell silent once more, thinking to himself, What do they have in common? These things are completely unrelated. What could they possibly share?
Hui looked up and saw his father watching him quietly. His restless thoughts gradually settled. He looked around again, and at last his gaze turned to the sun in the sky.
He suddenly cried out excitedly, "I get it, Father! It's light. Everything I can see is actually light!"
Chuanhe smiled faintly. "Excellent! It's light. And then?"
"And then? What do you mean?" Hui's mind had been overwhelmed by the string of abstract questions, and he momentarily froze.
Chuanhe was at a loss for words. "Did you forget we were discussing the Five Elemental Releases?"
Hui felt his face grow hot. "O-of course I remember."
"Haha, Hui, I didn't ask for nothing. Let me put it plainly: what is light?"
What is light? This familiar question was clearly asking whether light was matter or energy. That was obvious. Light was intangible and formless, so it had to be ene—
Hui suddenly froze. He remembered what his father had said the day before:
"Everything observed by any means of observation is matter."
That's what he said, isn't it? Doesn't that mean light is matter?
The words burst from Hui's mouth. "Light is matter? How is that possible?!"
Chuanhe smiled faintly and said, "I'll explain that in detail when I teach you the second lesson. For now, you only need to know that light is also a kind of matter. Do you have a new perspective on ninjutsu and chakra now?"
Hui held out his hand and covered it with a large amount of chakra. Even in broad daylight, a faint glow was visible.
After thinking for a while, he said, "Father, do you mean that chakra is a kind of matter larger than light, and that different ninjutsu are formed when it breaks down?"
"Clever, Hui. But that only explains part of the problem." Chuanhe gave him a thumbs-up with his right hand.
"In the ninja world, there's a group of people who can absorb ninjutsu and turn it back into chakra. How would your theory explain that?"
Hui understood the principle that spilled water couldn't be recovered. He didn't know how small a particle of light was, but he knew the explanation they had so far didn't make sense.
If chakra was like a large building block, then the people his father mentioned could somehow put the shattered pieces back together. He could understand it if they were absorbing only a little chakra.
But absorbing an entire ninjutsu and turning it into chakra? Hui couldn't understand how they did it.
"Well? Any new ideas?" Chuanhe's voice came slowly.
"Sorry, Father. I don't know." Hui felt a little disappointed. Maybe he hadn't learned enough yet.
Chuanhe had noticed his expression, so he said, "Hui, don't blame yourself. When I first tested the theory this far, I was stuck for a long time before I figured it out, too."
"The answer is always that simple. We just unconsciously overlook it when we think about the problem," Chuanhe said with a sigh.
"Chakra could be larger than light and emit light on its own. That's one explanation. But there's another possibility."
"What if chakra is smaller than light and can spontaneously form light?"
Hui seemed to understand, but he was still confused.
"But, Father, didn't you just agree that chakra was larger than light?"
Chuanhe smiled faintly. "Hui, you have to keep an open mind. Why can't both explanations be true?"
A fireball formed in Chuanhe's hand once more.
"Look. Ninjas break down chakra and transform it through a series of changes to form ninjutsu. Ninjutsu is made of chakra, but they can't use it a second time."
"But the chakra used by the people I mentioned is fundamentally different from that of ordinary ninjas. Its scale is smaller than light's, so they can naturally reuse the chakra in ninjutsu."
Hui nodded, seeming to understand. "Then, Father, can I learn how to extract this advanced chakra?"
Chuanhe laughed in spite of himself. "Not for now. First, use this theory to understand the Five Elemental Releases. You won't be able to study advanced chakra yet."
Seeing Hui look a little dejected again, Chuanhe patted him on the head.
Chuanhe took a key from his pocket and handed it to Hui. "Don't be discouraged. Here, take this. It's the key to the study. There's a second verification step, too. You'll know what the verification questions are as soon as you see them."
Hui clutched the key, his voice full of excitement. "Really? Can I learn all the ninjutsu in the study?"
"Of course. You're my pride and joy, and you're capable enough to handle those techniques now."
"But, Hui, I have to remind you of one thing. You can teach anyone the ninjutsu in the study, but you mustn't tell anyone about the theories I taught you." Chuanhe placed both hands on Hui's shoulders and spoke solemnly.
Hui answered just as solemnly, "Understood, Father!"
"Go on. I know you can't wait. If you want to practice ninjutsu, go to the clan's Training Ground." Chuanhe let go of his shoulders.
Hui turned and ran toward the study, shouting as he went, "Got it!"
Chuanhe smiled where he stood, then turned and returned to his workshop to continue inscribing Flame Explosion Talismans.
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