After finding a secluded spot nearby, Uchiha Iori began trying to turn the mana techniques used by Heroic Spirits into ninjutsu or Nintaijutsu.
He had plenty of skills to choose from, but the most useful—and the one he had the best chance of mastering—was Mana Burst.
Mana Burst: The ability to strengthen one's weapons and body by covering them in mana.
The description sounded plain, but in practice, it was an extremely useful ability.
So here's the problem. Although mana and chakra are both extracted from life force...
Mana comes from life force refined through Magic Circuits, while chakra comes from a combination of physical and spiritual energy.
Well, the traits of Ninja World plants have to be taken into account, too.
His eyes flickered as he rapidly considered the problem.
Essentially, this ability strengthens the body with energy.
There are actually plenty of ninjutsu in the Ninja World with similar effects, like Lightning Release Armor, Eight Inner Gates, and Earth Spear. It'd be great if I could use them as references.
Iori thought it over, a glimmer of anticipation in his eyes.
Thanks to Medea, Uchiha Iori didn't have to worry much about the safety risks of developing new ninjutsu. As long as it didn't kill him, he could keep training to his heart's content.
He focused and calmed himself, circulating chakra throughout his body and using it in the same way as Mana Burst. After several experiments, Uchiha Iori succeeded in putting himself on the brink of death.
"No wonder the Second Hokage and Orochimaru conducted human experiments. If I had to do it myself, I'd need more lives than I have."
He gave a bitter smile, cold sweat beading on his forehead from the pain.
"Is this because of the Heroic Spirit physique, or because chakra is too wild?"
Unable to figure it out, Iori healed himself and tearfully abandoned the idea of quickly switching from an agile fighter to a heavily armored one.
"Forget it. I'll lower my expectations this time. I won't try to cover my whole body. If I can get it to work on just my arms or legs, that'll be enough."
He sighed helplessly and adjusted his expectations downward.
Strengthening his arms would increase his damage, while strengthening his legs would improve his mobility. Either one would boost his combat ability in the short term.
Iori carefully guided chakra into his legs, slowly building it up in the form of Mana Burst until he reached the limit of what he could precisely control.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh... He tried running and found that he was much faster than before. It worked even better than his usual ninja run.
"Maybe I should try using Body Flicker Technique on top of this. If it works, I probably won't be any slower than Shisui will be someday."
He couldn't help muttering to himself, excitement flashing in his eyes.
"But I still probably can't compete with Flying Thunder God. Space-Time Ninjutsu really is on another level."
Thinking of Obito's Kamui and Minato's Flying Thunder God, Uchiha Iori nearly shed tears of envy and jealousy.
Iori tried using Body Flicker Technique while maintaining Mana Burst.
Bang! A sharp pain shot through his calf. The chakra had gone out of control and torn his lower leg to shreds, so Iori had no choice but to stop training and heal his injury.
"I can use Mana Burst to a limited extent, but I can't combine it with other ninjutsu that affect my own body. I'll work out the specifics after I return to the village and study medical ninjutsu and ninjutsu theory."
Iori recorded most of his ideas in his notes, keeping only the key information in his head for future training.
"It's about time. I should head back."
Iori thought to himself. The repeated cycle of getting injured and healing himself had left him a little tired.
"Maybe I can ask at the Hall of Heroes later. Even if that second-rate Druid Cú Chulainn is unreliable, there's still Miss Medea. She's a Divine Era Magus, after all."
"Iori, are you saying you want me to help change the energy used to cast Magecraft from mana to this 'chakra' of yours?"
Medea [Lily] was delighted. Being needed made her feel happy.
"Yeah. I don't know much about mana, and I don't understand chakra all that well, either. I hope you can help me figure out the mana side of things. I'll gather and organize information about chakra in the Ninja World."
Iori sat beside her, projected the information he knew into a set of notes, and handed them to her.
"Oh, mana and chakra? I'll analyze them. Leave it to me."
Medea [Lily] patted her chest and said proudly,
"Don't let my age fool you. I'm a priestess of the goddess Hecate, and a Divine Era Magus, too!"
"Yes, yes, Miss Medea, you're amazing."
Iori spoke with a doting smile. He had always hoped to have a younger sister, and Medea [Lily] perfectly filled that gap in his life.
Jason was awful, and Aphrodite wasn't any better. Such a good girl had ended up living such an unhappy life. No matter how he looked at it, it was all their fault. Iori's thoughts drifted further and further away.
"Iori, what are you thinking about? I'm talking to you."
Medea [Lily] puffed out her cheeks and said, a little annoyed.
She had quickly finished reading the information Uchiha Iori had given her, but when she spoke to him, he didn't respond.
"Oh, right. Sorry, sorry. I was thinking about what kinds of special sweets the Ninja World has, so I could bring you some."
Iori hurriedly covered. He couldn't bring those things up in front of her; thinking about them would surely make her sad.
"Are there any? I can't wait!"
Medea [Lily]'s eyes lit up as she asked curiously.
"I remember Konoha's Three-Color Dango being really tasty. Lots of ninjas like it. I'll bring you a few skewers when I get back to Konoha. If you like them, I'll see if I can get the recipe."
At last, Uchiha Iori remembered Konoha's specialty: Three-Color Dango, Mitaraishi Anko and Itachi Uchiha's favorite.
"I'll be looking forward to it."
Medea [Lily] sat down with the poise of a proper lady.
"Let me give you a rough analysis first. Over here in the West, we generally have the Five Great Elements: earth, water, fire, wind, and space. Add the imaginary elements of void and nothingness, and there are seven in total."
She paused, then continued, "In your Ninja World, the elements are water, fire, lightning, earth, and wind, along with yin and yang."
"To cast Magecraft, we need to make contact with a Magecraft foundation already inscribed in the world, then activate its formulas," she explained.
"In the Ninja World, on the other hand, chakra is controlled through Hand Seals to make it flow and activate techniques."
"Iori, do you see anything the two have in common?" Medea [Lily] asked.
"Other than lightning, the basic elements overlap. The Ninja World doesn't have a Magecraft foundation, but we could try reproducing the patterns through Hand Seals."
Iori answered, his brow furrowing slightly as he began to think.
"That's right. I'll first organize the suitable Magecraft related to earth, water, fire, and wind for you. Once you've gathered information about ninjutsu and chakra, I'll help you make adjustments."
"As for Heroic Spirit skills like Mana Burst, your earlier approach was quite good," she continued.
"On one hand, you need better chakra control, and studying Medical Ninjutsu should help. On the other, there's the difference between mana and chakra. I'll have to wait for your information before I can work that out."
Medea [Lily] said helplessly. Even the cleverest cook couldn't make a meal without ingredients; without understanding chakra, she couldn't reach any conclusions.
"Once the war is over, I'll gather the information as soon as I can. And I won't forget your Three-Color Dango, either." Iori made his promise.
"Then it's a deal," Medea [Lily] said with a smile, looking forward to it.