Perhaps because he had lost a hand, some of his old yearnings had been severed as well.
Iga Kawaji's heart was no longer as cold as it used to be. He planned to make the most of the rest of his life.
He also planned to spend this time properly teaching his team members.
After clearing his throat, Iga Kawaji simply called Ogawara over as well, ready to explain some Ninjutsu fundamentals.
"Ninjutsu is divided into five basic nature transformations, depending on the nature of the Chakra: Wind, Lightning, Water, Fire, and Earth!"
"Each nature has its own strengths. Wind Style is sharp, Lightning Style is fierce, and Water Style can be both hard and soft, taking many different forms. Fire Style is the nature our village is best at mastering. Most Fire Release Ninjutsu cover a wide area and are scorching hot."
"I'm best at Earth Style. So is the village."
"Earth Style Ninjutsu are steady and sturdy, and easy to use, because there's soil almost everywhere. Except in the ocean!"
Ogawara suddenly asked, "Is there soil in the sky, too?"
Iga Kawaji smiled. "Of course. It's called dust. The particles are so tiny they're hard to see with the naked eye, but that doesn't mean they aren't there. If you don't believe me, find somewhere sunlight shines through the darkness. You'll see dust floating in the light."
After answering that question, Iga Kawaji went on to explain the relationships between the different Ninjutsu natures.
Earth counters Water, Water counters Fire, Fire counters Wind, Wind counters Lightning, and Lightning counters Earth. That's the most straightforward cycle of advantages.
Of course, once someone's power reached a certain level, these advantages became less obvious.
Gong Yi pondered this explanation.
He had tried using Fire Style to counter Kazama Heitetsu's Wind Style, but his opponent had broken through it directly. The gap between them must have been too great.
After explaining the cycle, Iga Kawaji suddenly brought up another point.
"Chakra is the foundation, and Ninjutsu proficiency is key. But a Ninjutsu's power also depends on changes in form and changes in nature!"
Iga Kawaji suddenly looked at Gong Yi. "Your Earth Style Ninjutsu are crude. All low-level Ninjutsu involve some degree of change in form. They just haven't been developed deeply enough to reach their unique limits. You've overlooked that!"
Gong Yi was taken aback. So that was it!
The captain had been right.
To reduce his Chakra consumption, he had saved the Chakra needed for changes in form in most of his low-level Ninjutsu.
His Earth Style Wall, for example, was just a lump of very sturdy earth.
His Rock Pillar Spear was also different from the usual version.
Iga Kawaji advised him, "By mastering a large number of low-level Ninjutsu, you can get familiar with the most basic changes in form. Once you reach that level, you can try to master more advanced changes in form. Gong Yi, your strength should already be beyond Chunin level and close to Jonin level. If you want to get stronger, you should try going down this path!"
Three days had passed since Iga Kawaji's lesson.
Over those three days, Gong Yi had been researching changes in form.
Whenever he thought about changes in form, he remembered the Rasengan.
It was one of the most famous Ninjutsu in the Naruto world, a natureless technique that didn't require Hand Seals!
In Gong Yi's view, the Rasengan was practically a cheat. It could even grow stronger.
Now that he had remembered the Rasengan, Gong Yi began to consider how much it could improve his own strength.
"Once I get the Eight Inner Gates, my Taijutsu will make a huge leap forward. But improving my physical strength won't happen overnight. It'll take time."
"As for Ninjutsu, low-level techniques can only help me distract and restrain enemies. I need a powerful technique that can finish a fight in one blow!"
"If I can combine the Rasengan with my Taijutsu, it'll be even more powerful than the version Naruto Uzumaki uses!"
At the thought, Gong Yi began to feel tempted.
Advanced Ninjutsu were actually hard to learn. Most could only be obtained as rewards from the village after completing high-difficulty missions.
That was how Gong Yi had obtained the Eight Inner Gates!
But high-difficulty missions were risky, and there weren't many of them to begin with. They were practically impossible to come by.
The Rasengan was different.
It was difficult to learn, but there were clear steps to follow.
Anyone with a little talent could master it quickly!
According to the records, the Fourth Hokage spent three years developing and mastering the Rasengan.
But people like Jiraiya, Kakashi, and Naruto Uzumaki learned it in far less time.
Gong Yi knew how to train for it. His talent wasn't especially high, but with the Scholar System's help, he figured it wouldn't take him long.
Ding!
Research Project: Master changes in Ninjutsu form!
Changes in Ninjutsu form: Every Ninjutsu has a form. Develop and master the changes in form of at least two Ninjutsu!
Reward: 100 Scholar Points!
Hearing that familiar voice, Gong Yi couldn't help feeling delighted.
It seemed upgrading his Scholar rank had been the right choice.
At Scholar rank one, there had been too many restrictions.
He could only have three Scholar Skills, and the system could support only one ongoing research project. It also offered very few tasks.
But after reaching rank two, he could have five Scholar Skills, and the system could support two or more research projects at once.
He had only upgraded not long ago, and already three research projects had appeared in a row.
Analyze the Eight Inner Gates!
Master the Eight Inner Gates!
Develop and master the changes in form of at least two Ninjutsu!
"If I complete all of them, I'll get 200 Scholar Points altogether. That'll be enough to upgrade one Scholar Skill!"
Gong Yi murmured to himself, suddenly full of motivation.
Before you continue