Time quietly slipped by amid Sunagakure's wind and sand. Shaye had been enrolled for half a year already. To him, the Ninja Academy's courses still brought more pain and torment than enjoyment. He was always at the bottom in physical training, and his shuriken throws were weak and crooked due to his lack of arm strength. The only thing worth praising was his academic performance—his photographic memory and powerful comprehension left him far ahead in theoretical knowledge.
Yet his chakra training had fallen into a strange deadlock. He was no longer the child incapable of blending energies; in class, he could steadily and skillfully extract chakra. However, the amount... was still minuscule, like a dying candle in the wind. It was so faint that he could barely sense its existence, and maintaining the most basic chakra extraction practice was already its limit. It was nowhere near enough to support any substantial ninjutsu training.
His body, that barren land, could provide far too little "physical energy," severely limiting his potential. Still, these six months of training had not been without benefit. His already formidable mental control had become even more refined and precise through his daily attempts to "squeeze out" and refine that meager chakra. His chakra control was probably far superior to those classmates whose chakra reserves greatly exceeded his own.
One day, Shaliu returned home unusually early. Seeing his son's little face looking somewhat gloomy after failing yet another physical fitness test, he fell silent for a moment before suddenly saying, "Shaye, you have been training your chakra for some time now. Today, I'll help you test your chakra affinities."
"Chakra affinities?" Shaye looked up, curiosity flashing in his eyes. He had learned in theory class that chakra possessed fundamental affinities, which formed the basis for learning corresponding nature transformations.
"Mm." Shaliu nodded and carefully removed a special chakra test paper from an old locked chest at home. The paper looked precious, its edges already yellowed. "Focus your chakra and pour it into this paper. Remember, don't overexert yourself. Just a thread will do."
Shaye solemnly accepted the test paper and held his breath. He focused all his attention on his fingertips, guiding that faint yet incomparably obedient thread of chakra into it with utmost care.
The next moment, the chakra test paper changed.
The middle section of the paper suddenly became damp and softened, as though it had been soaked in water. Yet upon closer inspection, it resembled the moistness of earth more than anything else. At nearly the same time, the paper's edges abruptly dried and wrinkled. Then, with a soft hiss, an extremely fine yet exceptionally clear cut appeared!
"This is..." Shaliu's pupils contracted slightly, and an expression of confirmation appeared on his face. "Earth affinity... and wind affinity! As expected, dual affinities!"
Earth represented the land—solid, heavy, defensive.
Wind represented airflow—sharp, swift, cutting.
These two seemingly opposing affinities had appeared together within his son.
Shaye watched the changes in the test paper, realization gleaming in his dark eyes. So this was the fundamental nature of his chakra.
"Possessing affinities is only the first step." Shaliu put away the test paper, his tone grave. "To perform the corresponding nature transformations, you need to learn complex hand seals and make chakra circulate in specific ways. More importantly... you need enough chakra to support it." He glanced at his son, the implication obvious—with Shaye's current chakra reserves, he was still far from being able to perform even the most basic nature transformation.
But Shaye was not discouraged. Knowing the direction was better than blindly feeling his way forward.
"Father, does our home... have any training materials on those two affinities?" Shaye asked. He knew that his father had once been an official member of the Puppet Corps before transferring to logistics. There might be some things left at home.
Shaliu hesitated, but ultimately nodded. He rose and walked to the deepest part of the room, moving aside an old cabinet to reveal a concealed compartment in the wall behind it. When he opened it, several dust-covered scrolls lay inside.
"These are some basic Wind Release and Earth Release training notes I used in the past, along with... some puppeteer's notes." Shaliu's voice was somewhat low, as if the memories had brought him back to those earlier days. "You may read them, but remember—do not force yourself to practice, especially in your current condition."
Shaye received those scrolls carefully, as though they were priceless treasures.
In the days that followed, besides completing his schoolwork and "playing" in the Maintenance Unit, Shaye gained another activity—studying the scrolls his father had left behind.
Those scrolls were old, and the writing had become somewhat blurred, but their contents were extremely solid. In particular, they contained detailed discussions and practice techniques regarding the shape transformation of wind-nature chakra and the nature transformation of earth-nature chakra. Shaye became utterly absorbed in them. Though he could not put them into practice, his theoretical knowledge accumulated at a rapid pace.
One evening, while reading a scroll analyzing the structure of Earth Release: Earth-Style Wall, he noticed that its scroll rod seemed thicker than usual. Curious, he squeezed it and discovered that it was hollow! He carefully opened the seal at one end and poured out a smaller, more weathered parchment scroll.
When he unfolded the parchment, the handwriting on it proved even more ancient, seemingly a set of research manuscripts. The opening mentioned concepts such as "magnetic force," "Iron Sand," and "particle manipulation." What followed were complicated conjectures, formulas, and records of failed attempts. One name appeared repeatedly throughout them—"Second Kazekage Shamon"—and his grand concept was called "Hidden Sand's Treasure."
The manuscript also mentioned attempts to combine the nature transformations of wind and earth chakra to create a new Kekkei Genkai capable of manipulating the magnetic force of Iron Sand—Magnet Release! Yet the records showed that the research had encountered an immense bottleneck. It seemed to lack some critical factor and had never succeeded. In the end, it had been classified as an "impractical fantasy," and the materials had been sealed away.
Shaye's heart pounded wildly!
Magnet Release! He had heard of the term in the village. It was an immensely powerful Kekkei Genkai and the pride of Sunagakure! So its origins could actually be traced back to the Second Kazekage, Shamon! And his father had secretly preserved these early research materials?
A thought flashed through his mind like lightning: his father Shaliu bore the surname Sunna, different from the surnames of the Kazekages throughout the generations, but the Second Kazekage was renowned for developing ninjutsu—especially Sand Release and the concept of Magnet Release... His father had such secret research manuscripts hidden at home... Elder Chiyo's special care for his father...
When all of it was connected, it pointed to a startling possibility—his father Shaliu was very likely a descendant of the Second Kazekage Shamon's clan! Perhaps only from a distant branch with diluted blood, unable to inherit Magnet Release, but still preserving the unfinished research dream of his ancestor!
Perhaps Elder Chiyo had tacitly permitted, or even hinted that, his father preserve this manuscript out of regard for the deceased Second Kazekage and their distant kinship? That also explained why his father, merely a Chunin, could hold a position such as head of the Logistics Unit.
Overwhelming excitement enveloped Shaye. This was not merely a precious set of research materials—it had also shown him a unique path that might allow him to break free from his body's limitations!
Though the manuscript recorded failed research, to Shaye, who possessed knowledge of physics from his previous life and powerful analytical abilities, these records of failure were precisely the most valuable treasure! They showed him which paths led nowhere, while the remaining possibilities were worth exploring through an entirely new perspective!
His body was weak, and his chakra reserves were small?
If... he could master this technique of manipulating the magnetic force of Iron Sand, could he use a tiny amount of chakra to leverage immense power? Just like the principle of a lever?
He stared at the complicated conjectures and formulas on the manuscript, unprecedented fire burning in his eyes.
Perhaps this path, begun by the Second Kazekage and then interrupted, would be continued by him—a soul from another world—in a different way!
(End of chapter)
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