Chakra Nature

Back home, Yue flopped onto his bed, replaying everything that had happened that day in his mind.

Then he opened his backpack and laid out his haul before him.

He could try practicing this Binding Jutsu. It might prove useful in battle.

Besides experiencing it firsthand, he remembered Orochimaru seeming to have used it when he first encountered Sasuke's team.

But the same jutsu could produce different results in different hands.

D-rank jutsu did not demand much Chakra. The only things he needed to overcome were hand seal speed and Chakra responsiveness.

"As for this curse mark..." Yue carefully examined the scroll. This curse mark technique was not meant solely for the three of them. With the intention of training troops, once Grass Seed turned those bandits into underground shinobi, it would use the mark on them as well to keep them under control.

That explained why the cave had contained those scrolls and materials. Some of the scrolls had been intended for training shinobi forces later on.

This curse mark was relatively low-level, but it was more than sufficient for Grass Seed.

Curse marks differed from ordinary jutsu in the fine control of Chakra required to cast them. Moreover, because this Heart Curse Mark was not high-ranked, it imposed certain conditions on its target. The target could not possess overly strong resistance; ideally, they had to be weakened, and their strength had to be below that of the caster.

Of course, once the caster died, the curse mark would be broken.

"Heart Curse Mark... later on, people from Kirigakure—Madara Uchiha, that is—seemed to have used one on Rin Nohara. I wonder if it was the same kind."

Yue pondered in secret.

Speaking of Madara... his heart tightened.

That old bastard was still alive... and, strictly speaking, he was hiding within the Land of Grass.

Kannabi Bridge lay northwest of Kusagakure, close to the Land of Earth.

Yet the old fools in the village were fighting tooth and nail over their own little patch of rotten ground, completely unaware that the famed Madara Uchiha was hiding right beneath their noses. Of course, even if they knew, it probably would not do much good.

Even the entirety of Kusagakure could not possibly be Madara's match.

Just look at the state Kirigakure was in.

Still, notifying Konoha might lead to something.

Putting those thoughts aside, Yue continued reading the other scrolls.

He had selected these jutsu scrolls himself, and most were D-rank and E-rank jutsu. Even if he could not practice some because their Chakra natures did not match his, that did not stop him from studying them and borrowing their strengths. After all, becoming an outstanding shinobi and creating a signature jutsu uniquely one's own was both incredibly difficult and immensely prestigious. To create a jutsu, one needed vast knowledge and experience related to jutsu, combined with one's own abilities... and only after repeated practice could it be born.

The most classic example of this was the Second Hokage, Tobirama.

He had created an astonishing number of jutsu and forbidden techniques.

So even if Yue could not practice these jutsu, that did not diminish their value.

Speaking of which, when Yue had first transmigrated into the world of Naruto, his Chakra nature had been singular, like that of most shinobi.

It had been Wind Release.

For the most part, Chakra natures were inherited.

But after going to Bleach, Yue's Chakra nature had changed, and he now possessed both Wind and Fire natures. He guessed it was because he could cross between two worlds, causing two individuals to merge together on some level.

However, based on his understanding of this world, Chakra nature was merely a shackle binding ordinary people.

It was not absolute.

Since Chakra was produced from the dual energies of the body and spirit, that meant new natures could be created.

For example, in the original tests, Naruto's Chakra nature was wind, Kakashi's was lightning, and Sasuke's was fire. Yet in the databooks, all three of them had practically unlocked every nature, differing only in Yin and Yang. Kakashi, meanwhile, possessed all seven natures. Hiruzen Sarutobi, known as the Professor of Ninjutsu, could use five different types of jutsu.

Of course, the Third Hokage's case was largely due to inheritance. His father, Sasuke Sarutobi, had been the same.

Call it protagonist's luck, talent, or some condition Yue could not understand.

But he was certain of one thing: the bottlenecks involved in cultivating and acquiring Chakra natures should not be too difficult for him.

Orochimaru was another excellent example.

Only shinobi with poor talent and weak strength could not achieve multiple natures.

Therefore, even though he could currently use only Wind and Fire jutsu, Yue did not believe that determined his upper limit.

Besides, if he truly encountered a bottleneck, he could rely on the powers, knowledge, or items from Bleach to overcome it.

"That'll do for now..."

After a while, Yue put everything away.

He would sleep first and worry about the rest later.

Yue had not told his mother about the mission.

There was no point in telling her. It would only make her worry more.

Over the following days, he stayed indoors and devoted himself to studying those jutsu scrolls.

Whenever he had time, he would do some standard ninja tool training in the courtyard.

However, after that incident, Ryuga and Yoshitaka had become much more familiar with him.

They often came to see him. Though the village still forbade the three of them from leaving while it investigated Grass Seed, that did not stop them from taking on daily missions to build up their records.

As a result, Yue became busy as well.

During the day, he helped villagers find lost belongings or pets, or transported goods. At night, he did basic training before reading through scrolls... until, one week later, he finally received word from the village that the restriction had been lifted and he was free to leave the village.

Moreover, a Special Jonin named Shishiro had been specifically assigned as the team leader for the three of them.

A Special Jonin was someone with certain special abilities or who met Jonin standards in a particular area, but whose overall abilities were weaker than those of an ordinary Jonin. Even so, assigning such a person to lead the three of them was unique among this batch of students—a little extravagant.

But after learning from Ryuga that this was likely Grass Flower's arrangement, there was nothing left to be surprised about.

According to Ryuga, after exposing Grass Seed's scheme, the three brats' names had reached the ears of the higher-ups, and they had gained a little fame.

A few days later, the three of them received notice to prepare for their second mission outside the village.

The mission was C-rank.

But before the mission began, Ryuga specifically invited Yue to visit his home.

Yue saw Ryuga's Father again.

There was not much to say. They merely chatted about ordinary matters, while Ryuga's Father expressed his hope that Yue would take good "care" of Ryuga during the mission.

Naturally, Yue understood the implication behind his words.

Gaining the backing of Grass Flower had been part of his plan from the beginning... so he did not refuse.