=3rd Person POV=
In a quaint little backyard of a Nara household stand two humanoid silhouettes, with the backdrop of the sun behind them. One is a child with short, spiky black hair; the other, a tall woman with shoulder-length ebony hair.
The child is seen fidgeting impatiently, while the woman waits for the sun to set. This odd pair is our protagonist, Ashira Nara, and his mother, Yasuka Nara.
=Ashira POV=
My first thought upon being called out back right after Mother got home from work was that I'm somehow in trouble. My second thought was coming up with any excuses to get out of whatever punishment I'm about to receive, leading to a bunch of made-up scenarios with contingencies upon contingencies. My current thought is: why the heck is Mom waiting for the sun to set, and why are we just standing here doing nothing?
We stand in silence as fifteen agonizing minutes pass before nightfall, and the last bit of light disappears beneath the earth. Mother claps, bringing back my attention before saying, "All right, Ashira, it's time for you to learn the time-honored tradition of our clan. Usually, I would be teaching you this after you turn seven, but since you are a bit more special than a normal child, I believe you are ready."
Looking up at her in curiosity, I ask, "Is this what I think it is? And if it is, why do we have to wait for nightfall?"
"Oooh, my boy is so smart!" Mother coos, as she continues, "Yes, it is what you think it is. Like my father before me, and his father before him, I'll be teaching you our clan's Hiden Jutsu—the Shadow Imitation Technique. As for waiting until nightfall, tell me, what do you know about our Hiden?"
Thinking for a moment, I say, "Our technique works by using our shadow as a focus and powering it with Yin chakra. I know that there is a range limit for how far a shadow can stretch, and the further it stretches, the more chakra it takes. Targets can also resist our Hiden with either chakra or willpower. I also know that our technique can't work in complete darkness, which is why I don't understand why we're doing this during the night."
Humming thoughtfully, Mother nods and says, "That is indeed some of the mechanics and nuances of our technique. But let me ask you this: what do you know about Yin-natured chakra? That is what we use to power our Hiden, after all."
"Yin… Yin chakra is mental energy, I think. It is one of the two chakra attributes besides the main five. It's used in most Genjutsu and other techniques that affect perception, like the Yamanaka's Hiden."
"Tutt tutt tutt, wrong!" Mother tuts, crossing her hands in an X shape before continuing, "Well, you're partly right, so I'll give you that. Yin chakra isn't just mental energy—or at least it's not made of pure mental energy. Chakra in general is made by mixing mental and physical energy, like Yin and Yang. Where there is Yin, there will be Yang, for it is the natural rule of our world. There is a theory that mental and physical energy comes from our soul, but we won't get into that for now."
Shaking her head to dismiss what I thought was vital information, she continues, "Yin chakra gives form to the formless. It gives individuality to what it is imbued with. Therefore, it is malleable, but also fragile. Yin chakra needs a focus, a strong imagination, and a powerful will to use, but it can alter our perception of any concept. On a high enough level, it's been theorized that Yin chakra could alter our very reality. Yang, on the other hand, is hard and rigid, but much more tangible and easier to use."
Huffing and puffing slightly, Mother says, "Phew, that was a lot. But what you only need to take away from this is that the key points to using our technique are a vivid imagination, a powerful will, and, lastly, familiarity with the concept of shadows. And that, my son, is why we are here at night. Look around you, my son. Feel the darkness around you. Meditate on it and ask yourself this: what is shadow to you? Then form this hand sign and continue meditating on it." She then shows me the Rat hand sign.
I nod before sitting down, closing my eyes, and feeling the darkness around me. Shadows… shadows are the building blocks of my kekkei genkai, the foundation of my abilities. They are always there when I call upon them, but ironically, I found myself rarely thinking about them, even after one year of awakening the Ten Shadows—or the Nine Shadows, as the elders are calling it. They have always been there, existing, ready to be called upon. Like a heart that keeps beating without conscious thought, shadow to me is like an organ, a limb, a part of me that makes me who I am—something vital that I can't live without. Hardening my resolve, I form the Rat hand sign and feel a portion of chakra leaving me.
"Wow," I hear Mother say as I open my eyes and see the flickering light from a candle flame she's holding. Looking down, I raise my eyebrows in amazement at the sight of my shadow branching out half a meter, forming the shape of a shadow whip.
"The fastest person who has ever learned our techniques this quickly was my great-grandfather, and he was an S-ranker before the concept of bingo books even existed," says my mother with a proud smile on her lips.
Smirking cheekily, I say, "Of course I'm awesome. I have amazing parents, after all," which earns me a gentle head pat from Mother.
Thinking of an idea I need to test, I will my shadow to form a rabbit before calling upon Buttercup, my trusty bunny—both cute and down to throw hands if it comes to it. Shadow liquid rises from the ground before forming a cute snow-white bunny with scarlet irises.
"Neat! So I can summon shadow even if I lose a limb, as long as there's light around, using our Hiden. Probably still need my hands to form them in the dark with no light, though," I mumble, as the fist of judgment descends upon my head in a blur, knocking the light out of me in the process.
"Don't you dare talk about injuring yourself casually…" I hear Mother rant as darkness takes me into slumber.
=3rd Person POV=
~2 years later~
At an ordinary sparring area in the academy, two children are seen fighting each other, surrounded by a gaggle of students cheering and booing. Sounds of shouting reverberate through the air as a young form with spiky black hair and violet irises, wearing a baggy shirt, is seen weaving through a punch before closing in on the attacker's guard and knocking him out with a gut punch. That kid is our protagonist, Ashira Nara.
=Ashira POV=
Holding out my hand, I say, "Here, let me help you up."
"Thanks, that was a good punch," Minato says as I help him up and pat his back in comfort.
"Yosh! That was a good spar, Ashira, Minato. Now offer the seal of reconciliation to each other!" says Jin-sensei. We do as he asks and start walking back to our group.
Calling out to Minato, I say, "You did pretty good there. Also, those stances didn't match any kata taught at the academy."
"Good? I didn't even touch you, man. And yeah, I copied them from this genin guy in a green bodysuit with a bowl cut. He taught me when I was caught spying on him. Though, I don't think it suits me—the style is too aggressive for my taste," says Minato in a tired voice.
"Ah, so it's the Strong Fist style. Yeah, it was created by one of the pure taijutsu maniacs back during the Warring Era. Very aggressive, with little room for weaving hand signs. I think something along the lines of the Inceptor Fist style is more suited to you, since you're quick and have fast reflexes," I advise Minato as gently as possible. I doubt it even matters what style he learns. There's only so much that technique can do to close the gap between our physical parameters. And that's not even with me actively using chakra reinforcement.
A scoff rings out on the right as a child with pale white eyes says, "Why waste your time helping a clanless orphan, Nara? Everyone has their own fate, and it is his to remain a weakling."
Ah, the nameless Hyuga grunt A is still sour from losing to Minato, I see. Smirking mischievously, I say in a dismissive tone, "Who are you again? You white-eyed bastards all look the same to me anyway."
"Teme!!! If it wasn't for this being a pure taijutsu spar, I would've put that bastard and you in the dirt," says the kid before being held back by Hiashi, who says, "Enough, Hiroto. Stop disgracing yourself and the Hyuga clan. And Nara, though it is true I lost to you, know that if I were to use the chakra component of the Gentle Fist, you wouldn't be walking right now."
Shrugging in dismissal, I was about to reply before being interrupted by Jin-sensei. "Nawaki Senju and Fugaku Uchiha, please step forward for the semifinal."
Hushed whispers and excited voices ring out as one of the most anticipated matches in this tournament is about to commence. Nawaki and Fugaku step onto the stage, both with determined faces, before readying into their respective taijutsu stances.
"Who do you think will win?" asks Tsume as I return to my group, with Choza munching on some chips, Shika watching the clouds lazily, and Inoichi looking at me inquisitively.
"Hard to know, to be honest, but I'm putting my money on Fugaku. Nawaki is too easily riled up, and if he's smart, Fugaku could use that to his advantage," I say with some hesitation.
"Ah, psychological warfare. I like your style, Ashira," says Inoichi with something in his tone that sends shivers down my spine.
"You need therapy…" I say, only to be hit with a "Half my clan are therapists" by the resident mind reader.
"3, 2, 1, now!!!" says Jin-sensei as, at the drop of a hat, both fighters sprint forward and lash out with their attacks. A flurry of kicks and punches is exchanged before both fighters separate to regain their breath.
"Is that all you've got, Senju? So much for being the heir of Hashirama if you can't even beat a regular Uchiha," Fugaku says, an arrogant smirk donning his face.
Gritting his teeth, Nawaki is about to yell in response before being rushed by Fugaku, who presses his advantage after catching the Senju off guard. Angry and backed into a corner, Nawaki's patience runs thin as he recklessly dodges a jab to the face, drops his guard, and lifts his leg for a kick. The jab turns out to be a feint, as Fugaku pivots his foot and turns the jab into an elbow strike, slamming right into Nawaki's nose. Credit where it's due, though—Nawaki tanks the elbow hit to the face, staggering a bit before rejoining the fight. But determination alone isn't enough. With a slight concussion from the broken nose, Nawaki is off his game and forced to stay on the defensive. What follows is a grueling ten-minute beatdown as Fugaku dismantles the Senju bit by bit, finally ending it with a gut punch.
Raising my eyebrow in surprise at the heavily breathing figure of Fugaku, I say, "Damn, dude lasted that long after taking a hit straight to the face—those are some impressive stats."
Tsume nods before asking, "Can you do the same? Taking a hit to the head and tanking it for that long, I mean?"
"Probably, but stamina and endurance aren't the only factors—the will to continue fighting also matters," I say, praising Nawaki's unyielding spirit. I would know; Hanabei's beatdowns aren't for the soft-hearted, after all.
After a fifteen-minute break, I am called up with Fugaku for the finale of our bimonthly taijutsu tournament. As I ready myself into the Shadow Fist kata, Fugaku raises his hand and says, "Sensei, I would like to challenge him to an actual spar with nothing held back."
Jin-sensei is about to refuse before I say, "Sure, I'm down if you are."
Looking a bit troubled, Jin-sensei sighs before saying, "If I'm to allow this, you both are not to use edged weapons, and I reserve the right to interfere if any jutsu I deem too dangerous is about to hit."
Both of us nod as Fugaku readies himself and says, "I will hold nothing back. I hope you do the same."
Nodding in return, I promise myself that I won't hold anything back—except my unannounced Kekkei Genkai.
"3, 2, 1, go!" says Jin-sensei, as Fugaku's eyes begin turning red, with one tomoe in each eye. Raising my eyebrows in surprise, I put on my serious game face and start observing him, knowing that the one-tomoe Sharingan can't use instant eye contact genjutsu. Plus, with me being Yin-natured, lower-level genjutsu barely affects me. No, what I'm worried about are the enhanced reflexes and perception that the Sharingan grants.
We stay like this for a minute before rushing at each other.
Fast, I thought, as Fugaku responds to each of my moves despite being significantly slower than me. Sighing in resigned acceptance, my shadow suddenly snakes out from my baggy sleeves. Fugaku raises his hand to block a straight punch but is caught by the shadow. Raising his eyes in surprise due to the lack of handsign, He stops momentarily before flexing his chakra and destroying the shadow. Usually, it would take minutes—perhaps hours—to escape a Nara's shadow. But this neat trick I've picked up skips the handsigns in exchange for weaker binding. It takes exactly one second for Fugaku to disengage, but that one second is all I need to land a gut punch, pushing him back a couple of meters.
Much more cautious now, Fugaku flashes the handsigns for the Great Fireball Jutsu. I respond with my own handsigns for the C-rank Water Bullet Jutsu. The impact from both attacks creates a cloud of steam covering the battle arena.
Fun fact: Did you know the Sharingan can see vague outlines of chakra? Also, did you know that byproducts like steam, made from jutsus, also contain chakra? This means that while my chakra sensing can pick out the large chakra presence that is Fugaku, he can't see my suppressed chakra signature through this chakra-filled fog.
=3rd Person POV=
This is turning out to be even more exciting, thought Fugaku. He had always known Ashira was a monster, but after awakening his Sharingan upon hearing of his favorite cousin's death during a mission, he had regained the confidence to face the giant mountain that is this abnormal Nara.
Ashira was not like an ordinary Nara, this much Fugaku knew. From the calluses on his hands to the occasional bruises spotted on his body, Fugaku knew Ashira trained almost religiously. Yet despite throwing himself into training with a fervor unmatched by any Uchiha child his age, Fugaku had always felt hopeless against this monster in human flesh—until today.
Rushing through the fog, Ashira appears right in front of the Uchiha before engaging in taijutsu combat.
Better prepared this time for the seal-less Shadow Imitation Technique, and with his Sharingan activated, Fugaku tenses his chakra in anticipation as he blocks the flurry of punches and responds with his own. Yet despite waiting—despite being as alert as possible—no shadows come from the Nara.
This feels wrong, Fugaku thinks, before a shiver runs down his spine as he notices, with his Sharingan, a slow buildup of chakra.
Before he can retreat, the apparent Ashira clone bursts with extreme pressure, unleashing a barrel's worth of water and violently pushing him back. Reorienting himself, two more Ashiras appear behind him and hold him down before exploding, sending Fugaku into darkness.
=Ashira POV=
You know what's neat about elemental clones? They can receive chakra remotely if you pump chakra into your connection with them. Though they deform when you're far away, elemental clones are much more useful in close combat than regular clone jutsu.
What I used was a trick taught to me by Hanabei: by overloading an elemental clone with chakra, you can turn them into human kamikaze bombs and send them at your enemies. The downside? It requires a lot of chakra. Seriously, three exploding clones alone cost me a third of my total chakra. This can be mitigated by nature transformation—mixing another nature chakra, like fire into a water clone, to create a steam explosion, for example.
Once I learned this, I begged my father for three days straight to teach me fire transformation, since it's his main element—the same one I inherited from him, alongside water from my mother. He denied my request, surprisingly, saying I shouldn't spread myself too thin, and that I should focus on two or three specialties and master them. Which, honestly, I kind of agree with.
I already have a lot on my plate—from incorporating the new seal-less Nara Hiden into my modified Shadow Fist style, to learning new Water Style jutsu. Not to mention the two new Shikigami I've tamed, making me spoiled for choice.
Overall, with nothing held back, Hanabei said I could probably take down a freshly minted Jōnin, who has no intel on me. Seriously, the Ten Shadows make me one of the most versatile shinobi alive.
Shaking my head out of my musing, I see a downed Fugaku lying in the now fogless battle arena. Looking toward the crowd, I see them all with jaw-slacked, confused expressions—stunned by the display of ninjutsu usually only seen in Genin, and by the mysterious, unknown method I used to take down the Uchiha.
Sighing to myself, I think, This is gonna be a long and insufferable school year, as my fangirls start squealing.
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NOTE: Hello guys, this chap is the longest chap I've written for this fic. Also 10 chapters milestone YAYYYY!!!! Yeah dunno what else to say… but this chap explores some of the mechanic of chakra, and showcase Ashira's progress in an actual fight. Hope yall enjoy this and peace out!!! Also kindly spare this newbie author some stone.
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