Chapter no.33 Foundations of Chakra Control

Read advance chapters (+ 30 ) of all my works or want to support me .

https://www.p.a.t.r.e.on.com/Adamo_Amet

....

Join us on discord

https://discord.gg/h3kDw7ma

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

"Huh, I didn't know you had a hobby like that."

"There's a lot you don't know about me Sakura." Naruto said with a slight smirk, although it didn't reach his eyes, revealing it to be fake. His last statement reminded him that neither of his teammates knew of his Jinchuriki status… and he wasn't looking forward to them inevitably finding out. Since the day they officially became a team, he had thought about the day his biggest secret was revealed to them, and how they'd react. The thought of them looking at him the same way the villagers did… he resisted the urge to cringe and decided to change the subject.

"Ever visited the local flower shop?" Naruto casually asked Sakura, nudging a nearby pebble with his foot.

"You mean Yamanaka Flowers?" Sakura answered, her eyes lighting up as she remembered. "It's owned by Ino's family. My mom often buys her carnations from there."

Naruto glanced at her with an eyebrow cocked, a hint of playful teasing in his eyes. "So, how is your rekindling process going?" he asked, nudging her shoulder slightly.

Sakura paused, looking surprised at Naruto's remark. "Yeah, well..." she started as she scratched her head.

"So, I guess not so good, huh?" Naruto asked, leaning against a nearby tree, his arms crossed in a casual manner.

"Yeah."

Naruto turned back towards his sensei, his bright blue eyes reflecting his thirst for knowledge. "Hey. Before we head out, Kakashi-sensei, could you tell me about the first steps of water and fire manipulation?" he asked, an earnest note in his voice.

Kakashi, who had been absently flipping through his book, looked at him curiously. "Hmm? That's a pretty sudden request. Weren't we agreeing on mastering the basics first before proceeding to more advanced techniques?"

Naruto scratched the back of his head, a sheepish grin playing on his face. "Yeah, you're right, but, you see, I figured if there was something I could work on my own... at home maybe... after your grueling training sessions or post-missions. I've been practicing some chakra control exercises at home and, well, since I can learn all the elements because of my affinity so, I thought it might be a good idea to get a head start while we're still focusing on my taijutsu."

Kakashi's visible eye crinkled in what could be perceived as a smile behind his mask. "Interesting... Are you actually starting to think ahead, Naruto?" He was genuinely impressed. He had continuously emphasized the importance of strategy and foresight during their sparring sessions, hoping to instill some level of caution in the eager blond. Naruto merely chuckled in response, his eyes gleaming with a mix of pride and anticipation.

"Well, water manipulation isn't exactly an at-home exercise - you need a large body of water for that. But fire chakra control exercises can be done practically anywhere," Kakashi explained, reaching into his pouch to pull out a simple leaf. He handed it over to Naruto who stared at it, puzzled.

"Burn the leaf in half using your chakra," Kakashi instructed. "Once you can burn the leaf into two halves without much concentration, you'll have mastered this step of your firw manipulation training."

Naruto's eyebrows shot up, his face alight with an eager, challenging grin. "Is that all? Sounds easy enough."

Kakashi chuckled lightly. "It's trickier than it sounds, Naruto. It takes an average shinobi several years to complete this exercise."

Both Naruto and Sakura looked flabbergasted. "Years?" Sakura stammered, her green eyes wide in disbelief. "How are we supposed to master this in time for the exams?"

Kakashi simply shrugged, a glint of amusement twinkling in his eye. "You don't need to. Mastering the exercise or having the affinity isn't a prerequisite for learning an elemental jutsu."

Sakura's forehead furrowed in thought. "So, what's the advantage of having an affinity then?"

Kakashi leaned against the tree, launching into an explanation. "True, you can learn jutsu without mastering an element or having an affinity. However, without either, the jutsu would take significantly more time and chakra to perform, and its effect would be relatively weak. It'd take about half a decade before you were able to use it at the same level that you could if you had an affinity, and a full decade to master the element. Why waste so much time when you can focus on the element you have a predisposition for? That way, you can use the jutsu effectively as soon as you learn it and master it in less than half the time."

Sakura considered this, then her face twisted into a frown. "Wait, then how can Sasuke use fire jutsu? Doesn't he have a lightning affinity?" she questioned, perplexed.

Kakashi shrugged, the corners of his visible eye crinkling as if in a soft chuckle. "All Uchiha clan members have a predisposition towards the fire element. Sasuke's primary affinity is indeed lightning, but he likely possesses a secondary affinity for fire, albeit a weaker one. It's not uncommon for the stronger affinity to overshadow the secondary one."

His gaze lowered back to his book. "Furthermore, we don't know exactly when he started practicing his fire jutsu. He might have been working on it for much longer than we realize."

Naruto, who had been quietly processing all this new information, finally spoke up, confusion tinging his words. "Then... why bother with these exercises at all? Why can't we just learn jutsu directly?"

Kakashi peered over the edge of his book, regarding Naruto with a thoughtful look. "That's a valid question, Naruto," he admitted. "The exercises are not necessarily about mastering the elements or learning jutsus. They are about gaining control, understanding your own chakra, and learning how to manipulate it. When you have control and understanding, you can learn any jutsu much more quickly and effectively."

Sakura and Naruto exchanged glances. They both seemed to comprehend the gravity of what Kakashi was telling them. It wasn't about rushing through to flashy techniques; it was about laying a strong foundation.

"Training your chakra through these exercises helps you to understand how it flows, how to harness it and manipulate it to serve your will," Kakashi continued. "It's like... building a house. You can't start with the roof; you need a solid foundation first. And, for a shinobi, that foundation is control and understanding of one's own chakra."

Both genin fell silent, reflecting on their sensei's words.