Time passed.
The temperature in the classroom gradually rose.
"By ending the Warring States period and establishing the hidden villages, the Senju clan brought monumental change to the shinobi world…"
Iruka Umino continued his lecture with undiminished enthusiasm.
Neither the sweltering heat nor the dismal sight of his disengaged students could deter his dedication to teaching.
Well, almost undeterred.
As he spoke, Iruka discreetly scanned the room.
Snacking, playing with a dog, sleeping, sneaking glances at classmates, sulking, daydreaming, face-planted on desks, fiddling with bugs…
A spectrum of distractions.
Even Sakura Haruno—usually a model student—kept glancing distractedly at Sasuke, lost in who-knows-what thoughts.
Exhausting.
In stark contrast, the only one seemingly paying attention was Hikari, sitting perfectly still in her seat.
At least, that's how it appeared.
"Even if there's just one student listening, I'll keep teaching!"
Iruka steeled himself and pressed on, lecturing for his lone "attentive" pupil.
---
Too noisy.
Hikari pressed her lips together in irritation.
Zzzzt—
A thin layer of bone sealed her ear canals, muting the droning from the front of the room.
Focus.
Her research into chakra nature demanded concentration.
The sound of flowing water filled her mind.
Through her Byakugan, she mapped the internal structure of Water Release chakra, imprinting every detail into her consciousness.
After gaining the Three-Tails' hydrokinetic abilities, she'd prioritized combat applications—honing control and developing techniques—while evading Kirigakure's hunters.
Survival had left no room for theory.
Now, examining it closely, she realized Water Release chakra was merely a simulation.
Mimicry was chakra's foundational trait.
All clone techniques, transformation techniques, and substitution techniques stemmed from this principle.
- Clone Technique: Creating illusory duplicates with chakra.
- Transformation Technique: Reshaping one's body into another form.
- Substitution Technique: Applying transformation to external objects (like swapping with a log) to evade attacks.
When she'd disguised the Hyūga branch family corpses as carp, she'd essentially reversed the substitution principle.
Different techniques, same core mechanics.
The hand seals were nearly identical; the difficulty, comparable.
Water Release nature transformation, then, was just chakra emulating water's fluidity—its "nature" mattered more than the element itself.
Flow, not water, was the essence.
Drip.
A thought struck her.
She isolated a droplet from the hovering water and let it fall onto her desk. Dipping her finger in, she drew a line across the wood.
Observing closely, she watched as the moisture evaporated under the heat.
The Water Release chakra resisted briefly before thinning, dispersing into mist that lingered in the air.
Chakra-simulated water doesn't vanish?
Creation from nothing?
Her curiosity flared.
Before, survival left no time for study.
Now, finally settled, she could dissect chakra's true mechanics.
Abandoning conservation, she generated water purely from her own chakra, tracking every particle's movement—
---
Time blurred.
Bells rang, marking the cycle of classes.
Naruto noticed Hikari's unmoving focus, the water swirling perpetually in her palm. Unsure what she was doing, he stayed quiet—even skipping lunch invites to avoid disturbing her.
Shikamaru, Choji, and Ino took the hint, joining Naruto on the rooftop with their bento boxes.
Eating under the open sky?
Now this is living.
Sasuke, meanwhile, used class time to draft yet another challenge letter. He slapped it onto Hikari's desk and strode off without a word.
No way I'm teaching her Uchiha Fire Release.
But if I keep throwing these at her, she'll snap and fight me eventually.
Sakura watched the exchange, her stomach twisting.
The moment Sasuke left for lunch, she swiped the letter from Hikari's desk, shredded it, and dumped the pieces in the trash.
Nearby, Ino and Hinata ate together in silence, both too preoccupied to taste their food.
Shino, the quiet bug-user, sat alone.
Gathering courage, he approached Hikari—only for his whispered invitation to meet her bone-sealed ears.
His hopeful gaze dimmed.
Slumping, he retreated to his seat, lunchbox in hand, embracing solitude.
---
Hikari noticed none of this.
As her observations deepened, clarity emerged.
She couldn't speak for other chakra natures, but Water Release wasn't water—it was chakra mimicking water.
It inherited water's fluidity but also its volatility.
Nature transformation was specialization.
Neutral chakra, forced into extremes:
- Fire: Combustion, explosion.
- Lightning: Penetration, paralysis.
- Wind: Cutting, agility.
- Water: Flow, pressure.
- Earth: Solidity, weight.
- Yin/Yang: Mind, body.
Seven core natures, at least twelve transformations.
Kekkei Genkai fused two natures, combining four transformations.
Kekkei Tōta (three natures) and Kekkei Mōra (all seven) scaled exponentially in complexity.
Hikari licked her lips.
From "nothing" to "something," then "everything."
Illogical chakra, logical progression.
Dispelling the water, she exhaled.
Her theories needed testing, but the framework was clear.
Water Release had already solved her first hurdle with Wind Release:
How to generate wind?
Master the nature, and the form follows.
Now, the second challenge:
How to embody Wind's cutting and agility?
She scratched her head.
Back to square one.
No teacher meant relying on raw talent.
Hikari's eyes sharpened.
Byakugan— Kai!