Shota looked up at Spider, who stood a few steps away with his arms crossed.
"Why did you not tell me about this before?" Shota asked.
Spider tilted his head slightly. And he understood that Shota felt angery at not being told something this significant.
If he had known about advanced nature manipulation earlier, everything would have been different. He could have started training in it months ago. More than that, he could have prepared for the possibility that his enemies using it.
He had encouraged Root shinobi to fight him head-on during his Konoha visit. He had relied on his Erasure to shut down their jutsus and on his own raw power to finish them. If those Root operatives had used advanced principles instead of just basic clan jutsus, he would have ended up dead. The thought made Shota's stomach twist.
Spider spoke in a steady tone. "We wanted to help build your foundation first. Advanced nature manipulation is a closely guarded secret among all jonin in all villages. It is not something taught to every genin or chunin right away. When it is believed that a chunin is truly ready to take the next step toward jonin level, then we help teach them this knowledge. You are still young, Shota. We did not want to overload you with concepts that require a strong base of control and experience."
Shota wiped more blood from his cheek. He understood the logic, but it did not ease the frustration. "I could have died because I did not know."
"You did not die," Spider replied. "And now you know. That is what matters."
He stepped closer and crouched down so they were at eye level. "Aside from enhancing B and C ranked jutsus, getting a better understanding of your chakra nature is also a requirement for learning A rank jutsus."
Shota nodded slowly. He remembered the scrolls. "You should have gotten several jutsu scrolls of A rank from various elders as offers, right?"
"Yes," Shota said. "More than a few. They came with polite notes saying the techniques would suit my talents."
Spider gave a small, knowing smile. "But I am sure that you could not learn them. All of those jutsus required advanced principles about the chakra nature the jutsu belongs to. The elders would not have given those principles to you in the scroll itself. They likely wanted you to fail on your own. Then you would come back to them for help. They would gain favor with the prodigy of Suna by being the ones to guide you."
Shota clenched his jaw. It made sense now. He had tried one of those A rank fire scrolls. The hand signs worked, the chakra flowed, but the technique fizzled or exploded weakly. He had blamed his own lack of power or control. Now he saw the truth. The scrolls were incomplete on purpose.
"So this understanding of chakra nature can just be passed on, and my jutsu would just become stronger?" Shota asked. He just has to know a few things about the jutsu from someone else and he would be able to learn the jutsu? The idea sounded quite easy, almost too good to be true.
Spider laughed."Oh no, it is a way more complicated process than that. Understanding can be passed, yes. But you have to believe in that understanding. You have to truly grasp it in your mind and in your body. Then you have to find a way to incorporate those principles into your jutsu. You also need the talent to do so. Not many shinobi can manage it. That is why there are so few jonin compared to the large number of chunin. Most reach a certain level and stop growing because they cannot take that final step."
Shota listened carefully.
Spider stood up again. He paced a few steps as he continued. "You remember why the Third Raikage's lightning cloak gave him so much speed, power, and defense at the same time? It is because he had used multiple principles of lightning release and integrated them all into a single jutsu."
"The Raikage clan has a very good natural affinity with lightning. That helped them a little but they have also been given the knowledge of those principles from before the era of shinobi villages even existed. That is why no other village has been able to replicate it, even if they get their hands on descriptions of the chakra principles. I bet Konoha's Professor could tell you exactly what all the principles the Raikage is using. But he would not be able to do the same himself because he would not be able to incorporate them together into one seamless jutsu."
"Similarly," Spider went on, "in Kiri, their strong water release users need to learn more about water and its principles if they aim to create water with their jutsus. Otherwise they can still do it, but it takes a lot of chakra to form water from nothing."
Spider stopped pacing and looked directly at Shota. "Now that I have shown you a demonstration and explained the basics, it is time for you to start learning. It is better for you to learn and find the principles on your own. That way you will believe in what you find and discover. That belief will let you incorporate them into your jutsu naturally. If I just hand you a list, it will feel like borrowed knowledge. You will struggle to make it truly yours."
With those words, Spider turned and walked away.
Shota stayed seated for a long time.
'Now what should I start with? Wind or fire?' Shota thought. He weighed the options.
"Fire sounds more easier," Shota mumbled to himself.
'I should try to make my flames hotter,' he thought. 'So in my past life, the principle that makes a fire hotter, rather than just larger, is increasing the rate of combustion. That means rapid oxidation. It happens by optimizing the supply of oxygen and reducing heat loss.'
He mumbled the words out loud as he paced. "Now how do I incorporate it into a jutsu and train for it?"
--------Author Notes---------
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