The Naka River is a stream that flows through the outskirts of Konoha.
In the overall scale of the Naruto world, grand natural water systems are rare; if you see a truly spectacular waterfall, it's usually the result of some BUG-level ninja using a BUG-level jutsu. The Naka River, by comparison, is a perfectly ordinary river.
However, its ordinariness carries a hint of specialty—not because the water is particularly sweet, but because of the specific neighborhood it hugs. The Naka River winds around the Uchiha clan compound as it flows through the village.
Due to the Uchiha's unique position in Konoha—shaped by the policies of the Second Hokage and the clan's own isolationist tendencies—the entire clan lives clustered together. This physical separation is perhaps one of the external reasons why the clan has never fully integrated into the village.
Whether civilian or shinobi, anyone not of the Uchiha bloodline generally avoids this area. It even carries an air of "extraterritoriality." Konoha villagers look at the Uchiha with a touch of wariness, and the Uchiha feel a reciprocal disconnect. For now, the pressure of the Great War keeps these internal frictions suppressed in favor of unity, but the tension is there, simmering under the surface.
The Naka River is also home to the famous Naka Shrine. Generally, this region is Uchiha territory, and you rarely see other ninjas active here... with the exception of students like Kamishiro Ui.
Ui didn't come here for any political reason. He simply wanted a training spot that was sparsely populated but had an abundant supply of water.
Currently, Ui is sitting cross-legged on the riverbank. His right elbow rests on his knee, his chin propped up by his palm. His left hand is held before his face. His ring finger, pinky, and thumb are curled in, while his index and middle fingers are extended, sandwiching a piece of chakra induction paper.
He stares at the paper with an expression of intense, silent concentration. He isn't moving, but he looks as though he is exerting a massive amount of internal effort.
The paper slowly begins to turn damp.
It confirms he has an affinity for Water Release, but the result only makes him shake his head in frustration. He has begun his Water Nature transformation training and can successfully convert his chakra, but he has only solved the problem of "existence." To actually use Water Style ninjutsu, this is nowhere near enough.
To use Water Style effectively, a ninja needs three things: the attribute itself, the ability to convert a massive amount of chakra into that attribute instantly, and finally, the hand signs. The more powerful the jutsu, the higher the requirement for conversion efficiency. Ui is still a long way from being able to generate a flood on demand.
Thinking of his Lightning and Fire styles—Lightning was refined through effort, but Fire was innate. Using Fire Style for him was as natural as breathing, a "talent" that required no foundational struggle. He had never truly experienced the grueling process of building an elemental attribute from scratch. For Fire or Lightning, he just needs a thought. For Water? He's still stuck at the "damp paper" stage.
He had specific reasons for prioritizing Water among the remaining three elements:
1. Versatility: Water Style offers a balanced mix of offense and defense—sometimes reaching high-tier levels in both.
2. The "Inheritance": During a certain "meaningful activity" he and Kushina planned (the raid on the Forbidden Scroll or similar archives), he had acquired a wealth of Water Style jutsus. This included high-level techniques used by the Second Hokage, the man legendary for his mastery over water.
It felt like a waste to have a library of high-level spells and no mana to cast them. But Nature Transformation must be built brick by brick. It's a process of accumulation, seeking the moment where quantitative change triggers... a bigger quantitative change. Even for a genius like Ui, this takes time.
Understanding the logic didn't make the slow pace any less annoying. For someone used to high-speed growth, this sluggish crawl was depressing.
"Nature Transformation training? Water attribute?"
A voice suddenly popped up from behind him. Without even turning around, Ui knew exactly who it was.
"Jiraiya-oji-san."
It was indeed Jiraiya.
Though Ui greeted him with a casual sigh, he was internally surprised. Why was the Sage here? Following him? Unlikely—Ui's gender was quite clear, after all. Was there a bathhouse nearby? An Uchiha bathhouse?
Ui forced himself to think of a more professional reason.
In reality, Jiraiya was about to leave Konoha. He was heading to a rendezvous point to meet his squad before returning to the front lines against the Hidden Cloud. He just happened to spot Ui on his way out and decided to say hello.
As the commander of the village's most critical front, Jiraiya couldn't stay in the village for long, even with the Hokage's important discussions. The current peace was just the eye of the storm. Every nation was shuffling its forces. Once the redeployments were finished, the next clash would likely be catastrophic.
"Water Style training... are there any shortcuts?" Ui suddenly remembered that Jiraiya was a master of multiple elements. Maybe he had a trick up his sleeve.
He looked up with expectant eyes. Jiraiya was one of the few ninjas in this era who had mastered almost every elemental transformation (except Lightning). Back in the day, he was called a "loser," but it seems the "losers" of that generation were actually the real monsters. The world's method of judging potential was clearly flawed.
Jiraiya paused, thinking for a moment. Then, he spoke:
"There aren't any..."
"And even if there were, I wouldn't tell you..."
Was this his revenge for the tree-peeping incident? Ui wondered.