Chapter 139: One-Handed Seals (3k)
Chapter 139: One-Handed Seals (3k)
If you were to ask Itachi about the difference between practicing the Total Concentration Breathing Technique and normal breathing, he would explain it like this: Normal breathing is like eating one mouthful of food at a time to gain sustained energy, while Total Concentration Breathing is like taking a huge bite, providing a brief burst of power.
The difference lies in the fact that mastering Total Concentration Breathing is far more challenging than simply taking a big bite. All you need to do for the latter is open your mouth wide and control your jaw muscles. Total Concentration Breathing, however, involves more than just taking a deep breath.
Practicing this technique is akin to sprint training, where you gradually enhance your explosive power through focused exercises.
On the first day of trying this technique, Itachi didn't feel any difference from his usual breathing. Despite his efforts to concentrate his breathing, he didn't notice any significant changes.
This situation persisted until the fifth day, when a transformation occurred.
"Fire Style: Total Concentration Breathing - Phoenix Flame Flower!"
Itachi, with four kunai clutched in his right hand, focused his chakra onto his palm. In an instant, the kunai were engulfed in flames before he swiftly threw them.
Boom! Boom!
The kunai, enveloped in raging flames, became like fiery comets that struck the ground and detonated, leaving behind small craters.
"A seal-less jutsu? How did you do that, Itachi?" Tobirama couldn't help but ask, his curiosity piqued.
During the practical exam, Tobirama had directly attacked Might Guy by condensing fire in his palm, which could be considered a seal-less ninja technique, as it involved utilizing chakra nature transformation.
However, in reality, Tobirama had merely employed a basic nature transformation technique. The fire he produced was ordinary and lacked any additional effects. Moreover, increasing the chakra to enhance its power was risky as it could easily burn the user.
Using the ninja world's grading standards, Tobirama's technique would barely reach a D-rank, far below the level of the seal-less Phoenix Flame Flower that Itachi had just demonstrated.
"It's not a true seal-less release," Itachi replied. "I merely exploited the Total Concentration Breathing Technique to achieve this effect."
"Typically, condensing chakra in the throat to release a fire jutsu is safer and easier," Itachi continued, "but it can be more dangerous and slower when using the hands..."
The ninja of their world possessed a complex system of chakra pathways and 361 chakra points spread throughout their bodies. However, the difficulty of condensing chakra for nature transformation varied depending on the body part used.
That's why many fire jutsus involved breathing fire from the mouth; using the hands or feet was not only inefficient but also risky for the user.
Different nature transformations also varied in their methods. For instance, lightning release and fire release were dissimilar in this regard. Many lightning jutsus involved condensing chakra in the hands or arms before releasing them.
"The Fire Style: Total Concentration Breathing Technique helps address the speed issue with nature transformation," Itachi explained. "Additionally, by reducing the number of shuriken, I can decrease the total amount of fire needed. And lastly, I actually formed a seal with my left hand." Itachi showed his left hand to Tobirama, revealing that he had formed a single-handed seal.
The essence of seal-making is to guide ninjutsu, and by combining this technique with the weakening effect of the Fire Style: Total Concentration, Itachi barely managed to pull off a single-handed seal release of the Phoenix Flame Flower.
"You can even form seals with one hand?!" Tobirama exclaimed, astonished.
Smack!
Mu Yue gave Tobirama a light tap on the head with two fingers.
"Looks like you forgot what I taught you," Mu Yue said, gently ruffling Tobirama's hair.
"The essence of seal-making is to guide the release of ninjutsu," Mu Yue reminded him. "If you understand ninjutsu well enough, you can not only form seals with one hand but also reduce the number of seals or even release seal-less jutsu."
Tobirama's memory was jogged by Mu Yue's words, and he recalled some related memories.
Vaguely, he remembered Mu Yue mentioning single-handed seals and simplified seals. She had even demonstrated the difference between a fully-formed seal and a single-seal variation of the Fire Style: Dragon Fire.
That day, Tobirama had eagerly tried to replicate what he had seen, but instead of achieving faster results, his ninjutsu failed to release at all.
After several days of unsuccessful attempts, Tobirama gave up, deciding to focus on his regular training. After all, he hadn't heard of any strong ninja who had become famous for their single-handed seals.
"Hehe, I just wanted to test if Itachi still remembered the lessons you taught us, Mu Yue," Tobirama said cheekily.
Itachi: ...
"It's a good idea," Mu Yue acknowledged. "While the power and range are reduced compared to a normally released Phoenix Flame Flower, the speed of release is much faster, and at close range, it could have unexpected effects."
If someone were to lunge at Itachi with a knife, believing he wouldn't have time to release a ninjutsu, Itachi could surprise them with a swift single-handed seal fire jutsu, which would be challenging to dodge.
"Mu Yue-sensei, can you teach me how to form single-handed seals too?" Tobirama asked eagerly, his eyes shining with anticipation. He wanted to be able to release the Phoenix Flame Flower with a single hand, just like Itachi.
Tobirama imagined how cool it would look in battle.
He would casually draw out four kunai, and before his enemies could react, he would form a single-handed seal and throw the kunai, enveloped in flames. The enemies would be pierced and blown to smithereens by the fiery kunai, while he nonchalantly turned away, hands in his pockets.
"If she witnessed such a cool scene, Rin would definitely look at me with admiration and say, 'Tobirama, you're amazing!'" Tobirama fantasized.
However, single-handed seals do have their advantages in real combat. If you're wearing a long robe, you can easily hide the hand forming the seals and secretly cast ninjutsu.
It may sound a bit underhanded, but it's extremely practical in battle. If your opponent can't see your hand seals, even if they sense your intention to cast a ninjutsu, they won't know which one you're using.
Experienced and powerful shinobi can often identify the type of ninjutsu being used just by observing the hand seals. Different attributes of ninjutsu have corresponding characteristics in their seals. For example, the last seal for fire-style jutsu is usually the Tiger seal.
"Mmm, I'll practice more." Obito nodded eagerly like a little chick pecking at rice.
"Kakashi, can you share your results and experiences with us?" Obito then turned to Kakashi.
"I don't have any successful experiences because I forgot what Teacher Mu Yue taught us," Kakashi replied.
"Huh?" Obito exclaimed, then remembered what he had just said. "Oh, right! I forgot, Kakashi, how could you forget? You used it just now." He quickly admitted his mistake.
Kakashi was just joking, and seeing the expectant look on his teammate's face, he certainly wasn't going to refuse.
"To break through with hand seals, practicing ninjutsu is essential. Also, your current level is insufficient, so you'll need to supplement it with breathing techniques. Try to practice both simultaneously," Mu Yue instructed.
And so, Obito began his journey into the world of single-handed seals.
His first attempt was a bit embarrassing. Obito managed to form the seals with one hand, but when he threw the shuriken, they didn't ignite.
Obito and Kakashi asked for advice from their more experienced teammates.
Looking at the scattered shuriken on the ground, Kakashi fell silent. He had encountered a knowledge blind spot; this situation was new to him.
At that moment, he wondered why someone would throw the Phoenix Flame Flower Claw shuriken without setting them ablaze first. Usually, you would ignite the shuriken before throwing them.
Kakashi pondered for a long time but still couldn't figure out where the mistake was made. Finally, he said, "Obito, why don't you try practicing with both hands to get a feel for it before moving on to single-handed seals?"
"Good idea!" Obito thought it was a great suggestion.
Naturally, forming the seals with both hands was much smoother, and he successfully performed the ninjutsu, sending over a dozen flaming shuriken crashing to the ground.
Obito tried to recreate the memory of the dual-handed seals in his mind and attempted to perform the single-handed version again.
The second attempt at casting the ninjutsu with a single-handed seal was more successful. This time, the shuriken ignited, but the fire also engulfed Obito's hand, nearly burning himself.
"Haha, I kept thinking about how you used your hand, Kakashi, so I forgot the steps," Obito laughed as he explained.
Kakashi seemed to have discovered the reason why Obito couldn't quite master the single-handed seals.
"Single-handed seals are more challenging than dual-handed seals. They require greater concentration, so don't let your mind wander," Mu Yue reminded them.
Naturally, doing something with one hand that is typically done with two will be more difficult.
After two hours, Obito had become more adept at gathering chakra in his palm, but he still hadn't successfully performed the single-handed seals.
After their training session, everyone headed home. Well, everyone except Kakashi, who went back to his place first but soon met up with the others in the Southern Forest.
Kakashi changed his shoes at the entrance and walked into his house. He poured himself a glass of water.
He didn't have the habit of announcing his return because there was no one to respond to anyway. He lived alone.
Kakashi glanced at the calendar on the wall and realized it was already October 18th.
His birthday was on the 19th of October, which happened to be the very next day.
However, Kakashi didn't plan to celebrate his birthday. The only person who knew about it was his uncle, who had recently left on a mission and wouldn't be back in time for it.
He also didn't want to bother Mu Yue and the others by telling them about his birthday. He believed that Mu Yue would help him celebrate if she knew, but Kakashi didn't want to trouble her with such a small matter.
Mu Yue was already very busy. She taught at the Ninja Academy all day, took time in the morning and noon to instruct them, and then rushed off to the Southern Forest after school. Lately, she had even been injured while forging ninja tools in the evenings.
Seeing how busy Mu Yue was, Kakashi felt it would be inappropriate to bother her with something as trivial as his birthday. Celebrating it wouldn't make him any stronger, and it wouldn't benefit either of them.
"It's just another year older," Kakashi said, sitting in the courtyard and gazing at the moon in the night sky.
After some random thoughts, Kakashi finally decided to practice ninjutsu.
Perhaps due to his distracted state of mind, two of the four shuriken he threw failed to ignite.
"So that's how it is..." Kakashi began to understand why Obito had failed earlier that day.
Meanwhile, Mu Yue had gathered all her disciples except Kakashi.
"Do you know what day it is tomorrow?" she asked them.
(End of Chapter)
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