AN: Note that I do not own Naruto, Naruto Shippuden, or any of the characters from either Anime. This work is a fanfiction written out of my love for the series and not in any attempt to make a profit.
Proofread by: Author and Kyluxia
A bit late with this chapter. I apologize, as it was simply me being lazy after having taken a bit of a break. Plus-side, I've stumbled onto a neat little trick that makes it easier to write more in just one sitting. I admit I was skeptical at first that changing font could do so much for one's writing, but it turned out to be surprisingly effective.
Chapter 34: Barries and formations
Predictably, scouting the mansion using shadow clones and transformations was child's play. Naturally, this could be attributed to the fact that most guards were of civilian origin and couldn't use chakra. There had been one guard sensitive to chakra amongst them that had surprised a Naruto clone, but fortunately, they hadn't been trained or even seemed aware of this ability. Dismissing it as just a bad feeling as the clone had retreated out of range.
The hired Shinobi they had been warned about had been easy to spot and avoid, as they were essentially being used as a glorified bodyguard by the merchant Taki. It was actually a bit funny to observe. The man clearly didn't know how to utilize Shinobi, and the man with a Kusagakure forehead protector obviously didn't care enough to correct the man as to how he should be performing the job. A quick check, in an up-to-date bingo book, provided by Jiraiya, confirmed that the man wasn't a known missing-nin they had to worry about.
In an attempt to see if they could determine if he was under a transformation, or what rank he was, the Haruno twins had tried out their new chakra vision. Unlike the first time, it wasn't uncomfortable to use. There was only a slight fuzzy feeling pressing against the back of their eyes, as every detail seemed to come into sharper focus. Oddly enough, this time they found themselves unable to see any chakra at all. A mystery that was quickly solved after they looked at themselves, and found that they could only see their own chakra. While still useful, it was a big disappointment to them. At least their vision improved while using this new ability. Unable to see the Shinobi's chakra meant they couldn't immediately tell his chakra level and guess his rank based on it, but the twins were at least fairly certain that the man wasn't under a transformation. He'd have to be as good as Naruto was if he turned out to truly be under one.
Reporting their discoveries to Naruto and Jiraiya, they proceeded to plan out how they would handle the mission. While the twins had tried to assess the Shinobi's threat level, Naruto had managed to find the lyre in question. Naruto, being Naruto, had immediately managed to complicate things by deciding to just grab the thing, making their planning moot. While the twins and Jiraiya were a bit annoyed with him, Jiraiya admitted that perhaps the mission was too easy for them, before leaving to make sure Naruto didn't leave any incriminating evidence behind. As well as to leave behind the decoy, which Naruto had forgotten about.
The twins and Naruto passed the time waiting for Jiraiya by reading, and once Jiraiya returned, he was looking at Naruto, kinda funny. Once Naruto noticed, he decided to ask.
"What's that look for?" Naruto asked, only for Jiraiya to shake his head.
"I can't tell if you're trying to pull my chain, or if you really didn't realize what you managed to do," Jiraiya told them, making Naruto and the twins exchange looks in confusion.
"What do you mean?" Sakura asked, intrigued.
"Well, our little knucklehead actually managed to get through a triple-layered barrier seal, that's what! Not only did you get through it without triggering the contingency seals, but you also reactivated it after leaving." Jiraiya explained, only for Naruto's expression to screw up in confusion.
"I didn't do anything like that. Those seals were useless. I just walked through them, grabbed the lyre, and left." Naruto informed them with a shrug, which immediately had Jiraiya facepalming, and Heikō laughing herself silly in the twin's mindscape.
"What made you just think walking into a barrier seal was a good idea?" Sakura asked, wondering how Naruto had determined the seal to be useless.
"Well, I mean, the guy, Taki must have some way to get through it, right? I don't think he knows Fūinjutsu, or even how to use chakra, so how does he enter that place? I had my clones check the seals, and while they're well made, whoever made them was stupid. Instead of using a key or something for Taki to carry around, the seals are keyed to keep out, incapacitate and hurt whoever tries to steal Taki's property. As long as you're not stealing, anyone can get inside, or leave." Naruto explained, deciding to go back to his book as if it explained everything.
"But, you did steal. How did you get around that?" Jiraiya asked, only for Naruto to look at him funny.
"But I didn't. The lyre doesn't belong to Taki. We're not stealing it, we're just taking it back. Since I know I'm not stealing anything, the seals don't mind." Naruto explained, which sent Jiraiya and Heikō laughing, while Sakura smiled in amusement.
"Only you Naruto." She told him, shaking her head, while Naruto looked between Jiraiya and the twins in confusion.
Finishing the mission was the easiest part in the end. Jiraiya had confirmed that there were no clues left behind that could have led back to them or the Shirubānōto family, except for the obvious fact that they would be the only ones to care about the lute if the decoy was discovered to be a fake. Jiraiya had informed their client about it as well, and they had assured him that he didn't need to worry on their behalf. They had already planned on protecting their property better in the future. Not to mention, that they were hoping to throw Taki off their trail anyway before he even realized what had happened if he ever did.
With the mission over, and their client leaving after signing the form to prove that they completed the mission, the twins, Jiraiya and Naruto went back to Inaho Village for their last day planned there. While the twins and Naruto had intended to spend their last day there training and reviewing everything they had learned, Jiraiya sprung one last surprise on them. Informing them that there was going to be a change of patrol from Konoha that day and that there was a high possibility of it being someone they knew. Even if there weren't they would be carrying letters from Konoha, which they'd probably want to get before leaving the village for their next destination. The twins couldn't help but notice how Jiraiya had said "destination", rather than "village".
As they stepped back into Inaho Village, Jiraiya asked them to stay behind, rather than run off and train, or whatever they had planned. After encountering a barrier seal, he thought it was prudent to cover the topic in a bit more detail.
"Alright, what do you two know about barrier seals?" Jiraiya asked them, giving them a moment to think about their answers.
"Well, we know what you told us previously, that barriers require anchors, usually multiple ones, created either by people, or seals," Sakura spoke up, seeing Jiraiya nodding.
"You also mentioned that there are different types of barriers," Naruto added, and Jiraiya continued nodding.
"I don't think there was much else, besides how to tell a barrier seal from a non-barrier seal," Sakura told him, and once more, Jiraiya nodded.
"Indeed. That just about covers what we went over previously. Now, however, I will explain barriers in a bit more detail. As you know, barriers are mostly used to stop something from passing into them or to contain something within them. Many barriers do both. However, what very few realize, is that the barriers themselves act as one big seal in itself. A formation if you will. This is where the importance of anchors come in, their number, and nature. For instance, what do you think is more useful? A barrier constructed using seals, or a barrier constructed using people to anchor it?" Jiraiya asked them.
"It would be one using people, wouldn't it?" Sakura asked, thinking it obvious, only to realize that she was wrong, as Jiraiya smirked.
"A reasonable assumption. In most cases, you would be correct. Humans acting as the foundation for a formation, creating a barrier, have the advantage of continuously supplying the barrier with chakra. If something tries to break in, the barrier will seldom break from a lack of chakra, since the combined contribution of multiple people, as well as the barrier itself, usually result in the attacker draining their chakra faster than the ones anchoring the barrier can resupply the barrier. Not to mention that the barrier can be deployed with little preparation or time, as well as be removed as necessary by the anchors. The human element makes the deployment of barriers far more effective. On the other hand, there are a few issues with such barriers as well." Jiraiya informed them, and the Haruno twins thought they could already guess a few of them. Human error was a constant variable when it came to cooperation techniques after all, and if one of the people within the formation died, ran out of chakra, or messed up, the entire barrier might come crumbling down.
"Of course, there are some flexible barriers that even allow the anchors to be moving, altering the size or shape of the barrier while it is active, but generally, these barriers are temporary ones. The one we encountered in the mansion, however, showed off one of the advantages of using seals instead of people for anchoring the barrier." Jiraiya explained.
"It was permanent. Powered by natural chakra from a nearby river." Naruto supplied, to which Jiraiya nodded in agreement.
"Precisely, although, there is more to it than that. A real formation doesn't require a chakra source of any kind. It can be sustained by the mere creation of the anchoring seals and the surroundings forming a natural seal. Creating such a barrier is an art in itself, and takes years of study and understanding of many different elements to properly master. Merely knowing about seals isn't enough. I myself only know of three active barrier formations that still exist." Jiraiya informed his now wide-eyed students. The thought of a perpetual, self-sustaining barrier that didn't require chakra was quite an awe-inspiring idea after all.
"Really?" Naruto asked, eager to know about where to find such formations, possibly getting to examine them. Jiraiya simply chuckled at Naruto's enthusiasm.
"Indeed, although, I doubt that you will ever get to see them. I know I never got around to it. I couldn't even find them, despite knowing their locations." Jiraiya admitted, shaking his head, before explaining. "The only barrier formations I am aware of are the ones protecting the big three sage regions. Mount Myōboku, Shikkotsu Forest, and Ryūchi Cave, which is why they are so hard to find without certain tools or methods." Jiraiya revealed, nodding to himself. "I presume that the realms of other summons are similarly protected, but I can't confirm that," Jiraiya explained, giving his students something to think about.
"Maybe we can ask Fezā about it. She, if anyone from Kōdaina Meadows would know." Sakura theorized. Jiraiya nodded in agreement.
"Now, I should probably explain the difference between barriers, formations, and natural seals. After all, I've mentioned that barriers form Natural seals and that they'd be classified as formations. Well, while they often overlap, they're not quite the same thing. Formations, for example, do not necessarily have to be formed using either seals, or barriers, and barriers, are much the same, as they don't necessarily rely on seals, or take the form of formations."
"A very simple example would be the phenomenon of optical illusions. They mess with a human's perception through patterns and shapes. Similarly, a formation can be used to do just that, create illusions without seals or chakra, simply using shapes or patterns. I've heard stories of a village that was once hidden from view unless entered through a specific passage. Unless entering the formation from that specific spot, you wouldn't be able to tell the village from its surroundings and could end up walking right through it, without noticing the buildings, people, or even the guards as they kept people from bumping into you on your way through. Not even chakra would let you notice anything amiss." Jiraiya informed them, which had the teens gaping at him. No way that could be true. Could it?
AN: Now, I don't know if you, my readers, are aware of the concept of formations, but it is a concept borrowed from Chinese ideas… I think? I've read a translated story or two that introduced the concept, where formation masters could do just what Jiraiya described at the end. The idea was that the entire village, from the buildings to the plants were all part of the formation, allowing it to remain unseen from all points, except for one, the entrance, which was impossible to find itself unless you already knew its location or had a guide. Now, I don't think the village would be hidden as to be completely unnoticeable even as you were to walk right through it. That part is something that was added by people adding onto the story as it was passed around. Although, it probably could work if Genjutsu, seals, and chakra were used in combination with the formation itself.
Kyluxia here. For those of you having trouble visualizing Jiyaiya's example, just imagine an entire village set up like a funhouse. Mirrors angled in such a way that you can only see yourself and endless hallways in every direction. In this case, it would look like an endless forest. Until next time!