Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.
The Transformation Jutsu
I should not be here. There are so many chores that need to be done back at the apartment, and I only have one day off from the academy every week. But I can not stop. I am so close. 87 ,88, 89. I move in a steady rhythm, with my breathing in sync. Just like how Father taught me to. 93, 94, 95. Every time I strike the practice post my shoulders feel a tad lighter. 97, 98, 99, 100! I spring away from the post by doing a series of backflips before landing in a defensive stance. Panting heavily I smile to myself. From now on I am going to do this every day. I have not felt this good since I mastered the Katon jutsu. I could train after the academy on school days. That would be better than just going back to the apartment after class. Anything would be better than going back to an empty home.
The sounds of clapping and cheering cause my focus to break and my breath hitches in my throat. Twirling around I instinctively fall into a low stance; ready to run or defend. Four figures stand a little way off. All of them are looking at me. Only two of them are responsible for the interruption. How long have they been standing there? Out of all the times that my father had told me to pay attention to my surroundings, you would think that I would have sensed them. I guess I need to train more.
"What an excellent display of youth!" One of them exclaims. The clapping and hollering stop as the one who spoke steps forward. My left eyebrow twitches. Who knew that people like this exist.
Before me stands a tall, middle-aged man who has shiny black hair, gleaming teeth, and is wearing a green jumpsuit. The three other people seem to be his underlings. Or at least, they are younger than him. One of the three looks like he could be the man's younger clone because they are dressed exactly the same and have the same haircut. How can there be two people on this planet that want to wear that? Another is a boy that has long, dark brown hair. My mother's hair was like that. But the strangest thing about this boy is his eyes. They are solid white. I have never seen eyes like his before. The last person is the only girl. She is wearing her hair in two identical buns and looks to be the most normal person in their group.
"Never did I once think that when I would meet my precious ex-students at our usual training field that I would also encounter such a fine example of Konoha's blossoming youth", the middle-aged man said, while moving his body to bring life to his words.
Blossoming youth? What does that mean? I think as my breathing calms to a regular rate. The man's younger-looking clone nods his head in agreement. "Yes, Gai-sensei! This shows that every day is full of surprises. Today, we should train twice as hard than normal to honor this new discovery!" His eyes spark with determination at his own words.
Hesitantly, I straighten out of my defensive stance. What new discovery? The girl groans, and covers her eyes with one of her hands. "We shouldn't have to train harder every time something gets you two fired up", she said. My eyes flicker between the direction that leads to my apartment and the four strangers. Slowly, I start to inch away from them. Maybe if I do not make any noise they will not notice that I am leaving.
"But Tenten such dedication at such a young age must be respected. And what better way is there to respect it than to show dedication ourselves?" The clone asked, turning to face the girl.
I keep my eyes on them as I work to get to the edge of the training field. The middle-aged man turns and faces his younger companions. "That's right Lee!" The man exclaims with gusto. "As shinobi of the leaf village, it is our duty to encourage the village's future generation of shinobi to be full of youth!"
I am nearly there. Then I can make a break for it. Dealing with strange, overly driven people is not on my 'to do' list for my day off.
"Then you should know that the future shinobi that you want to encourage has wandered off", the boy with the long hair said with amusement barely detectable in his tone.
Instantly, all of my muscles tense up. Oops. I should have paid more attention to the white-eyed boy instead of the talkative ones. It is always the quiet ones that notice everything. 'Stupid', I call myself in my head. I should have known that from the start. The three others all turn to look in the direction that their white-eyed friend is looking in. I wish that I could turn into a turtle so that I could hide in a shell, as all four pairs of eyes focus on me. So close. So close to getting away from here.
"Wait", the clone called out, as he starts to run over to me. "I must acknowledge you for your youthful attitude!" The bottoms of my feet start to itch. If I run will he come after me? Could I outrun him The clone is standing in front of me before I have time to make the motion of running. With a straight back he breaths in deeply, and with a solemn look in his round eyes he said, "You are quite energetic and disciplined for one so young".
My line of sight flashes to the other three to see the middle-aged man is smiling in approval, and the long-haired boy and the girl are both wearing expressions of annoyance before flashing back to the clone. "Thank you", I said as my brow furrows.
The clone nods his head as if he has done me a great favor. Who is this guy? "Now I must know your name so that when you join Konoha's ranks I will know what to call you". That sure was a formal way of asking someone to introduce themselves.
After a long pause that is caused by many thoughts swimming around in my mind, I said, "Manami". By now the other three have wandered over and they stand next to both the clone and me, creating a circle.
How much longer until I can escape? The clone smiles, and his teeth sparkle in the sunlight. "That is a most fitting name for a raising kunoichi", he said; giving me a thumbs up. "I am Rock Lee. Please to make your acquaintance".
I nod my head and make a move to go around them, but the middle-aged man is not done with me yet. "I heard from Asuma that his squad found a little girl on their way back from a mission. Are you her?"
As I stare up at him the pressure that I was carrying around before I started to train comes back. It is almost crushing. Does every shinobi in this village know about me? My face hardens. "I am not little. I am nine and a half". I said firmly. I was having a good day, and an old guy in a jumpsuit ruins it. My luck must be terrible.
The man laughs before he reaches out, and tousles my hair. "Oh, what youth", he said as I slap his hand away. Did I not just say that I am not little?
The man's disposition does not change at my actions. If anything his smile grows. "Well, I think introductions are in order. You've met Lee, a chunin, and the green beast of the leaf!" He said nodding his head in Lee's direction. Lee gives me another thumbs up. "This is Tenten. Also a chunin and the youngest weapon's master in Konoha!" The man gestures towards the girl. Tenten smiles without showing her teeth and bows her head a little. "His name is Neji Hyuga, a jounin, and the prodigy of the Hyuga clan!" Neji does not do anything. He does not even blink. "And I am the unforgettable Gai Maito, jounin. But you Manami, may refer to me as Gai-sensei!" He finished by striking a victory pose.
I can see why he is unforgettable. "O-okay", I force out. How does someone respond to that? I do not think that even my father would have known what to say to this guy. But if he were here, I would not have to talk to this man. Gai has not moved from his pose. Neji looks away from all of us, probably pretending that this meeting is over. I wish that I could do the same. Tenten sighs and shakes her head with flushed cheeks. I would be embarrassed too if I had to work with Gai. Lee applauds his older companion for his theatrics. A light breeze picks up; blowing to the west and making some of my hair dance in front of my eyes. "Well, I am going to go and…. And let you get to your training", I said, using an excuse that I think Gai will accept. And then I walk away, with every step that I take being faster than the last.
"Bye Manami-chan!" I hear Lee call. I do not turn around. "Feel free to come here whenever you want!" Why is he inviting me to this training field? It is a public field. My walking turns into light jogging.
Gai joins in with Lee's farewell. "Yes! When you come back we can teach you about the power of youth!" I start to run. Konoha sure has a lot of interesting characters. When I get about thirty feet away from the shinobi I stop. I cannot help myself from looking back. All four of them seem to be warming up in different ways. How do these oddballs train?
Every day after the academy lets out, I returned to that training field. But I never saw all four of them together again. It is probably the time of day that I go. A lot of upper-level shinobi train in the morning, or at night so their day is free for completing missions. Though one upper-level shinobi seems to make time to train in the afternoon. Three times in that week I saw Neji Hyuga at that training field. In fact, he was the only one I saw there during this time of day. Maybe that is why he made time to train in the afternoon; for the solitude.
As it became apparent to the both of us that training on this field at the same time is a part of both our daily schedules, we formed a silent agreement that we would cut the field in half and each of us would stay on our own sides. In truth, I am lucky he is willing to tolerate me. Since Neji is a jounin and I am just an academy student I would be stupid to not leave if he asked me to. How he trains is intense. The first time we shared this field I found it hard not to stop what I was doing, and gawk at him. Every movement he makes has a purpose. Every executed motion is forceful, and every skill is something that I have never heard of. It all looks impossible. Neji's training makes my training look like child's play. And, I guess to him, it probably is.
My father once told me that if it can be avoided a shinobi should keep their strongest jutsu themselves. So, as a rule of thumb, I do not train with the Katon or any of the jutsu that Iruka-sensei has not gone over in class unless I am alone. Leaving me with only the shadow clone, and replacement jutsu to practice with. When Father taught me those two jutsu he had me run through them until I felt like I could perform them in my sleep. Father said that those two jutsu are the most common and most reliable. And that the majority of shinobi use them or a variation of them. I thought that there were only two common jutsu but one day during class, Iruka-sensei proves me wrong.
"All right everyone", Iruka-sensei called the class to order. "Today we are going to review the transformation jutsu. Who wants to go first?" Transformation jutsu? What is that? For the first time in class I sit up straight and put all of my attention on the front of the room. How can there be a jutsu in this class that I do not know? Since I have joined the academy everything that this class is learning I have been doing since I was five or six. One of Izumi's friends raises her hands, and Iruka-sensei calls her to the front of the room from her seat in the second row. With her back to the class, the girl raises her arms so that her elbows are sticking straight out. She is probably forming a hand sign, but which one? Why does she have her back to the class? The girl utters the word, 'transform' before a puff of smoke appears. Once it clears, another Iruka-sensei stands in the place of the girl. So that is the transformation jutsu, which also explains the name. A few seconds later the girl returns to her original form. "Good work". Iruka-sensei said with a nod of approval. As the girl returns to her seat, after slapping hands with Izumi who is in the front row, Iruka-sensei scans his class; looking for a victim. I look away from him. Not me, please do not pick me. "Manami", he called. I cringed.
Since the whole Izumi incident, Iruka-sensei has been paying more attention to me during class. Because I am parentless he probably thinks that I am an at-risk child. I swear that everyone in the classroom stares at me as I slowly stand up. I open my mouth but quickly close it. What will happen if Izumi hears that I do not know a jutsu that she is reviewing? I have never been unprepared for anything before. My knees feel shaky as I walk to Iruka-sensei, but I use every piece of my will to hide it. Showing weakness is something that is not allowed for people with special blood. At least, that is what Father would always say. Too soon, I am standing in front of Iruka-sensei with a whole classroom of eyes staring at my back. "Iruka-sensei", I lose my nerve and end up looking at my feet. Father would be disappointed. "I do not know the transformation jutsu. My father did not have time to teach it to me".
"No problem". I flinch at how loud his voice is and look up at him with panic. The whole class can hear him! "I can teach you right now". Iruka-sensei smiles at me softly, and pitifully. I hate that smile.
Behind me, I hear the whole class break out in whispers. "She doesn't know the transformation jutsu?"
"But it's so easy".
"That's a first-year Jutsu".
My shoulders slump. "Quiet", Iruka-sensei called before he returns his focus to me. "To do the transformation jutsu you need to imagine what you want to change into. For your first attempt, it's best to use someone or something that you can see. So I want you to try to transform into me. Then you'll need to form the ram hand sign, and concentrate on spreading your chakra throughout your whole body". It sounds easy enough. I take a deep breath, still feeling everyone's eyes on me. "Just try Manami", Iruka-sensei said. I wish that Father had taught me this jutsu along with the cloning and replacement jutsu.
As I let out that deep breath I form the ram sign and take in Iruka-sensei's appearance. Father always said that our eyes are good, strong eyes. So, doing a visual jutsu should not be an issue for me. Though the most important part of any jutsu is chakra control. Inch by inch my whole body begins to tingle as chakra spreads from my core. Chakra control is one thing that I have complete confidence in. I practice it every night before I go to bed, and now, every afternoon at that the training field. Once I can feel chakra in both my fingertips and toes I whisper the word transform. A thin layer of smoke covers me, and I feel like a second layer of skin is being wrapped around me. The moment the smoke clears laughter erupts. From my reflection in a window, I see that I was able to transform into Iruka-sensei, just a shorter, and more girly one. As quickly as I can I dispel the jutsu. It was not quick enough. My ears start to feel warm. "Quiet down class", Iruka-sensei called. "That was a good first attempt, Manami. You just need to imagine your subject more". I thought that I had imagined my subject enough.
"How can she be in our class when she can't even do the transformation jutsu? She should join the eight-year-olds". Izumi called out; making the rest of the class break out in a fresh wave of chuckles and giggles.
"Izumi!" Iruka-sensei yelled unhappily, as I made a dash for the door with my head down. "Manami!" I hear Iruka-sensei call. "Manami stop! School isn't over for another ten minutes!" But I am already sprinting down the hall.
In a dead run, I head towards my usual training spot; stumbling every couple of steps. I will show Izumi. I will show them all that I do belong in their class, and that I can do the transformation jutsu. I will train until I can do it better than any other academy student. That will shut Izumi up. Since, apparently, my fist did not work.
I reach the training field faster than normal. Neji is already here, but I barely see him as I charge over to my side of the field. One foot from a practice post I spin on my left heel, before lashing out with my right foot; kicking the post solidly in the middle. I am going to train until that transformation jutsu becomes second nature. I have always been good at everything that Father made me learn. I refuse to let there be an exception. No one has ever laughed at me before today, but I will never let that happen again. I will be better than all of them.
With my breath labored I lower my right leg so that I am standing normally. Before making the ram sign again, I close my eyes for better focus. Unaware that from across the field two solid, white eyes are watching me. First I build up my chakra, just like I did at the academy. Then I focus on Iruka-sensei's appearance in my mind as I wait for my breathing to become normal again. I start with his toes and slowly form a visual of him. Every detail that I can think of I imagine. After a minute of visual concentration I mutter, "transform". After the feeling of a second skin being applied, I open my eyes; only to realize that I have no way to see my reflection. I will not be able to see if I have done the jutsu correctly. Swallowing a sudden urge to use words that would have turned my mother's hair gray, I kick at the ground; making little tufts of grass fly into the air. How stupid can I be?
"It's wrong", a stern voice said, putting a sudden end to my assault on the grass. I throw my head up to see Neji standing on his side of the field; staring at me with very visible veins showing on the far side of both of his eyes. Well... that is different.
"Thanks", I said with more force than I meant to use. I guess this is a jutsu that I will have to practice in my apartment in front of a mirror. I release the jutsu, feeling a bit put out. Something that is easy for everyone else should not be hard for me. Father trained me better than that. I cannot let him down.
Neji lets out a slightly annoyed sigh after we both do not do anything for a couple of seconds. "Your chakra is two evenly distributed for that jutsu to form properly".
I blink up at him. "How can you tell?" Neji taps a finger to the side of one of his eyes, on top of the visible veins. Does he mean that he can see my chakra? Does Neji have special blood too? Neji turns to go back to his own training as an idea pops into my head. "Wait", I called out. Neji pauses and turns his head to me, but does not turn completely. "Can", I pause to collect myself. Nerves have taken over the anger I was feeling earlier. "Can you teach me how to do that jutsu?" I do not know why I am asking him to help me. I have watched Neji train for the past week. He trains obsessively. He is not going to stop just to help some academy student. But as he looks me over with those weird eyes of his I cannot help but hope that he will say yes. From a distance, a bird chirps from a tree before Neji nods his head in agreement and gestures for me to come to his side of the training field. A small wave of relief hits me as I hurry over to Neji. With the help of someone who works as hard as he does, I will definitely master the transformation jutsu.
Once I am standing in front of him Neji stares down at me with a blank face. Just like the face that my father would wear when he would talk to people outside of our family. "Every part of the human body uses a different amount of chakra", he starts to explain in full lecture mode. "For a successful transformation jutsu chakra needs to meet the required amount for each body part".
"So when I distribute my chakra evenly not everything can transform?" I ask.
Neji nods his head, with unexpected patience. "While chakra control is important and is needed to avoid overuse of it, this specific jutsu is better executed if chakra is allowed to flow freely in one's body. If it flows freely it will naturally go where it is needed". He spoke with conviction. Obviously, he knows what he is talking about. He nods his head at me; a signal to start. Under Neji's supervision, I form the ram sign.
It takes four tries before Neji said that I am properly allowing my chakra to flow in my body. Once he said that his very visible facial veins vanish. Another five times before my transformations became passable by academy standards, but not for Neji's standards. Under his guidance, I train that one jutsu until it takes just a second to build up the required chakra, and another two seconds to focus on a transformation target. It is dark by the time Neji nods his head in approval. I am breathing through my mouth, and my whole body is clammy and itchy because of sweat. "That's enough", he said. "Go home". And he turns and walks away.
Panting, I call out. "Thank you Neji-sensei!" He pauses for a second but does not turn around. I smile to myself. In my very short list of people I like in Konoha, Neji Hyuga is right under Chouji but above Shikamaru and Ino.
The next day I go to the academy early to get any lecture that Iruka-sensei wants to give me for ditching the last ten minutes of class out of the way, but he just frowns at me. That is okay though. He will not be frowning when I show him what I did yesterday. Throughout class, I am shaking my foot under my desk. Trying to hide my excitement because good shinobi do not openly show such emotions. I keep glancing at a clock that is mounted on a wall. How long until Iruka-sensei starts jutsu practice? I have to wait until the end of the day before he finally asked, "Who wants to show the class the transformation jutsu". My hand shoots up into the air before anyone else can. Iruka-sensei looks at me with shock and weariness. I do not know if it is because this is the first time that I have volunteered to do anything or because of my big failure from yesterday, but I do not care. "Manami", he calls carefully. I smirk to myself. I can do this.
My father would have been proud.