Four out of five jutsu wasn't bad. Eighty percent was a B, and well above passing. Most people would have been happy with it, especially if they weren't expected to learn any at their age. Especially if almost no one had the biological capability to learn the fifth at all in their lifetime.

But lightning. Motherfucking lightning.

It made me furious. I couldn't find a single trace of Raiton in my chakra. Doton was plentiful, and finding Suiton wasn't all that difficult. I just—hehe—had to dig deep enough. Katon was barely there; Futon was actually more present, and learning Futon: Soyokaze was easier than Katon: Nokoribi.

But Raiton. It was like trying to draw power out of a dead battery. Completely impossible. And unfortunately, my batteries couldn't be changed.

"You have a strong earth affinity," Maki-sensei told me for the millionth time. "It's likely that performing even the most basic Raiton jutsu is simply beyond you. And that's okay—most shinobi have one or two holes in their elemental repertoire, even among jonin."

"That's not the point," I growled, running through the seals and hovering my hand over the piece of paper in front of me. The static force generated by the jutsu should have pushed it away from my palm, but it remained stubbornly motionless. "I don't care if other people can't do it either. I'm not other people."

"Just give up, sensei," Chiyome said. "If she wants to waste her time with this, just let her."

"I'm an Iwagakure academy instructor," he declared over his shoulder. "When have I ever let any of you waste your time?" He turned back to me. "I get that it's a point of pride for you. But think about it this way. Why do you need to learn Raiton jutsu? It's strong against Doton, and most of the earth users you'll ever meet will be comrades. If you want to cover your own weaknesses, put your energy into learning Futon."

"Is that your way of offering to teach me a useful Futon jutsu?" I asked.

"Well, no, but—"

"Then I'll keep working on this, thanks."

I was annoyed, and not just because of the Raiton thing. My time in the academy was really hampering my progress in everything I wanted to work on. By the end of the day, I was much too tired from all the physical exertion to work on chakra enhancement, and my attempts at developing my own exploding tag were stymied too. Every time I got into the groove, and felt like I was making progress, my alarm went off and told me it was time to go to sleep. Sometimes I ignored it, worked well into the night, and was miserable for the next several days. Oh, I was making progress, much more progress than most people would have by this time (I had completed four steps in three months, whereas, by fishing for information from Nyūdō, I learned that most people completed a step every two) but I could have finished it ages ago if I actually had the chance to sit down and work.

That was half of the source of my irritability. The other half was my physical discomfort.

I had gotten into a groove at the academy. I had taken my peers' measure and developed a pretty clear idea of the academy's standards and rigor. So, I decided it was time to resume my chakra reserve expansion training. And my canals were not happy with me.

It was uncomfortable enough the last time I started it up, but I swear this time was even worse. Before, I began my regiment right after expanding my chakra to the point of injury, so my pain threshold was higher, and my coils were used to it. Now, they have had months to heal and grow inelastic, like saltwater taffy before you chew it.

I would get them back into shape eventually, but for now it sucked eggs. I turned on the jets Monday, letting my canals slowly rise to high tide over the course of the school week (note: the timeframe was also a day shorter than it had been previously, which meant I had to exert an even greater influence on my Gate of View as well). I would then use up my overflowing reserves Friday evening as I practiced chakra enhancement, so I could rest over the weekend. And by rest, I really mean spend almost my entire Saturday and Sunday obsessing over fuinjutsu, without the pins and needles distracting me.

Then, rinse and repeat. It was a bit much, even for me.

I knew I was doing well. I knew I was surpassing everything anyone expected of me and more. Hell, I could even see my progress by measuring my gates. The Gates of Limit (upper body strength) and Wonder (lower body strength) have never looked better, which my chakra enhancement training likely had some bearing on. My Gate of View (primary chakra reserves) was positively monstrous compared to everything around it, and even my Gate of Pain (elemental affinity) has grown a smidge, though I wasn't sure how or why yet.

But there wasn't anything I could point at and say, see this? I'm going to be S-Rank one day. There was no ground-breaking skill, no special technique. I didn't even have an offensive jutsu to my name.

I felt stifled. I felt anxious. The Third Shinobi War was going to start soon, and I wasn't anywhere near ready.

Maki-sensei was staring at me with a displeased expression, and I sighed. I really didn't want this conversation to get back to Yoshiro-sensei.

"Fine," I said, disgruntled. "I'll stop."

He nodded. "Yoshiro-sensei told me that you had something else to work on, once you figured out your affinity?"

Right. My research on the Gate of Pain, not that I worded it like that in my proposal. On my To-Do list, it was dead last. I had already proven that the difference in chakra when using earth style jutsu came out of my gate, and that's all that really mattered to me right now. Anything past that was idle curiosity.

But on the other hand, it was the reason Yoshiro-sensei had allowed me to sit in on Maki-sensei's lessons. It would not be received well if I told him I just gave up, and revealing that I was messing around with my inner gates was an even worse idea. I needed to give him something.

"Sensei, the Tora, Mi, Hitsuji, Tori and Inu seals all have ties to a different element, right?" I asked.

It was a reasonable assumption. Each of the elemental D-Ranks ended with one of those hand seals, which, according to my senses, facilitated the elemental transformation process. All five jutsu were almost identical in structure, and none of them bore any significant trace of their element until the very last seal, which transformed the nature of the amalgamation stored in my palms. There was some brief mention of this in the anime as well, most notably from Sakura when Kakashi molested Naruto during the bell test.

"Correct. Each hand seal has traits that it is associated with, though it's difficult to predict or identify why one of them is integral to a specific jutsu. You'll learn about each of the twelve basic seals in your second year."

I hummed. While the how's and why's continued to elude me, more and more pieces about chakra and the mechanics of seals were slowly falling into place around me.

Elemental natures were present in a person's chakra. Always, and not just when we perform a jutsu. What we simply referred to as chakra was made up of elements, along with both Yin and Yang. I think, and this is a bit of guesswork, that elements are produced in chakra after Yin mental energy combines with Yang physical energy. Which would imply that elemental natures were both byproducts and inherent traits of chakra in general.

My medical texts told me that the Gate of Pain held my chakra identity. Perhaps it was like the DNA of my chakra system? It carries genetic information, but not the genetic information relevant to building and arranging cells. The genetic information that decided the makeup of my chakra.

Except for stupid fucking lightning, I now knew what each element felt like in my chakra. So, I did something that I really should have done first thing; gauge my elemental proportions. I sequestered exactly five hikari worth of chakra, and measured how much elemental chakra was present in that amount, starting with Doton, the easiest. I soon realized that the traces of elemental chakra were much too small for me to accurately determine with such a small sample size, so I upped the amount to twenty hikari, and from there worked my way through each element until I was satisfied with the precision of my findings. Then, I divided the results to find out percentages.

Doton: 7.5%

Suiton: 3%

Katon: 0.5%

Futon: 1%

Raiton: big 'ole goose egg.

At all times, twelve percent of my chakra was elemental, with the vast majority of that amount being earth natured.

So what happens if I use some of that elemental chakra up? Do my proportions become unbalanced?

I got a tray of dirt back from Maki-sensei and began to experiment. I wasn't sure what I was expecting, but I was surprised to find that, after using Doton: Dojō five times, my proportions were exactly the same. A closer look revealed that my chakra automatically and instantly converted itself into earth. And, of course, that influx of earth chakra originated from my Gate of Pain. Afterward, the gate's capacity, ever so slightly, began to dip.

Normal chakra could be broken down into elemental chakra. That was…interesting. I supposed it explained the existence of the Sage's Truthseeker Orbs. I never really understood how something that was explicitly stated to be a creation of Yin-Yang Release was made out of the five basic elements.

So, if someone has a stronger affinity, that means that, when their chakra is metabolized, more of it is converted into their primary aligned element than it would be into their other elements. So they effectively have more chakra to work with at a time. That would explain why their elemental techniques would be more powerful, but not why they would cost less chakra.

There must be some other piece of the puzzle, and it didn't take me long to solve that bit either. Because my Gate of Pain couldn't choose to simply metabolize my chakra into Doton natured chakra—it metabolized it into Suiton, Katon and Futon (but not Raiton) as well. The excess Doton was used up by the technique that created the need for the metabolism in the first place, but the other natures weren't utilized up at all. The process should raise the percentage of other natures present in my body, but it didn't.

I couldn't figure out exactly what happened to it, not yet at least, but it didn't take a genius to realize that it must be responsible for the other half of what I referred to as the Affinity Cost Differential—the constant that encompassed both the theoretical, added value of chakra use for a jutsu with a matching nature to the caster's affinity, and the simultaneous lowered chakra cost of that same jutsu. Perhaps it was recycled in some way, and turned back into ordinary chakra?

There might be a practical application there, but I wouldn't be able to find it without knowing exactly how my body turned elemental natured chakra back into chakra chakra. Still, this information alone would probably be enough to satisfy Yoshiro-sensei. I was filled with a slight melancholy, however.

"This might be the last day I sit in for Affinity Discovery class," I announced to whoever might be listening.

"Good," a nobody said behind me.

"You've already left these losers in the dust," Hanabi offered with a shrug. "So there's no reason for you to stay."

Even after all this time, most of the class hadn't learned more than two of the elemental D-Ranks. Some hadn't even learned more than one. Only Hanabi and I had learned four, but to our outrage, Aki had learned all five. I'm pretty sure he didn't have as strong an affinity as either of us; for my own piece of mind, I'll choose to accept that as the reason.

"Don't worry, my cute little kouhai," she continued, and I grimaced. "You'll still see us in the showers."

"I try to avoid seeing you in the showers," I said seriously, shuddering at the thought.

"Bitch."

"Though I may not have been your true sensei, I have enjoyed your time in my class," Maki-sensei interrupted. "And though they may deny it, I'm sure many of Batch Sixty-Three would agree."

I nodded in acceptance. "I disagree with your choice of words. I have learned a great deal from you, so I would always consider you my sensei."

A smile, so unlike anything Yoshiro-sensei would have let slip, tugged at the corner of his mouth.

"I'll be keeping an ear out for any of your accomplishments. My class could benefit from an occasional kick in the pants."

- - - { ワナビー } - - -

I slipped into the classroom just as soon as the rest of Batch Sixty-Seven finished filtering out, ignoring any of the passing looks and avoiding all of the outstretched feet. Yoshiro-sensei, who was flipping through his enormous binder, looked up as I approached.

"Imai-san," he greeted.

"Good morning, Yoshiro-sensei." I took a deep breath. "I believe I have concluded my research. For now."

"You have, have you?" He responded wryly, and I nodded. "What are your findings?"

I launched into my abridged retelling, beginning with an explanation of the Affinity Cost Differential and then working my way through the rest.

"Therefore, I conclude that the elemental-alighted jutsu is powered in full by our bodies, even though it feels as if it is not. The differential is simply supplied through the metabolization of chakra into elemental chakra. So far, there is nothing to suggest that this automatic process can't be influenced in a more active manner, which would allow for the strategic restructuring of one's internal chakra balance, but I currently do not have the skills or knowledge to discover how. I also think it would be foolish to attempt to do so, as this process takes place in a highly sensitive chakra organ."

I didn't actually have any qualms about messing around with my gates, but it offered me a convenient out for this project, which I didn't really care about anymore. It might help me gain some more of Yoshiro-sensei's trust, too.

"I'm glad you have made such a realization yourself." See? "But I find your discovery…intriguing. Especially your ability to measure the percentages of elemental natures found in your chakra. Some might find value in replicating the process for themselves."

Shit. "Is…that not something others have discovered in the past?"

"Frankly, I'm not sure. Write up two detailed reports, one of your experiment as a whole, and one describing in detail how you tested your chakra. I will send it to them to Iwa's research division."

I nodded, mind racing. "Would it be possible for you to submit the discovery under your own name?"

Yoshiro-sensei's eyes narrowed. "Why?"

I pursed my lips. "Contrary to popular belief, I don't enjoy attention." He made a face. "I simply enjoy proving myself more than I dislike it," I ground out. "But I wish to avoid it whenever possible. I don't want to give anyone the idea that I enjoy or am good at research. They might shoehorn me somewhere I don't want to be."

"Fine," he said. I wasn't expecting him to agree so easily. "If it is new information, I might even receive a bonus."

I snorted, turning towards my seat. "Enjoy it, sensei."

If he thought money could make me act a fool, he was wrong. Even though Kazuhiro supported me on only a chunin's salary, I had never wanted for anything. He even gave me all the training material and tools that I asked for. I'm pretty sure he received both of my parents' savings, though I had obviously never asked.

"How is your chakra enhancement training," he asked before I could leave.

"Exceedingly frustrating," I said. "And I don't get the chance to practice it that much. Only around once per week. I'm tempted to give up trying to control it, not use it in the academy at all and simply go all out against enemies when the situation demands it."

"That would be very lazy of you," he said. "There are many situations in which you would need to moderate the output of your chakra enhancement."

"I know; that's why I'm not going to do that. I merely said it was tempting. But I would also argue that it's even more important to train the skill at its highest level so that I can learn to fight with heightened physical capabilities, which, in over three months, I haven't gotten to do once."

Even if I had the time, and even if I put control training on the back burner, I didn't have a way to do that.

"You do make an insightful point, even if you only made it to be contrary," Yoshiro-sensei said, sardonically. "According to Maki-sensei, he arranged private tutoring for his two students when they managed to learn the technique. I suppose it would only be fair to arrange the same for you. What's with that face?"

My frown deepened at his words. "Gomen, sensei. I appreciate the offer. But it would interfere greatly with my other training."

Chakra enhancement, especially if it were to be used with me going all out, was moderately intensive. My tide system would be fucked.

"How so?" he pressed. "I must say, I never took you for one to turn down private training."

"Oh, it pains me to. But I need to keep my reserves topped off during the week. It's for…" I struggled to find the words to explain without explaining. "An advanced chakra control exercise that I have developed. I think it is the most important thing I can be doing at the moment."

He stared deep into my soul, and it took everything I had not to fidget.

"During the week," he said finally. "And not the weekend?"

Holy shit. Was Yoshiro-sensei actually going to accommodate me? He never accommodated any of his students in any way, unless they were sick or likewise temporarily incapacitated.

"I do other kinds of training on the weekend," I said slowly. "But it is more flexible. Fridays would be most ideal, because it is important that I drain my chakra reserves that day anyway."

"I see," he said neutrally, and I really hoped he meant that as a turn of phrase. "Perhaps I can arrange something like that, probably during calisthenics. Sawamura-sensei is adept at chakra enhancement, and no other batch has a sparring or taijutsu class at the very end of the day. He may be available at that time."

I bowed my head in gratitude. "Thank you, sensei. I truly appreciate it."

"I am your sensei—there's nothing to thank me for. Honor the time Sawamura-sensei is sacrificing to you, and we will have no issues."

- - - { ワナビー } - - -

Friday came much too slowly and far too quickly. My canals were overflowing, possibly tearing at the seams, and I might have to visit the hospital tomorrow to heal them. For now, even more than the chance to train my chakra enhancement, I was ecstatic to be able to drain some of the excess.

While the rest of my class was doing calisthenics like usual out in the park, I waited for Sawamura-sensei in an empty classroom in building three. Not for long, though.

"Hello, Kasaiki-chan, he said, sliding open the shoji door.

"Sawamura-sensei," I greeted. This was the first time I would interact with him on a personal level; he rarely even chimed in during sparring class. He seemed pleasant enough, however, and competent.

"I am here to teach you how to properly control and utilize your chakra enhancement to its utmost potential," he declared unnecessarily. "I think the best first step is for you to give me a punch; afterwards I'll guide you through all the sensations and pains you will feel. Go ahead, give me your best shot."

I was slow to move into a ready stance. "The last time someone asked me to do that, I sent them to the hospital with a broken arm."

"Well, I'll be using chakra enhancement to fortify my body," he said patiently.

"So were they."

"...oh." he paused for a moment. "Did that person happen to be either Hanabi-chan or Aki-kun?"

"Hanabi."

He nodded. "She may be talented, but it is a chunin skill, and she's only an academy student. I am actually a chunin, so don't worry about it too much. I have a great deal of experience, not just in training but in the field as well."

That did assuage my hesitation. I forced chakra through my micro-tributaries, suffusing my upper body with energy. Then, still making great pains to telegraph my punch, I gave him a devastating right-cross that would have obliterated any stick I placed in the center of my punching bag back home.

"That," Sawamura-sensei said, shaking out his arm. "Certainly packed more of a punch than anything my last two students could muster. Damn."

"Are you okay?" I asked, worriedly. I couldn't afford to break another instructor.

"Yes, yes. Like I said; I'm a chunin. But that really is quite something."

From inside a bag he had laid on the front desk upon entry, he took out a brush and some ink (mundane, unlike what I used in fuinjutsu).

"Now, with this, I want you to mark dots on your arm and shoulder wherever you feel pain. If you can't reach, just point it out and I'll make the mark. See, it takes years of practice to form a comprehensive understanding of what you need to reinforce to protect yourself. Even if you theoretically know you need to enhance all of your arm, it can be difficult to ensure your chakra gets everywhere you want it to be. Your body is already in a delicate state of equilibrium; if you increase the power of your muscles to such a great degree, and the other parts of your body aren't enhanced well-enough to compensate, your other muscles might tear, your joints might grind and and small to large cracks might form in your bones. All things that are best avoided, especially in the heat of battle. Luckily, these weak points are often consistent. When you use chakra enhancement, there are some parts that come naturally, and some that do not. Our first objective is to fill in those gaps until you perfect the technique."

He held out the brush, but I didn't take it. "I've gotten to that point already. I have no pain in my arm."

"...what?" The end of the brush dipped towards the floor, and a small drop splattered on the hardwood.

"I have no pain, whatsoever," I repeated. "Whenever I use chakra enhancement, I consciously fill in all of those gaps you mentioned. It's like you said; I don't want to upset the equilibrium in my limbs."

"You just…chose to enhance every bone, muscle and tendon?" he asked, stupefied. "And you were able to? Just like that?"

"I've worked on my internal chakra control a great deal," I said with a frown, not wanting my hard work to be attributed to innate talent. "It's something I work on for hours every day."

Sawamura-sensei didn't seem to know what to say to that.

"So, as you can see, I think we can skip this step," I said, before hesitating. "If it makes you feel better, I don't think I can use it fully in my legs yet without injuring myself like you described."

Even after all these years, I hadn't fully mapped out my legs. It was a work in progress, and I was working on it every night. But the abdomen was so complex; I had barely dipped below the height of my large intestine. Perhaps I should skip it and come back to it later.

"I apologize," he said immediately. "I was just surprised. Never apologize for your achievements, Kasaiki-chan. Do you wish to work on your legs with me?"

I shook my head. "No, I can do it on my own. I just need more time. For now, I'd like to learn how to control my output and manage my enhanced strength. Frankly, I don't need instruction, I just need someone who can take my attacks and give feedback."

He smiled, though it was a bit strained. "That's something I can definitely do."

- - - { ワナビー } - - -

AN: Sorry for the late chapter, y'all. I'm having the weirdest manic episode I've ever experienced. Ever since I first saw Across the Spider-Verse, I haven't been able to think of anything else other than that movie. Seriously, anyone who hasn't seen it yet, do yourself a favor and go watch it. It's only been out for a little over a week, and I've already seen it four times. It is the only movie that I would consider perfect in every way.

I've made a stupid decision. Even though I really don't have time, I'm going to start writing a new fic. Maybe, once I do that, this spell will be broken, and I can finally work on my actual books again (like I should have been doing all this time).

It won't be nearly as long as this one will eventually be. 100k words max (my partner laughed at me when I told her that—she doesn't think I can write anything that short). It probably won't be updated consistently like this one, but don't worry. You will still get a weekly chapter for this fic :)

So, what do y'all think? Anyone excited for a Spider-Verse fic? I might be mainly doing it for myself, but I hope you'll all get some enjoyment out of it too. Give me a bit more time to conceptualize, and I'll upload the first chapter soonish. Feel free to follow me as a user, so you'll get an alert when it's written and finally fit for posting.

See you next week!