I have known her since I was a child.

From my earliest memories, she was a constant, a gentle presence. Though she was my aunt, she was, in spirit and in deed, the sister I never had.

I like to believe my mother saw her in a similar light. It's not surprising, given she was much younger than her.

She smiled wickedly when it was just the three of us, and she had a way of making the mundane seem magical. And when she became strong enough to venture into the world outside on her own, quicker than either my mother or I could ever have imagined, there was not a day I didn't miss her.

I can now confess that I cried a bit each time she left. I think she knew. Maybe, just maybe, she shed a few tears too.

She did bring back the best stories, however.

シ

ス

タ

ー

4 — AUNT YASAKA

YASAKA CAME BACK to the islands the winter of the next year.

Naruto, ever eager, was the first to welcome her, and he remembered that she was wearing a peculiar, heavy-looking coat that day. His first reaction, of course, was laughing at her bulky appearance.

"What are you wearing, tomato?"

Yasaka only grinned fondly in answer. "This, midget, is a sheepskin coat."

Naruto's eyes narrowed in thought. "Ugly and cheap, then?"

"Sheep-skin." Yasaka repeated, shaking her head. "It's an animal. Or it was, before some guy cut it up and made a jacket out of it. Perhaps if you paid more attention to lessons that weren't about how to seal Kokeshi dolls within other Kokeshi dolls, you'd get it."

Naruto's ears reddened, because it hit too close to home. Then, motioning at her clothes, Yasaka continued. "This… is worn for warmth during the cold months."

Naruto folded his arms. "The cold regions are not that cold."

"Not that cold here, in Uzushio." Yasaka said, smiling fondly. "Because we made it that way. Elsewhere... it's a different story."

Naruto suppressed the flicker of curiosity her words sparked, a habit born from seeing his mother's bittersweet smiles at such questions. Then again, she was likely at home, right now.

"...And the cold forces them to wear this?" He asked, skepticism obvious. "...Animal skins?"

"More or less." Yasaka nodded, her grin widening. "The big man beamed me up in the Northern regions. And that's what they wore there, at least."

"Ah, the Northern regions." Naruto nodded sagely, as though he knew what she meant exactly. Yasaka caught it and something mischievous glinted in her eyes.

But she didn't mock him again. She was too gentle for that, in the end. And while she herself could be reckless, she was more thoughtful than Naruto tended to be. Yasaka shed her bulky coat, tucking it into her right-bicep bracelet with an ease that sparked a fleeting envy in him. He quickly pushed the feeling aside. Catching his gaze, she noticed the brief flash of emotion, and he felt a slight flush warm his cheeks.

But Yasaka wasn't a Sealweaver, so he thought he might get to her level someday. Hopefully.

"Learned anything nice, recently?" She asked, grinning. "Or am I going to have to teach you yet another trick that'll have Kushina grinding my gears?"

Naruto frowned slightly. Yasaka's way of teaching was even more haphazard than his mother's was, and that was saying a lot. The three of them had a slight penchant for being scatterbrained, although Kushina denied it vehemently. She had always preferred to say this was all Mina—…

"A few." Naruto grinned, although he didn't necessarily feel like it.

"Principles?"

Naruto groaned. "Please… No more."

"Yes more."

"No."

"What's the second one, again?" Yasaka asked, pretending to be deep in thought. "I can hardly remember."

He considered simply not answering her.

"…Principle of Energetic Integrity." Naruto sighed. "Which says that the energy required to activate and maintain a seal must be carefully managed. That a practitioner must learn to draw upon their chakra efficiently… conserving energy to ensure the seal's stability and longevity."

Yasaka's hand met her forehead in mock exasperation. "Oh, if only anyone could explain what that meant in practical terms—"

Naruto scowled. "When are you leaving again?" She just pouted in answer. "It means that anyone crafting a seal has to learn to use their chakra efficiently—"

"Otherwise?"

"The seal might break over time." He said. "Or just stop working, if you're lucky."

Inanimate objects weren't that great at providing a steady chakra supply. And sealing something bearing chakra... well that was something different altogether.

"Or..."

"Or?" Yasaka asked.

"Boom." Naruto intoned. "If you're unlucky. And that's why nobody... responsible..."

Yasaka smiled, knowing exactly who and what he meant. "Boring."

"Definitely." He nodded. "…Why nobody responsible would teach anyone who doesn't have a firm grip upon their chakra."

"Are you talking about yourself, perhaps?" Yasaka grinned.

"No." Naruto grunted. "But Noboru—"

"Noboru-sensei." Yasaka corrected.

"But Noboru-sensei made me spend a lot of time on that."

"Right." Yasaka said, as though that was new. As though he hadn't told her a thousand times through the letters they exchanged through Kaito, their shared (and Naruto's only) octopus summon. Who could not speak, fight, or do anything that wasn't awkwardly hopping to the nearest body of water. "Any other practical application of that principle?"

Naruto paused, just to give her the impression he had to think of it. "A seal that is inefficient in itself is an unstable one. And it won't last long, if at all. You can't just pump them full of chakra and hope it's going to hold."

That was closer to ninjutsu logic.

"Anything else?" She probed.

"…Not that I can think of."

Yasaka shrugged. "Well, that's fair. I guess you're only nine—"

"Ten."

"Tomato, tomato."

Naruto glowered. "Don't call me tomato." He racked his mind for anything interesting. And there wasn't much: life in Uzushio could be dreadfully mundane. "…Ah. The school teacher went over the Divine Tree of Chakra tale."

"Again?"

Naruto nodded. "It's a bit different from the one Mom used to tell us. In class, they said that the Sage of Six Paths planted it, roughly a thousand years ago. And that his sons fought for control over it, creating countless descendants in their fight."

"Sons? Do they have names, again…?" Yasaka pretended to be deep in thought again. Perhaps if she took her own advice about how to tell a proper tale, her own would have made more sense.

"…Indra and Asura fought over it." Naruto said, sighing. "Asura inherited the foothills of that land, and when Indra decided that he, as the elder son, should be one to hold them, they began waging war against each other."

"Oh." Yasaka made a slow, nearly convincing show of realization. "Who was the bad one? This Indra sure seems like a bad egg, doesn't he?"

Naruto wasn't fooled. "How should I know this? It's just a tale."

"A tale is usually spread for a reason, isn't it?"

"Well, yes." Naruto said, taking a deep breath. "But many of us Uzumaki still believe that we are descended from the second son himself. Of course they would say that Asura's the good one!"

"Is someone getting a little too involved in the story?" Yasaka asked, grinning teasingly.

He gave her a glare. "I like tales."

"Good." Yasaka said, patting his head. "Kushina taught you well."

"I'm not a pet!"

Yasaka nodded to herself again. "Oh, she taught you well…"

Yasaka did not spend the entire, slow walk home teasing Naruto.

"So you can seal things, now?" Yasaka asked, startling him. Just a moment ago, she had been weaving a story about the moon's size and rabbits, so cryptic that he suspected it to be deliberately perplexing; malicious on her part.

He paused to think of it. "…Sure, I can."

"Show me something then, I'm bored."

He shook his head in embarrassment. "It's really not much."

Her eyes turned more serious, and perhaps it was what made him agree: this focus in them. "Please show me."

And so he did.

He washed his hands meticulously, not just to cleanse them, but to attune his mind to the task at hand. The cold water helped some.

They walked under the shade of an ancient tree, where Naruto knelt. There, he delicately pinched a blade of grass between his fingers with intent eyes. He glanced around, and for simplicity's sake, he picked another of similar length and color.

Both, he laid upon a smooth stone table that was reserved for practitioners.

After a moment's thought, in which he glanced at Yasaka almost questioningly, and in which she only gave him a shrug in answer, he went to wash his hands again. Perhaps his mother had once said something about hoping this would not lead to obsessive-compulsive tendencies, if it wasn't too late already. But Uzumaki Kushina said many things.

He stood next to the table, closed his eyes and tried to clear his mind as best as he could, immersing himself in a sea of tranquility. That was the Lake Mind technique, and any Uzumaki, from the most rambunctious (Kazuo) to the most stern (Noboru), learned it as soon as they were old enough to understand such notions.

He was water, he was chakra. He was life, and he was will, too.

Upon the stone, Naruto's brush traced a simple circular shape around the leftmost blade of grass. This was the heart of the seal. He focused his mind and retained the firm belief that one belonged inside the other. Where the energy was centralized and controlled.

Upon the stone, Naruto drew four more symbols. North, South, East, West. Evenly spaced, ensuring a balanced distribution of energy. The most basic of all Four Symbols seals. Then, in a practiced motion, the enclosing circle.

Upon the stone, Naruto drew three final symbols with an ink brush. Snake, Dog, and after a moment's thought, Snake again.

Each of them glowed as he slowly, carefully bound them to the leftmost blade of grass. Equally painstakingly, he shaped his hands into a Ram seal — mostly because he knew that another Dog, even formed with his hands and not in ink, would likely destabilize the entire structure of it.

It was rather basic. The essence of Snake, Earth, gave stability and endurance to the seal. Dog, which was affiliated with Water, offered adaptability and flow, and Snake bound them together again; an inner shell that was the same as its outer shell. And for such a simple bind, this usually proved to be enough.

Harmonizing these forces, Naruto extended a tendril of chakra, aligning the two blades in a seamless seal. The ink slowly crawled toward the leftmost blade of grass, shrinking in size as they did.

He exhaled softly, his breath a whisper in the still air, and completed the seal. A subtle pulse of energy, invisible to the naked eye, emanated from him, enveloping the blades in a gentle embrace.

This time, there was a faint shimmer in the air, a visual echo of the connection he had just forged.

There was no rush of power, however. No flash of divine might. No cloud of smoke.

The rightmost blade of grass simply disappeared into the other. Lifting the only remaining one, Naruto almost expected it to burst out of the first one, searing his hand. It wouldn't have been the first time, even. And that it hadn't happened in a while didn't mean much…

But the seal held.

To Naruto, it seemed unimpressive. "…Ta-da."

Yasaka, on the other hand, didn't seem to think it was. "That's some solid work." She said. "And with only three additional symbols, too?"

Naruto shrugged. "…After a few months, I figured that the supporting ones were mostly here to help with focusing the intent. For something like sealing grass in grass…"

He shrugged again.

"Don't be so modest." Yasaka said. "It took me longer than you to figure that one out — and a little while more to actually manage it."

He wasn't being modest, however. At his age, his father had been much further ahead, he was sure of it. What did tedious little tricks like that matter? No seal was perfect, his own even less. Anyone with an affinity for Sealweaving would have figured to do such a thing in a day, he knew. And their seals likely never bled out chakra like a freshly gutted fish, like his own sometimes did.

Perhaps Yasaka noticed his spiraling thoughts. Her expression grew gentler, and she reached down to smooth his hair.

"Is Kushina not well?" She asked. There was none of this horrible pity in her eyes, and so he didn't bristle at her.

Naruto shrugged, perhaps a bit despondently. "She's fine again."

"…I see."

That was all there was to be said, Naruto thought. There were good days, there were bad days. That was the world. And missing the good days when they weren't around, ruminating about the bad ones when they were as distant as gray clouds in summer, felt like a sure way to end up in a never-ending spiral. Which would be kinda ironic for an Uzumaki, he supposed.

That was what he told himself, at least. It didn't truly make it easier.

"Ah." Yasaka voiced her sudden understanding. "That's not what had you frowning."

He simply shook his head.

She snapped her fingers."You're frustrated because you feel you're not progressing fast enough, then."

His head whirled around. "How did you know?!"

Yasaka chuckled that low chuckle of hers. "Well, there are only two things on your mind, really."

He scowled. "That's not true."

"True enough. Eating, too." Yasaka conceded. "So that's three. But considering how short you are, I can empathize—"

"Am not!"

"…Restriction?" Naruto asked her.

Yasaka glanced at the setting sun, a silent acknowledgment that they had lingered outside longer than intended. It was more than time to head home, and he knew it as well as she did. But Yasaka had said something intriguing. In that accidental manner of hers, which often left her wincing once she realized she had said something she probably shouldn't have.

Today was no exception.

Yasaka winced. "…Well, you kind of figured the basics out already, didn't you? Perhaps in reverse, yes, but—"

"I don't follow."

And he often didn't, whenever she tried to explain something. Not only because Life-Spirit adepts were usually rather strange. But because Yasaka was the sort of person to jump into a story from the middle, without anything that looked, even remotely, like context.

'It was incredible.' She would say abruptly. 'The banquet hall, erupting into chaos. There I was, in the middle of it, with only the mission scroll and barely a moment to react. Then the rogue ninja would burst through the doors, and… Ah, no. Those were hunter-nin. Because they were after Reiko, because she —Ah, damn. I forgot to tell you about Reiko. Well, three years before that, when I was in northern Wind country, which is actually not that windy…'

"What is it that you're not following?" Yasaka inquired, thoughtfully rubbing her chin.

Naruto shook his head again. "...The core concept."

Restriction?

"Well…" Yasaka pondered, then offered. "Restriction. That's what sealing is about, right? First thing we've ever learned. And many other techniques hinge on restriction, too — at least that's how I see it. So I just pushed the logic a bit further."

Feeling slightly intrigued, and even more confused, Naruto paused. "What do you mean?"

"Hand seals, for one, can easily be seen as a form of constraint." Yasaka shrugged, at first.

"So?"

"Well, sure you could see them as a way to guide chakra." She saw Naruto about to contest. "…And yes, they are. Too."

He wasn't sure why he had expected her to start making sense, today. He didn't think she was doing it on purpose, but talking to her usually left his head hurting. For different reasons, depending.

"Sealing arts and jutsu are not separate things. You know that much, right?" Yasaka said, waiting for him to nod. "They're two sides of the same coin. If you use the same logic… Either are just an outward expression, the physical manifestation of like, a much deeper vow." She saw him squint. "It's like... when you make a promise with all your heart, that promise holds power, right? It's the same with jutsu—"

He couldn't help it. Naruto grinned cheekily. "Cheesy. That sounds like the romance novels in your room."

An angry red flush rose on Yasaka's face. "Look, I'm not the best with explanations. Why don't you ask your actual teacher?"

A shadow crossed Naruto's face, this time. "Noboru?"

"Noboru-sensei." Yasaka corrected, then laughed at Naruto's muttered response. "Yes, he has his reasons for teaching in a certain order." She then hesitated. "I probably should not even be telling you about this sort of thing, actually." She then mumbled to herself. "Same for the 'conspiracy theories' — I was wrong, the last time, actually. The chief of the Kazezora clan is definitely not a shape-shifting bird, so please forget all about that."

Naruto didn't say anything for a little while, and then he nodded tersely.

Yasaka likely knew it wasn't about her attempt at levity. "…Sorry." She said, rubbing the back of her head.

He shook his head, then paused. "…No, maybe you're right."

"No, don't be — Ah." Yasaka sighed. Thought. And finally relented. "…Alright, I'll finish, at least." She cleared her throat and gestured grandly. "Now, my faithful little shadow… Take hand signs!"

Naruto frowned, trying to wrap his mind around the concept. "Hand signs...? Again? Seriously?"

"Yup. Hand signs." Yasaka nodded in agreement. "Now, you've mentioned this before, right? That the Sage of Six Paths was rumored to be the source of chakra, and supposedly why it's nearly omnipresent now. Think of chakra as a tool to exert your will on the world, your desires taking physical form. Hand signs are a means to manipulate this force. Easy, right?"

Naruto nodded. This part made sense — it didn't come from Yasaka, which was likely why.

"Now, see it differently. See a technique as a pledge. A vow. You can see each hand seal as part of that vow you make with chakra… or with the world itself, who knows. Each seal can be seen as a word in that promise, and together they invoke a jutsu. Just like in sealing, there are some that are more efficient for specific purposes, but a lot of finding out which is guesswork." She nodded, as though she had just stumbled upon a nice life-lesson. "Hence, 'theory' in chakra theory."

…Once again, she didn't miss the mark.

"Noboru disagrees." Naruto pointed out. "He says it's all very grounded."

Yasaka glanced around. "Well, he's not here, is he?"

Naruto grinned, then nodded with a hint of pride. "And he's not the second youngest A-rank shinobi allowed outside of here either, is he?"

She grinned back. "You're goddamn right."

Yasaka tried to get back on track.

"But wait — there's more." Yasaka said, her voice lowering as if sharing a secret. "More intricate jutsu often need additional seals, for most shinobi. Or even chants. Those used to be more widespread, supposedly. Nowadays, most just settle for announcing the name of the technique they're about to use — as impractical as such a thing already is for shinobi. Get it? I'm talking spoken word. I'm talking monks, and all that stuff."

Naruto's eyebrows raised. "Chants? Like a prayer?"

"More of a pact." Yasaka shrugged. "Same principle. You offer your chakra, your time, sometimes even your life, in exchange for greater power, greater output, things like that. And in return, the world answers. Sometimes." Yasaka explained, her fingers twitching as if moving invisible strings. "…Or something."

"Or something." Naruto nodded.

"The thing is…" Yasaka sighed. "I'm sure that in some of the comics you read, more hand seals necessarily mean a more powerful, complicated technique. But that doesn't always hold true in the real world. A water dragon can take from forty-four to fifty-seven seals, while a complex illusion can take just three. Follow me so far?"

"Yes."

"So it's not exactly linear." She continued, as his mouth opened. "And yes, sometimes it's about output. Or trying to do impractical things... like shaping a dragon out of water to slam into your foes instead of using it to slice them, pierce them, choke them." Yasaka nodded to herself again. "Me, personally, I think there's some sort of exchange going on."

"Between… what?"

Yasaka shrugged, before grinning. "That's the thing. Nobody knows."

He must have looked pretty unsatisfied with her answer.

"Chakra itself, perhaps." Yasaka elaborated. "Or yourself. Your soul. Point is, this sacrifice, this restriction gives it meaning. It seems to make one's will more potent."

"Right." He said dubiously.

Inwardly, his mind raced. The idea of restriction resonated with him, and perhaps it had nothing to do with the fact he sometimes felt trapped in this remote place that was theirs.

That true strength required a sacrifice was something anyone on the islands was familiar with. Deliberate limitation, however? That was new. This concept, more than anything else from what she had said, lingered in his thoughts.

Yasaka chuckled, likely envisioning the 'baka-nezumi' — her playful term for his thoughts — scurrying in unison. He still wasn't sure if that was a real animal.

"Look…" She said. "As far as I'm concerned, nobody knows what the hell chakra truly is, how it actually came to be. I, at least, have a working model."

"Magic, then?" Naruto asked hopefully.

"Magic." Yasaka agreed. "Anyway, as you grow stronger… Alright. Perhaps not you, but someone who actually listens — Ha! You missed me, midget." She laughed as the Umeboshi fruit he had thrown at her missed her entirely. With experience, you learn to expedite these 'vows.' A master shinobi can invoke formidable jutsu with fewer signs, or merely a thought… and still have it work, be powerful. The same goes for sealing."

"And you?" Naruto asked, a hint of challenge in his tone. "Can you do that?"

Yasaka's grin widened. "With fewer than you, for anything, definitely."

If she had seen the eager glint in Naruto's eyes that day, perhaps she would have said less.

Then again, he had always managed to find a way to stick his nose in dangerous places. Always.

lensdump:

i/4LVAZq : Yasaka: Or yet Another Strange Life-Spirit Adept

AN: The dreaded exposition chapter — and I sure hope nobody does anything dangerous with this sort of theoretical explanations...

Next chapter might take a little more time. Then again, I really have to stop telling myself I'm not writing a chapter right now if I'm going to end up writing it anyway, it makes me look flaky...

Next chapter: Bindings