Chapter 3- No-Handed Jutsu?
Two years had passed, and the bond between The Kojiki Trio – Naruto, Sasuke, and Shanan had grown stronger with each passing day. Their lives had become a comfortable routine of sharing stories, laughter, and countless meals together.
Nights were spent cuddled up together in Shanan's cozy bed. The soft glow of her lamp, the familiar scent of her blankets and pillows, and the soothing sound of her voice as she read was what made the boys feel most safe and at home.
Their days flowed effortlessly from school to rooftop training sessions, where they honed their Ninjutsu and Taijutsu skills. Naruto and Sasuke's friendly rivalries fueled their growth and pushed them to do better, tempered by Shanan's calming presence so as not to get too carried away. Then, as the sun dipped below the horizon, they'd settle on the floor together, surrounded by the warm glow of lanterns and the comforting scent of Shanan's cooking. Their conversations meandered, often erupting into laughter-filled moments.
One evening, their discussion turned to the topic of Dojutsus and, more specifically, the Sharingan. Sasuke's eagerness to unlock its power drove the conversation. Shanan listened intently, her eyes sparkling with curiosity.
"It is pretty interesting…" she said. "Honestly, the whole idea of Kekkei Genkai has always intrigued me. Everyone has chakra in them, though not everyone can wield it. But then, of those that can wield it, some are just inherently more powerful than others due to their bloodline. Some are just born with a great power that they can then expand upon in one way or another. While others reach their limit quickly and that's all they'll ever be. Which isn't bad, but… like I said, it's interesting to me."
Sasuke nodded in agreement. "I don't really know as much about the Sharingan as I'd like to," he said. "But even just having the ability to see exactly what someone is doing and being able to stop them before they realize what's happening seems incredibly powerful."
"That," Shanan said, "has always seemed really unfair to me ever since I read about it." She scrunched up her face as she thought for a moment. "I'd love to find a way to counteract something like that. I wonder if I could…"
"The only way to keep your moves secret is to avoid using hand signals," Sasuke explained, "but that's impossible in Ninjutsu."
She pondered momentarily before responding, "Hmm… So far, that's true…"
Naruto laughed loudly. "Come on, sis! Nobody can beat a Sharingan! Don't you think someone would've tried by now?"
"Well, actually…" Sasuke smiled, his eyes locked on Shanan with admiration. "If anyone can do it, it's gotta be you, Shanan," he said. "Though, it would probably be easier if you had a Kekkei Genkai to help somehow."
Shanan closed her eyes and shook her head defiantly. "No it wouldn't," she said, her voice filled with conviction. "I'm a master researcher." She tapped the side of her head. "I got brains for days…" A soft chuckle escaped her lips as she stood up, her eyes sparkling with excitement. "Besides, I already have some ideas of what to do. I vaguely remember reading a book about amputee shinobi, though that might have been fiction… Something about a Kaiju…" She trailed off as she stood up and grabbed her notebook.
She sat at the table and started scribbling down titles of books and subjects to research, determined to find a way to perform Ninjutsu without hand signals. Her brow furrowed in concentration, she wondered if it was truly impossible. But she was no stranger to tackling seemingly insurmountable challenges on her own.
Her mind wandered back to her unique chakra types – water and lightning. She had mastered transforming herself into water, a rare and powerful skill in Konoha. However, her secondary lightning nature remained a mystery, its existence discovered through a painful incident. Her hand had involuntarily become engulfed in visible electricity, causing a reaction between her dual chakra types. The memory of that pain still lingered.
The scarcity of resources on lightning nature, combined with her own fear of losing control, had left her hesitant to experiment further. Without guidance or instruction, her lightning nature remained dormant, a latent power waiting to be understood and harnessed.
As she wrote, her determination became palpable. The boys watched her, intrigued, as her mind whirled with possibilities. Naruto chuckled, but Sasuke's gaze lingered on her, his heart filled with admiration. To him, Shanan was the embodiment of determination and resilience. Her kindness, bravery, and unwavering compassion for others inspired him every day.
He also found her beautiful, with captivating blue eyes and hair that always smelled like flowers. Her radiant smile could illuminate even the darkest rooms, banishing shadows and filling his soul with warmth every time. Whenever he looked at her, Sasuke felt an unshakeable sense of peace – as if nothing could ever rattle him and no darkness would ever touch him again.
She had faced the abyss and pulled him from the depths of his sorrow after his clan's tragic demise, and he couldn't imagine a life without her. She was the glue that held him together, making even his and Naruto's unlikely friendship possible.
Sasuke's heart had one single ambition in life: to cherish Shanan forever – to love her unconditionally, without reservation or faltering devotion.
He longed so much to stand beside her through all of her light and the occasional, inevitable darkness that always tried to break through. Every triumph they'd share and any turmoil they might ever face. All he wanted was to be her safe haven, her guiding light and her greatest love. He yearned to ensure that she never knew sadness and never ever felt alone. To be the one she turned to, ran to, and loved with every fiber of her being. He desired to be the recipient of her whole heart's love, and to offer his own heart, entirely and exclusively, to her.
Even if she never reciprocated his love, Sasuke vowed to remain devoted to Shanan's safety, happiness and overall well-being.
Once Shanan had set her mind on countering the Sharingan, her determination became contagious. The trio's collective focus shifted, prioritizing the development of no-handed jutsu.
She'd filled page after page with notes and theories based on her extensive research.
Her pursuit of innovation, had led her to the library to pour over dusty tomes. Revisiting everything she'd already read on chakra control, and learning everything she could about visualization techniques, and alternative wielding methods.
She even dived into topics that seemed far-fetched and unrelated, which led her to some hidden gems like; "The Dreamwalker's Chronicle," an obscure book on dream-induced jutsu. Its accounts of subconscious chakra control sparking unintentional and sometimes disastrous results fascinated Shanan and she devoured the book in a single evening instead of sleeping.
The boys marveled at her tireless dedication, but they refused to lend a hand in researching. Even Sasuke, who joked that, "reading was a ninja's downfall." Grateful for his shinobi training, he affectionately teased Shanan about her love for research and old books. Though, genuinely, he believed in her completely and was always ready to put her ideas into practice.
Weeks blossomed into months, their practice sessions and Shanan's library visits evolving into a comforting daily ritual.
They spent countless hours sitting on the rooftop, eye's closed as they implemented Shanan's various instructions and making small adjustments here and there when she was sure something would or wouldn't work.
Her gentle voice guided them through each attempt to make something – anything – happen without a single hand signal. "Envision your hands making the signals… convince your mind you're physically performing the gestures."
Finally, her endless dedication had yielded a breakthrough as she combined several disparate ideas into one revolutionary method. By adapting meditative breathing and visualization techniques and subconscious chakra control principles to an already existing, one-handed jutsu method, she created something truly innovative. This novel approach, born from her relentless curiosity, would likely astonish even the most esteemed scientists and formidable shinobi alike.
Just as a light snow began to fall, Shanan's clone finally stood before them, indistinguishable from her the same as if she'd made it with the usual signals.
She released the jutsu – without any signals – and repeated the shadow clone technique, all while resting her hands on her knees.
The trio exchanged triumphant glances.
"You actually did it," Sasuke said. His gaze lingered on her, smiling as he acknowledged just how clever she really was and her impressive achievement.
Naruto, on the other hand, erupted into excited cheers loud enough for the entire village to hear. "Sis! You're a genius!" He rushed over to hug her, beaming with pride. "I never should've doubted you! The Sharingan's got nothin' on you!"
"We're gonna be the only ones who can do this…" Sasuke said thoughtfully. "No one will ever expect it."
Shanan released the jutsu once more, unable to stop smiling as she looked at the boys. "It feels so surreal to have it finally figured out… And almost—wrong not to share it. Doesn't it?"
"No way we're sharing this with anyone!" Naruto shouted. "You worked so hard to figure out how to do something no one else has ever been able to do. We own it! Besides," he added, his voice softening. "No one would share it with us… No one ever does."
Sasuke stared at the ground with his hands in his pockets, nodding gently at Naruto's words.
Shanan stood up and pulled Naruto into a tight hug. Of course, he'd been right. The trio fought for everything they had, including their own peace, while others were effortlessly handed opportunities and even compassion. Their status as misunderstood orphans was why they largely kept to themselves, relying solely on each other.
"We won't share it," she agreed.
The boys agreed in unison. This was their legacy now, something they could pass down, and they would continue to work tirelessly to perfect it until it became second nature.
Their dynamic as a found family, though unconventional, was indestructible. They were all each other had in the world, and their love for one another surpassed expectations.
While Naruto and Sasuke still disagreed from time to time, as brothers often do, a family meeting summons from one to the other guaranteed attention, an opportunity to calmly discuss their issues – a tradition Shanan initiated upon Sasuke's arrival. One of her more clever ideas, she'd always thought.
This practice brought them closer and eventually made them feel like brothers. Over time, their own strong bond developed, sharing inside jokes and conversations that excluded even Shanan. Which she expected, given the nature of things.
The trio, united by their experiences of rejection and shared isolation, had found solace in each other. Together, they'd found a sense of belonging and strength, each one's presence bolstering the others against the challenges they constantly faced.
The triangle had indeed proven to be the strongest shape, its three sides working in tandem to create a foundation that was greater than the sum of its parts.