A/N - It's been a minute, huh? Sorry about that. A lot of personal stuff happened, so I've been more than a little distracted. Plus, figuring out the story with the addition of Minato completely threw me off. But I think I've hammered out what I want the new dynamic to be, and this chapter is going to be more about establishing that than the humor (although I'll try to keep it lighthearted). If you're interested in an in-depth look at how I'm going about the dynamic, I'm writing a third chapter to the Author's Commentary about that. Totally optional, but I would appreciate feedback if anyone wants to check it out.
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-Naruto-
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"... and why are ninjas so stiff?! You have a set of techniques to draw from, instead of just knowing how to use your chakra to suit any situation whenever you need it! And what even is the point of those hand movements? Your teachers said that the hand seals help 'shape your chakra', but why do you need to 'shape' it in order to use it? Chakra should flow naturally, in accordance with your will, not be forced into some 'mold' in a memorized pattern! And wouldn't it be faster to move on instinct, rather than attempt to recall a memorized technique in the middle of a battle? Especially if you have to wait until you finish a string of complicated hand signs to use your technique! Surely, humans aren't so stupid as to not realize how much more efficient simply using your chakra the natural way is!"
Fuzzy's been ranting for a while now. Meh, that's normal enough. Naruto's used to it, so he's barely paying attention while he performs the delicate task of bathing a fox who may or may not have gotten a makeover when Hanabi caught it spying on her. At least she thought it was funny...
"While that is a valid point, I think you should consider the differences between you and humans. You've said it many times that using chakra comes far more naturally to you because you're made of it. Humans are made of physical matter, with chakra flowing throughout. Using our chakra is relatively unnatural as it is; we have to actively teach our children how to find and mold it, and most just never learn how to use their own chakra. Learning how to guide our chakra that way would take several lifetimes' worth of training for most ninja. It's simply more practical to learn a set of jutsu until we can use them on instinct rather than cutting out hand seals."
Huh. Dad's joining in. That's gonna make this harder to ignore, isn't it?
"Humans are perfectly capable of using their chakra without hand seals! The Sage of Six Paths could do just about anything with barely a thought; and even his sons could function perfectly well without the hand seals. Hell, one of his sons invented the practice! Even recently, wasn't the brother of that idiot wood-style user able to use some water-style jutsu without any more than one hand sign?"
"They were the exception, not the rule. Most humans simply aren't that gifted with their chakra. Even most 'geniuses' need hand seals to perform jutsu, and those who learn to cast jutsu without hand seals do so with one or two jutsu after spending countless hours training. Most just can't dedicate that time and energy to mastering one or two techniques enough for the quick draw. Those who do are usually geniuses who already understand chakra and how to shape it far better than even high-level ninja, and they tend to have already invented jutsu of their own."
Blessed silence. Fuzzy's probably thinking it over. Which is great for Naruto, since that fox is squealing at the top of her lungs while Naruto tries to dry her. Ghost debates inside his head just aren't that fun when he's already got a headache.
"Wouldn't learning a jutsu be a massive time investment? You would have to memorize a pattern of very specific hand seals, and it would have to be a pretty long string for some jutsu. Wouldn't learning to shape your chakra on its own just be easier? It would even free up your hands, so you could use a kunai to defend if your opponent tried to attack while you're preparing the technique."
Silence over. Ugh.
"It really depends on your level, and the jutsu. We teach the basic hand seals from a very young age, so that making them is practically instinct to ninja. All we really need to know is the right combination, so we practice until we memorize the pattern and then refine the technique until it's viable to use in battle. By the time we get that down, it's practically instinct to pull out the jutsu when we need it. Of course, there is certainly merit to keeping your hands free, but there are strategies we can use. For example, when we are preparing a long string of hand seals, we usually back away to get out of slashing range. That's why long string techniques tend to be long-range or long-lasting; it's just not as practical to cast a jutsu in close quarters. I would imagine that coming up with techniques on the fly would also take some focus away from the battle. A ninja can't afford distraction in the middle of the fight."
"Yet your flashing technique doesn't seem to require hand seals, and neither does your spiraling sphere."
Oh! That's interesting!
"That's something more unique to those particular techniques. All of the setup for Hiraishin is in the seals themselves, and the Rasengan is specifically designed to be a seal-less technique that requires months, if not years, to master."
"Dad! Can you teach me that?"
A second of mental silence. Did they forget they were in Naruto's head or something? He's totally entitled to rent in the form of awesome jutsu!
"Maybe in another year or two. I'd like to make sure you have a little finer chakra control before I teach you Rasengan, and you need quite a bit more skill in fuuinjutsu to start work on Hiraishin. I'll be more than happy to teach you when you're ready, though."
"But my chakra control's fine! And I've made a ton of progress with fuuinjutsu, too! You said it takes years to learn, so shouldn't I-"
"Brat."
Traitor!
"Wipe that look off your face, brat. We can kill two birds with one stone here. Practice your hand seals and we'll see how they change your chakra flow. I've never really seen the point in them, but if it makes controlling the shape of your chakra easier then I want to observe which signs do what."
"I thought you didn't like hand signs!"
"Shut it. We're just observing for now. No point in being right if you can't prove the idiot wrong."
How does Dad seem smug and offended at the same time? Whatever. Naruto's got a wet fox tail to fluff up.
Huh. But practicing the hand seals would probably be good for Naruto's chakra control, right? That's literally what the hand seals are for. So that'll help with the Rasengan, right? And the whole debate (argument) was about how useful hand seals are, but it seems kind of in between, right? Like, it's good to have some jutsu you can do without hand seals... so if Naruto learns the patterns of how seals change his chakra flow, couldn't he just do the same thing without the seals? That'd be kinda hard, though. It's not like Naruto doesn't have time, but it'd be pretty good for simplifying jutsu. Or even inventing his own! Dad said that some of the best geniuses invent their own jutsu, so doing that would make Naruto an awesome ninja!
"I'd be more than happy to help you practice your hand signs, Naruto. I happened to invent jutsu of my own, so I'm more than familiar with how to string them together."
...
Should Naruto be happy about getting to train with Dad, or horrified at the Academy-style lectures he's definitely just been doomed to?