Chapter 39: First Attempt At Ninjutsu
Whether having to take care of his mothers ninken who was taking part in a rather dangerous and quit frankly uncertain experiment was a good thing or not, Keitaro couldn't say, but it did at least take his mind off of the coming Hyūga Clan celebration that was looming nearer and nearer.
He spent quite a lot of time talking with her as he worked around her enclosure, or at least what could be considered a conversation between a human and a dog. It was still uncanny how he always seemed to instinctively understand and comprehend what ever it was that she wanted to say even without much in the way of words from her.
It had taken a while but the more time that he spent around her and her male companion, the easier it was for him to understand and communicate with them. The same way that humans communicated with more than simply speech, so to did other creatures.
From the way they tilted their heads when questioning something, to the way their ears swiveled from side to side in a display of amusement. They utilized their whole body to express themselves and it was a language that not many could appreciate.
Still even though he spent a lot of time with his mother ninken, he didn't slack off when it came to his other studies either. Or more accurately, Kazuki and his father refused to let him fall behind of the schedule that they had arranged or him once more.
Today was special though as he was going to be doing something new, something that he had truly been looking forward to for the longest while.
"Are you sure that you're ready?" Kazuki asked Keitaro as he stood opposite him with intrigue.
"Better to start somewhere right? Besides even if I can't figure it out immediately I can still practice at home." Keitaro shrugged as he stood before a desk that been specially prepared for todays lesson.
On the desk in front of him was a blank scroll paired with a small delicate brush and ink well, neatly placed off to one side, while at the center of the desk lay the corpse of a mouse. This morbid scene was placed before Keitaro as he would finally be delving into the more practically aspects of medical ninjutsu, and actually performing his first technique!
For such a monumental moment, not only was Kazuki present, but so to where Renji as well as Kuma who had taken a day off just so that he'd have more than enough time to be here for his son to give assistance and guidance as need be.
"Remember that even if you aren't able to get it completely right today, that that's okay. It took me almost a week of constant trail and error before I was able to cast this particular Jutsu. Don't underestimate its difficulty just because it's a D-ranked jutsu."
Kuma's words of encouragement washed over Keitaro as he got ready to begin his medical jutsu training in earnest. He unrolled the scroll the Keitaro had given him the day before for a final look over before he continued.
The jutsu that he would be practicing today was one of the basic medical jutsu that all persons where required to learn. The scroll that he was quickly rereading was titled Chakra Scalpel and went into very excruciating detail of the hands signs, chakra composition, as well as several methods to improve ones control and usage.
It was a rather versatile technique and even though it had labeled as a D-ranked technique because of it very low usability outside of its supposed use in medical applications, it had no sealing or higher cap for its power. It was a technique that though all medical shinobi learned, every one of them were able to put their own unique spin and incites into the jutsu to the point that no two chakra scalpels were exactly alike.
Hell, there were several times when this mundane technique would become a deadly weapon in the hands of the right people in the future, so of course Keitaro was interested in it!
Whether he would be able to be considered one of those people was not something that Keitaro was truly bothered with, though he would still do his best to make the jutsu his own.
With the scrolls contents memorized once more, he placed it aside and closed his eyes in concentration. With slow but deliberate movement, Keitaro followed the scrolls instructions and weaved the hand signs for the technic, feeling as his chakra became agitated in response. He was amazed at how smoothly his chakra seemed to be flowing in response to his commands and couldn't help but pat himself on the back for going the extra mile in his chakra control practice
He had long moved away form the tree concentration method in favor of Kazuki's water leaf method, but had upped the difficulty greatly and practiced with it every night till he either ran out of chakra, or was to tired to do anything but to fall asleep.
Those nights of practice came in handy now as his chakra responded like an obedient pet, weaving through his chakra network without a hitch or bump, right up until he made the final hand sign and held out his hand to manifest a scalpel.
Instead of a chakra blade appearing in his palm, his chakra seeped out of his hand forming a mass of …something, before simply fading away.
Disappointment flashed across Keitaro's face at the failure but before he could say anything, three round of applause sounded out in the room. He looked up to see looks of surprise on the faces of Kazuki, Kuma and even Renji.
"I Had a feeling you were going to surprise us, but I didn't think you'd be able to get this far without us having to help you with anything. Congratulations!" Kazuki was the first to speak, his excitement palpable
"I for one am not surprised, my son is special afterall." Chimed Kuma, his chest filled with pride
"I had hopped that you weren't going to be so freakishly talented at practical Jutsu as well, but I guess it was wishful thinking. I'm going to have redouble my training and practice if I don't want you to overtake me." Lamented Renji who pouted childishly while still clapping for Keitaro.
Keitaro stood there confused at the congratulations and wasn't sure if they were being serous or if they were mocking him.
"But … I didn't cast the jutsu successfully. My chakra just formed a blob before fading away. Why are you guys celebrating?"
Kazuki scoffed at Keitaro's question before posing a question of his own.
"Did you really think we expected you to be able to cast that jutsu on the first go around? There is a reason why it takes people years of study before they master certain techniques and even if charka scalpel is only D-Rank, its still a jutsu that takes some time to get the hang of."
"Kazuki is right," added Kuma, "The reason why we're praising you is because you've pretty much showed that you have a basic understanding of the technique and with a bit of pointers you should be able to get it performed within a couple hours. Normally when you are learning a technique or jutsu, it is broken down into several smaller and simplified parts that you practice with, gain experience in, and then combine all together to form the true technique."
He pulled out a few pieces of paper and placed them onto the table for Keitaro to see as he explained.
"Chakra scalpel is an easy technique but it touches on lots of important aspects that all jutsu focus on to some extent. Amassing chakra, weaving hands signs, shaping chakra, and finally releasing and maintaining control of the release chakra. These four stages could be broken down further into smaller subsections but you get the point. Now that you see these subdivisions do you think you can figure out where you went wrong?"
Keitaro looked over the four pieces of paper and recalled the sensation he felt while carrying out the technique, He didn't have any problems when it came to amassing chakra, if anything that was the easiest part for him, as easy as breathing really.
Next came the weaving of the hands signs. He was also sure that he didn't have any problems when it came to this area either. His hand movements were precise and correct, he'd sacrificed his speed just to ensure that he got the hands signs absolutely correct and from how smoothly the chakra had moved through his body he was sure that it wasn't a problem with his hand signs.
Next came the chakra shaping. This one was bit tricky since he wasn't absolutely sure whether he'd done it right or not. In fact had he even done any chakra shaping in the first place? Wasn't the whole point of the hands signs to shape the chakra? Was there more to it that he wasn't privy too?
And finally, releasing and controlling the release technique. He was certain that this one was definitely an area that he had failed in. he hadn't really tried to control the scalpel since he had assumed it would have been similar to a physical scalpel, though the more he though about it the more ridiculous he felt about his thought process.
Of course he would still need to control the scalpel after it was created, hell he'd also need to supply it with a constant stream of chakra to keep it corporal.
Though, how was he supposed to keep that connection in the first place? The scroll never mentioned anything about that, though given how obvious it was in hind sight it was a possibility that it wasn't mentioned simply because it would have been deemed to be a matter of course.
With his thoughts in order, Keitaro gave an answer that he was pleased with.
"I think my chakra gathering wasn't the issue, nor should it have been my hand signs. If anything I think I made a mistake when it came to shaping my chakra and with releasing and controlling the technique itself."
"Bravo, your right on the money! Both me and your father could tell immediately that you were making a few beginner mistakes when we saw the way that your scalpel turned out, and by how quickly it faded away."
"Firstly before we continue I have to ask, do you recall the facets of chakra control that are important when attempting to perform a jutsu?"
Keitaro though about for a moment before giving a tentative answer.
"When it comes to ninjutsu the two most important facets would be shape and nature transformation?"
"Correct, its good to see you've been doing the reading I've been giving you. You are right, shape and nature transformations are the two most important ways in which chakra control plays an integral part in the success rate of a ninjutsu being performed. For right now you can forget about nature transformation since that's not something that I'm going to be dealing with. Right now shape transformation is what's important."
Kazuki placed a piece of paper on the table before scribbling a few things on it. Once he stood back there where three tables on the piece pf paper labeled with three categories.
"Shape transformations deal with controlling the form, movement, and potency of one's chakra. As such it determines the size, range, and most importantly the purpose of a technique. A greater mastery of shape transformation can allow you to turn a mundane technique into a power tool with a few minor tweaks, or it can allow you to turn a single technique into a an arsenal of techniques by tweaking the same technique over and over again so that it behaves differently for specific situations."
Kazuki quickly carried the hands signs for the chakra scalpel ninjutsu, making sure that he was slow enough for everyone to see the hand signs clearly. After that, a blade of chakra appeared in his hands, though Keitaro was confused by the shape. Instead of a scalpel, his blade looked much thicker and blockier. An observation that Kazuki seemed to make as well as he tsked loudly as he waved his scalpel around.
"You might want to let me show him instead, You've been stuck in your lab so much that you've sacrificed precision for functionality."
Kuma restrained a chuckle before he also carried out the same hand signs and formed a scalpel. This time it much more resembled what a scalpel was supposed to look like, though it looked a little more on the delicate side.
"You see Kei, that was a perfect example of the differences between two persons who know the same technique and the ways that shape transformation can affect the way in which a technique manifests. I've only even needed to use the chakra scalpel technique for it's intended use as a scalpel for surgical procedures and as such my scalpel is geared more so towards that vein of thought."
Kuma pointed towards Kazuki who was still playing around with his chakra scalpel trying to change its shape and size with varying degrees of success.
"Kazuki on the other hand would usually utilize his chakra scalpel to harvest materials and such things out in the field. As such, his needs were better suited to utilize a more robust knife than an actual scalpel, which is shown in the way his chakra blade was produced. Now lets focus back to you. When you carried out the hands signs and release your chakra, the reason why it didn't take a definite form was simply because you didn't give it one."
"But I thought that hand signs where used so that they would shape your chakra. If I still have to shape my chakra, why bother with hands signs at all?" Interjected Keitaro, who was starting to feel a little over whelmed
"Yes weaving hand signs does shape your chakra to a certain extent but you could think of it like this; Your hand signs are creating the building materials needed to perform a technique, but with shape transformation you determine how those building materials are put together. Did you have a concrete idea of what the scalpel you wanted to produce would look like? How long was the bladed edge supposed to be? Was the handle a simple straight handle or were there bulges along the handles length so that it had a better fit when placed in your hand? All of these are things you have to think about when your dealing with shape transformation. Not to mention that this is for a simple D-Rank jutsu, things can and will get a lot more complex as you go up the ranking ladder."
Kazuki explained as his chakra blade faded away. Kuma followed suit and the two began to talk about a few other minor things to pay attention to before encouraging him to try again now with the knowledge and information that he been given.
Keitaro fell into thought as he internalized all that he had heard. It was interesting how complex such a simply ninjutsu could be, and it amazed him how much though had to go into simply performing it. Still there was lots of time for him to play around with it so why rush?
He took his time, first thinking about what his chakra blade would look like. He though long and hard until a memory that had been fuzzy and faded came back to him. He'd been to a hospital before when he'd received stitches, and while the doctor at the time had worked on his wound he had noticed that amongst the many tools at his disposal was a scalpel. It was sleek, with a two inch blade the seemed larger than normal. The teardrop like shape of the bladed end seemed to have been an important feature, allowing for more control over the incisions and instead of the usually metallic sheen that most blades had. This one had been pitch black. When he'd inquired about it he'd been told that it had been an obsidian blade, chosen specifically for its sharpness and precision.
If the image of the scalpel was so important to ensuring the success of the technique, then it stood to reason that by using such an exquisite scalpel as a blueprint that the end result would be better no?
Once he had his image in mind, Keitaro once more waived the hand signs. Immediately he could feel a difference that hadn't been there before. If before his chakra moved at a leisurely lackadaisical pace, now it was almost like it was being spurred into action for a specific purpose. Within a short while his chakra was ejected from his hand and formed a replica of the scalpel from his memory of back then. Of course the blade wasn't black, nor did the handle gleam like polished metal, but it still kept the general shape of the obsidian scalpel with its thin delicate blade. In fact, the bladed portion of the chakra scalpel seemed especially stable compared to the rest of the incorporeal chakra construct.
In his excitement of managing to pull off the technique he excitedly waved his hand around, only for the blade to fall from his hand unto the table. Yet instead of it simply crumpling apart now that it had lost the connection to his hand and therefore access to his chakra supply, the chakra blade persisted for a few short moments before it faded, just long enough for it to fall bladed tip first unto the metal tray that had been holding the rat specimen which he was meant to dissect with his chakra scalpel. Leaving behind a rather obvious mark on the metal container.
The silence was palpable as everyone once more wore faces of shock at the display. Though the reason for their shock differed from person to person.
"You got it on the second try?!" Renji was most shocked at the fact that Keitaro was able to pick up the ninjutsu technique after only two attempts.
"What type of scalpel was that, I don't think I've ever seen a design like that before!" Kazuki's astonishment was mainly around the shape and features of the scalpel in question. Trust his scientific mind to focus on something like that.
"Are you alright, did you cut yourself?!" Of course Kuma was shocked at how the scalpel was able to damage the metal tray after only making contact once, now more concerned about Keitaro's well being that anything else.
"It's alright I'm fine. Just was a little shocked that's all. Didn't think I would have gotten it on my second try…"
Keitaro was also amazed at what had happened and without a moments rest immediately wove the hand signs one more before an identical chakra blade appeared in his hand once more.
It was fascinating how in his hand it felt like a solid object was being held, even though to his eyes there was only a barely visible translucent chakra blade. Even if he knew it was nothing more that a simple D-Rank jutsu, it was still mind boggling to him.
"While I'm sure everyone is just as shocked as to how quickly you've managed to catch on to this technique, this is still meant to be a training session. You gotten the chakra blade manifestation part down, but you still have a dissection to get to. That will help you with control since a fluctuation in your chakra could result in your blade cutting something that it wasn't supposed to, not to mention you'll need to maintain a steady transfer of chakra to the blade to ensure it remains stable enough to utilize without problem."
Kazuki cleared his throat as he brought everyone back into focus for the days purpose.
"Though if your able to pick up on the other supplementary medical techniques as quickly as this, then I'll have to bring forward the training schedule I had planned for you."
With that the rest of the day was spent dissecting things while under the watchful eyes of Kazuki, Kuma and Renji.
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone