Chapter 22: Chapter 22: The Thread of Mist
The day at the academy had just ended when Ren found his father waiting for him at the exit, leaning against a tree with his arms crossed.
"Would you like to practice a little?" asked Toshiro with a smile that hid something.
Ren nodded, intrigued by his father's expression. Instead of heading to their usual training grounds, Toshiro led him out of the village, through less and less traveled paths until they reached a vast semi-desert plain.
The terrain was barren, with a few rocks scattered here and there and no trees in sight. The fog of Kirigakure was only a distant memory here, replaced by dry air and a surprisingly clear sky.
"Show me the hand seals you learned," Toshiro said, sitting down on a rock.
Ren performed the complete sequence of the twelve basic seals, trying to maintain the precision that Fujimoto-sensei had emphasized so much.
"Good," nodded his father. "Now, let's try sparring. I want you to use the Substitution Technique every time I attack you."
'This place...' thought Ren, looking around. 'There is practically nothing to substitute with.'
Toshiro's first attack came fast but controlled. Ren attempted the substitution, but with no objects nearby, the technique failed miserably.
After several failed attempts and as many blows narrowly avoided, Toshiro stopped the sparring.
"Do you understand why I brought you here?" he asked, an amused smile on his face.
"Because there are no replacement items," Ren replied, massaging an arm where one of the strikes had hit him.
"That's right. In all my years as a chunin, I have found myself in similar situations several times. Desert areas, open plains, places where the Replacement Technique seemed useless." He paused, looking at the horizon. "I had to develop some ... alternative solutions."
Toshiro pulled a kunai from his bag. "The first is obvious: always carry items for replacement. But it's not always practical, and containment scrolls have their limitations in combat."
' I don't remember to have seen some explanation about this in the manga.'
"What's the other solution?" asked Ren, genuinely curious.
"This," Toshiro raised a hand and Ren saw something almost invisible glowing in the sunlight-a very thin chakra thread extending from his fingers.
The thread quickly stretched until it reached a small rock several meters away. With a fluid motion of his wrist, Toshiro slid the rock toward them.
"A chakra strand," he explained. "Like an invisible web that allows you to attract objects for replacement."
'It almost looks like Kankuro's technique,' Ren thought with amazement. " Tou-san," he said aloud, "this technique...could it also work with puppets?"
Toshiro looked at him in surprise. "Where did you hear about puppets?"
"At the academy," Ren quickly replied, "we were told that there are ninjas who fight using puppets."
His father's expression became distant for a moment. "Years ago, during a mission, we met a young ninja who used this very technique. Alone, he put several squads in trouble, forcing us to retreat."
He shook his head, returning to the present. "But yes, the principle is similar, although I don't have much information about it."
He approached Ren, showing him how to form the filament. "The key is to balance the chakra perfectly. When the filament touches an object, you will feel like a 'tac' - that is the moment when the object adheres. Then you have to withdraw the thread with a steady acceleration, otherwise you will lose your grip."
For the next few hours, Ren practiced creating the filament. It was more difficult than it looked - the chakra had to be perfectly controlled, neither too thick nor too thin.
'It's like trying to keep water in thread form, but if I could master it properly, it might come in handy on many occasions,' he thought, as yet another attempt dissolved into the air.
The sun was setting when he finally managed to create a stable filament and attract a small stone.
"Not bad for the first day," smiled Toshiro. "Let's go home, your mother will be waiting for us."
That evening, sitting around the dinner table, the atmosphere was warm and cozy. Yuki had prepared Ren's favorite dish, and the air smelled of spices and family affection.
'I never imagined I would have this feeling,' Ren thought as he listened to his parents talk about the day. 'This ... belonging. This family.'
"What are you thinking about?" his mother asked, noticing his absorbed look.
'Nothing in particular,' smiled Ren.
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