F A M I L I A R

A New Jutsu

The back of my eyelids became bright and orange with the rising sun. My blonde hair whipped around my face in the chilly wind as I sat perfectly still in the middle of the clearing. I concentrated on centering my chakra, and taking in as much nature energy as I could. With my breathing regulated and my focus unaltered, I opened my eyes and outstretched my hands over the corpse in front of me.

Today I was determined to learn a new jutsu. I was going to attempt something that I've never tried before.

~~~~~

The morning after Asuma's funeral, I awoke with a splitting headache. My body wasn't used to the consumption of alcohol, but I was resolved to beat the hangover in my own way. I forced my fatigued body to the training grounds, determined to further perfect my nature techniques. I wanted to form sturdier objects, ones that could be used to shield from powerful blasts without budging. I wanted the intensions of my mind to be strong enough for my jutsu to work without words or hand signs. I wanted to be more of a threat in battle.

After sprouted enough trees to lose count, each one becoming larger and stronger than the last, the idea came to me. With my kekkei genkai, I could redirect nature energy and combine it with my own chakra to form not only rocks and boulders, but living, breathing trees and foliage. So, what if I could do more?

I'd never given this idea a try, but the more I thought about it, the more it seemed possible.

Deciding to seek out the Hokage, I made my way through the streets to her building. Tsunade had a grand reputation for medical ninjutsu that was even talked about back in Iwa, so I knew she would be the best person to ask about this sort of thing. I knocked on her door rather loudly before I heard some shuffling of papers and a gruff, "Come in."

I walked through the door and Tsunade gave me a surprised look. "Oh, Asuna. What brings you here?"

"I-um," I hesitated, bowing before her. "I know that I am not a member of the Leaf Village, but if you would have me I would like to train under you Lady Tsunade."

"There is no need for such formalities," Tsunade said, getting up and walking around her desk. I straightened up again and saw that her face had soften slightly as she leaned against the front of her desk. She crossed her arms in front of her and said, "I thought that the Yuna Clan was already one of the strongest of the Hidden Stone, I doubt you need guidance from me with a lineage like that."

I shook my head slightly. "It's not that. I assume you know about my kekkei genkai?" I asked. She smiled and nodded.

"I want to work on a new jutsu that expands the abilities of my gene trait, and I need knowledge on medical ninjutsu to do so. I know you are one of the most well-known medical ninja, and it would be my honor to learn from someone as seasoned as you are, Lady Fifth."

I resisted the urge to bow again as I watched her face turn into confusion.

"I'm sorry Asuna, but your chakra ability will not be compatible with medical ninjutsu. You must have a certain type of chakra to be able to heal others successfully, and I'm afraid that simply taking in nature energy will not be sufficient enough."

"But taking in nature energy is only part of what my kekkei gankai allows me to do," I said a bit too fast, shaking my head again and knitting my eyebrows together.

"Is the Yuna clan's ability not called 'Nature Absorption'?" Tsunade asked with a hint of sarcasm, raising an eyebrow. I smiled at her in response, since it appeared that she was not aware of the full history of my clan.

"Actually, ma'am, the name 'Nature Absorption' only really encompasses half of what the Yuna's kekkei genkai can do. It's almost a misnomer," I stated not skipping a beat.