Shota gave the Anbu who guarded the Suna jutsu archives the pass that the Kazekage had given him. The guard, his face hidden behind a porcelain mask took the paper without a word.
He studied the Kazekage's seal, then tucked the pass into his vest. His voice was flat, like he'd said the same thing a thousand times. "You can select one B-rank jutsu. A copied scroll will be delivered to you. I'll give you a catalogue of the jutsus. Specify the chakra nature you want."
"Fire and Wind," Shota said. Those were his primary and secondary affinities, the ones he'd trained since the academy.
The Anbu nodded and disappeared into the shelves behind him. The archives were a massive room. Rows of scrolls lined the walls, each sealed in protective cases to keep out the desert's dust. Some cases glowed faintly with chakra seals, marking the more dangerous or secret techniques.
The Anbu returned with two thick catalogues, one for Wind and one for Fire. The Wind catalogue was much thicker, its pages worn from use.
Most Suna shinobi had Wind as their affinity, so it made sense. The Fire catalogue was slimmer but still hefty. Shota figured Water and Lightning jutsus would have fewer options, those natures were rare in Suna, and thus fewer jutsus explored or bought.
The Anbu set the catalogues on a stone table in front of Shota. "These jutsus don't include some the elder council deemed too dangerous for general access," he said.
Shota nodded and opened the Wind catalogue first. He flipped through the pages, his eyes scanning the names and descriptions of the jutsus.
You might think he had a huge arsenal of jutsus, being the protagonist and all. Nope. Wrong. Shota's jutsu list was embarrassingly short: the three academy basics—Clone, Transformation, and Substitution plus Body Flicker, Wind Style: Great Breakthrough, Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu, and Rasengan.
That was it. Everything but Rasengan was C-rank or lower. And Rasengan? It had taken him four years to master, even with the training aids Jiraiya used in the anime, rubber balls, water balloons, the whole deal. Four years of popping balloons and cursing under his breath in the desert heat.
So, no, he wasn't some ninjutsu prodigy like everyone thought. His dojutsu and his anime knowledge carried him, not a library of jutsus.
Why so few? First, higher-rank jutsus were hard to learn. You needed control and a ton of chakra. Second, Suna was stingy as hell with their jutsu scrolls. You had to prove you were worth the "investment" to get the reward—which, by the way, was just a single scroll you got to study for a month before they snatched it back.
A month! For one jutsu! Shota could rant about it all day. Suna's elders acted like handing out a B-rank jutsu was the same as giving away the village's gold reserves.
He'd had two chances like this before where he earned his two C rank jutsus. That was it.
No generous jonin sensei to teach him, either. Suna wasn't like Konoha with its cozy genin teams and doting mentors.
Here, you graduated the academy, and a jonin might pick you as a student and mentor you, if they felt like it.
Shota, despite graduating early and ranking number one in his class, got no offers. Zero. Zilch. He was pretty sure why. It was because of politics. Every jonin in Suna was tied to one of the many elder factions.
Picking Shota meant giving his dojutsu, his chakra-erasing eyes, to one faction. That would tip the balance of power, and none of the elders wanted to risk it. So Shota was left to fend for himself, scrounging for jutsu rewards and teaching himself Rasengan in secret.
He flipped through the Wind catalogue, his fingers tracing the names. Wind Style: Gale Palm, Wind Style: Dust Cloud, Wind Style: Slicing Blades. None of them fit his style. Great Breakthrough was enough for now, it blasted enemies back, cleared the field, and he could adjust the chakra to make it stronger or weaker.
Most of the catalogue's jutsus were just fancier versions of blowing air. 'Great Breakthrough does the job,' he thought. 'Why waste a slot on something I can already do?'
The fan-based jutsus were out, too. He didn't use war fans, too bulky, too flashy. He preferred kunai, speed, and his dojutsu.
'When are those old geezers gonna let me touch the real Wind jutsus?' he grumbled inwardly. Suna had some nasty ones locked away, but they were reserved for the elite or the elders' favorites.
He closed the Wind catalogue and opened the Fire one. His eyes lit up as he scanned the pages. Fire Style: Flame Whirlwind, Fire Style: Burning Ash, Fire Style: Dragon Flame. Then he saw it, Fire Style: Fox Fire. His lips curled into a grin. 'This is it,' he thought. 'This jutsu fits my fighting style perfectly.'
Fox Fire was a B-rank technique that created multiple small fireballs, each one controllable like a projectile. He knew the jutsu would work perfectly with his erasure.
He glanced at the Anbu, who stood like a statue, waiting. "Please give me the Fire Style: Fox Fire jutsu scroll," Shota said.
The archives were quiet, the only sound the faint rustle of pages as Shota closed the catalogue. He handed both books back to the Anbu, who nodded and disappeared into the shelves again.
The Anbu returned in a few seconds, holding a small, sealed scroll. "This is your copy of Fire Style: Fox Fire," he said, handing it over. "Study it for one month. Return it when the seal expires, or there will be consequences."
Shota took the scroll, feeling its weight in his hands. One month to master or at least memorize the specifications of a B-rank jutsu. It wasn't a lot of time, but he'd make it work. He bowed slightly. "Thank you," he said, then turned and left the archives.