The next morning, Shota reached Lady Chiyo's house for his Fuinjutsu lessons.
Her home stood near the edge of the residential area. He knocked once and entered when he heard her call.
"Come boy. Now before we begin our lesson I would like to thank you." The old lady, the granny like figure to him, the honoured elder of Suna bowed to him to Shota's surprise.
She lowered her head deeply in a show of true respect that few people ever received from her. The sudden action left Shota standing still with wide eyes.
"You brought back my Sasori back to the village and not as a criminal even. For that I am eternally grateful for you Shota Aizawa." She said. She stayed bowed for several long seconds before rising again.
Shota did not know what to say. The formal thanks and the deep bow felt strange coming from the sharp tongued elder he knew.
He opened his mouth once and closed it again while searching for proper words. In the end he only managed a small nod and a quiet sound of acceptance.
Chiyo continued with a softer tone. "Sasori could not have asked for a better little brother despite what he might tell you."
In her eyes, the bond between the two young men had grown strong enough to matter. She saw the care Shota showed even when Sasori answered with rough words and threats.
Then her voice returned to its usual firm style. "Now come brat let's get started with the lessons."
And she was back to calling him brat which was more comfortable to Shota than being called so formally by Granny Chiyo. He sat down across from her and prepared to listen.
She asked the first question of the day. "Tell me what have you learned in Fuinjutsu."
Shota answered carefully and listed every skill he already possessed. He told her about how he could make storage seals and explosion seals.
He explained the sealing arts that he knew. One of them was the method he could use with his binding cloth to seal enemies. The other was the sealing formula he had learned to seal tailed beasts.
He also told her about the special seal that he used on his binding cloth so that they could extend further or regenerate themselves by getting more cloth stuffed in a storage like seal.
Each technique received a short clear description so she could judge his foundation.
Chiyo listened without interruption and then gave her judgment. "I see. That is a good foundation. We will work on barrier jutsu and sealing arts in my sessions. As for other seals that can be used for offensive purposes, I think Sasori would be the best person to teach you that and I am pretty sure he would not mind teaching you either."
Shota was pretty sure that if he went to Sasori with another request he might really just kill him.
The recent demand for extra arms had already tested the older man's patience. 'I will ask him once I get my explosion puppet hands. That way at least he will not refuse all my requests if he feels offended.' Shota thought.
Then their lesson continued. She explained barrier ninjutsu in careful detail. "Barrier ninjutsu works by weaving chakra into jutsus that can block attacks or hold things inside," Chiyo said.
"The key is balance. Too little chakra and the barrier breaks. Too much and it becomes unstable and collapses on its own. You must feel the flow and keep it steady like holding water in a cup without spilling." She made him copy the basic hand seals and form a small transparent shield in front of his palm.
She continued the teaching with more depth. "A good barrier uses geometric shapes because straight lines and equal sides hold chakra better than messy forms,"
Chiyo explained while correcting his finger positions. "Circles and squares are the most common. The chakra must run in a closed loop so that it feeds itself and does not leak away. Once the loop is complete you can pour more power into it to make the barrier thicker or wider. Practice this in your free time until the barrier appears with only three hand seals instead of the full set."
The lesson moved to practical applications. "most barriers can only be cast by multiple people but there are exceptions. One barrier you can use alone is called the Desert Mirage," Chiyo said and demonstrated the seals.
"It creates a thin but wide barrier that bends light and heat. It's not a Genjutsu but an illusion to confuse enemies and thus it can't be broken through by disrupting your chakra. It costs little chakra and works well in the open desert where the sun already confuses the eyes."
She taught a second solo barrier next. "Another useful one is the Sand Coffin Dome," Chiyo continued while drawing the formula. "This barrier forms a small dome around your body and pulls nearby sand into its surface. The sand hardens with your chakra and can stop ninjutsu attacks. You don't have a defensive jutsus and this would be perfect for you at least in the land of wind."
When the lesson ended she gave him one final piece of advice. "You should visit your orphanage and your matron. While you were away on your mission Bunpuku passed away. That woman could use you right now."
This was not much of a shock to Shota since Bunpuku was on his last breaths. He had expected it for many weeks. He nodded once to show he understood and rose from the table.
Then he left the house and walked straight toward the orphanage to see the matron.
--------Author Notes---------
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