Chapter 1.2- One Thousand Hands

“What distinguishes a seal in fuinjutsu from a hand seal used in ninjutsu?” She asked the both of us as we sat in seiza before her, scrolls out and brushes at out left hand sides. That was an interesting trait we shared- Tsunade and I. Left-handedness. i racked my brain for an answer, while it looked to all the world that Tsunade had mentally checked out from the lesson. I knew that in canon, Tsunade would become competent with fuinjutsu- competent enough to have a seal on her literal forehead- but the fact that even then she’d be considered lesser to both her teammates said a lot. With a pedigree like hers, no one should have been able to come close. She just wasn’t interested.

A direct opposite to me, at the very least. I had a passion for fuinjutsu. Partly because of how easy it came to a brain that had aced University-level physics, and also partly because of how necessary it would be. Fuinjutsu was one hell of an equaliser, and it was one of the few things that could bridge the gap between Jounin and the literal natural disasters in human skin known as S-rank ninja. It was my theory that only the Flying Thundergod could have made Minato a monster capable of running circles around two or even three S-rank shinobi at the same time. Sure, he never managed to actually kill them but surviving to tell the tale was a feat on its own. Needless to say, I had a shit ton of motivation feeling my interest.

“Fuinjutsu seals are written, but handseals are done with the hands" I finally said after wracking my brain trying to come up with something at least more inspired. Tsunade’s instant chuckle at my response was not the most encouraging thing but I’d long since learned not to expect encouragement from this version of the Sannin. She was firmly in her troublesome teens and had somehow decided that being a sarcastic bitch to everyone who shared blood with her was the ideal way to assert her independence and maturity. Nevermind that she still lived in the clan compound and spent clan money on whatever whims caught her fancy. Sure, she donated her entire pay to the clan but that was besides the point.

“Something slightly more than the readily apparent, Shori-chan” Mito deadpanned, making me flush entirely against my will. That was a good one.

“Fuinjutsu seals are more varied- there’s as many as three-hundred and sixty nine characters in the Uzumaki Script alone and it’s just one of dozens- but there are only twelve hand signs. Twelve standard ones, at least” Tsunade suddenly said, making me turn to her. The way she rolled her eyes at me once she noticed my attention made me want to curse out loud but I just took the loss. It stung to lose to someone who wasn’t even trying, but that was the way the world worked.

“Slightly better, and close to the actual answer. But wrong still” Mito said, making me want to jump up and celebrate. Tsunade’s smug look was wiped off her face quicker than grime in the face of a pressure hose.

“An accurate answer lies in their purpose. Hand seals regulate the flow of chakra in the body. They act as a crutch for ninjutsu or genjutsu, telling your chakra to contort itself in a pre-determined manner. That is why when you get skilled enough, you can shave a few seals off a jutsu or even abandon the use of seals in their entirety” As she spoke, as if to demonstrate her point, the world around us began to shift as she seamlessly placed us both under genjutsu while her hands were on the table for us both to see. First of all, my view of the scene became monochrome before the world started to shift as colour swam into my vision from the edges in a chaotic mess. I looked to my right, only this time I wasn’t able to see Tsunade anymore. Suddenly, everything crashed around me as I felt myself return to reality.

“While Fuinjutsu does something else. It couldn’t care less about how chakra flows within your body- although there are quite a few seals that can help with that. Instead, fuinjutsu seals tell reality itself how to behave. Fuinjutsu allows you to impose your will on the universe. To master Fuinjutsu is the closest humanity can come to visiting the realm of the gods. That is why you can never remove seals from a matrix without finding a way to compensate for it. Reality is a dense, unyielding thing. And to even bend it, you have to play by its rules. That is what separates the seals we Uzumaki use from the seals that the rest of the world is familiar with.” She said, staring at the both of us, trying to convey the importance of her words with her stare alone. I thought I understood it then. I’d find out in time that Mito’s words were the tip of it.

“Why do I have angry Hyuga elders bombarding my secretary with requests to meet?” We heard a voice from behind us.