Pokenin 030

“...I don't understand? The symbols on my training weights are much different from the ones shown on this book.” Tekai said, and unclipped one of the leg weights Uncle Borah had gifted him to show Cynthia. 

“A modern invention of the Uzumaki. They converted the ancient script into one more understandable by the common man. It has the added benefit of creating more stable seals at the cost of less power.” Cynthia simply stated. 

‘Huh. So the Uzumaki seal language must be something like Romaji, the Japanese version of Latin letters. The Uzumaki were pretty far ahead, intellectually speaking, to do something like this.’ 

“It is easier to learn for most people, but you won't find many Uzu style sealmasters in this country. The Land of Dragons and the Fairies had a tumultuous relationship. It is regrettable that we took part in the destruction of a country with such a rich history.” Cynthia said wistfully as she stared aimlessly into her teacup. 

Tekai barely withheld a hiss at this revelation. 

‘Damn, no wonder the ninja from Konoha are seemingly so antagonistic. The murder of their closest ally must really engender feelings of hate towards the perpetrators.’ 

“Yeah, the Uzumaki were pretty smart for what they did, but uh, you said that the ancient language was more powerful? How do I use it to create a seal?” Tekai questioned. 

“Of course, as Ryu, we are only interested in strength, you are that man's son after all.” Cynthia stared Tekai down, and slightly shook her head in disapproval. 

Tekai felt as if he instantly lost a -5 in favorability with Cynthia for that comment. 

“Sorry?” Tekai scratched the back of his head and apologized. 

“No need. It is in your nature. As for the ancient language. These symbols of the ancient language were the first medium through which our ancestors cast jutsu. Back during the dark ages, when chakra was released onto the planet, and the world was a wasteland, seals were the only way we as a species survived.” 

“Woah, the history of this land is more intense than I had imagined. Do we have any additional texts or studies regarding the distant past?” Tekai questioned. 

“Unfortunately, our information is highly limited. However, a group of professors from each country gather every time a Chunin Exam occurs to hold a conference, to share, and trade knowledge for certain concessions.” Cynthia explained. 

“That's pretty cool! But I imagine countries keep most info secret, right?” Tekai said in excitement, but was quick to tamper down on it as this was not exactly an era of friendly cooperation. 

“You'd be surprised. Some technologies cannot remain hidden.” Cynthia replied with a coi smile. 

“Ah, I discussed something similar with Lance. It's because the other nations would gang up on one country if they coveted something, right?” 

“Very good, Tekai. Knowledge of electricity is one example of a recent technology that has been openly shared with everyone, for a price. Some countries aren't so forthcoming. In fact, one of the major reasons we went to war with the Land of Snow was to seize their locomotive and chakra armor technologies. Unfortunately, the Land of Fighters joined in, and we were unable to gain access to such revolutionary items. However, not all is lost, as we did obtain the blueprints to create tracks.” Cynthia wistfully looked off into nothing, as if she were recalling tragic memories. 

“Ah, sorry if this is a difficult subject.” Tekai scratched the back of his head, and once again apologized. 

“No need. Loss is something we must all come to terms with. In fact, I had been meaning to ask you. How have you handled your experience within the Dragons Den, and the near death experience from yesterday's ambush?” Cynthia turned to stare at him. 

Her steel grey eyes practically pierced his soul. 

“....” 

“My, my, such a talkative boy, and now you're so quiet? I’ll repeat your words back to you, it's okay if you don't want to answer. But know this, I am your sensei, I will protect you, and nurture you to the best of my ability. If you ever need advice, or a shoulder to lean upon, I am here for you. Got that Tekai?” 

“Yes, Cynthja sensei. Thank you for understanding.” Tekai lightly bowed. 

“Mmm. There is no shame in feelings of fear, or self doubt. So often we compare ourselves to Dragons, but we are mere flesh and blood. We are humans. With all the faults, and averices that come with it.” Cynthia said in a calm, measured tone. 

‘Damn she's so cool.’ Tekai couldn't help but praise in his heart. 

“Cool, am I? Well, I hope to live up to your expectations.” Cynthia playfully laughed, and downed the rest of her tea in a flourish. 

Tekai was embarrassed, and didn't realize he had said that last part out loud! 

“Now, please feel free to study this book for the next hour or so. Lunch will be ready around then, and we can do some more group exercise afterwards. I'll be happy to practice seals with you tomorrow, and assess your progress. I suggest you visit the seal shop in town, and buy yourself a brush, ink, and plenty of practice paper.” Cynthia said, rising from her chair, and then she exited the room, leaving Tekai alone. 

“Thank you, Cynthia sensei.” Tekai replied, all thoughts of embarrassment vanishing like dust on the wind, as his eyes were glued to the book cover. 

Cynthia may be an attractive woman, but books were forever! 

Acting like the true book nerd that he was, Tekai speed read the tiny 10 page document, and learned a few takeaways. 

1) Seals only worked when the proper ‘word’ was formed. A seal would not activate if a word was not spelled out. The booklet went on to explain that no one knew for certain the rhyme or reason, but that centuries of people had experimented with thousands of combinations, and had only come up with a few publicly available words. There weren't more, because failed combinations often resulted in explosions, or other horrific forms of death for the experimenter. 

2) Seals had to be spelt vertically for them to work. For example, the word “explode” when written in Unown script horizontally, would not work as a seal, and only served to communicate a message. However, when written vertically, then the seal would take effect. For example:  

E  

X

P 

L 

O

D

E

Written this way, the seal would become viable. 

3) Seals typically required special ink, and special chakra paper to be most effective. Otherwise, the power behind the words would create a diminished effect if written with regular ink. Something like creating a seal out of thin air, or pressing a hand on someone to place a seal on them was limited to Grandmasters in the art of sealing. 

4) The more words used together, the more powerful the seal. It was important that words did not touch one another horizontally, as they could create unforeseen consequences. Ex:

E    I     C

X   C    O

P   E    N

L          E

O

D

E

This combination was direct, and determined exactly what is to happen once the seal is fed chakra and activated. A con to this method was that it takes up more space on the chakra paper, and limits how many words can fit on it. 

This was one of the benefits of Uzu sealing, because it was far more compact compared to Unknown sealing. Uzu Fuinjutsu was generally able to establish more complex ideas in their seals than this method. 

5) Adding to the 4th note, words CAN stack with other words horizontally as long as it is done deliberately. They can have multiple meanings, like in scrabble. For example, this seal is ‘EMO, NEW, TIE.’ But when strung together in close proximity, they add ‘ENT, MEI, OWE’ as the secondary characters. 

Ex: 

E N T 

M E I

O W E

The vertical words take precedence, but the new meanings of the words can create new, and unexpected results. Unlike in example 4, this method of sealing is much more obtuse, but is often both more powerful, and more risky for the user. 

6) Misspelled/improper words can result in death.

This takeaway was self explanatory. As Cynthia said, creating seals with the ancient language could be dangerous. 

‘Thankfully I have a large bank of words to pull upon, and command of the English language. This sealing method was practically tailor made for me!’ Tekai thought to himself with eager glee. 

“Heh heh, look out Tobirama, Minato, Jiraiya. There's a new sealmaster in town.” Tekai chuckled to himself. 

As he expressed himself, Tekai's nose twitched, and he felt his stomach grumble. 

It seemed that an hour had already passed! 

Collecting the booklet, Tekai ran to the kitchen for some lunch. On the dining table was a platter of food, and it seemed he was the last to arrive. 

As he arrived, he saw Zinnia was already munching on some boiled krabby legs and feeding bagon enthusiastically. 

Clair on the other hand, was being picky with her chopsticks, and only picked out the softest meat for her horsea. 

Cynthia, meanwhile, was sipping on some berry smoothie, and reading a book. 

Releasing Gil, Tekai took a seat, and began to heap food onto a plate. 

“So you guys get any good training in today?” Tekai asked between bites. 

“You bet! Big sis Cynthia taught me a lot about berry blending, and cooking! Try this blend, it's mixed with Persim & Chesto Berry. They cure sleep, and confusion!” Zinnia happily pressed a cup of mysterious blue liquid into Tekai’s hands. 

Getting a whiff of it, he almost felt like vomiting. 

“Drink it, it's good!” Zinnia insisted. 

Clair, meanwhile, was covering her mouth, suppressing a laugh. 

Tekai, feeling mischievous, acted fast, and forced Clair's hand away. 

“Tekai! What are you-mngfh!” 

Shoving some of the drink into her mouth, Tekai laughed as her face scrunched up as if she had bit into a lemon. 

“Hey, no fair, I made that for you, Tekai!” Zinnia complained, then she shoved Tekai's arm backward, and forced the blue berry juice into his mouth. 

‘Jesus Christ!’ Tekai thought to himself as the sour flavor of this nasty concoction assaulted his senses. 

As a Ryu, his bloodline enhanced senses went into overdrive as he took a sip, and he almost felt like vomiting. 

However, not only was it a nasty flavor, but it felt as if he had drank 50cc's of caffeine! 

“Woah, that has a kick!” Tekai spoke quickly as if he were a hyper kid hopped up on sugar. 

“Eh heh, yep! I wanted to learn how to resist those pesky, cheating Genjutsu users ever since we were trapped by that tentacruel. Luckily big sis Cynthia saw my talent in cooking, and taught me how to blend berries!” Zinnia happily said whilst she had bits of krabby legs chewing in her mouth. 

“That's…really cool! Nice job, Zinnia!” Tekai held out his hand for a fist bump, and praised. 

“Heck yeah!” Zinnia replied, bumping his fist. 

“Hmph. What good is this drought if you are already caught in a Genjutsu?” Clair lightly dabbed at her chin with a handkerchief, and said dismissively. 

“Why you!” Zinnia cocked her fist back threateningly. 

“The potion has 30 minutes of efficacy. I am no berry blending master, but if Zinnia takes this art to higher altitudes, I have seen potions that last for hours, or resist high tier Genjutsu masters.” Cynthia spoke up from her spot without looking up from her book. 

“Hah! See, even sensei agrees with me!” Zinnia pointed a finger in Clair's face, and crowed. 

Seeing that tensions were running high between the girls once again, Tekai decided to diffuse the situation, and changed the topic. 

“So, Clair, what have you been up to?” 

“Nothing complex. Sensei instructed me in a technique known as Calm Mind. It is a meditative skill that hones ones mental power, and enhances special attacks.” Clair said with some pride coloring her voice. 

“I see you are focused on enhancing your ninjutsu, yeah, the Dragon Dance is great for building stamina, and enhancing raw attack power/speed, but special attack is left untouched.” Tekai nodded along. 

“Hmph. It is good to see that there is at least someone who appreciates the subtle arts.” Clair raised her nose, and ever so slightly glanced at Zinnia. 

Zinnia loudly burped in response. 

Tekai shook his head. These girls were a handful and a half. 

Focusing on eating, Tekai fed Gil a few pieces of meat, and turned his mind back to his training. 

There was a lot to get through, but thankfully, he should have some time. 

Today was only the third day since the trial of the Dragons Den. As long as he kept at it, he was sure to master everything he set his mind to.