Naruto: The White Spider of the Leaf

The day was spent under the intense sun, its light beating down on the clearing where Jiraiya had gathered us all. Minato, Yukino, and I stood in a loose circle around him as we prepared for the lesson ahead. Jiraiya had been teaching us all about chakra control in the recent months, and now about our chakra natures—elements we were each naturally attuned to, but none of us had fully unlocked yet. It was time to learn about Nature Transformations!

Jiraiya took a step forward, his usual jovial expression now replaced with a focused intensity. He cracked his knuckles and turned to face us. "Alright, kids. Time to get your hands dirty. You've got chakra, but to truly understand its power, you need to learn how to change its nature. You've all got affinities, so let's see what you can do with them. I'll show you a few examples."

He stood tall and performed a short series of quick hand seals. In an instant, chakra swirled around him. Fire Release erupted first as a brilliant flame shooting from his mouth at a distant lone tree, quickly causing a strong blaze to burn over the tree's top. Then came Water Release, sensei did another quick series of hand seals and spat out a jet stream of water that not only suppressed the fire but also blew off most of the tree's leaves with it. With a swift motion, Earth Release followed and several stone spikes shot from the earth with a loud crack, stabbing the tree's trunk. Lastly, he performed Wind Release and a sharp gust of wind blasting through the air, cutting the tree in half and sending dust swirling around us.

Jiraiya turned to us with a smirk. "There you have it—Fire, Water, Earth, and Wind. But... unfortunately, I can't show you Lightning Release," he said with a playful grimace. "My lightning affinity isn't exactly up to par and I never tried to force myself to learn it. You're going to have to figure that one out on your own."

He paused, glancing at me with a sheepish expression. "Sorry, Shirokumo. No lightning demonstrations from me."

I nodded, swallowing a hint of frustration. It wasn't Jiraiya's fault, but I couldn't help feeling a little uneasy. My affinity was lightning, and it was up to me to figure out how to unleash it.

But I got this! It's my affinity after all!

Jiraiya gave a few words of encouragement. "Don't worry. You've got it in you, and I'll still assist you all in the theoretical capacity. Just take a deep breath, focus on your chakra, and let it flow naturally. You'll get it."

Yeah, he's right. I can't wait to do some zap zaps!

Jiraiya's eyes glimmered with purpose as he gave us our instructions, his hands animated with his usual dramatic flair. His demonstration had already been impressive, a chaotic but controlled display of elemental power that left us in awe.

I watched Minato closely as he stepped up first. His calm demeanor made it seem almost effortless. Without hesitation, he quickly formed the hand seals Jiraiya had shown us and unleashed a Fire Release, sending a small but controlled flame towards another tree. The fire crackled as it spread, dancing in the air for a moment before dissipating. He followed it up with Wind Release, and a gust of wind shot out, cutting through the air with great intensity. The tree shook from the force of it and lost half its leaves.

"Nice!" Jiraiya grinned, clearly impressed. "Looks like Minato's got the hang of it. Good job, kid."

Minato turned to Yukino with a friendly smile. "Your turn. You got this."

Yukino, slightly more tentative, stepped forward. She bit her lip in concentration, her fingers moving swiftly through the seals. It took her a bit longer, but with some extra pointers from Minato she got the hang of it too. A small flame burst from her hands, flickering weakly at first before catching. She grinned, but it was only a brief moment before she focused again. A second set of hand seals followed, and a small whirlwind spiraled out from her palm, circling the tree in a gusty dance. It didn't seem too hard for her to raise the earth into a shape or create a small water basin within it afterwards either, which almost felt like she was showing off a bit to be honest.

"That's great!" Minato encouraged, stepping up to her side. "You're getting it, Yukino."

Yukino beamed at him. "Thanks, Minato. I think I'm starting to get a feel for it."

Jiraiya clapped his hands together. "Good work, you two. Now, for Lightning Release, the theory is simple—although, again, I can't physically show you." He scratched the back of his head. "It's all about creating the right conditions within your chakra to form the static energy. Visualize the way lightning builds in a storm—fast, sharp, and a little volatile. It's all about release. I have scrolls for jutsus of each nature prepared, so I'll be giving you each a lightning scroll now."

I quickly looked over the most basic lightning jutsu and got the hand seals memorized.

It was finally my moment to shine!

"Move over you two! I got this…" 

I walked forward and did some hand seals to help me mold my chakra and change its form, however triggering the nature transformation didn't come as easily as I thought. I could feel my chakra move, but to no desired effect. All I did was spread my chakra out in the air and lose a portion of it without doing much of anything.

Wow, that was embarrassing. God, I want to crawl into a hole.

Jiraiya patted me on the back. "Now, now, it's perfectly fine to fail. What's important is that we keep trying until we succeed. Learning from our failures is a sure fire way to advance in life."

"Got it."

Yukino also pitched in. "It's okay, Shiro! I also struggled with the other elements at first before understanding them! I'm sure you'll be an expert in lightning release in no time! I believe in you!"

"Thanks Yuki." 

Minato nodded, absorbing Jiraiya's words, before stepping forward once more. "Let me give it a go then."

He closed his eyes and formed several hand seals with a practiced ease, his chakra visibly shifting around him. A moment passed, and suddenly, his hand snapped forward, forming a finger gun. A tiny bolt of lightning shot from his fingertip, crackling and popping before it hit the ground with a small but satisfying jolt.

Well then–that was supposed to be my affinity.

"I did it," Minato muttered to himself, his eyes bright with excitement.

Yukino smiled at him. "That's incredible, Minato! Good work, we'll have to follow the example next!"

Jiraiya clapped his hands. "That's it. That's the trick! Minato's got the hang of it. Now, Yukino, give it a try. You can do it, too."

Yukino nodded with determination and formed the seals herself, her brow furrowed in focus. It took her a while, and the minutes passed with each attempt. Finally, on her last attempt, there was a slight hesitation before she pointed her finger forward. With a sharp exhale, a small jolt of lightning shot from her fingertip—though not as strong as Minato's, it still buzzed with energy.

"I—I did it!" she said, her voice a mix of excitement and surprise. "It's weaker than his, but... I did it!"

Jiraiya chuckled. "You're doing great. It's amazing, really, to think I'd see someone use all five nature transformations within their first day of learning about them." 

Yukino looked like she felt a bit embarrassed to receive the praise and looked away, fidgeting with her fingers with an obvious grin.

"But I don't want either of you to get too excited—remember, this is just the beginning and all of this is basic stuff."

Yeah, basic stuff I still can't grasp even after an hour of exercise while the others already got all of their affinities down.

Man, I only got the one and I'm still lagging behind! Seriously depressing.

I stood there performing hand seals, my fingers trembling slightly from the tension in my arms, but no lightning came. I could feel the energy inside me, that crackling surge of potential, but it refused to manifest. Frustration crept in, tightening its grip around my chest. I could see Minato and Yukino's success, feel their growing confidence, and yet my own affinity remained stubbornly out of reach.

"Come on, Shirokumo," I muttered under my breath. "You've got this."

Yukino, noticing my struggle, stepped up beside me, her expression soft with understanding. "Hey, it's okay. It took me a minute to get it, too. You'll get the hang of it in no time too!"

I glanced at her, trying to push the frustration down. "It's just... it feels like it's right there, but I can't make it come out. I've been trying for so long, and it's just not working."

Yukino smiled, her gaze full of encouragement. "You're overthinking it, Shirokumo. Sometimes the more you try to control it, the harder it becomes. Just... think of the chakra inside you, like a spark. You don't need to force it. Let it build naturally. Visualize it as if you're... directing it, not controlling it."

I closed my eyes, breathing deeply, trying to push the frustration from my mind. I thought of the storms I'd seen in my younger years, just like on the night my parents died outside the village walls—the crackling energy, the raw power of lightning streaking across the sky.

Slowly, I reached for that energy inside me, feeling it hum. It was there—it had to be. My chakra trembled as I focused on the sensation of it, the static energy that swirled through my body. This time, I didn't try to force it; I simply allowed it to rise, to build.

I formed the hand seals, my fingers moving quickly. Then, without hesitation, I extended my finger forward, like Minato and Yukino had done. The tension in the air seemed to snap, and for a brief moment, I felt a spark. The lightning crackled from my fingertip, a weak bolt that fizzled and sputtered out before it could travel far.

But it was there.

"I did it," I breathed, a mixture of relief and triumph filling me.

Yukino's eyes shone with excitement as she quickly hugged me and pushed herself into me, shaking me all giddy like. "Yes! Yes! You did it, Shirokumo! You got it!"

The reaction felt a bit over the top, I won't lie! Honestly a little embarrassing in front of the others…

Jiraiya stepped forward, grinning ear to ear. "Well, look at that! Finally got it, huh? That was the Lightning Release—congratulations."

I let out a deep breath, feeling the adrenaline start to settle. The weight on my chest lifted, and a quiet sense of accomplishment filled me. "Thanks, Yukino... I wouldn't have done it without your help."

She pulled away, her face all red as she gave me a warm smile. "You were so close the whole time. You just needed a little nudge."

Minato chuckled, rubbing the back of his neck. "Yeah, you were definitely taking your time, but you did it. That's what matters. I'm sure you'll be way ahead of us soon in regards to Lightning Release."

Yukino nodded enthusiastically. "Yeah! Exactly! It's your focus after all!"

Jiraiya walked over to me, his smile widening. "You did good, Shirokumo. Don't let that frustration get the better of you next time. It's all part of the process."

I nodded, feeling a sense of relief wash over me, the tension of the lesson lifting. "I'll keep at it, sensei. Thanks, everyone."

Jiraiya gave me a thumbs up, then turned to Minato and Yukino. "Alright, you three have shown a lot of progress today. But don't think for a second that this is where it ends. Nature transformations are just the beginning. There's a lot more work to be done, and you've only scratched the surface. Let's get some rest and meet again tomorrow. Same time, same place."

Soon enough we all dispersed. Jiraiya had his own duties to attend to as an elite Jonin of course, while Yukino said she needed to attend a clan meeting of sorts. Minato, the damn love bird, said he'd go visit Kushina. Her movements have been a lot more restricted after the incident, and I'm sure she appreciated her 'boyfriend's' attentiveness.

As for me? After that lackluster display in front of my team, I had to make up for it. Jiraiya left us each with those scrolls he brought that held various low level jutsu for our affinities and I focused on learning them. I stayed on the training grounds and even performed the Shadow Clone Jutsu to get more out of my time here. With triple the efforts, this should go smoother.

One clone read the scroll over and over, memorizing each of the lightning style jutsu held within it while another one focused on performing the simple lightning release technique we'd all started with. 

As for me, the original? I took out the damn rubber ball and continued my rasengan training. Gotta kill as many birds with the damn stone as possible.