206. Originality

MrProper

"I'm seeing it with my own eyes... and it still seems unreal, all things considered"

VWN! WOOOOO!

Rei opened and closed his eyes again and again, just to be sure what just transpired was reality...

A black, swirling portal hanged from above... a "Tear" in the very air itself! Somehow, he'd managed to access the Ōtsutsuki clan's natural ability to use Jikūkan Ninjutsu1Space-Time Techniques, teleporting away from the uncanny fate of being crushed under metal debris

"That's one hell of a Dues Ex Machina... good to know I'm entirely out of luck yet"

In the past, Rei used the Reverse Summoning Technique to travel back-and-forth from his lab, via Mabui's transmission pots or his "Imugi", but to actually SEE it for the first time... his thoughts were mixed

The Genin with an engineer's soul mostly focused on his now, fully Ōtsutsuki body, and the particular traits it would exhibit in the future. However, he couldn't help but reminisce about his old life...

"Amazing... I've spent countless hours studying the concept of Einstein-Rosen Bridges in college, and now, one looms over my head. Not through scientific achievement, but the natural absurdity that comes with a fantasy world... what a f**king joke"

WOOOOO!

The wind picked up as the canyon glowed with the light of the moon, and with it, a complex heart...

As a scientist who rose, fell, and rose again... Raymond Parker spent his entire life struggling for achievements and acknowledgement in a diverse and challenging society. Now, the challenges thought to be nothing short of impossible in his old world, were child's play in this one due to the omni-functional power known as "Chakra"

With a bit of technical expertise and out-of-the-box thinking, anything was possible. And as he continued his new life here, Raymond continued to question what all of his previous sweat, effort, and sacrifice was for... if it meant anything at all

SLAP! SLAP!

But seeing the bigger picture, he just as quickly tossed the negative feelings aside. Slapping his cheeks twice, snapping himself out of his melancholy

Continuing on as "Rei Sano"

"Alright, enough moping around. I've got other things to worry about, starting with figuring out exactly where the hell I teleported to..."

VWN!

As if responding to his new outlook, the portal above vanished without a trace

Rei held out his hand in attempt to make another, but to no avail. He still had no idea as to how it worked, as with most abilities the Ōtsutsuki carry... it's inner functions remained a mystery

{Can't use it, oh well. Guess I should be glad it didn't drop me outside the country or something. But I'm a ways off. There are plenty of Chakra signatures I don't recognize... and I can't pinpoint Tai or Suzu's. Which means they're either hiding, or the distance between us is greater than the radius of Kumogakure's walls} "Shit. I've underestimated just how gigantic this place is... fitting it's called Rengoku no Kyōkoku2Purgatory's Canyon"

ZWISH!

Rei proceeded to dash through the terrain, looking for a place to lay low and rethink his strategy

Eventually coming across a giant split between two mountains, with an entrenched river at the bottom. Eager to claim this spot for himself, he jumped down to the river bed, scoping out the area before determining the location to be safe spot for rest

Every minute was precious, and night was already here. Rei wasted no time placing traps all over the area. 

"Phew! I think that's enough... Team F would be proud"

With his work complete, he sat down with his back against a boulder situated near the river

"Okay... let's compartmentalize. I've arrived at a random location with no clue as to exactly where I am, got separated from my team, and with barely nine days before this exam ends. Strong as I am, taking on a squad alone isn't wise" {If that white-haired kid proved anything, it's that this world is filled with ridiculously overpowered children. Wish I knew who he was. Notitia might be able to help, but that's not an option now}

Notitia always behaved strangely whenever Rei used a Lifeline, followed with long absence. But for his most recent one, the formless entity has sporadically left and returned every now and then

For some reason, this behavior only grew worse with each Lifeline used, a trend that didn't escape Rei's notice...

{My Taijutsu & Genjutsu can help, and while I'm definitely not a master, I do know enough Fūinjutsu3Sealing Techniques to mark this location in case I need to hop back to my lab with Reverse Summoning. Though that risks me revealing the Imugi, a trump card I'd like to keep hidden until the final exam}

WOOOOO! PITTER-PATTER!

The wind picked up once more, and with it, drops of water descended. In what seemed like an instant, the previous starry sky was covered with dark-grey clouds, followed by loud booming sounds of thunder and flashes of lighting

"Oh great, NOW it's raining!!"

SPLASH!

Rei wandered around, looking for a good place to hide from the rain, but quickly learned his efforts were fruitless. Already drenched, the sight of the clouds reminded him of his home village

Alongside a particular topic his cousin went over with him...

♦♦♦

Months Ago

"Hold on Mabui-nee, what exactly is wrong with my decision?"

"Everything. Your Kekkei Genkai4Bloodline Limitmight be gone, but that element's affinity was only weakened, you just need to raise it up again"

"You make it sound so simple, Sigh! We barely have two months before I depart to Iwagakure5Hidden Stone Village . Don't you think it's more wise to focus on what I still have, rather than what I lost during the Siege?"

Returning home from a day of training, Mabui treated him to warm dinner. However, the mood took a turn for the worst when Mabui raised a question regarding the progress with his third element...Earth

Rei stated he held no plans related to said element, rather, he opted to focus on improving the abilities that remained unaffected after his latest use of In'yōton6Yin-Yang/Shadow & Light Style

Mabui believed this decision not to acquire, or reacquire a third element, something most shinobi fail to do, was foolhardy

{Sigh... it sucks not being able to tell my truth sometimes} (Rei)

Initially, "Rei" was never even capable of using Earth or Lava Style, as clarified by Notitia many years ago. It was an inadvertent use of Yin-Yang Style, that transformed latent, recessive genes...into dominant ones

But now, said human cells were replaced by Ōtsutsuki ones, and his affinity with Earth had become nearly as bad as his affinity with the Wind and Lightning elements

Rei wanted to explain, but keeping the secrets of his body was paramount

"Look, I know you want to make the most of your time but, that applies to anyone else" (Mabui)

"Why am I the exception?" Rei asked in frustration as he put his third empty plate aside

{He's already done with another plate...geez!} "Isn't it obvious? All it took was one look at your reaction at the hospital" 

"Now you've lost me"

"What's happened to you is unprecedented, trauma to your nervous system and chakra network, losing a Kekkei Genkai. If it were anyone else, they'd inevitably fall into despair, but you? You just shrugged it off and focused on what you can still do. The sheer level of maturity and resolve is rare even in adults" 

{Well, the "Trauma" was just my third purification, and I knew Lava and Earth were going away the next time I used Kisshōten7Auspicious Heavensso...} "If you know that, why are you trying to put even more on my plate...figuratively speaking of course" (Rei)

"Because I know you. Unlike most, you can handle it" (Mabui)

{Damn it...I hate it how she can see right through me. Hell, she probably knows I'm still withholding facts about what's happened to me} (Rei)

The biggest reason as to why Rei wasn't eager to venture into this element was due to his personal fighting style

As the vanguard of Team Tango, he typically blitzed his opponents with swift attacks ranging from fists to fire blasts. Earth Style's strengths lies in defensive or supplementary tactics; such as raising walls of earth, burrowing underground, and turning the terrain into one's advantage

Granted, he's explored some of its offensive capabilities like the Golem Jutsu, but Rei came to the conclusion he could achieve similar results with clones. In addition, his Fire and Water elements offensive capabilities were far more potent

Out of all the five basic nature transformations, he favored Earth the least...

"You're a ninja, which means you're an adult. So I can't force you to do anything, I'm simply advising you to shelve off a miniscule fraction of your training schedule into increasing your affinity with it" (Mabui)

{You say you can't force me to do something, when you're inevitably gonna force me to do something...} (Rei)

"...I know what you're thinking kid" (Mabui)

{Is she physic?!} (Rei)

"No, I'm not physic, I just know you. Besides... You're going to the Land of Earth, don't you think being able to achieve a change in the nature of Earth would be a boon?" 

"!"

"Besides, when have I have ever been wrong?"

"N-Ngh...! Urgh! Fine! I'll do it, but don't expect much!" Rei couldn't counter argue...as usual when it comes to his cousin

Mabui smiled at his reaction, knowing she'd managed to break through his stubborn streak. The only person in Kumogakure who could do such a thing was her, which irritated him to no end

Sometimes, it was hard for him to discern which one was the adult

"Now... would you like some more?" Mabui asked smugly

"... Yes" Rei unfolded his arms and held out his plate, asking for more food with a pouting look

"Yes... what?"

"Haaaa... Yes please"

"Pffft! That's more like it"

♦♦♦

Present Time

"Damn it... she's definitely gonna rub this in my face when she finds out. How does she always get under my skin?!"

The rate of rainfall continued to increase, and his clothes only grew more wet, he had to get out of this bad weather. Rei moved away from the river, placing his hand on the bottom of the two mountains that entrenched it

With the closing of his eyes, he recalled the last words Mabui said to him that day...

"Don't just use what you've read in a library, rather, experiment with it. You've got good memory, but hardly any imagination! Ninjutsu, science, etc... it's all the same. Studying any art always begins with imitation, but mastery ends with originality

I applied the same when creating my Tensō no Jutsu8Heavenly Tranfer Technique... Learn, then co-opt!"

"Truth be told, the only original thing I've created since coming to this world is my Genjutsu, and the Imugi. Years of training, learning nothing but pre-set Ninjutsu... Damn it, I f**king hate it when she's right...!"

FUMFUM! FUMFUM!

The thunder continued to roar, and with, even more rain came pouring down!

{The Earth element... In hindsight, a master can do pretty much anything with it. Composition, weight, position, density, hardness... one can control all of this with the proper skill}

After a few seconds of kneading his chakra...

WEAVE!

"Doton9Earth Style!"

CRACK! CRUMBLE!

...The terrain in front of him began to shift and change! Pebbles flew all over the place as the earth shifted upwards until he removed his hand

"Hmph! Originality eh? It's still my least favorite element, but I'll make it work for now..."

CLATTER!

Utilizing pure, custom shape transformation... Rei successfully managed to created a small cavern for cover from this stormy night! 

"I don't wanna say it but... thanks for the advice, nee-san"