Drill Instructor:

Another day, another tutorial. After her lesson in Chakra the men had all but demanded that she be brought back for more seminars. They were enamored of the way of the shinobi, and could not get enough information. She had given the unit commander her personal mailbox address, and many of the men had written letters, some for clarification of finer points, some requests for individual subjects, and some in simple admiration for the skills that she had exhibited. She had become something of a minor celebrity here, and could not say that she did not enjoy it.

As she had walked through camp she gathered her regular followers as well as some men and women who had learned of her lessons by word of mouth. The crowd was growing exponentially, and this one was twice the size of the last one which had gathered. She looked out over the eager faces with an almost bashful appreciation. She had never addressed so many people in her entire life, and now each of them, all dressed properly in military uniforms, awaited her first words.

"Alright...today we get into some of the more interesting things that Shinobi can do. Last week we covered Chakra and its ability to grant Shinobi extraordinary powers. Chief amongst these abilities is ninjutsu. In fact, so prevalent is the use of ninjutsu that shinobi are often called ninja. Some shinobi become so powerful in their lifetimes that the only limts of what they can accomplish through ninjutsu are set by their own imaginations."

If it was possible, the faces around her became even more attentive. Deep down, Shinako knew that this was what they had all been waiting for. No doubt, living in the Hidden Leaf Village, each and every one of them had either heard about or witnessed first-hand the odd and often frightening abilities of shinobi. For most, if not all of them, these abilities were mysterious and unnatural, leaving their rational minds hungry for an explanation, like the raw and unnerving doubt that hung in the air after a charlatan's magic trick.

"Now, Ninjutsu is a broad term, describing techniques that do not fall under physical or bodily techniques, such as those that can be accomplished with fists or weapons, or under illusion and deception techniques. As such, these techniques tend to use chakra itself as a weapon or to shape the environment into a weapon. The chakra is focused and molded through the use of handseals to bring these fearsome techniques to life."

Shinako used her hands to illustrate the two sides of her next point. She raised her left hand in a figurative display.

"Nature transformation turns chakra into an element, such as fire, water, earth, lightning, or wind. These raw transformations have powerful applications in battering the foe or achieving another desired result."

She now raised the right hand.

"Shape transformation utilizes the pure force of chakra to create a weapon or tool that is desireable to the shinobi, such as a chakra string. By manipulating the shape of chakra, shinobi can often create something useful where there once was nothing."

In a slow and deliberate gesture, Shinako brought the two hands together, forming the sign of the tiger.

"Still, other techniques combine both Shape and Nature transformations in varying amounts, bending the elements of the natural world to the shinobi's will. The Uchiha clan's fire techniques are a prime example of this. By transforming their chakra into fire, and then giving it the shape of a large ball, they are able to direct it into an attack that normal weapons and armor cannot defend against. In this way, you can see that a shinobi is never truly unarmed."

Shinako dropped her handseal, shrugging her shoulders in a non-chalant gesture. She was becoming more comfortable with the soldiers, and they showed her a great deal of respect more than her rank would normally demand. As they had become accustomed to, they were waiting for Shinako to give a demonstration. However, she did not quite have the skill required to show them a proper nature manipulation techiniqe. She had not yet even discovered what element her own chakra naturally leaned toward.

Instead, she reached into her satchel and removed a handful of coins, scattering them on the ground and turning to the tree that she had walked on during the last lesson. Forming the Dragon, the Rat, the Horse, and the Tiger, all in quick succession, she set the technique into motion.

"Ninja Art: Tile Shuriken!"

The coins rose from the ground and glinted in the sun, taking on sharp edges before rocketing toward the tree and embedding themselves violently. The soldiers gathered gasped in admiration, then fell silent for a moment before joining in a round of applause. Shinako turned to them and gave a slight bow.

"Thank you, you are all too kind. In closing, I must tell you that what you have just seen is one of the lowest ranks of a shinobi's ninjutsu techniques. There exist, beyond these walls and borders techniques that you and I cannot fathom. Turning coins or roof-tiles into shuriken is a children's trick. At my rank of genin I have barely scraped the surface of what ninjutsu is capable of. If you are ever faced with an enemy shinobi, always be prepared to deal with such techniques, even when they appear to be unarmed or unprepared."

Shinako gathered the coins from the tree and turned back to the silent soldiers gathered. Most of them nodded in understanding, though she knew that the final point of her lesson was a vague one. It was nearly impossible to prepare experience shinobi to deal with exotic ninjutsu, so she could scarcely be expected to cover everything when speaking with the uninitiated. But she wouldn't burden their minds with that. Smiling, she waved the crowd off.

"But that's enough for today, everyone. Think about what we've covered, and hopefully I will see you again soon. Alright...class dismissed."

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