There are twelve basic hand seals in ninjutsu: Rat (Ne), Ox (Ushi), Tiger (Tora), Hare (U), Dragon (Tatsu), Snake (Mi), Horse (Uma), Ram (Hitsuji), Monkey (Saru), Bird (Tori), Dog (Inu), and Boar (I). Each represents a specific animal of the Chinese zodiac and requires a unique finger position.
It was Fenghuo's first serious practice. By the time he reached the fourth seal—Dragon—his fingers were already trembling. By the eighth, Monkey, his pinky started to cramp. And after completing all twelve hand seals for the first time, his hands were sore, aching, and stiff.
After more than half an hour of repetition, his fingers gave out completely.
"Hiss—! That hurts!"
But Fenghuo grit his teeth. He was only six years old—his body was still plastic, his bones flexible. If he waited until he was older, when the bones set and hardened, progress would come far more slowly.
"Keep going!"
Sweat dripped from his forehead and soaked into his shirt. He cycled through the hand seals one after another. When his hands cramped, he paused briefly, then resumed. The sun dipped westward, casting a crimson hue across the small courtyard like a sea of blood.
His ten fingers were raw and bruised. His ring and pinky fingers wouldn't even touch each other anymore.
"Phew…"
He collapsed onto the grassy courtyard, limp with exhaustion. His hands were so sore he almost wished he could amputate them.
"Wait… maybe Chakra can fix this?"
Fenghuo closed his eyes and focused, guiding his Chakra gently to his hands. A soft blue light shimmered around his fingers, glowing faintly in the evening sun.
But—no good. He hadn't learned any medical ninjutsu yet. No matter how he bathed his hands in Chakra, it didn't do more than make them tingle.
"…Sigh."
At that moment, the sliding door opened.
"Fenghuooooo, let's make dinner!!"
Obito Uchiha bounded in with a stupid grin, clearly riding high on his "heroic" afternoon—he had helped over a dozen old ladies cross the road and even received a Lifetime Achievement Award for Altruism (self-proclaimed).
Then he spotted Fenghuo on the ground.
"Wha—what happened to your hands?!"
He rushed over, grabbed one, twisted it left and right like a relic, squinting like a doctor from a comedy sketch. If he'd gone any further, he probably would've bitten it.
"Idiot! That hurts! Let go!" Fenghuo yanked his hand back, glaring. "You want dinner? Fine. I'll supervise."
"Ehhh? Why me?" Obito whined, but ultimately gave in.
Unfortunately, that didn't mean things went smoothly.
Despite Fenghuo's guidance, Obito forgot the salt, used sugar as MSG, and somehow turned stir-fry into scorched-earth policy.
"…At least the rice survived," Fenghuo sighed as they sat down.
After dinner, Obito washed the dishes (badly), and Fenghuo finally got a moment to soak his hands in hot water. Once the soreness eased a little, he stepped outside for the next stage of training—Tree Climbing and Water Walking, both designed to train Chakra control.
Some ninja picked these up easily. Others took months. Luckily, Fenghuo had over twenty years of life experience—albeit from another world.
After getting over the initial vertigo, he found the Tree Climbing method almost fun. With careful Chakra flow to the soles of his feet, he walked up the trunk until his body was parallel to the ground. The angled view of the world felt novel, almost artistic.
Eventually, he climbed higher, walking along a branch until he could hang upside down like a bat. The blood rushed to his head, and his organs shifted uncomfortably—he instinctively channeled Chakra to stabilize them.
"Alright… now let's try Water Walking."
He stepped down, approached a small pond in the corner of the courtyard, and slowly coated his feet with Chakra. One foot forward—
Plop!
Straight into the water.
"I knew it!"
He sputtered, soaked from head to toe.
"How is this harder than climbing trees?!"
He tried again, managing to stay afloat for half a second before his shoes soaked through and he sank.
He kept at it until midnight, repeating the motion until his Chakra control faltered with fatigue.
"Yaaawn… guess that's it for today."
He rinsed off with a quick shower and collapsed into bed.
The next morning, Obito's yelling from the next house woke him up. Still half-asleep, Fenghuo stumbled into the kitchen and made a simple breakfast. As he lifted his spoon—
"…Huh?"
The soreness in his hands was gone.
"All better? Already? Wait—don't tell me… is this my cheat skill? Super recovery from fatigue?"
He inspected his hands carefully. They were soft, smooth, his ten fingers slender and white.
"…Perfect hands. Back in my world, it would've been a crime not to play piano."
He chuckled and shook his head, then sat cross-legged to start refining Chakra again.
With a strong mind and developed spiritual energy, Chakra production came easily. The human body had over 130 trillion cells. There was plenty of stamina to convert.
As the Chakra in his body swelled bit by bit, he felt a warm, satisfying sense of strength.
"So this is what getting stronger feels like…"
At noon, Obito returned as scheduled, demanding a feast.
Fenghuo didn't mind and whipped up food for three.
"Huh? Why three portions?" Obito blinked at the extra plate.
"The third's for your grandma," Fenghuo said casually.
Obito froze. Then tears streamed down his face.
"Fenghuo… you're so kind… I've decided! You'll be my best friend for life!!"
He jumped onto the table, one foot planted like a pirate captain, pointing dramatically.
"I shall protect you! Even if the heavens fall! Even if—"
Wham!
Fenghuo kicked him off the table. He had a mild case of OCD, and table-standing was a war crime.
Obito sniffled, packed up his grandma's share, and scurried back home.
Watching him go, Fenghuo smiled faintly.
"That idiot… he's really kind."
Then he remembered: this was the same boy who, years later as Tobi, would release the Nine-Tails into the village, cause countless deaths, and plunge the world into war.
"…Love deeply, hate deeply, huh?"
After lunch, Fenghuo flexed his fingers again. No soreness. No pain.
Perfect.
Time to practice hand seals again.