I became a genin. And that means—I now have access to opportunities I had only heard about before. One of them is the Konoha Library.
In the original sources, it was mentioned only briefly, without details. But in reality, it's a very well-known place. A place where the knowledge of dozens of shinobi generations is stored. I couldn't miss the chance.
The library was located right in the Hokage Rock, at its base. Essentially—at the heart of the village. Its entrance was almost invisible from the outside, but I knew where to look: we were shown it back in the Academy.
A couple of minutes from the Hokage Tower—and I was standing in front of a massive, austere door embedded directly into the stone.
Two chunin were stationed at the entrance. One scanned the surroundings with his eyes, the other scanned everyone who approached. Discreetly, but undoubtedly—there were also ANBU hiding somewhere in the shadows. The place was well-guarded.
"Name, rank?" the guard asked.
"Kotetsu Hagane, genin," I replied, trying to sound confident.
He looked at my pass and headband, then handed me a pass-plaque engraved with a time limit—one hour—and stepped aside.
"Go ahead. Level one only. Don't try going deeper—a barrier will activate."
I stepped inside.
The first hall was spacious, lit with soft light. A duty shinobi sat by the desk, and another ninja nearby was clearly keeping order. I showed my pass, was checked against the list again, and was handed a clearance tag for the D-level section.
"Reading only. Copying materials is forbidden. Whatever you take out—only in your head," the guard said curtly.
I nodded and went in.
Rows of scrolls and books stretched deep into the hall before me—it felt like I had stepped into a temple built from knowledge. But there was no time for awe. My clearance was genin level, which meant my options were limited.
Everything here was just basic information. Much of it was barely different from what we were taught at the Academy. Anything that could truly open one's eyes to the secrets of the shinobi world—techniques, clan secrets, advanced tactics, jutsu scrolls—was restricted.
Such knowledge could only be earned through serious merit to the village or by accumulating enough points from mission completions. And all I had to my name was a single bag of trash pulled from the river.
One hour. I had exactly one hour. The timer started from the moment of registration. I couldn't afford to waste time.
Moving quickly along the shelves, I scanned the sections. Almost everything—familiar.
"Using chakra to enhance cognitive processes."
"Analysis of basic hand seals."
"Tactical formations of small units."
"Rules of shinobi conduct in peace and wartime."
Most of this we had covered at the Academy. Some chapters I nearly knew by heart.
But that's not what I came here for.
Fūinjutsu.
We had barely touched on it in training—activating explosive tags, opening scrolls, sealing items—and that was it.
But no one ever explained how those seals actually worked.
What symbols form them?
How are they drawn?
Why do some scrolls activate instantly, and others—only with a hand seal?
I started searching for anything that could shed light.
The shelves weren't helpful—everything was too mixed. The scroll themes were too broad. But in one of the sections, I finally found what I needed. Not a manual, not a technique, but—an overview scroll on basic fūinjutsu terminology.
I took it and carefully unrolled it on one of the low tables.
Fūinjutsu is the art of sealing...
That I know. Let's move on, I quickly skimmed through familiar parts.
"There are fourteen basic kanji that form the foundation of most simplified seals. They are used in combinations to define parameters: direction, activation, scale, object, timing, and triggering conditions."
I absorbed the lines greedily, memorizing the shapes of the symbols. Copying, writing, photographing—everything was forbidden. Only what I could carry in my mind.
Direction — "向" (mukou)
Sealing — "封" (fū)
Activation — "起" (ki)
Object — "物" (mono)
… and so on.
At the bottom of the scroll, in tiny, almost invisible characters, it read:
"This material is introductory. Full versions and practical scrolls are located in the restricted sector, access granted from chunin level or with special clearance."
Just a warm-up... —I sighed mentally. But even this was more than what we were given at the Academy. Wasting no time, I focused, channeling chakra to my brain to enhance cognitive abilities. Not an advanced technique, but perfect for memorizing symbols and structure.
After absorbing the information, I carefully rolled the scroll back up and returned it to its place. There was still a bit of time left—I decided to use it wisely. I moved to other shelves, skimming through titles.
I found a couple of scrolls on chakra control techniques. They described breathing exercises, meditative practices, and ways to stabilize flow during combat—basic stuff, but presented in more detail than I'd heard before. I flipped through them quickly, picking out key points.
A bit further on, I stumbled upon the genjutsu section.
Nothing interesting, I thought, putting one of the scrolls back. Most of them described the same things, just in different words and phrasing. I already knew all of it...
Time was almost up. I immediately headed to the exit—being late could result in losing future access. Handing in my pass and bowing to the duty guard, I stepped out of the building and paused for a moment at the entrance.
Phew, I thought.
But today, I took the first step.
And now—time to act.
Even though I used chakra to enhance my mental activity—a technique we were taught in the Academy—it's just a temporary solution. You're basically forcefully shoving information into your head, speeding up memorization, but if you don't reinforce it—it falls apart like sand through your fingers. In about an hour, most of it will fade away as if I hadn't read anything at all.
Interesting—back in the old world, scouts and operatives had a similar method—cramming with short-term memory retention, just without chakra. I guess memory works the same everywhere.
That's why I needed the special ink—as fast as possible, I had to write it all down. While the information was still alive.
I headed straight to the shinobi supply shop—one of the places I visit most often. A narrow store between a weapon shop and an equipment stall. The sign was barely hanging on, but the goods were always top quality.
Once inside, I immediately went to the fūinjutsu supply stand.
There they were—special chakra-sensitive inks. A small sealed vial.
Price—2000 ryō. Expensive, especially for a genin, but I had no choice: if I didn't write it down now, the information would simply vanish from my mind.
A middle-aged man with a shinobi headband around his neck and a scar across his lip approached the counter.
"Ink for fūin?" he asked, glancing briefly at the vial in my hand.
"Yes. I need to write something down fast before I forget it."
"You're making the right choice. The cheap stuff smudges from chakra. These hold firm. Two thousand."
I nodded, handed over the money. He checked it—then handed me the vial.
"Good luck, kid. Hope you're not just planning to draw explosions."
"No...," I replied, tucking the vial into my bag. That comes later...
I left the shop and ran straight home—everything I remembered from the scroll had to be preserved. And fast.
Back home, I immediately got everything I needed: a blank scroll, a brush, regular ink, and the expensive chakra-activated kind.
I started with the regular ink. I had to make a draft—a neat copy of all the core kanji I had managed to remember from the fūinjutsu scroll.
I worked slowly and carefully. I traced each symbol with utmost precision—from curves to strokes, just like in the original. Mistakes weren't an option. These kanji weren't just letters—they held meaning and power. Draw one wrong, and at best the seal won't work, at worst—it'll go off incorrectly.
When all 14 symbols were complete, I set the brush and scroll aside to let the ink dry. This was only a draft, but even now I could begin memorizing them—one by one, repeating their meanings and functions to myself.
Later, once I had each symbol memorized perfectly, I would rewrite them with chakra ink—to start practicing real seals. But for now—I would study.
Well then... Time to move on to the next stage of training.
Aside from properly drawn symbols, fūinjutsu requires precise chakra control.
For a seal to function correctly, chakra must be directed with absolute accuracy — without the slightest fluctuation.
Otherwise, the symbol is nothing more than a meaningless scribble.
Chakra control. Without it, I won't get far.
So now it's time to level that up…