Ken sat cross-legged on the grassy field right on the shore of a river. He was in deep concentration as his small hands started forming intricate seals as he focused on combining wind and water release chakra with unwavering determination. From one hand, Water release chakra started condensing to his palm, and from his other hand, wind-release chakra condensed.
He used both his hands to form a hand seal.
His mind was consumed by a single thought 'Work for me! Form Ice alreadyyyyy!!'
Ice Release was a rare and powerful kekkei genkai, passed down through the generations of the Yuki clan. Ken, however, was not a member of this illustrious clan. He was a Sarutobi, and while the Sarutobi clan had its own unique abilities, ice manipulation was not among them. Still, Ken was determined to learn.
For weeks, Ken had studied every scroll, every text he could find on ice release techniques. He had practiced tirelessly, trying to mimic the hand seals and chakra control described in the single ice jutsu that he had managed to buy from the black market using his own funds.
But try as he might, he could not produce even a single snowflake, let alone a block of ice. And this attempt was no different.
Frustration threatened to overwhelm him, but Ken refused to give up. The show protagonist has at least taught him to 'never give up dattabayo!' in this world.
When he went to his grandpa for advice, Hiruzen refused to tell him anything and told him he had to figure it out himself so that he could grow as a shinobi.
'Yeah, figure it out yourself huh? I am doing exactly what I did when I started learning Lava release. Combining the two chakra natures required to form ice.' Ken thought annoyed at his constant failure.
Of course, every shinobi with enough practice can try to combine the two chakra natures but they don't possess the bloodline themselves to make it work.
"According to Grandpa, those with kekkei genkai in their genes have it easy when forming compound jutsus formed of two chakra natures. Even Pakura said that while she managed to create scotch release on her own. It was most likely because one of her ancestors had it himself. Thus she also has some genes for it which made it easy for her to learn Scotch release." Ken mumbled
'That old geezer, Did not he say that he would help me learn and train in my kekkei genkais? Now he wants me to figure it out by myself. All those scrolls were useless. It was so easy to learn Lava release. It was almost natural to me. But then again fire and earth are the two primary chakra releases that a Sarutobi has. Does that mean I have more affinity towards Lava release than ice release?'
'No, there should be more to this. Maybe I am doing something wrong. Grandpa did give me some advice though. He had told me that the key to mastering any jutsu was not just in the technique, but in understanding the underlying principles. What the fuck does that mean? Maybe I should recap about the science of what Ice is from my memories.'
And so, Ken delved deeper into his studies, trying to grasp the essence of ice release. Only for him to try hours thinking about it but with no results.
He gave up as he sat by the riverbank, watching the water flow lazily by. Finally, it hit him.
Ice was not just a combination of water chakra and wind chakra. Unlike water and wind which could flow, Ice was all about stillness. it was a manifestation of cold, of stillness. It was the absence of heat, the absence of movement.
'That must be it. I am trying to make the chakra flow like I am trying to form a fireball or a water stream. I have to make it solid without any movement. And I also have to lower the temperature of water chakra before releasing it.'
With this realization, Ken's approach to learning ice release changed.
Instead of trying to force his chakra to mimic the Yuki clan's techniques, Ken began to focus on creating a state of extreme coldness within himself. He meditated on the feeling of ice, on the sensation of numbness that came with prolonged exposure to the cold. He visualized himself surrounded by a cocoon of ice, impervious to the heat of the sun.
Slowly, ever so slowly, Ken began to feel a change within himself. His chakra, once warm and vibrant, began to cool. It was a subtle shift, imperceptible to anyone but himself, but it was there. Encouraged by this progress, Ken continued to meditate, to focus on this new state of being.
And after a few minutes, he finally got results for his determination. As he channeled his chakra, he felt a rush of coldness, a surge of energy, unlike anything he had ever experienced before. And then, before his eyes, a small, delicate snowflake formed, floating gently to the ground.
Ken gasped in awe, hardly daring to believe what he had just accomplished. He had created ice.
"I can feel that I can create more than just a snowflake if I so wished. But is not this little thing very beautiful? Maybe I should gift this snowflake as a gift to mom. She would be pretty happy to see this gift and might even give me additional sweets for dinner." Ken grinned at that idea.