Murakami watched the students spar, his mind wandering beyond the fight that just finished.
He found himself thinking about the real cheat code behind
jutsu and chakra after studying the Jutsus he had just bought.
something few seemed to consider.
Chakra needed Control at the beginning stages and Understanding in the later stages.
That was what separated an average shinobi from a high level shinobi.
Most shinobi obsess over the High ranking Jutsus, fire dragons, massive explosions, earth pillars that could crush a person… all impressive, all powerful,
but none of it was useful without a foundation. That foundation came from the smaller, "low-rank" Jutsus.
D- and C-rank jutsu aren't just beginner tools, they're training wheels for mastering chakra
A D-rank jutsu, for example, might be a simple clone or a small burst of energy.
On the surface, it seemed trivial, even boring.
But it taught control: how to shape chakra, how to be aware of it within the body, how to send it precisely where you wanted.
In executing Jutsu, even a tiny misstep could cause the Jutsu to fail, or worse, injure yourself which was why this stage made one aware of how chakra moved within the body.
C-rank Jutsus were a step up, slightly more complex, slightly more demanding since they include elemental jutsus.
They required not only precision of control but also timing and efficiency.
A shinobi who mastered multiple C-rank elemental jutsu early on built the kind of muscle memory and chakra awareness that made higher-level Jutsus far easier to learn.
At this stage, the body and chakra system would have become used to responding instinctively, without conscious thought, a prerequisite for speed and adaptability in real combat.
B-rank Jutsu was where things got serious.
These weren't just exercises in control; they demanded an understanding of nature transformation.
Fire, water, earth, wind, lightning.
they were no longer abstract forces of nature that could be manipulated with chakra seals.
A B-rank jutsu forced a shinobi to bend that nature to their will, enabling them to shape the elements to their will.
Nature Transformation
Mastery here required finesse. A shinobi exposed early to these Jutsus developed the instincts to manipulate chakra and elements early on.
Then came A-rank jutsu. He didn't have any, but from what B-rank presented to him, this would be the pinnacle of chakra efficiency, speed, and power combined.
He hadn't seen one in action in this reality, but from what he knew from watching this world from earth, these Jutsus weren't just destructive, they were art.
An example would be the Rasengan and Chidori.
If B-rank taught Nature Transformation then this level taught Shape Transformation.
But Murakami knew the secret: without a solid foundation in C- and B-rank Jutsus, even a naturally talented shinobi would struggle.
This is why Naruto had to properly learn Nature Transformation in order to use the Rasenshruiken.
Without properly understanding nature transformation and shape transformation, they might be able to unleash the power, but it would be sloppy, wasteful, and prone to failure under pressure.
But then, there would be a qualitative difference between a student who spends six years learning nothing but D-rank jutsu, and a clan kid, one who had access to C-, B-, and even the occasional A-rank jutsu during the same period.
On paper, the normal student would be competent. Capable of performing simple tasks reliably. But there was a limit.
After six years, their control would be good, their chakra awareness sufficient, but they wouldn't have learned to instinctively know how to combine elements
Or how to execute higher-tier techniques under stress of battle like the more experienced kids would.
The normal students' D-rank mastery would make them predictable, their attacks safe but uninspired.
And for the experienced student, even if they only dabbled in them on the side, something interesting happened.
The exposure itself forced them to think and perform differently.
C-rank jutsu honed their chakra control beyond simple flow and chakra awareness than the D-ranks did.
B-rank techniques forced an understanding of nature transformation, and even just observing A-rank jutsu in practice,
Or even attempting small, partial executions, taught the body how to work with chakra efficiently, instinctively, and creatively.
Six years of "side" experience across multiple ranks gave them a foundation that a single-minded D-rank student could never achieve.
By the end of six years, the D-rank specialist could perform a handful of tasks perfectly, but the clan…experienced kid, even if slightly less polished at the lower-rank basics, would already think like a shinobi capable of anything.
'It's not just about learning the big moves,' Murakami thought differently, 'Understanding Chakra is where everything begins.'
He thought about himself, about how he'd learned to manipulate chakra in ways no Academy students would even consider as a possibility.
Take chakra threads, for instance. A simple enough concept on paper, thin strands of chakra shaped and extended at will, but the execution required precision and a deep understanding of how chakra could be molded beyond basic jutsus.
It was a form of shape transformation, really, and he'd developed it through countless hours of practice, experimenting with chakra as if it were clay.
When he finally decided to push into nature transformation, he knew it would come easier.
Years of threading and shaping his chakra meant his control was already so refined that bending elements to his will would be a matter of translating the same principles, not starting from scratch.
And maybe…just maybe, that was the correct route to the final Jutsu Rank; S-rank Jutsu.
Murakami exhaled slowly.
Because when he thought about it… the only confirmed user to create a true S-rank technique from scratch in the anime was Naruto.
And how did he get there?
Shape first.
Nature second.
It was a mastery gotten through synergy.
Everyone else tried the reverse, learning elemental manipulation first, then attempting to apply shape refinement later.
It worked, sure. But it limited them which is why the only jutsu that nearly reached that stage but fell short was the Kirin Sasuke created at the spur of the moment in his class with his brother.
Naruto didn't follow that route.
He mastered the Rasengan first, a technique that was pure, refined shape transformation.
The pinnacle of it.
The others shown were the Chakra Thread, Kage Bunshin, Chakra Scalpel.
And only after he mastered the hardest shape transformation in the elemental category did he attempt nature transformation.
And that mattered.
Because when he combined the two…when he finally synced the shape of the Rasengan with the wind nature he mastered…
He created RasenShuriken, the only technique classified as both:
S-rank in complexity and S-rank in destructive potential, while being completely original.
Murakami rubbed the back of his neck thoughtfully.
Shape to Nature was how chakra mastery progresses
Control to Power was how shinobi grow in ability
Stability to Evolution was how jutsu ascend into S-rank mastery
That was the natural order.
If you learn Nature first, the power is wild and unstable.
If you learn Shape first, the power gains structure and precision.
And now, looking at his own path with chakra threads, his control so sharp it felt like a sixth sense sometimes, Murakami realized he'd unintentionally taken the same foundation.
"Shape first… then nature," he murmured.
That said… recalling his contrasting affinities—Wind and Earth—he couldn't help but sigh. The two most stubborn elemental opposites.
They would fight each other endlessly inside someone who didn't have absolute control. Anyone else would get stuck choosing one over the other.
But someone with shape transformation mastery?
Someone who could manipulate chakra into fine threads thinner than hair?
Someone like him?
He could force the elements to obey.
He sighed, shaking his head with a small smirk at the contradicting thought he was having from when he trained with Aiko.
Regardless, it was going to be a pain. A monumental one.
But it was possible.
And more importantly…
It was the correct path.
With that final thought, Murakami turned his attention back to the match unfolding on the training field.