Chapter 15
It’s Elemental My Dear Naruto!
Stop Scaring The Koi!
A fresher evening finds Naruto’s garden koi pond bathed in the early light of a full moon, with Naruto practicing his shikigami outside with young Himawari for an audience, while Boruto and Konohamaru study a large scroll rolled out on a table on a covered portion of the deck, next to a cooking electric hot pot and a stack of bowls, being prepared and presided over by Hinata, as she watches over her daughter. Fukasaku sensei does the back stroke in the koi pond, doing laps around a new small stone platform addition to the koi pond, swimming in among the actual koi that now populate Naruto’s koi pond.
Himawari sits on the stone platform with her own scroll, ink, and brush, practicing her Super Beast Scroll Jutsu. Daddy entertains with his shikigami puppetry, sitting perched on the edge of the deck, back turned to Konohamaru and the others. Naruto whistles a tune while manipulating a small floating shikigami paper mache puppet of Shintaro’s snow owl, animating and directing it with his wind style whistle.
Boruto:
Is the food ready yet?… I’m so bored with studying… I heard Sarada changed into a dragon!… But Sasuke grounded me from Ryuchi Cave!… For no reason!… I think he just wants some alone time with the White Snake Sage… So he can do something really crazy that he doesn’t want me to know about until afterward… if he survives…
Konohamaru:
Then it’s probably for the best… for now… Maybe the hotshot baca gaki… doesn’t have what it takes after all… Did that ever occur to you?…
Boruto:
No way!… I definitely got the goods when comes to Ryuchi Cave… more than you with Mount Myoboku!… after training how long?…
Konohamaru:
If you’re such a gifted protege… then why do have to go to Ryuchi Cave to train?…
Boruto:
I don’t!… If I can’t go to Ryuchi Cave… I can bring Ryuchi Cave to me!…
Boruto uses the blood ink technique of the shikigami arts to place some of his own blood on his palm for the Summoning Jutsu, before performing a series of hand seals, then slaps his bloody palm down on the deck.
Boruto:
Summoning Jutsu!…
A young girl appears on the deck next to Boruto, formally dressed and appearing perhaps as much as a year younger than Boruto.
Boruto:
Ichikishimahimechan?… It worked!… What can you tell me about what’s going on back in Ryuchi Cave?…
Ichikishimahime:
Ryuchi Cave?!?… You summoned me all the way here… just to talk about Ryuchi Cave?… Didn’t you just want to see me at all?… I wanted to see you…
Boruto:
To see me?… I just wanted to know what Sasuke was up to while he forbid me to come to Ryuchi Cave…
Ichikishimahime:
He forbid you to come?… Then it’s all the more fortunate that you summoned me!… Otherwise I wouldn’t have been able to see you!… Now you can show me around Konoha!… and introduce me to your friends!… and your parents!…
Hinata:
We’re his parents… Ichikishimahimechan… And any friend of Boruto’s… is always welcome here… He so seldom invites any of his friends over here… The man with the shikigami puppets… is his father… Naruto…
Naruto uses his wind style whistle to throw his voice, without interrupting his performance.
Naruto:
Konbonwa!… Ichikishimahimechan!…
Himawari begins to use the Wind Style Whistle herself, animating the ink on her page to take the shape of a white snow owl, before flying off the page to attack Naruto’s paper mache shikigami version, then adding her voice to it’s sound as Naruto had just done.
Himawari:
I’m Himawari!… Boruto’s sister!… Nice to meet you!…
Boruto holds up his right palm, palm side straight up, then begins to whistle as a paper shuriken forms in his palm and starts to spin around under the direction of his Wind Style Whistle. Boruto adds his voice to the sound of his whistle as the others had done before.
Boruto:
They’re just showing off…
Boruto’s whistle intensifies then his paper shuriken flies away spinning in it’s own miniature whirlwind slashing through and destroying both the ink owl and the paper owl, before Boruto ceases his whistling, and the paper shuriken unravels and burns up harmlessly. Ichikishimahime applauds enthusiastically at the demonstration of Boruto’s skill.
Himawari:
Hey!… That’s against the rules!…
Konohamaru begins to whistle as well and a small paper flower begins to fly around to the front of Boruto’s face, while also superimposing his voice upon the sound of his whistle.
Konohamaru:
They’re not the only ones showing off…
Konohamaru’s paper flower bursts into an explosion of confetti right into Boruto’s face.
Hinata:
That’s enough of that!… No more paper shikigami debris unless your prepared to start cleaning up after yourselves!…
Konohamaru:
Hai!… Sumimasen!… Hinatasama!…
Ichikishimahime applauds wildly again.
Shintaro:
Sounds like someone’s enjoying themselves!… And we only just got here!…
Shintaro opens the front gate and enters Naruto’s front yard, followed by Sarada and Ishitara. Sarada now wears a white lab coat over her normal cloths, with a single chest pocket over the heart, and with both her hands tucked away in two pockets at her side, and a traditional flattish wide-brimmed conical wicker hat hanging low over her face, with a white cloth blind hanging down from the brim, covering the back and sides of her head down to her shoulders, letting her long black hair hang down beneath it. A red floor length hakama protrudes down beneath her lab coat, with only the wooden teeth of a traditional set of raised wooden clogs visibly protruding beneath her hakama, making wooden plinking sounds as she walks.
Ishitara wears her sisters Kumo headband as before, along with the sunglasses she was given. But now she comes dressed from the neck down to her toes in thick traditional battle field worthy body armor, all in matte black, with a fanny pack behind her, a single large scroll fastened to the top of it, and an unmarked gourd strapped to her left side with vivid red colored twine. Traditional rope sandals made of a similar vivid red twine, adorn her feet over black split toed socks.
Boruto:
Oi!… What are you guys doing here?… Is uncle Shintaro going to do more renovations?…
Sarada:
No Boruto… We’re not here to renovate… This is a command performance… And we’re the band!… Who’s the new chick?… Her chakra is… strange…
Ichikishimahime:
You’re one to talk… fake dragon!… Real sage… fake dragon!…
Sarada:
I’m real enough… These talons are certainly real enough… if you want to find out…
Sarada pulls her right hand out of her pocket to reveal a hand covered completely in white translucent sparkling scales, sparkling in the light of the full moon, with digits tipped with sharp white talons, as she raises her hand up to tip her hat up and reveal her face to be covered in the same translucent white sparkling scales, with two piercing red Mangekyo Sharingan staring out from her red oval rimed glasses.
Chocho:
Sarada!!!… Please don’t mind Sarada’s ‘Doctor Dragon Lady’ vibe… She seems to go total gangster when she puts on her scales and talons…
Boruto:
Chocho?… Is that you?… Where are you?…
Chocho:
I’m in here!… I’m with the band too!…
The small green antenna topped head of Chocho peaks up from below the top of Sarada’s lab coat chest pocket, along with the tops of her orange and yellow butterfly wings.
Boruto:
What band?… What happened to you two?…
Shintaro:
Elemental sage transformation happened to them… They are both still adjusting to their new powers… and their new forms… The band in question… is a band of ninshu… specializing in the Chakra Resonance Jutsu… They are here to help me see if I can manage to teach Naruto how to do it… Since he expressed an interest the other day… Nice to see you again Ichikishimahimesama… in a manner of speaking… I should caution milady to remember however… that human societies like Konoha… tend to severely frown upon the eating of human flesh… whether alive or dead…
Ichikishimahime:
Oh really?… That is so weird!… I’ll have to try to remember that… Shintaro sensei… I was visiting Boruto here… at his invitation of course… if Doctor Dragon Lady doesn’t mind… But if he’s busy… I guess he’ll just owe me a rain check date…
Boruto:
A rain check date?!?…
Ichikishimahime:
It’s a date!… See you later!…
Ichikishimahime suddenly steals a kiss on Boruto’s lips, then disappears leaving Boruto slightly stunned. Konohamaru bursts out laughing, no longer able to contain himself.
Konohamaru:
Smoooth!… You’ve now got yourself a date!!!… with the daughter of the White Snake Sage!!!… Who do you think will eat you alive first?… the White Snake Sage?… or her daughter?… Maybe that’s why Sasuke wanted you to stay away… Maybe he knew!… But then you brought her here!… And now you have a date!!!…
Konohamaru erupts in uncontrolled laughter again.
Boruto:
Well… It could be worse… Konohamaru aniisan… I could be dating the daughter… of a demon hunting mad magician…
Konohamaru’s laughter ends abruptly as he begins to stare awkwardly at Ishitara again. Ishitara just smiles a big smile and cheerfully waves with both hands at Konohamaru, as he meekly waves back, now staring with concern at her father, the demon hunting mad magician.
Sarada:
The class rep is going to hear about this…
Chocho:
That she will… That she will…
Naruto:
Don’t take this the wrong way… I’m always glad to see you… in manner of speaking … ya know?… But… why are you here again?… exactly?…
Shintaro:
You asked me the other day about elemental sage transformation…
Naruto:
Elementary transformation?…
Shintaro:
It’s elemental… my dear nephew… elemental sage transformation… temporary transformation into a form without the usual limitations… with respect to chakra and senjutsu… both a tool… and a power… of senjutsu… You asked me specifically if you could learn how to do it… And I told you that you probably couldn’t do it the exact same way… But I may have figured out some ways we can try… Firstly… have you been practicing that earth style jutsu I taught you the other day?… the Living Stone Jutsu?…
Naruto:
Hai!… I’ve got a training clone working on it right now!… ya know!… But… how is that a sage transformation?…
Shintaro:
By itself… it is not… But… Just in case you can’t manage elemental sage transformation… the Living Stone Jutsu may allow you to let go of the habitual limitations… that you had to make habitual… in order to protect yourself from the dangers of senjutsu itself… Fearing the possibility of turning to stone… you must hold back and learn to do so habitually… to moderate the otherwise potentially infinite power of senjutsu… But if you are already made of stone… and have nothing to fear from it… then there will no need to hold back… For now… we’ll consider that a plan B!… for backup plan!… Go ahead and disperse the training clone and assimilate the clone’s experience… for now… Was that your wind style whistling just now?… Musical talent makes things a lot easier… It would be a long shot if you couldn’t perform the Chakra Resonance Jutsu in some form yourself… There are other means… But theses are the only ones I know… Did Jiraiya teach you the wind whistling?… as well as the shikigami?…
Naruto:
Hai!… But that’s all it’s good for… ya know… playing with shikigami…
Shintaro:
You do it well enough to do much more with it… And there is no such thing as just playing… Playing leads to skill… Skill leads to artistry… Artistry leads to resonance… And resonance equals power!… Fortunately for you… I brought backup… in the musical department at least… Although it seems you brought backup of your own… There seemed to be more than one wind whistle…
Naruto:
Ai… I taught it to just about everyone here… except for Hinata… She doesn’t have the wind style for it… Jiji sennin doesn’t whistle… He croaks… Himawari’s even better than me!… ya know!…
Shintaro:
Well that makes things much easier!… Jiraiya sensei gave you a treasure trove of powerful skills… that you have absolutely no clue about… Since you know the Wind Style Whistle Jutsu… we’ll start with wind!… Sarada… If you were in your wind form… you might be able to copy the Wind Whistle from us… then add it to your general musical pallette… Chocho… You already know the Wind Whistle… And you’re already better with my mother’s ocarina anyway… So just grab your ocarina and play along…
Chocho:
Hai!…
Little butterfly Chocho flies our from Sarada’s chest pocket and then grows to her normal height, but with her more slim proportions, large orange and yellow butterfly wings, and green antennas, all emitting sparkling green and golden particles, resembling pollen dust. A red ocarina materializes directly into Chocho’s hand as she raises it to her lips and begins to play as she hovers over the koi pond. As Chocho exits Sarada’s lab coat pocket, a black swirling miniature funnel cloud begins to encircle and completely engulf Sarada’s Doctor Dragon Lady form.
The funnel cloud swirls it’s way up and over to Chocho’s side, hovering in the air next to Chocho, before dissipating and revealing Sarada’s semi-human crow form, biwa and plectrum already in her bare human hands, with her ordinary human head sans oval rimed glasses, peering out of the black feathered hood of a massive cloak of black feathers hanging down low, hiding her feet, with slits in the feathered cloak for her human hands to grip her instrument. Ishitara stomps her feet on the ground and gesticulates wildly in frustration, while glancing frantically back and forth at her father and the others, as if trying to get the attention of a blind man who isn’t even looking with eyes that can’t even see. Shintaro responds without ‘looking’ in her direction.
Shintaro:
Don’t stomp your feet and gesticulate at me little girl!… There’s no point in complaining and throwing a fit just because you don’t know how to hover yet!… I may have relented to your foolish and sudden obsession to become a shinobi all of a sudden… But only to appease your big sister!… But you will require training!… So you better get used to the idea of long tedious hours of training… Now… Man your post!… And mind your koto!… You know the tune!… Imada!… I may not be able to see the look on your face… but I can feel you glaring little girl!… You wanted in the band!… Now your in the band!… Now play!… Imada!…
Ishitara stomps her way over to defiantly plop herself down next to Konohamaru on the deck. The she places her right hand over her heart as she holds out her left hand, palm down in front of her. Ishitara’s koto materializes on the deck in front of her, and she begins to play along. Shintaro begins to whistle himself and whirlwinds begin to swirl about his feet, causing him to fly up and over the hovering duo to land gently on the stone platform in the middle of the koi pond, standing next to Himawari on the platform. Shintaro whistles along with the tune the others are playing, while simultaneously superimposing his voice over the sound of his whistle.
Shintaro:
Try to play along Naruto… The rest of you as well… if you can… Sarada… Use your Sharingan o copy me while we play… then whistle along with your biwa… This duel musical attack will increase your available resonant power…
Naruto begins to whistle along, then Sarada begins to whistle along too. Himawari, Boruto, and Konohamaru follow suit, in a chorus in resonant whistling.
Shintaro:
Now remember there is no way to simply copy this… Even the sharingan could only copy so much… And you Naruto… have no Sharingan… But you do seem to have a talented whistle… With the power of some form of Chakra Resonance Jutsu… all sorts of other possibilities will become available to you over time… For now… The basic jist of the process as I know it… Is rather simple… Play… Resonate… Visualize… Resonate… Transform… First play the song and resonate as best you can with the resonant power of the song… focused on resonating with one particular element at a time… Visualize some form or feeling that you feel resonates particularly well with that primary element of focus… Then transform and become that form… According to little Kakashi… you have something of a talent for transformation as it is… But this no ordinary transformation… This is a far more substantial and deeper transformation… a sage transformation…
Naruto’s whistling intensifies, but he doesn’t transform. The resonance of the whistling of the group intensifies and a black swirling funnel cloud blows through the garden, visually obscuring everything in the garden with near blackout visibility conditions. As the black funnel cloud blows through and disappears, revealing no change in Naruto, as he and the others cease their whistling to see the results. But Himawari seems to have disappeared, and Ishitara has been transformed into a giant orange and yellow mockingbird, with her same Starlight Rinnegan for it’s main two eyes, and a single Tenseigan in the center the mockingbirds forehead, now sitting perched on the deck behind her koto.
Konohamaru:
Ishitara?!?…
Hinata:
Himawari?!?…
Himawari:
Here mama!…
The sound of Himawari’s voice comes from high up in one of the garden’s cherry blossom trees. The Ishitara orange and yellow mockingbird disappears, then reappears on top of a part of the overhang for the deck, near by a cherry blossom tree where Himawari’s voice just came from, jumping up and down, flapping it’s wings, and chirping up a storm, as if to say ‘here she is!’
Hinata:
Himawari?!?…
High up in the cheery blossom tree, hanging down from one of it’s limbs, hanging on with both clawed hands, hangs a child-sized white fur covered rodent of some kind, with a white fur covered tale. The creature drops down from the tree limb and flies on sudden gusts of wind as it extends out it’s arms and legs, unfolding the glide flaps of a giant white flying snow squirrel. The giant albino flying snow squirrel flies around the garden, then lands next to her mother Hinata on the deck.
Hinata:
Himawari?!?…
Shintaro:
It seems that young Himawari… is better a sage transformation… than her sage father!…
Hinata:
Change her back!… Imada!!!…
Shintaro:
Take it easy Hinatasama… Only Himawari can change herself back… Himawari… Can you still whistle?…
Himawari:
Ai… I think so…
Himawari begins to whistle, and superimposes the sound of her voice over her whistle.
Himawari:
Hai!… I can still whistle!… even better than before!…
Shintaro:
Good… Now whistle the same tune as before… Try to remember who and what you used to be… resonate with that image in your mind… Then transform into it…
Himawari:
But I don’t know how I transformed to begin with…
Shintaro:
Don’t overthink it!… Just visualize yourself… as yourself… And resonate with it musically… as strong as you possibly can… And just let it happen…
Shintaro and the others join in and whistle along with Himawari. The Ishitara mockingbird flies back down onto the deck by Konohamaru and her koto, and begins to sing along with a whistling song. A swirling black funnel cloud blows through again then dissipates, revealing a restored human Himawari next to her mother on the deck, and a normal Ishitara sitting once again behind her koto next to Konohamaru. A restored Himawari hugs her mother in relief.
Himawari:
Mama!… I’m back mama!…
Hinata:
I can see that!… And I can feel that!… Take it easy there Himachan!…
Himawari:
Oh!… Sumimasen mama!…
Shintaro:
You know… young Himachan… Neither you nor your mother need have worried so much… Your quite gifted at this… more so than your father… You weren’t even trying were you?…
Himawari:
Iie!… I was just trying to help papa!… with my whistling!… I knew it was all about the resonance… I just figured that if I went through it in my mind… I could resonate better with papa… And help him do it… But then…
Shintaro:
But then you just did it… Well… If you and your mother are up to it… do you think you might like to try again?… This time on purpose?… This time with water?…
Himawari:
Hai!… Hai!…
Hinata:
Well… I don’t know…
Himawari:
Please mama!… I want to change into everything!…
Hinata:
Well… Okay… Just be careful… I don’t want to have to keep my own daughter in a pen…
Konohamaru:
Shintaro sensei… If I may ask… What exactly did Ishitara change into?… a giant… mockingbird?…
Shintaro:
A mockingbird spirit… a powerful wind user… with perfect control of sound and audio mimicry… and powerful musical genjutsu… the Siren Song of the mockingbird spirit… She must be happy now that she can fly… Well Ishitara?… Are we ready for another try… This time with water?… You know the tune… Master Fukasaku can assist with this next one… with the toad song life resonance jutsu… Mount Myoboku’s version of what you can perform with your whistle… and Sarada with her biwa…
Fukasaku:
Okay… Let’s see if Narutochan has any better luck with the toad song…
Shintaro:
Try to follow my whistling Naruto… I can show you the human equivalent to Master Fukasaku’s jutsu… or at least the only one your likely to be able to use…
Master Fukasaku begins to croak incessantly in a way that echoes and reverberates throughout the garden. Shintaro begins to whistle and Naruto follows suit, then the others follow along. At first Sarada stays in her crow form, copying Shintaro’s whistling, then she begins to emit a dark steamy vapor from all over her body until a thick black steam pours out from the entire surface of her form. The black steam dissipates leaving behind Sarada in her Doctor Dragon Lady form and attire, still hovering, playing her biwa, and whistling along.
A thick shadowy mist engulfs the entire garden, rendering zero visibility within it’s confines. The mist begins to clear revealing a few changes as the band plays on without Chocho’s or Ishitara’s playing. Chocho, Konohamaru, and Himawari seem to be completely missing, and a Naruto sized stone statue of a meditating toad sits in Naruto’s place on the deck. In the place of Ishitara and her koto sits a living tree sculpture of Ishitara and her koto, merged together and formed out of living wood rather than carved, with all three eyes closed, and hair made of pink cherry blossom leaves. Two small branches on the top her head follow the shape and pattern of her horns without her Kumo headband covering them. Sitting upon the wooden Ishitara’s lap is a small orange and green toad, mildly steaming.
Hinata:
Himawari!!!…
Himawari:
Down here mama!… I did it again!…
Hinata peers over the edge of the deck to find a small human child sized polar bear cub floating on it’s back in the koi pond.
Himawari:
This is fun!… Can I change into a butterfly next?…
Hinata:
No!… I think that’s more than enough transformation from you for one day… I can’t hardly keep up!… And what’s happened to Naruto?… Where did Naruto go?…
Stone Toad:
Where did Naruto go when?… Or… When did Naruto go where… Wait!… I’m Naruto… I’m still here!… I think… ya know…
The stone toad turns it’s stone head around and stares at Hinata.
Hinata:
Aggh!!!… Narutokun!!!…
Konohamaru:
That’s more than can be said for some of us…
Konohamaru’s voice pipes up from the small orange and green toad sitting on Ishitara’s wooden lap koto.
Boruto:
Hah!… Now you’re a real toady!… Although more of a lap frog than a lap dog!…
Konohamaru:
Hah… hah… hah…
Shintaro:
Konohamaru… Himawari… I need you two to see if you can get back to normal on your own… Because I suspect my daughter and Naruto might be a bit more complicated to get back to normal…
Hinata:
A bit more complicated than normal?… What is that supposed to mean?…
Shntaro:
Well… My daughter has transformed herself into a completely unheard of living wood elemental sage transformation… the complete characteristics of which… may be completely unpredictable… Naruto on the other hand has transformed himself into a stone toad… A type of earth element yokai known to exist in a perpetual dream state of semi-consciousness… They are essentially always dreaming… But toads do not dream… accept as prophecy… So the stone toads are considered to be oracles… even if they may be somewhat confusing ones…
Hinata:
Confusing ones?…
Shintaro:
Ai… They are easily confused as to time… past present and future get all mixed up in their perpetual dream state… They can be fairly absent minded as a result… kind of spacey to talk to really… The tricky part is getting the space cadet in question to remember not only how to get back… But that he’s actually supposed to in the first place…
Himawari whistles a little while floating on her back in the koi pond then transforms in steamy dark mist, leaving behind a soaking wet Himawari in the koi pond.
Himawari:
I’m back!…
Fukasaku:
And you’re scaring the koi!…
Hinata:
And you’re soaking wet!… Get out of there this instant!… Go upstairs right now and change into some dry cloths!…
Himawari:
But papa!…
Hinata:
You let me worry about papa!… Imada!…
Himawari climbs out of the koi pond and runs up the stairs. Konohamaru starts to whistle as well and transforms back into his full size human self in a flurry of dark steam, still sitting upon Ishitara’s lap koto.
Konohamaru:
Great!… I’m back too!…
Shintaro:
Good for you Konohamarusan… Now get off my daughter’s lap!… And it may interest you to know… that what you just transformed into… is what I can only sense to be a steam toad… capable of powerful boil style skills… with the combination of fire and water… much like Sarada’s steam dragon… Naruto’s stone toad form has an affinity for water as well as earth… That combined with teaching him the living stone jutsu… I believe has led directly to Naruto acquiring an extremely powerful… if extremely chaotic form… Which may all be for not if we can’t get him to make his own way back!…
Stone Toad:
But I don’t want to go to school!… I want to see the sparkly monkey!… The sparkly monkey is a friend of mine!…
Boruto:
Sparkly monkey?!?… What is he talking about?… Who changed into a sparkly monkey?…
Konohamaru:
Leave this to me!… Naruto aniisan!!!… Wake up!!!… Your late for work!!!… Konoha is under attack!!!… Ichiraku’s Ramen Shop is burning!!!…
Stone Toad:
Ichiraku’s is burning?…
The stone toad suddenly crumbles away to reveal a newly flesh-and-blood again Naruto in it’s place.
Naruto:
I’m awake!!!… I’m awake!!!… Ichiraku’s is burning?!?… Since when?!?… Who attacked?!?…
Shintaro:
At ease Naruto!… Your protege was just giving you the kick in the but you needed… to save your own but!… Your transformation is extremely powerful but also potentially problematic… I’ll explain in detail later… For now is suffices to understand… that you should never transform your main original body into that form again until I say otherwise… Instead dedicate a training clone to it… Leave it in that form.. Then periodically disperse the clone then regenerate it… in order to absorb and assimilate the accumulated experience… Get used to the perpetually scatterbrain dream state of the stone toad… Ishitara?… Are you still in there?… Are you awake?…
The living Ishitara koto tree open it’s eyes, revealing two normal looking Starlight Rinnegan in the normal place where the eyes go, and one Tenseigan in the middle of it’s forehead where Ishitara normally has hers. The Ishitara tree nods it’s head once.
Shintaro:
Can you still play?…
The Ishitara tree nods it’s head once again.
Shintaro:
Can you play yourself back?…
The tree nods once again.
Shintaro:
Can you go ahead and return to normal then?…
The tree shakes it’s head no.
Shintaro:
I know your probably enjoying the novelty of your new form… But I need to know that you can find your own way back or I can’t even begin to figure out where Chocho disappeared to…
Naruto:
Where Chocho disappeared to?… Where’s Chocho?…
The Ishitara tree points one of her tree limb fingers straight up, as everyone looks up and finally notices a giant sparkling green floating sea turtle, high up in the sky over Konoha, as big as Konoha, with two yellow Starlight Rinnegan for eyes.
Sarada:
Chocho?!?… Is that…really you?!?… I was wondering what that sensation was… That was you?!?…
The giant floating sea turtle speaks in a booming voice echoing across the sky.
Chocho Turtle:
Sumimasen!…
Sarada bursts into a black steam that rapidly engulfs her before her full steam dragon form bursts out of the rapidly dissipating black steam, full size and translucent sparkling white in the light of the full moon. The sparkling white dragon flies up to Chocho turtle’s level, still somewhat dwarfed by the giant sea turtle, then speaks in a similarly booming voice.
Dragon Sarada:
Chocho!… Your too huge!… Your adorable!… But we’re scaring all of Konoha!… Can you summon your instrument?…
Chocho Turtle:
Summon my instrument?!?… I don’t have any hands!!!…
Dragon Sarada:
Can you at least whistle somehow?…
Chocho Turtle:
Whistle?!?… I don’t even have lips!!!…
Dragon Sarada:
Okay!… I’ll play for you!… We’ll try the wind… Try just focusing on transforming into your wind form again… Since your so comfortable in that form anyway…
Steam dragon Sarada is suddenly engulfed in a whirling black funnel cloud, which quickly dissipates revealing Sarada hovering in her humanoid crow form, with her crow feather hooded cloak hanging low covering her feet, biwa and plectrum held within her essentially bare human hands. Crow spirit Sarada begins to play her biwa while accompanying her playing with her own whistling. Down on the ground Shintaro materializes a paper mache copy of his ocarina into his hand and begins to play along, fulfilling Chocho’s role in the now familiar wind song. The others present begin to whistle along, as the Ishitara tree begins to play her lap koto.
A gigantic whirling black funnel cloud engulfs the entire giant Konoha-sized floating sea turtle, then quickly dissipates in a burst of green and gold colored sparkling pollen dust. From which emerges Chocho in her butterfly form, at first hovering next to Sarada for a second then flying about wildly, as if in celebration before flying with Sarada back down to Naruto’s garden. Himawari comes rushing down from upstairs, now with a dry set of cloths and in a mad hurry not to miss anything else.
Shintaro:
Ishitara?… Are you going to transform back to normal anytime soon?…
The Ishitara tree wags it’s wooden cherry blossom encrusted head no. Shintaro responds to the wag that he can’t see, while still understanding by other means.
Shintaro:
Very well then… Do you at least feel up to trying another transformation?…
The Ishitara tree nods it’s head yes. And it’s wooden branch arms, with it’s wooden twig fingers, begin to play her lap koto a bit, to signify it.
Shintaro:
Okay then… Naruto… go ahead and conjure up training clone for the your stone toad form… The have your clone change into the stone toad and stay that way for now… here in your garden…
Naruto:
Yosh!…
Naruto summons a training clone in sage mode.
Shintaro:
Now Naruto… Try to see if your clone can transform into the stone toad form without the music… Otherwise… Start whistling…
Naruto Clone:
I think I can do this!… ya know!…
The Naruto clone suddenly transforms into Naruto’s stone toad form.
Stone Toad:
Yosh!… did I miss the sparkly monkey?…
Boruto:
Again with the sparkly monkey!… Do you know anything… about any sparkly monkey dad?… That’s the second time for the sparkly monkey reference…
Naruto:
I’ve never even heard of a sparkly monkey!… He’s just dreaming!… It’s just what he does!… ya know!…
Stone Toad:
Life is but a dream… merrily merrily… But this garden could use a stream…
The stone toad Naruto clone jumps over to the stone platform in the middle of the koi pond and sets itself down on the platform in a meditation posture, then opens it’s mouth and begins to stream a small spout of water out of his mouth into the koi pond, like a stone toad water fountain, helping to aerate the koi pond for the sake of the koi.
Fukasaku:
Excellent idea!… Stone kin Narutochan!… This koi pond could use some more aeration… for the sake of the koi… And for the of sake your old master!… This old toad is getting wiser… not younger!…
Himawari jumps over to the stone platform to retrieve her scroll, ink, and brush from earlier, with the stone toad now sitting on part of her scroll. The stone toad then, without saying a word or interrupting the flow of water out of the fountain head, stands up on one leg to clear the scroll of his stone foot, but then raises the other leg straight back and upwards, leaning foreword with it’s torso and spreading both arms out to it’s sides in a figure skater pose, still streaming water like a fountain out of it’s mouth into the koi pond as it does so. Himawari collects her things and jumps back to rejoin her mother on the deck, as the dinner cooking away this whole time now seems to be almost ready.
Shintaro:
Good… That’ll do for now… This stone toad form will be tricky to deal with at first… But in time… this may be your most powerful form… irregardless of any other form you may develop… Being already made of stone… it has no weakness in terms of the principle risk of the Mount Myoboku tradition… With affinities for earth as well as water… and the ability to combine them… And you know what they make together don’t you?…
Naruto:
The wood style!… Like the First Hokage!… and Yamato taisho!…
Shintaro:
Ai… At least as far as the First Hokage is concerned… I have no knowledge of this… Yamato… I recommend you leave no training to this particular clone except to accumulate general experience… It may be tedious and tiresome… But in the long run it’s for the best… You should dedicate another training clone to practicing your earth style sculpting… and the earth style levitation jutsu that I showed you before… Eventually you can combine the experience of both together in one stone toad form… Otherwise… you won’t be able to train that stone toad to do anything useful… except decorate your garden… You should also practice your water style more… For now who else wants to try an earth style form before dinner?… Your stone toad is already an earth style form Naruto… as well as a water form… a two for one combo if you will… in a manner of speaking… So your out of this one… unless you want to try and complicate things for yourself… The same goes for you young Himawari… Or your mother might make an attempt on my life otherwise… Who’s in?… Ishitara seems eager enough… How about the rest of you?…
Sarada:
I’m in!… I could always use more options in my arsenal… or colors in my palette… as you might say might say… learned ancestor…
Humanoid crow form Sarada flies down to the touch down on the deck by a cherry blossom tree in a corner of the garden. Chocho sets down on the ground near her, next to the front gate. Shintaro conjures forth a paper clone with his biwa and plectrum, and the clone begins to play and accompany his own playing with his own whistling, with the main Shintaro superimposing his voice over the sound of his ocarina as he plays.
Shintaro:
This is the earth style Chakra Resonance Jutsu… Because it’s earth style… you need to emphasize the rhythm… in order to get proper earth style resonance with it…
Boruto grabs a pair of chopsticks from a stack of them on the table and begins to play rhythm on the stack of bowls along with the music, while he whistles along. Konohamaru and the Ishitara tree play along in support while Naruto and young Himawari sit this tune out. Chocho materializes her ocarina into her hands again and begins to play along. Sarada stays in her humanoid crow form and begins to play along on her biwa, whistling along as well.
A sudden dust storm blows through the garden as the playing fervor begins to heat up. Chocho, Sarada, and Konohamaru are then engulfed in and then encased in flying dirt, dust, and debris, ceasing their playing as a result, while the others play on. Chocho mound begins to grow in size, as if under the influence of the Akimichi Clan’s Expansion Jutsu. The Sarada mound begins to erupt in miniature lava fissures and flows, that then flow down the side of the mound. The surface of the Konohamaru mound begins darken and harden.
The Chocho mound stops growing and then everyone stops playing. A giant Panda bursts out of the Chocho mound, as orange and red molten magma bursts out of the Sarada mound in the shape of Sarada. The molten magma Sarada appears to be made almost completely molten magma, with only hard dried rock covering parts of her body, as if formed instinctively for protection, as well as for decency, but no glasses. Sarada’s hair appears as nothing but a mass of molten flame crowning her whole head, with flaming orange and red glowing magma eyes that seem to float within the surface of molten magma that forms her face.
The giant panda Chocho is momentarily startled falling backwards and crushing the front gate under it’s but, then growls a response.
Chocho Panda:
Oooohh!… Pretty!… Are you okay?… Daijoubudesuka?… Genkidesune?…
Without moving her molten magma lips, magma Sarada emits the sound of her voice.
Molten Sarada:
Chocho?!?… Is that you?!?… What happened to you?!?… What happened to me?!?…
The Konohamaru mound busts open to reveal dark purple crystal sculpture of Konohamaru, wearing Konahamaru’s unchanged cloths, still made of normal fabrics and materials. The only things of Konohamaru’s left unchanged. Without it’s lips moving, the dark crystal Konohamaru makes the sound of Konohamaru’s voice, as the Ishitara tree turns it tree head to look at what Konohamaru has become.
Dark Crystal K:
Nani?!… What am I?!?… Is this even skin?…
The dark crystal Konohamaru looks down at his dark purple crystal structure hands, with all their angles, edges, and points, mildly translucent to the point of being nearly transparent.
Shintaro:
You seem to have become a dark crystal elemental spirit… a form of pure shadow earth nature… in dark crystal form… Very strong and resilient… But I don’t have time for you right now given Sarada is about to set fire to the deck!…
Master Fukasaku jumps out of the koi pond and lands next to the stone toad on the stone platform in the middle of the koi pond, as Sarada’s molten lava excretions begin to spread beyond the deck into the koi pond, and the stone toad shifts it’s head slightly to point it’s fountain spray at Sarada, causing her to steam as a result.
Fukasaku:
And never mind scaring the koi!… She’s scaring me!… She boiled the koi!…
Magma Sarada:
Sumimasen!… I can’t stop it!!!…
The dark crystal Konohamaru jumps off the deck, with such force that he severely damages part of the deck, then lands by the molten magma Sarada and grabs a hold of her shoulders with both of his dark crystal hands, with Konohamaru clothing being incinerated that close to the heat source. Konohamaru becomes momentarily exposed in his dark crystal form as his cloths are completely burned away, before dark crystal armor appears all over most of Konohamaru’s body, then Konohamaru hands grow to become giant over-sized versions of themselves, as if under the influence of the Akimichi Clan’s Partial Expansion Jutsu, surrounding the molten magma Sarada in a dark crystal shield of his giant dark crystal hands.
Dark Crystal K:
You’ve got to calm down!… And get a hold of yourself!… Imada!…
Magma Sarada:
I can’t!!!… I can’t control it!!!… I don’t even know how I’m doing this!!!… I can’t even see what I’m doing!!!… At least I don’t think I can!!!… I can’t even tell!!!…
Trees and vines spring up from the ground all around the dark crystal Konohamaru and his molten magma protege, cupping the lava flow temporarily and lifting them up and over to the waiting arms of a now standing giant Chocho panda, as if being directed to do so by her.
Chocho Panda:
It’s okay Saradachan!… Just transform into something else your more familiar with!… like you told me to do!…
Sarada begins to emit large amounts of black billowing steam from every surface of her molten magma form, resembling the venting of volcanic steam vents deep down on the deep ocean floor.
Magma Sarada:
Cha!!!… Na!!!… Ra!!!…
Sarada’s steam dragon form bursts out from the billowing black steam, shattering Konohamru’s protective over-sized dark crystal hands. Sarada’s steam dragon flies up and around then back down to Naruto’s garden, now somewhat worse for ware for the sake of a working dinner party. A naked sparkling Dragon Lady Sarada lands, briefly being exposed before Shintaro reaches out with his hand with endless bits of paper shooting out from his loose hanging sleeves, to wrap themselves around his now naked great granddaughter and form themselves into a paper mache copy of a white set of monk’s robes, before transmuting themselves into fake silk fabric. As soon as the fake fabric solidifies dragon lady Sarada collapses from exhaustion and strain. Naruto jumps over to and reaches Sarada just before she pounds ground with her head, then Sarada slowly shifts back to human form, emitting a thick black steam while doing so.
Chocho Panda:
Sarada!!!…
Shintaro:
She’s fine Chocho!… Or at least she will be… She just needs some more conditioning is all… Training for another day… and another place… For now you need transform back to human… You too!… Ishitara!… No more fun and games!… I know you like your new tree form… And I’m sure it’s looks stunning on you… But you need to change now!… Imada!!!… Chocho!… You first… Can you play in that form?…
Chocho Panda:
With theses hands?!?… I would crush my ocarina!…
Shintaro:
Can you whistle?… or try changing into something else again?… just like you said?…
The giant panda Chocho is suddenly surrounded and engulfed by a whirling black funnel cloud. Then a normal height butterfly form Chocho flies out from the dispersing black funnel cloud to land on an undamaged portion of the deck. Chocho then summons forth her ocarina and plays a few note’s, as if to verify to herself that she’s back.
Chocho:
Alright!… I’m back in the game!…
Dark Crystal K:
That’s fine for her… Shintaro sensei… But what about me?… What about these?…
Dark crytsal Konohamaru holds up his shattered wrist stubs where his over-sized crystal hands were they were destroyed by the force of Sarada’s transformation.
Shintaro:
Just grow them back…
Dark Crystal K:
Just grow them back?!?…
Shintaro:
Crystal formation… sculpting… and regeneration… are all powers of the dark crystal elemental form… Just reform them from memory… You can even make them ridiculously over-sized again… Then you can transform back… And It won’t make any difference with that form…
Dark Crystal K:
But… in this form I can’t whistle… I have no wind… I have no real lips!… How am I even speaking?…
Shintaro:
Physical vibrations… Your entire crystal structure is one big resonator… It’s like having a physical body that is one big speaker… You simply vibrate to make noise… Try resonating with the song that transformed you from memory… Ishitara… Help him out… Then follow suit your self… Don’t make me say it again little girl!…
Crystal Konohamaru regenerates his crystal hands to their original crystal form shape. The Ishitara tree then begins to strum her lap koto to play the earth style resonance jutsu again. Shintaro and Chocho follow suit, as the dark crystal Konohamaru begins to emit a reverberating echo of the music being played by the others. The translucent crystal form then suddenly becomes completely matte black and opaque, before cracking, shattering, and breaking away, leaving Konohamaru’s restored human form behind, but naked. Shintaro continues his playing, but sends a flurry of shikigami paper out of his sleeves again to enclose and cloth Konohamaru in another set of shikigami fabricated white monk’s robes.
Ishitara continues her playing but alters it somewhat, as Shintaro follows suit. Ishitara begins to emit copious amounts of black steam, which quickly dissipate leaving behind momentarily a naked Ishitara before she generates her own shikigami clothing, resembling the the black battle armor she was wearing before. Ishitara then starts jumping up and down clapping in celebration. She then kneels back down and summons forth her koto again onto the deck before her. Sarada wakes up groggy and without her glasses.
Sarada:
Did I make it?… Did I make it back?…
Chocho:
No… Your dead… And you took a large orphanage with you on the way out…
Sarada:
Chocho!… That’s not funny!… Not that I’m jealous or anything… But your panda… is even more adorable than your turtle… by the way… I only ever seem to change into monsters…
Chocho:
That’s not completely true!… Their all beautiful monsters!…
Sarada chuckles at her friends effort at comfort.
Shntaro:
So who’s up for attempting some shadow flame style transformation?…
Naruto:
No one!… I think we’ve had enough fire already!… ya know!…
Boruto:
Aaah!… I really wanted fire style!…
Hinata:
Too bad!… Like Shintaro sensei said… another training… for another day… in another place!… And dinner is almost ready besides!… At least we haven’t managed to destroy that too!…
Shintaro:
If not fire… perhaps shadow lightening then… Shadow lightening is the fastest there is!…
Hinata:
That’s sounds worse than shadow flame!…
Boruto:
Please mom?… Just one more trick?…
Hinata:
Well… We already have a lot to fix as it is…
Naruto:
We can try one more… Right?… I want to see the shadow lightening myself… ya know…
Hinata:
Well… Okay then… last one!…
Boruto:
Alright!…
Boruto flashes a big smile and a victory sign at his father Naruto, which Naruto returns.
Shintaro:
Sarada… You need to undergo more conditioning training… So that your human body can handle the stresses of the transformation process… Your transformations will only be as strong as your underlying fundamental natural human form can make them… For the time being no further transformations for you… I have other training planned anyway… But we can talk more about that later… For now… can you still play your biwa?…
Sarada:
Hai!…
Sarada stands up and summons forth her biwa and plectrum directly into her hands and begins to play the shadow lightening style resonance song. Shintaro plays along and Chocho joins him on her ocarina. Boruto joins in with his whistle and the chopsticks on the bowls. Konohamaru and Naruto Join in with with their whistling as well, as Ishitara joins in with her koto. The entire garden becomes bathed in a sheath of an electric purple aura, with sparks and arcs erupting and discharging everywhere, but harmlessly bouncing off of and dancing around those present. Suddenly Boruto is struck by a massive bolt of purple lightening electrifying him, with all the electric purple aura in the garden suddenly discharging itself right at Boruto’s head, freezing him in place, within mid stroke of the chopsticks.
Boruto then disappears in an electric purple flash, accompanied by an electric purple lightening bolt bouncing off the walls of the garden randomly and sporadically until it strikes the spot where Sarada transformed into her molten magma form. As the purple lightening bolt lands, the electric purple lightening takes the form of a black haired mountain monkey wearing Boruto’s cloths, with a long black fur covered prehensile tail, still bathed in a sparkling electric purple aura with a one blue human eye for his left eye, and one pale blue glowing Tenseigan for his right eye. The stone toad ceases to spray fountain water out of his mouth in order to speak.
Stone Toad:
Konbonwa!… The sparkly monkey’s here!… ya know!…
Boruto:
Wait!… I’m the sparkly monkey?!?…
Stone Toad:
Silly sparkly monkey… Are you going to do another dance for me?…
There Is No Alone!
There Is No Escape!
There Is No Point In Pretending!
Ozymandias The Mad 