Chapter 13: Elements 2

It was easier to feel the power than before, swirling through him in familiar spirals with almost no effort.

He hardly needed to look for it deliberately or think about it, the answer came to his mind naturally.

Change means movement, means unpredictability, and Naruto likes unpredictability, surprises, and unknown challenges. This is how he has always lived.

When he called it, it responded immediately, with an eager impulse. While others were still hesitating, it could not wait to jump into the abyss to see what would happen next.

It swept through his body like a hurricane, pulling everything around him to dance with him.

It brought a breeze of chakra, leaving the scent of a summer breeze on his tongue, the air thick with the smell of an approaching storm.

Combining the steadiness of the earth attribute chakra, the clarity of the water attribute chakra, and the motivation of the fire attribute chakra, he felt that he could stand on the edge of any cliff and jump off, while others could only watch.

Kurama snorted softly, pulling Naruto back from his thoughts.

“That does make sense.”

Naruto stretched and took a long breath, feeling his lungs filled with fresh air.

"Wind attribute chakra is used to push things and make them move, right?"

Kurama nodded again, it seemed that Naruto really got it.

"That's right. Wind attribute chakra is a source of power. It can make everything around it move and help chakra flow the way it should."

"Why is it easier than the other three chakras?"

"Because it's your 'attribute', this doesn't surprise me. Both of your parents have wind attribute chakra, but that doesn't mean you can ignore the training of the other four attributes."

"I understand, Kurama." Naruto said in a long voice, half teasing, half promising, because he really understood this truth, "Can I practice lightning attribute chakra now? Then you can teach me how to refine chakra, right?"

Jiu Lama shook his head.

"Wait a minute, kid, lightning-attribute chakra is a little different than the others."

Naruto blinked and looked up at the glowing black and white ball of energy that spun above his head like a manic moon.

"Hmm? Why not?"

Kurama lowered the energy ball so that it hovered about a foot away from Naruto's nose. It felt like looking directly into a storm, but without the clouds to block it.

It looked angry and confused, with no sense of direction, struggling frantically to break free from its restraints.

"Lightning Chakra is the pinnacle chakra and the most difficult chakra to master, because it combines the most dangerous characteristics of the other four chakras, as well as its own unique and annoying characteristics. Most people who claim to have mastered this chakra actually only know how to refine and release it, and there are very few who can truly guide it. It is as unpredictable as wind, as destructive as fire, as adaptable as water, and as unshakable as earth. In addition to this, it can take life in an instant and stop the heart. Of course, if used properly, it can also make the heart beat again."

Naruto stared at the violent energy, which flickered and appeared with a blade-like light at the edge of the energy ball.

"So, it's the strongest?"

Jiu Lama nodded.

"It is also the most difficult to control, so I'm going to give you a hint. Before, I asked you to feel the characteristics of each element yourself so that you can better understand them, but this time, you don't have a second chance. If you forcefully open the channel of lightning chakra, the current in your body may become unbalanced. Your cell activity depends on the current, and a wrong release may cause your heart to stop beating."

Naruto swallowed hard.

"Wow."

Kurama stretched out his nose and gently poked his seal.

"Don't worry, kid. If that happens, I will prevent it from happening, but I will have to close your lightning chakra channels, which will damage them. I don't want to do that, and I'm sure you don't want to either."

Naruto nodded. If this was the strongest chakra, then he had to learn how to use it. If one of the five chakras could not be used, he would feel very uncomfortable.

"What is it then? Where does it come from?"

"Lightning Chakra represents power. It is both chaotic and peaceful."

Naruto scratched his chin.

"Wait, aren't chaos and tranquility opposites? How can they exist at the same time?"

"That's the problem, isn't it? That's why it's so hard to master - the duality. Most people can only understand one side, but the real power lies in the between. Without peace, the chakra cannot be controlled, and without anger, there is no power. Do you understand?"

Naruto looked down at his hands, he clenched one fist, feeling the anger and tension, ready for a fight, but his other hand was spread out in a relaxed manner, palm facing the sky, resting gently on his knee.

The feeling of anger was easy to find, and he knew that he was always angry - at the people of the village, at his place in the world, and at himself.

He also knew what it felt like to be calm. He could feel it when he was fighting Kiba, chatting with Shino, and eating Ichiraku Ramen with Sensei Iruka.

So he summoned his anger and tried to merge it with his calm feelings.

At first, he couldn't do anything as the two completely different feelings conflicted with each other, but soon, a familiar feeling of pain touched his heart, and a memory from not long ago surfaced in his mind.

He remembered running all the way here, exhausted, scared, angry, and very, very confused.

He remembered that when Jiu Lama asked him why a stranger's harsh words meant so much to him, something in him shifted, and for a few seconds his attention became focused and his mind became clear.

He still felt angry, but he also felt something else.

"I think I understand." He said. Kurama didn't ask him if he was sure, but just controlled the energy ball and floated towards him. Naruto closed his eyes.

"This type of chakra is called a catalyst," Kurama whispered, the ball of energy slowly sinking into the skin at the base of Naruto's throat, "It's found in the spine."