"The so-called Transformation Jutsu, simply put, allows you to change your appearance into that of another person or object."
"Whether in combat, espionage, or retreat, it's extremely useful it can effectively deceive others."
"If you can master the Transformation Jutsu, unless you're up against a sensory-type ninja, it's very difficult to be seen through."
Iruka stood at the front of the class, explaining the function of the jutsu. Whether they were truly interested or not, every student listened intently.
As he spoke, Iruka suddenly formed a hand seal. With a puff of smoke, his figure changed he transformed into an old man in a Hokage cloak, pipe in mouth, and the iconic hat resting on his head.
"Whoa!" A chorus of gasps broke out among the students.
That's... the Third Hokage from the Hokage Rock? Shin blinked, stunned.
With another puff of smoke, Iruka reverted to his original appearance and coughed lightly to quiet the classroom.
"That's the general effect... And by the way, what you just saw keep it to yourselves."
A unified "Okay!" echoed through the room, followed by a few stifled laughs that left Iruka looking slightly embarrassed.
"Sensei, what does it look like when you transform into an object?" someone asked loudly, hand raised.
Iruka thought for a moment, then formed another hand seal. Puff! This time, he turned into a wooden chair.
More gasps of amazement filled the room. Even Shin's eyes sparkled with intrigue.
When Iruka returned to his original form, another shout rang out.
"Sensei, can we sit on you?"
A ripple of laughter and voices echoed in agreement.
"...!" Iruka's eye twitched. He slammed his hand down on the lectern and shouted, "Quiet! No fooling around!"
"Alright, listen up while I explain the principles. Focus!"
"First, chakra..." Iruka raised a finger.
The classroom fell silent again, all eyes on him.
"With Transformation Jutsu, chakra acts like an outer shell like a cloak you wrap around yourself to form the appearance you want."
"Or you can think of chakra as a container, with your body as water that shifts to fit the shape of that container."
"Next is the hand seal." He raised a second finger.
"As one of the most basic ninjutsu, the Transformation Jutsu only requires a single seal."
"The seal is: 'Ram.'"
"You've all practiced seals before, so this one should be familiar."
"The seal manipulates your chakra flow and helps complete the transformation."
"Anyone want to come up and give it a try?" Iruka asked as his gaze swept across the room. But none of the students responded.
Even Kiba stayed silent, which surprised Shin.
Iruka sighed and looked thoughtful for a moment. Then he turned toward a certain dark-haired boy with a fan symbol on his back.
"Sasuke, how about you?"
All eyes turned toward Uchiha Sasuke, who stood up calmly and walked to the front.
"Good. Now, as I was saying, gather your chakra..."
Iruka began explaining, but Sasuke ignored him and quickly formed the hand seal.
Puff!
White smoke billowed and cleared to reveal... two Irukas on the platform, nearly identical except for the slight difference in height.
Iruka stared blankly.
You could've at least let me finish explaining... He sighed and rubbed his forehead.
Meanwhile, a wave of gasps and starry-eyed squeals erupted from the class.
"Sasuke-kun is amazing!"
"Sasuke, over here!"
Sasuke released the jutsu and walked off the stage without a word, but on his way down, he glanced briefly in Shin's direction.
Shin raised an eyebrow, clearly understanding the message.
"Hmph!" Sasuke snorted and returned to his seat, face composed and aloof.
Shin: "..."
"Sasuke's probably practiced this before. His technique was flawless," Shino commented beside him.
Shin nodded in agreement, then asked, "What about you?"
"Nope," Shino shook his head. "My dad didn't teach me."
"And Kiba?"
"…No."
"Ahem!" Iruka coughed loudly to regain control of the class.
"Sasuke's Transformation was excellent nearly perfect. Keep practicing and you'll refine it even further."
"Anyone else want to try? It's really not that hard."
"I do!"
Everyone turned toward the voice. It was Naruto, practically jumping out of his seat, arm raised high with eager eyes.
Iruka: "..."
Why do I have a bad feeling about this? Iruka thought grimly.
"Alright, Naruto, go ahead." Iruka resigned himself. Naruto rushed up to the stage, beaming with confidence.
Shin and the others watched him with great interest.
Naruto shot Shin a smug, knowing look.
"Alright, listen to me first. Start by"
"Transformation Jutsu!" Naruto interrupted, loudly forming the seal and activating the jutsu.
Puff!
Iruka: "..."
When the smoke cleared, what stood on stage was a weird version of Iruka blond hair, goggles instead of a forehead protector, and still Naruto's original height. The result was... ridiculous.
The classroom was silent for a few beats then erupted with laughter.
"I'm dying! Hahaha!"
"Is that supposed to be Iruka-sensei?"
"He looks so goofy!"
Iruka: "..."
Iruka stared at Naruto's misshapen version of himself, his face twitching with fury. He smacked Naruto on the head.
With another puff of smoke, Naruto returned to normal.
"Get back to your seat! I told you to listen first!" Iruka shouted, exasperated.
Naruto clutched his head, teary-eyed and full of grievance.
"Go on, sit down." Iruka sighed and waved him off.
Naruto trudged back to his seat with a sulky expression.
"Actually, Naruto didn't do too badly. Considering it was his first time, some flaws are totally normal." Iruka quickly recovered and tried to defend him.
"..." Naruto stared at him, full of quiet resentment.
Iruka pretended not to notice and scanned the room again.
"Who's next? Come on, even Naruto could do it."
Naruto: "???"
"Shin, would you like to give it a try?" Iruka called on a more reliable student this time.
"Sure." Shin stood up and agreed without hesitation.
"Good luck," Shino whispered.
Shin walked steadily up to the platform and stood beside Iruka, facing the class.
"Alright, so first..." Iruka began again, but then stopped midway.
"Never mind, you probably already understood what I said earlier."
Shin smiled and nodded.
"Okay, then-" Iruka paused again, as if recalling something important.
"Wait!"
Shin had already formed the hand seal. He turned, puzzled, toward Iruka.
"Um... you don't have to transform into me. You can pick someone else if you like..." Iruka said awkwardly.
Shin: "..."
He glanced at the audience, catching everyone's expectant gaze.
His eyes settled on someone, and the corner of his mouth lifted.
Hand seal. Chakra activated.
Transformation Jutsu!
Puff!
When the smoke cleared, the class fell into stunned silence.
"Is that...?"
"Sasuke?!"
Standing on stage was a near-perfect copy of Uchiha Sasuke only with a soft smile on his lips.
"Ahh! Sasuke-kun!"
"So handsome!"
"Sasuke smiled! He smiled at me!"
"Seeing Sasuke's smile just made my day!"
The classroom exploded in squeals, louder than ever.
"Ino, look! It's Sasuke but he's smiling! And look over there that's the real Sasuke!" Sakura exclaimed, blushing furiously.
Most of the girls in the room were red-faced, mesmerized by the sight.
"Shin that guy! He actually turned into Sasuke hahaha, this is gold!" Kiba was laughing so hard he pounded Shino's shoulder repeatedly.
"Damn it!" Sasuke, still in his seat, clenched his fists, face filled with embarrassment and fury.
Puff!
Shin released the jutsu and stood there with an amused smile, fully aware of the glare he was receiving from a certain dark-haired classmate.
He raised an eyebrow in mockery.
"Alright! Ahem!" Iruka waved his hands to calm the chaos, but this time it was less effective.
"Shin, you're amazing!"
"Shin, please do it again! I want to see gentle Sasuke one more time!"
"Me too!"
Iruka: "..."
"Quiet!" Iruka slammed the desk and finally managed to restore order.
"Whew..." He let out a long breath, then muttered helplessly.
"Shin's Transformation was excellent nearly flawless. Keep practicing."
Talented kids are never easy to manage, Iruka thought to himself.
Shin stepped off the platform under the reluctant gazes of the girls.
He found that the jutsu wasn't very difficult especially since he had chosen Sasuke, whose build closely matched his own. All he needed to do was adjust his appearance.
Transforming into Iruka would've been much trickier.
"Hmph!" he heard Sasuke snort as he passed by his seat. The boy was glaring daggers at him.
Shin turned and gave him a warm, crescent-eyed smile.
He found Sasuke's prickly, prideful personality quite amusing.
"Tch." Sasuke turned away quickly, face flushing inexplicably.
"…"
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