[Honō Kojirou]

No more sand… and no more mirages. The boiling heat was exchanged with a gentle breeze, heavy rain, and green as far as the eye could reach. Kojirou was back home in Kusagakure, and for now, the bird incident had been quenched. Dwelled. Case temporarily closed… whoever tried to stir up trouble had their plans ruined by the prior antlion summoner’s death. It meant that Kojirou had gotten partial justice for the birds… may they rest in peace.

But Kojirou’s journey to the sandy dunes of the Land of Wind allowed him to meet an unlikely ally – the Jōnin Arashi. At first a help against bursting flames that threatened to bury the swordsman, she grew intrigued at his presence and intent to strike down at the intel misconducts, then aided him with her strength and the strength of her platoon, thus leading to that night… when they took down the antlion.

She revealed to him a tremendous technique – a secret Jutsu that transformed a person’s body into a raw replica of stones and sand and whatever the user touched. To transform oneself into a golem of sorts meant that blood would no longer be spilled from one’s flesh if cut or bruised. For as long as the Jutsu was up, she was able to split her body like scattering sands, ignoring all impact… and Kojirou had begun training to master that same Jutsu.

But where he left off last time, he was only able to transform his hand. Being able to borrow the characteristics of other elements meant that you had to understand them – that elements were more than inanimate object… so much more. They were living, breathing, alive and full of spirit! They burned, they glowed in the dark, and so did he! And he had to put himself in their shoes… to walk- no, to be like they were, until they had to be like him…

[Honō Kojirou]

But there weren’t many large rocks or cliffs in the Land of Fields… only grass, woods and bamboo as far as the eye could see. Kojirou was worried that the Jutsu wouldn’t work on plants like these, but since they were abundant, he had to try. I mean, he could probably travel to the shores and find rocks there, or just… y’know, use the walls back in the village, but before that obvious idea crossed his mind, he tried transforming his hand into a sculpture made of bamboo bark.

"It’s still… solid. Like stone, right? Maybe, if I really think of my hand as made of bamboo, it’d work…”

His mumblings were heard only by himself in the bamboo bushes, sticking his palm to its surface and concentrating. Bamboo was one of the fastest-growing plants that he knew of, so it was the closest thing to an animate organism among plants that he could actually fathom. It was living… just like him. And his knowledge of it paid off – after just a bit of time, he noticed that his hand quickly assimilated into the bamboo shoot and adopted its properties, much faster than it did with stone! "W-Woah, that was fast… just like bamboo shoots! They grow fast, too, so it makes sense," Kojirou attempted to make head-and-tails of the situation before grabbing a knife, "Okay… let’s see…”

Cutting his finger registered no damage to his brain. It felt like cutting lettuce, actually – very abnormally tough lettuce, but he had sharp knives at his disposal. Still, the fact that his finger grew out like a rapidly growing bamboo shoot meant that the Jutsu actually worked! Marvelous! "It works! It actually works! I can’t hurt my hand! I-I- L-Look, Hanata- wait…” he almost panicked in jubilation, only now realizing that he’d secluded himself on his own – his lion companion wasn’t summoned to his side yet.

Can I… can I still form handseals with this hand?

One… two… three… and his bamboo-surface palm slapped the ground and summoned Hanatarō successfully! The lion cub leapt out of the smoke with a bellowing rawr, inflicting heartache in everyone within the vicinity… heartache of adoration.

"I’VE LAID DORMANT FOR EONS WITHOUT END – WHO DARES WAKE ME FROM MY SLUMBER?!” Hanatarō bellowed violently, biting the air around him until he laid eyes on Kojirou and his plant hand, "… Is that a prosthetic?! Did ya eat your hand or something?!”

"W-Wha- no, it’s a new Jutsu I’m practicing! Cool, isn’t it? I can transform myself into rock, stone and-"

"So it’s the Transformation Technique? I thought you mastered that years ago! Koji-poo, you’re a dummy-"

"W- No, no, no, not like that! I meant, I can transform my hand into rock and grass… see? Like this.”

"… S-So… partial Transformation?”

"I- not really, it’s just- see, I can cut it like this *slash* and it won’t hurt – it’ll actually grow my finger out again. Soon, I might be able to transform my entire body into a bamboo shoot swordsman, then nobody can hurt me!”

"WOOOOAAAAH! So you’re, like, invincible in that form? That’s so unfair! Teach me that Jutsu, too! Pleeeeeaaaaase!”

"I-I don’t know, it’s a secret Jutsu… and Arashi-senpai said I had a knack for it. Maybe it’s like all that Senjutsu your siblings talked about.”

"Who cares about Senjutsu when you can turn yourself into a bamboo golem?! I wanna turn into a stone lion!”

And the days passed by, while Kojirou kept pushing the limits of his new Jutsu…

[Honō Kojirou]

Don’t ask how.

Right now, a panda was approaching Kojirou and Hanatarō, while Kojirou’s arm and a piece of his torso had adopted the property of bamboo shoots. Thinking about it, transforming himself into the main dish of the great panda, a numerous resident in these areas, was asinine – like coating yourself in honey and waiting for a grizzly to eat you.

This event led to Kojirou’s left arm being eaten in leisurely fashion by that same panda, nigh traumatizing the shinobi who watched his bamboo shoot of a limb regrow with the power of bamboo and chakra. He and Hanatarō never spoke of that event again…

…

"I can regrow half my body now! Look! I’m like a mosaic!” Kojirou called over to a sleeping Hanatarō who forced himself back awake after what had felt like days in the woods. Kojirou was intent on surprising his friends back home with this new technique, hence why he was being so secretive about it. It was also to establish a level of further respect for Arashi who took the time to teach him the foundations of this Jutsu.

"Urgh… it’s been like a week now, can’t we just continue back home?”

"Not yet! Still need the other half, then we can show it to the others… uh, oh, okay, need to eat-" Kojirou panicked, feeling the sudden weight of exhaustion take over him. He’d slept between days and all, but he hadn’t eaten nearly as much as he should’ve. Especially given the intensity of his training.

He didn’t have infinite resources of chakra, and he noticed the drain that this Jutsu took on his resources. He’d have to get used to its toll if he ever hoped of using it in conjunction with espionage or hide-and-seek games. But working with bamboo was much easier than working with stones and sand, and after a while, he felt confident enough to change the target object.

Now… hmh… he thought of metal, and then he thought of his katana. A metal body was much more resilient and tough, and it could prove a great extra layer of defense. Yes, he should try that!

[Honō Kojirou]

Metal proved similar challenges to assimilating with rocks. However, it wasn’t as tedious and taxing as assimilating with loose sand – maybe the sturdier and more solid the element was, the easier it was to assimilate for him? Either way, trying it out with the metal that made up his katana taught Kojirou that he was close to mastering it – he wasn’t stuck on any steps, simply needing to repeat the Jutsu over and over again to be able to transform more of his body at a quicker pace than before.

This, obviously, required a LOT of chakra. But guess who possessed large reserves? Him! Having been in the same team as chakra reactors such as Koume and Atagi had forced him to catch up, and he couldn’t have been more grateful. This would’ve taken so much longer if he didn’t have so much chakra available.

But it also forced him to rest for much longer. Hiding up in the branches, leaning on the crowns and taking naps along with the lion cub, Kojirou had somewhat made a new life in these thick woods. Without a doubt, his family was missing him, and Ichī was likely wondering where the hell he was. That report was due! Due, I tell you!

But one day, Kojirou finally became capable of transforming his entire body into metal, and thus his training looked to be complete! All he needed to do now… was test its capabilities in combat. "Hanatarō, let's go. Our training's com-"

"AT LAST! IT'S BEEN WEEKS, YOU IDJOT! I'm telling Dad! He'll bite your head off, y-you-you-you stupidhead! Why didn't I just desummon myself back?! YOU KEPT ME HOSTAGE!"

"W-Wha-HOW?! I didn't force you to stay, I just liked your company!"

"NO, SHUT UP! STUPID IDJOT DUMBHEAD STINKY POOPOO!"

[Honō Kojirou]

Now, Kojirou planned to test this Jutsu out against a shinobi, but to his misfortune… the panda was back. "KOJI! IT’S BACK, RUN!” Hanatarō warned the swordsman, only noticing Kojirou’s confident smirk rise, "OH NO, YOU’RE GETTING YOURSELF EATEN AGAIN?! ARE YOU INTO THAT?!”

"… Wh- Why are you asking me that?! Wait, no, I felt ready to try my Jutsu out, why’d you break me out of my zone?! C’mon, Hanatarō, I felt so cool for a second there…!”

The panda could spend more than 14 hours just munching bamboo. Kojirou had an idea about that, so he immediately grabbed a small bamboo stick and weaved with one hand the required handseals. Then, within his psyche, he summoned the Jutsu: I am a bamboo! I’m a bamboo, bamboo, bamboo statue! Bamboo golem! My arms and legs are bamboo, and so is my beating heart! All bamboos are me! And I am now made of bamboo! Shinra Banshō Dōka no Jutsu!

The panda’s fangs dug into juicy bamboo surfaces, calming its assault down and munching at a more peaceful fashion now that Kojirou had proven no threat… as a matter of fact, he wasn’t moving. The panda didn’t really intend to eat him, just the bamboo he was holding, but as it turned out, it was eating away at a bamboo humanoid – perfectly sculptured like Kojirou, but the entire surface made of bamboo.

All of a sudden, the bamboo figure moved, terrifying the panda and causing it to let go! "You can’t eat me anymore, panda! You can’t hurt me with this Jutsu!” Kojirou declared, "I’ve finally mastered it… it was SOOOOOOOOOOo worth it! This is such a cool Jutsu! Saya’s gonna lose her mind when she sees it-"

Kojirou had taken the opportunity to cancel the Jutsu, but that was when he was grabbed from behind by another panda… a mate, perhaps. And it wasn’t very happy to see its lover being bullied like this, causing both Hanatarō and Kojirou to sweat pearls.

…

…

"I think I got a little overconfident…” a lightly wounded Kojirou mentioned on their way back to Kusagakure. "You don’t say?” For a brief instant… he felt invincible. Untouchable. He was wrong. Sticks and stones couldn’t hurt him, but feelings could.

"Maybe Genjutsu still works on me… Hanatarō! Let’s continue practicing this Jutsu, until I’ve perfected it! That way, nobody will ever be able to hurt me or those I want to protect-"

"YOU WANNA TRAIN MORE?! WAIT, NO, I FORBID! FORBID, I TELL YA! *HISS* DON’T YOU DARE- I NEED TO EAT SOMETHING OTHER THAN FISH! YOU’RE INSANE!”

[Honō Kojirou]

… Wait, stop! STOP!

Kojirou braked on his heels on the dusty road – he was now taking a more frequently visited path to the other towns dotted in the Land of Fields, so he wasn’t as alert as usual. However, that idea… did Genjutsu still work on him if he performed the assimilation technique? He was able to transform himself into inorganic matter, so… could inorganic matter get caught in a Genjutsu? He still possessed a chakra system, though, so technically? It should be possible, right?

"Ow, WHAT NOW?! I thought we were going back home!” Hanatarō groaned as his patience had run thin, "Just try that Jutsu out when you meet Saya! Let’s jus go hooooooooooome, I miss Mum and Dad!”

"Oh… s-sorry, okay! Okay! I’ll focus, 100%, on getting us back h- wait… w-why haven’t you summoned yourself away? I thought all contracted animals could do that.”

"… They can?”

This little lion guy was going to grow into a threat, alright. But something else distracted the duo from returning back to Kusagakure – since a handful bandits often roamed between nations, especially between the Land of Fields, Storms and Rivers, the national defense was being raised in many places. Kojirou had even aided some towns in that regard.

So spotting a destroyed cart wasn’t the most uncommon scenery, but it did alert Kojirou to heed to the owner’s aid. Now learning of the thieves’ last sightings, he had an opportunity to take them out before they’d threaten anyone else… and a chance to test out this secret Jutsu against other warriors. To see if Kojirou could finally seek a sense of security even in combat.

[Honō Kojirou]

Not gonna lie, Kojirou was getting a little annoyed by these rising numbers of thieves and crooks in their area. They were braver than most, conducting these actions when shinobi were on the clock, but maybe they were taking advantage of the thick shrubbery of the Land of Fields for cover. But not even just the shinobi – the Ashigaru were a threat to their entire agenda, too! So understandably, when Kojirou confronted their hiding spot within an expanded system of what looked like a bear’s hibernation cave, he was visibly angered by the entire ordeal.

Leaping into the system, he wondered if they had dug it out with Earth Release or with tools. A thought did occur – since the walls were just dirt and stone, he had access to elements that he could transform into, no matter where he was! Therefore, once the first bandit spotted him and alerted the others, Kojirou wasn’t afraid – he immediately slapped a hand on the cave wall and used his free hand to weave handseals before a kunai flew into his chest!

He didn’t see it coming… he really didn’t, he underestimated how dark this cavern was. But he didn’t feel pain, which meant that he’d either died, or the Jutsu had worked. Based on the nearby assailant’s reaction, it was the latter – the other guy was bewildered by the fact that Kojirou tanked a kunai to his ribs and didn’t fall over. Didn’t dodge. Didn’t block. Didn’t parry, and didn’t reflect. He just… tanked it.

Oh my God, Oh my God, Oh my God, Oh my God, it worked! Ohhhhh, Saya’s gonna kill me – I can’t be that reckless again! That was SO terrifying! Urgghhhh, I-I need time to get used to th-

The bandit wasn’t just letting Kojirou geek himself out, so with the drawing of another weapon, Kojirou’s head was suddenly severed from his shoulders. However, this time, Kojirou did see it coming and almost shat himself – listen, he was betting his all on the completion of his training! That this Jutsu would preserve his actual body and flesh from the wounds that these weapons would deal! If his Jutsu failed, he’d make so many people sad, and he didn’t want to do that! But he needed to get used to it.

To tank certain death and meet it right in the face.

[Honō Kojirou]

But it was too paranormal. Too scary to just depend on this Jutsu to keep him alive – clearly, he could use it in another way, right? Recalling his time in the Land of Wind, Arashi did also turn herself into a cloud of sand… could he do something similar?

The bandit was losing it when Kojirou’s neck reconnected itself to the rest of his body, reforming the dirt between as if nothing had happened. Shouting curses as if Kojirou was some spirit, the bandit gave up on dealing with him alone, instead seeking deeper into the cave with the swordsman in hot pursuit.

So from what he was aware of… his body could break down or tank any physical hits, but he wouldn’t feel pain. Instead, his body assimilated into dirt would just restore any damaged parts. Could he use this ability for anything other than tanking lethal hits?

Once he reached what looked like a caved out room-base area, Kojirou was jumped by 7 or 8 armed raiders, one of which carried a torch. It’d gotten dark inside of the cave, and they were weaponizing that darkness to get the jump on any curious travelers who wanted to take a look… but many of them complained about cutting into a dirt mound instead of a real person.

That was when blood began splattering everywhere… and it wasn’t Kojirou’s.

[Honō Kojirou]

Meanwhile, Hanatarō was waiting outside of the cave, got impatient, and went to search for another exit. Usually, these fancy hiding spots for bandits had multiple entrances and exits – otherwise, one platoon of shinobi could block the entry and trap everyone else inside. The little lion cub was braver than most, probably a result of his reckless, bratty nature, but it allowed him to sniff out another exit – albeit a tiny one. It was more a blowhole than an exit.

"Hello? Koji-poo?! You there?!” Hanatarō called, his voice faintly echoing through the cave system and reaching the other bandits trying to escape the monster they saw. A man made of dirt, a sort of puppet or Earth Release Jutsu come to life. At this rate, they didn’t consider Kojirou living, and the boy didn’t really mind. He went in here to stop them, so he’d see it through to the end.

…

The last bandit tried to pry towards the nearby light, only now realizing that it was merely a hole for letting air in and out – with that, his back was pierced by a sharp blade, and he fell lifeless to the ground. "Hanatarō, you there?” Kojirou called over to his lion pal, pressing his finger through the hole to meet Hanatarō’s claw. "Yeah, I’m here! You coming out or what?! Thanks for wasting my time, anyway! Were these guys even a threat?!”

"C’mon, Hanatarō, I had to make sure they wouldn’t rob or kill any other travelers again!”

"How many of these guys are there, even?! And where are they all coming from?! I JUST WANNA GO HOME, MAN!”

[Honō Kojirou]

It wasn’t just dirt that made up the hole, but solid granite carved into- wait, he could just dig a new hole out himself… but wait! He could also press himself through that hole. Technically, it’d squash his real body into a paste, but that was where his new Jutsu came into play! If his body could handle any physical damage while keeping this Jutsu active-

"O-Oh… my chakra’s running a bit low…”

He just noticed, but in spite of his large reserves, keeping this Jutsu active throughout his entire cave search had taken its toll on him, and it forced his body to revert back to flesh, blood and other materials that made up his anatomy, his wear and apparel, and his tools. "… I don’t feel hurt at all. It really worked! I’m, like, painless! You see that, Hanata-"

"GET OUT OF THERE, ALREADY!!!”

"Oh, sorry, s-sorry, sorry, sorry…” Kojirou repeatedly apologized before using a far more familiar technique to cut the granite wall open with a blade coated in melting degrees of lava.

Hien!

Like cutting through butter, he forced his way through the granite hole and watched the dirt crash down right when he leapt out, but Kojirou couldn’t even catch his breath before Hanatarō grabbed his collar with his fangs and pulled him away. "WE! ARE! GOING! HOME! NO! MORE! DISTRACTIONS!”

"W-Wait, wait, wait! But I gotta get used to taking hits from oth-"

"NO! I WANNA GO HOME NOOOOOOOOOOW!!!”

Fin.