Dōjutsu were a representation of power.
It was something that the Elemental Nations, and the Shinobi world at large, oddly, shared with that of the wider Nasuverse his Mystic Eyes came from. Before widespread jutsu developed, those with the power of bullshit, magic eyes had engraved fear into just about every single culture across the land. They represented the kind of ingrained capability that often put them above even other kekkai genkai, even when they weren't all that good.
Tobio would lay the blame for most of this at the feet of the Sharingan's crimson gaze, terrorizing shinobi for countless generations until their near extinction. However, from what he read, just about every Dōjutsu claimed some sort of descent from the Sage and his mythological Rinnegan. The culture, land, or people didn't really matter, so much as that legendary descent from the Sage of Six Paths and his godlike eyes, the Rinnegan.
Personally, he suspected that might have genuinely been true to some extent. Indra and Ashura inherited different parts of the Sage's legacy, and their children went on to fracture, fragment, and spread across the Elemental Nations. All the while mutating into different shapes and sizes, subtypes and categories, until their resemblance to those legendary eyes was nebulous at best.
In the Nasuverse, Mystic Eyes were some of the earliest forms of Magecraft. Eyes were the window to the soul, or so the saying went. In the world of Magi and Phantasmal Races, that was much more of a truism than just some philosophical remark.
Regardless of the origin in either world, it did mean that he had a real decision to make regarding his Mystic Eyes of Analysis. So far, the village treated him as they did because he had a strong, potential bloodline. The tenor of that relationship was bound to change the moment they discovered the newest part of his 'bloodline', though. Shinobi revered Dōjutsu to a degree that was, frankly, a little startling.
He knew full well that there was a time limit on how long he could keep them secret. It wasn't that he couldn't keep his mouth shut, merely that it only took one slip-up, one instance where he wanted to use them to analyze a supernatural effect, for the secret to be out. And then people would be after him in a very different way.
It was still a secret that he was keeping from his sensei, and his friends all the same. Among a pile of them, it did bother him a little. Was it the better move to inform Tekuno-sensei, or just…keep it to himself?
Food for thought, as the two of them met up in the middle of the month.
"So, bloodline training. I've had to ask around a little to see what other people do, but the cases of most other clans don't really qualify for you," Tekuno admitted, as they idly practiced tree-walking during their conversation.
"Because they have decades, or centuries, of built-up institutional knowledge?"
"No. Because none of them really quite fit your deal."
That made Tobio blink. "Aren't the Akimichi and Inuzuka like, somewhat related to me?"
Tekuno shook his head at the question. "The Akimichi have an extremely detailed dietary plan that is part of what goes into making their clan techniques function in the first place. Each one basically has a nutrition plan from the moment they take up shinobi training, to maximize their muscle gains in the event they eat their special vitamins."
"Aren't they pills?"
"Same difference," he shrugged. "The Inuzuka on the other hand, develop the way they are because of their bond to their ninken. And even then, that sort of physiological change is not nearly as malleable as your own."
Tobio could…see where his sensei was coming from. Death-Resistant Body, in conjunction with the fuckery of chakra, had given him a supremely adaptable physique that went far beyond what most shinobi could hope to achieve. He hadn't even touched the blood control aspects of his Oni power yet, which had some potential uses if he ever picked up proper regeneration.
"Ultimately, this is your kekkai genkai, so I'm going to trust your gut instincts here," the older man fully conceded.
"I appreciate the thought," Tobio smiled.
There were two, maybe three main competing lines of interest here. One of them was the path of revealing his dōjutsu, and being able to openly hone them. His Mystic Eyes of Analysis weren't that hard to figure out, but all Mystic Eyes had depths to them to some degree or another. Use cases, edge cases, best practices, etcetera. Investigating them more closely was worth the effort, and who knew what it might reveal?
Meanwhile, he'd been doing an extraordinary amount of body training. Tobio could dislocate his limbs at will, reconnect the ligaments, and perform all sorts of unusual tricks that made most people balk. There were more significant alterations that he could be making, though. Messing around with his brain chemistry, pain receptors, and things of that nature.
Dangerous work, to be sure, but what wasn't in their line of work?
The last thing was something he hadn't touched at all, and that was the aforementioned blood control. If he was remembering the original story it came from SHIKI Tohno was able to use it as an extremely sharp weapon, send blades of blood toward his foes, and likely more. When you added the effects of chakra to the mix, Tobio didn't think some Jujutsu Kaisen-tier blood manipulation tricks were out of the question.
Yet even so, he couldn't pick everything to work on. Tobio had to pick one thing, and one thing only, to get the best benefits out of this avenue of training.
Was there ever going to be a point where Tobio was satisfied with his durability…? Probably not. When he was dealing with all sorts of threats, like bijuu bombs, Zetsu, dimension-hopping Sharingan, and Pain, he wouldn't be satisfied until he was basically unkillable. Some people became more skilled, or more willing to dodge.
Tobio just became harder to kill.
With a medical textbook open between the two of them, the Genin and his sensei got to work. First up, and the safest part of his flesh-manipulation to test, were his joints. After all, Tobio already knew how to dislocate and relocate his joints at will functionally. Making them more flexible, or giving him what was functionally a double-jointed physique, wasn't that hard.
It made his movements even smoother, too, whenever he wanted to twist out of the way of blows or gain more momentum behind his swings. Even if it did give him something of a sinewy, serpentine movement pattern, the result was well worth it.
They didn't stop there, even if someone could have argued that they could, however. Catching up with Orochimaru's years of biological manipulation was easier said than done. However, Tobio had the benefit of a jumping-off point innate to his physiology, something the Sannin could only have dreamed of.
"This is uncomfortable to look at," Tekuno stated, peering down into Tobio's now slitted pupils. "How's it feel?"
"A little weird," he admitted, blinking away the bleariness of his vision.
Unsurprisingly, Konohagakure had surprisingly advanced optometry textbooks, the kind that provided a real wealth of groundwork for their studies. "I can see better in the dark, but bright light's a little weird still."
One thing he'd learned was that there was a difference between round, horizontal, and slitted pupils. Vertical slits were common in ambush predators, like cats and snakes. They came with enhanced depth perception for the purpose of accurately judging distance, a better ability to focus on vertical contours, and maximizing light intake in dim conditions, while being a bit of a pain in bright light.
Horizontal slits, like one would find in grazing prey animals such as goats, were for a panoramic view in multiple directions. It also reduced glare from direct sunlight above and below. Lastly, they allowed for sharp, horizontal focus to detect movement across wide, uneven terrain. He didn't suspect that he'd ever have a reason to use them, though.
Round pupils, which animals like Humans, dogs, and cats once they got big enough, were meant for chasing prey. Good for rapid light adjustment, at the cost of less precise depth perception. Altogether, it was an interesting diversion from biological manipulation in other respects.
"Can you get them back to normal, is the question."
"Let's see…" Tobio trailed off, closing his eyes and concentrating. His flesh was, at best, more something he could will around than anything else. Patiently, with careful consideration, he forced the cells and specialized cones in his eyes to alter, bit by bit, until he felt them slide back into their original configuration.
Opening his eyes, he glanced back at his sensei. "All good?"
"All good!" He grinned back. "Very strange technique. I wish I knew more about medicine to give you better ideas."
"If you knew more about medicine, you probably wouldn't be allowing me to do all of these insane ideas."
He gave a bark of laughter. "True!"
For now, Tobio was on the road to true biological mastery. Joints, eyes, bones, the ability to change his skin color and rough texture…what would he look like by the end of this journey?
Provided he was alive to regret it, well. The Genin would consider almost anything worth the cost.
Some might have said it was ill-advised to still train with his team on his month of preparation for the finale of the Chunin Exams. Tobio would be happy to tell everyone involved that they were welcome to kiss his ass, especially when Team Eleven was so close to a breakthrough. He could practically taste the Boogie Woogie on the horizon.
…That name was still vetoed by the rest of his team, treasonous traitors as they were. It didn't stop him from internally referring to it as such.
Past months had been spent on honing their technical theory even further, but now it was a matter of practice. Making guesses on the correct hand seals, the right way to mold their chakra, how closely they needed to be syncing together to get the timing down, things of that nature. It was a lot of boring, monotonous work that Tobio would have never been able to accomplish if it hadn't been for a few different variables.
The first was that he was happy, genuinely so, to be spending time with his friends and sensei. Given that the rest of his schedule tended to be blocked out to the minute, whether that was training, sleeping, or eating, he enjoyed the moments he got to bicker with his friends. When it came to the second reason…
Sworn Brotherhood was working miracles, in making it so working alongside them was hardly any kind of hardship. It was smooth, effortless, and they all felt like extensions of each other rather than getting in anyone's way. The social cohesion was off the charts.
"...Which test is this again?" Ami asked, sounding a little bored as she stood across from Tobio in the clearing.
"Number one-hundred and sixty-eight," Hibachi answered, not missing a beat.
A long, drawn-out sigh escaped the girl, as she fixed Tobio with a gimlet eye. "You're lucky we like you."
"I know," he agreed, ignoring the slightest flush that tinged her cheeks. "Ready for the next one?"
"Ready."
He hadn't been expecting this next test to be the one, which was what made it take him aback so much when they performed their individual hand seals and something happened. A twist of his senses, and space, as where he stood and where Ami stood were swapped in an instant. For a few moments Tobio could do nothing but blink, as shock overtook everyone's faces.
"Did we just…?" Ami trailed off, gawping like an idiot.
"Do it again," Tekuno ordered, his voice turning surprisingly serious, as he watched them with a serious, careful stare. He was focused now, glancing between them not to miss a single beat.
Carefully and purposefully, Tobio ran his hands through the seals once more. There was a new weight to his attention, now, especially given the fact that they were actually seeing positive results. Then again, the last time-space jutsu-shiki that the village had seen had been the Yellow Flash's technique.
The same one he used to kill a thousand Iwa-nin. It made sense that this was something of a stupendous moment for the village as a whole.
For the next series of tests, they repeated the process, delineating each and every flaw in the execution. Over time, though, they began to grow even more in sync with each other, pulling it off without a hitch. All the while, Tobio's sensory abilities were going a little wonky. Feeling people flicker out of view for that brief half-second was one of the more unusual things to get thrown for a loop about.
However, when Hibachi and Tekuno-sensei began to get the same results…that was when they knew they were cooking with gas.
"Holy shit…" Hibachi breathed, looking down at his hands in mild awe. "We actually pulled it off."
"Was there any doubt?" Tobio asked, smug as hell.
"For this kind of extensive jutsu creation, absolutely," Tekuno bluntly stated, shutting down whatever smugness Tobio was beginning to exude. "I allowed the experimentation because it was good for ninjutsu studies, to break down the mechanics of a given ninjutsu. But even I didn't think…"
He trailed off, looking lost in thought for a few seconds, before seeming to come to some sort of resolution. "As of this moment, this doesn't leave the clearing grounds, understood?"
"Why? Shouldn't we be blasting this all over the place?" Ami asked. "It's kind of a big deal."
"Cooperation jutsu are rarely, if ever, made producible en masse," their sensei explained. "So that's never been a concern of mine. However, techniques like this one were why the fourth hokage were so feared. He had a Flee on Sight order from just about every Hidden Village in existence."
Carefully, their typically jovial sensei looked into each of their eyes. "None of you are the Yellow Flash. Maybe one day, you could be for all I know," he shrugged. "But putting that attention on Team Eleven is not what we need. Unless there's an emergency, try to keep this to yourselves. And if you can't…try to make sure whoever sees it doesn't talk."
That made Ami and Hibachi gulp, while Tobio just nodded. If it was an enemy shinobi they were using it on, chances are they'd be jumping their ass to murder them in the first place. On the off chance that they had to deal with a civie watching them do it…well, now he had a new reason to polish up on his genjutsu skills in the future.
"What should we call it?" Tobio asked, changing the conversation from such a downer note. "As always, I'm voting for the Boogie Woogie."
"Denied," all three of them spoke in unison, as he deflated under the refusal. They just didn't see his vision.
With a sigh, the Mixed Blood crossed his arms. "Fine. How about…"
They went through a couple of names in their quest the find the right one. Things like the…
Relay JutsuJump JutsuBrotherhood Jutsu (Veto'd from Ami's part)But at the end of the day, only one could win. Thus, the Tag-In Jutsu was born, named, and the issue was settled.
He wouldn't say that everyone was happy with the proposed names, but everyone also compromised on one in the end. At the end of the day, didn't that mean they'd taken the right path if everyone was equally unhappy? All the same, now that they had a working jutsu, that also meant Tekuno-sensei was very eager to train them into the ground until using it was reactive for them.
All of them, himself included in that statement of intent. The training sessions for the rest of the month were informative, if nothing else, as they had their boundaries and limits pushed to new heights. By the end of it, though…Tobio was thinking they'd be well-positioned to handle themselves in the Konoha Crush.
Well.
Provided nothing else went awry during the invasion.
Much to his surprise, though, he did get one lovely alert at the culmination of the Tag-In Jutsu's creation. It was something that Tobio had been suspecting would happen, but he definitely appreciated all the same. Familiar text hovered in front of his vision, and he couldn't help relishing in the arrival of a new capability.
[HIDDEN QUEST COMPLETED: CREATE A FUNCTIONAL COORDINATION JUTSU.]
[REWARD: 1x MODERATE DOMINION, ARTIFICE, MIGHT, OR ERUDITION PERK ROLL.]
Now, as always, it felt like he had to choose something wildly important on the verge of the Konoha Crush itself. Each category could result in a relatively middling advantage, or they could give him something definitive. A new piece of gear that'll change how he fights, something to help his allies, information, or even his entire combat style overnight, like Revival of X.
His current capabilities were admittedly a bit bloated in terms of the areas he needed to focus on. At the same time, well, Tobio could concede that he exemplified the prototypical Oni obsession with excess when it came to his hunger for more power. Was there ever a point where his gluttony for power would be sated?
Not until all his enemies were dead, and he no longer had to be paranoid about demonic space cultivators coming to turn the entire planet into fruit. Call him crazy for perhaps exaggerated expectations. Either way, he waited until he got back to his apartment to make his choice on the matter. Better to think big thoughts in private and prepare in case his abilities led him something uncomfortable to explain to his allies.
Still...looking at the array of options, he felt the overpowering call to unspeakable firepower. It was what he needed, above everything else, at this moment in time no matter how much he might like to say otherwise. If he lived longer than the next month, he could act to regret that decision then. For now, he'd take what he could get from a proper Might perk.
With his decision made, he cast the net into the blind eternities, and allowed it to fish out new capabilities for himself. Out went that metaphysical net, sussing for potential, and then being reeled back in with three different weighty perks. They just turned out a little odder than he'd expected.
Standing StonesThe Elder ScrollsThirteen runic stones found within the icy tundras of Skyrim, now inhabiting an area of your choice. They were made in the fashion of the thirteen major constellations within the sky, and are able to grant power to those who attune to them. Each stone grants a unique ability based on the constellation, but each person can only be attuned to a single Standing Stone at a time.ShadowfireThrone of GlassYou have gained access to a twisted and dark sort of magic, caused by a powerful fire magic bloodline being corrupted by Valg shadow and darkness. What this means is you get access to a large well of magic that gives you the ability to destroy about a third of a large castle in a blast that would also require you to burn out completely. It would take all of your magic, and would reduce you to a pile of ash. The magic you have is called Shadowfire, darkness in the form of fire that causes immense pain on contact but does not spread like normal fire. Shadowfire does not create heat but is as destructive as potent fire, and is able to burn everything, from wood to rock to metal. This ability is one that while not of the greatest magnitude in this world, is extraordinarily deadly to those who might face it, even capable of consuming and destroying beings of darkness like the Valg.Part-VeelaWizarding WorldBeauty is a magic all of its own and there are few quite as beautiful as the Veela. Perhaps that is how they entranced your own ancestor given that you are now half-Veela. And as befitting of one with Veela heritage, whether male or female, you are astonishingly beautiful, moving with perfectly flawless grace regardless of the circumstances. And with your supernatural allure, permeating every inch of your body and even your voice, your beauty shall only be made more apparent to those around you, distracting and attracting those of the opposite sex who do not have the will to resist such a beauty.
But beauty is not the only magic the Veela possess. While full-blooded Veela are capable of transforming into devilish harpy-like forms and tossing about fireballs, you possess only a magical affinity for fire, making it a bit easier for you to learn such spells and abilities.…Not bad.
If what he remembered from Skyrim was correct, Standing Stones could have wildly different uses depending on which one you touched. Some of them could improve training speed, presumably on himself but also on others, of just about every single skill worth improving. Others could grant unique, strange magical abilities that also might be worth looking into.
However, it was also something he'd have to put down. Provided he did it somewhere secure, or at least a place no one was paying attention to like the Uzumaki shrine, it would likely be okay. The more important aspect was that, beyond the benefits to himself, the benefits to his friends would be immense. Maybe not immediately, but in the long-term potential of raising them up in terms of their skill gains.
Shadowfire seemed as if it was a straight-up kekkai genkai, and an exceedingly destructive one from what he could tell. Tobio admittedly didn't know a whole lot about the Throne of Glass series, since it was a YA book franchise he'd never particularly dug into. Still, the objective benefit of having an alternative pool of magical energy that was this destructive couldn't be overstated in a place like the Elemental Nations.
There were a couple of hard-to-crack defenses in the setting that could potentially be nullified by this ability. Though, he wasn't unaware of say, the unfortunate possibilities of being even more desired if he exemplified a new and terrifying elemental release. Or being mistaken for a Uchiha, with this off-brand Amaterasu.
Much like the perk before, the next one was a bit of a bloodline, though in a different way. The Veela in Harry Potter were beautiful harpy women, who human wizards inevitably would want to fuck because of their supernatural allure. No, it was cool, Tobio understood the desire to fuck monster-girls, it might have been one of the few universal constants of humanity.
Part-Veela would make him a member of this lineage and transform him into being stupidly hot upon being taken. He'd possibly be able to blame it on biomodification and altering himself with his flesh manipulation, though that excuse might only go so far. The boost to his fire release wasn't unwelcome either, nor was the improvement in learning those abilities. But he was already very, very good at fire release, so he wasn't sure if it was worth taking it just for that.
All of the choices were, in an objective sense, fantastic. But it was time to do his usual gig of paring down the options one by one, if only to clarify his decision-making process. The first one to go would have to be Part-Veela.
No matter how much it spiritually hurt him to avoid the Jade Beauty grindset, he would have to work for his xianxia skincare routine the hard way. Nor was the fire boost enough to sway his decision there. Any future children he possessed would have to settle for being muscle tomboys and chiseled hulks.
Truly, a loss for the Elemental Nations.
As much as it pained him to give it up Standing Stones, he had to do it. Not that it wouldn't have been such a massive boost to his allies' capabilities, or his own. Just the fact that, well, Tobio had to focus on living through the next while. For once, he had to give up long-term potential for short-term gain.
Shadowfire was that short-term gain, in a manner of speaking, though he would likely be using it for the rest of his life. It was the kind of absurd, insane ability to burn through any defense, including Gaara's sand and probably even other capabilities that he wasn't even aware of. With his choice made, Tobio hummed softly and selected it.
For a few seconds, it didn't feel like anything was happening at all. Or that nothing had changed inside of him. Right up until he began to feel hot, which was almost new for Tobio. How long had it been since he'd been around heat he couldn't handle?
Months at the very least, but this wasn't the kind of warmth that someone would conflate with fire. It felt as if someone had set his nerves on fire and then proceeded to tapdance on them, as a new and foreign hollow filled inside of his soul. All while he felt his sword spirit's attention turn toward the foreign addition to his being.
"What fresh hell is this?"
Tobio would have liked to answer her, but he was more focused on trying to weather the storm. Slowly but surely, teeth grit and sweat beading across his body, he was trembling as his body and soul were prepared to handle this new, metaphysical resource. He could feel it was new, because it was totally unlike the sensation of molding regular, fire-aspected chakra.
That was warm, in a spiritual sense and a regular sense, but it didn't feel…corruptive. What was inside of him now was the diabolical antithesis to the regular fire chakra. It hated, it roiled, it longed to burn with the corruptive influences of entities that didn't even exist in the Elemental Nations.
"Goddamnit, I…" It was a little alarming to hear any degree of reticence from his Oni companion. "Stop! Stop and let me help!"
"H-How…?" Tobio gasped out.
"We're partners, you dolt. However much you vex me, doesn't mean I wish you dead." Slowly but surely, the pain yielded, ever so slightly as he felt it bleed off toward the connection with his sword. All while her next words were tense. "Your burden is my burden. We'll share this labor."
What a tsundere, sweet Oni girl.
"I will let you kill yourself from your greed, fool," she grumbled, voice taut with effort and tension, even if she didn't stop helping. It took minutes of effort, but eventually the strain came to a close. More than anything else, though, it was the effort of allowing his body and soul to adapt to this new normal.
Panting softly, he sat back up on his bed, glancing over at his sword. "Is…it over?"
She gave him a soft harrumph, and he could practically imagine her pouting in his mind's eye. "Nearest I can tell, though it's currently in your mindspace now. Sitting there, menacingly."
"Considering that it's a corruption of an existing bloodline to evil ends, I'm not surprised."
"I'd ask why you took it, knowing that, but I suspect I'd receive a foolish answer," she huffed, irritation laced in her voice. "I'm going back to sleep. Try not to kill yourself so soon again, and be careful with this force. It feels...significantly more dangerous than the other forces you dabble with."
A little smile crept over his features as he reached out and patted the hilt of his blade gently. "Thank you. You really did help me there, when I know you didn't have to." She could have just let him suffer from his own choices, no matter how well-intentioned they might have been.
There was a pause, before he heard the quiet voice of his spirit speak in a soft murmur. "…S-Shut up. It was literally no hassle on my end to assist."
Oof. It was unfair for the sword spirit in his soul to be this adorable. Please nerf the tsundere Oni brat buff; it was too powerful. For his thoughts, all he got was an irritated flicker of emotion from his blade, before she subsided back to whatever level of dormancy she usually stayed at. For now, though?
He wanted to get some proper rest after that entire ordeal.