A.N. Hey all.

First i just want to say thank you to all my reviewers and followers; i'm just so stunned at how far the first story went and how well it was received for a first time writer and first story. There have been some lovely reviews and constructive pm's as well so thank all of you again.

To the new faces and recent follows and faves i say welcome and thanks for your support, hope you've enjoyed the first story and the series to come.

This unfortunately is not the Shippuden arc. That will follow soon, however its been crabby not posting or writing and too many ideas just wanted out before the series could really flow through so, here they are.

This should be a 3 to 5 part short series, and i may just keep them going on the side, but i will let you all know well in advance.

Again thank you all, I'll get back to the kanji table.

A TREATISE ON THE NATURE OF YIN-YANG CHAKRA AND POTENTIAL APPLICATIONS

(BY SARUTOBI HIRUZEN - Finished by Sarutobi Asuma)

As we all know chakra is the application of both physical energy, which derived from one's body and cells through training, exercise and the use of stimulants; and spiritual energy, which is drawn from the mind by means of study, meditation and experience. When utilised together both give rise to an 'effect' based on the desires and flows embedded in the pattern of the chakra.

However further studies indicate that the complexities of chakra hide vast untapped potentials, some of which may not be realised other than in theories and works of fiction. One such area is the understanding of Yin-Yang Jutsus, and the potential hidden within.

In the study of nature transformation of chakra, which governs the conversion of chakra into the five great elements and further sub elements, one will invariably stumble upon a hidden wheel, or commonly understood as the non-elemental boundaries or simply 'Yin-Yang Release'. This is of note as it governs the realms of Jutsus that exist without elemental definition. For instance medical ninjutsu and genjutsu fall under the umbrella of Yin-Yang release, as do so more specialised techniques, which may be referenced later in this work. Yin-Yang release is simply the applications of Yin release and Yang release.

Yin Release.

Yin Release governs techniques which lean heavily on the usage of spiritual energy. In other words it governs the imagination and can be used to 'create form out of nothingness'. A simple example of Yin release could be the Bunshin no Jutsu, a simple reflection incapable of interacting with the wider world but whose application may be used to deceive an unwary opponent, an illusion.

In speaking of, all Genjutsus can be classified as direct applications of Yin release; their makeup is heavily dependent on the casters spirit energy, utilising probably the bare minimum of physical energy to initiate the desire effect. This is also why genjutsu is still very effective and in some cases unbreakable, the jutsu being heavily weighted in spiritual energy utilises the victims own physical energy to anchor the effects. Hence the needs to disrupt ones very chakra to break free from the hold and should the casters skill exceeds the victim the jutsu remains binding. The reverse holds true, should the victim's spiritual grasp exceed the casters, then the jutsu fails.

Another example can be the Nara Clan and their shadow manipulation; again the principle lies that chakra heavily weighted in spiritual energy allow them to manipulate their very shadows in ways unimaginable. Also when their shadow latches onto another's they become slaved to the Nara's will, most likely their physical energy being used to bind them to the Nara. Also the nature of the technique leads me to believe that even in a contest of will it is weighted in favour of the Nara. Only exceedingly rare and powerful individuals can confidently break free from a Nara's bindings, or even worse, reverse the effects back on the user.

Yang Release.

Yang Release governs techniques which lean heavily on the usage of physical energy. In other words it governs the material realm. Some say it is rooted in vitality and used to 'breathe life into form'. In broad terms medical ninjutsu fit the description of Yang release, restoring lost vitality to a victim by encouraging stimulating and encouraging the body's own natural healing. Now while it may seem strange, after all healers are not the most physical imposing, their discipline requires endurance and stamina and is more exhaustive than most would appreciate. Impeccable control of ones chakra is the cornerstone, which is why whenever possible Med-Nins are restricted from engaging foes directly, their chakra is to be conserved for restoration and resuscitation of downed allies.

Another example though more of a speculation at this point is Taijutsu, specifically ninja based taijutsu and successive techniques. In this there is much speculation as to the concepts validity; however I draw your attention again to the uses of Yin chakra in genjutsu. Genjutsu is almost the complete antithesis to Taijutsu, and so if Genjustu uses chakra heavily weighted on the manipulation of spirit energies and Yin chakra can we not infer the opposite? That Taijutsu, especially ninja based or even chakra based martial skills utilise predominantly physical energy and Yang chakra? For a Taijutsu user his chakra can only amplify what already exist and so physical conditioning, extensive training and exercises are a must which creates an influx of physical energy. Techniques that utilise taijutsu at its core are only half as effective if that chakra is somehow disabled. In that I have tentatively concluded that it is Yang chakra that is present, amplifying the existing physical capabilities to untold heights and opening avenues to hidden martial skills.

Again this is speculation, and as of yet I have not been able to conclusively prove one way or another, the realm of Taijutsu has not been my greatest import or study.

My final example of Yang chakra however has been determined and proven without a doubt; the Mokuton Jutsu (Wood release) of the Shodaime Hokage Hashirama Senju.

There can be no greater expression of vitality and life than this ability; it involves the growth and expansion of living structures, a small acorn to the might oak, the littlest of saplings to the greatest of trees. As the technique involves the creation and growth of trees and plants, all of which are living and have complex systems and susceptible to chakra, Yang chakra has strong positive reaction in them, agitating and exciting the individual cells and causing more growth, strengthening and increasing the properties imbued in said trees.

The Shodiame's ability to commune with the forest and induce growth is by far the greatest of abilities possessed by any individual. To seed new life and encourage growth, the power of chakra is simply outstanding.

Individually these aspects of chakra create impressive and diverse effects. However in blending the Yin and the Yang aspect of chakra into perfect harmony one can create even more techniques, unlock new secrets and aspects of chakra never thought possible.

There are those however that say this is out of reach for the average chakra user. And to some extent I believe this may be the case. Balancing the Yin and Yang aspects of chakra is exceedingly difficult and creating jutsus even more so; to date it lies in the realms of folklore and fantasy. To date only the Sage of Six Paths has been fully accredited with creating the true Yin-Yang jutsus, and I had believed that without one such bloodline as his we would be left to manipulating only the component parts of Yin and Yang.

I believed this until the Nidaime Hokage and his creations.

Kage Bunshin no Jutsu.

This jutsu creates a perfect copy of the user. By splitting the chakra evenly they manifest a 'shadow' of the original which is capable of all the feats of the original, bar any chakra restrictions. They are capable of acting independent of the original making them excellent scouts, and shock troops. They have the ability to interact with the material world, which in itself makes the jutsu versatile and impressive.

And it is my firm belief that it is a stepping stone to further understanding the potentials of Yin-Yang manipulation. Observe;

When we mould our chakra to predominantly Yin we are exercising or expressing our mental acuity, creating effects on an abstract level.

When we mould our chakra to predominantly Yang we are exercising or expressing our physical capabilities, creating effects on a material level.

In Yin we 'create form from nothingness' and in Yang we 'give life to form'. In Kage Bunshin we create form from shadows and then give it genuine substance.

In other words in our left hand we apply Yin chakra to create the form and simultaneously in our right had with perfect balance we apply Yang chakra to give life to that form. Both aspects of chakra work in synergy to create a clone without elemental bias and capable of acting independent of its caster.

If my hypothesis is correct, then it leads me to new questions.

With a basic understanding on how the chakra is moulded to create the effect of Kage Bunshin, would it be possible to apply that elsewhere? And on a greater scale?

(in memory of my father I, Sarutobi Asuma, will complete his book, based on the notes he left and my own personal observations)

The Sandaime once used a jutsu that was preposterous yet possible. 'Tile Shuriken' pulled the tiles on a roof and flung them at his aggressor Orochimaru. As this is clearly not an elemental jutsu (unless you want to be really technical and declare it a variant of earth jutsu considering the make-up of roof tiles) then this falls under the umbrella of Yin-Yang Jutsu. Is this another clear case of applying Yin 'the tiles will rise and pierce my enemy' and then applying Yang (the tiles rose and hurled themselves at Orochimaru)?

In truth I cannot say for certain, there are many factors to consider.

Still if both these cases are clear applications of Yin-Yang Manipulation, can we go further up the scales. Can we apply the fundamentals of Yin-Yang into other aspects of chakra effects, like say, fuinjutsu?

Fuinjutsu is a broad and versatile scope of chakra manipulation. By using written scripts and formulae, along with invoking ones chakra it is possible to create any number of effects, predominantly in binding, sealing and barriers. Fuinjustu can also be utilised offensively with determined enough study.

But all Fuinjutsu have to be written or 'drawn' in place and their effects are restricted to the physical locations. Using fuinjutsu in battle is a testament to the skill of the user, drawing the opponents into pre-set traps or carrying a varied selection of pre-prepared fuinjutsu scrolls to be used at a moment's notice. Writing out a seal script is time consuming but not overly arduous to a student of the art. However doing so in battle where the smallest mistake could lead to a miserable dud or a spectacular failure resulting in death or worse lost limbs or other career ending mishaps, is tense at best and frightening and stressful at worst.

What if we were able to apply the principles of Yin-Yang to the art of sealing? What if we could apply in our left our imagination, fixing the seal firmly in our minds as we would on the surface it could be written? And then what if with our right we manifest the seal into reality, bypassing the tedious writing and going straight to its activation?

Would it be possible to fully actualise Fuinjutsu without the use of inks and scrolls, and merely by the application of our will and the manipulation of Yin-Yang chakra?

Again this is all speculation at this point, further study is required before we can begin to determine the real limits in regards to the nature of chakra.