A/N: Alright guys, just a reminder that I'll be posting an extra chapter for every 40 Power Stones this story gets!
This will naturally reset every week and I'll post the chapter or chapters on Sunday.
If you liked the story this far, leave a comment or review, I'd appreciate it!
Advanced chapters on my pa*treon: @WavyWriter
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Kuroichi stood at the edge of the clearing with a mismatched ninjato, that looked more like a nodachi, in both of his hands. His body was too small and weak to wield it properly for now, as the blade trembled with each swing. Sweat clung to his brows and his arms ached, but he didn't stop yet.
Each motion of his was simple, either a horizontal slash, a downward cut, or a diagonal swing, but for now he focused on only one at a time. Every swing burnt his shoulders and arms, as well as strained the muscles in his back, but he didn't care.
Since he had no formal swordsmanship's training, he had do make due with what he had, and that was his logical thinking, instinct and repetition. He needed to improve and get stronger, the last fight had proven that again without a doubt.
Over the past days, Kuroichi had recovered for the most part, leaving behind fresh scars that hadn't completely healed yet. His body ached occasionally, but the worst part was the itching, especially over his sides and thighs where his wounds had turned to scabs.
Five days had passed since the battle. The corpses at the bandit camp were long gone, taken by whatever scavengers were around. He'd returned to the ruined bandit camp to salvage what he could, but two of the tents had been shredded and toppled by wild animals, leaving only one smaller tent intact.
He had disassembled and reassembled it, adding it to his own shelter and expanding the makeshift camp. He felt it was even more comfortable now, he just tried not to think about what might have had happened in this tent before.
He lowered the sword with a grunt, letting the tip dig into the dirt as he caught his breath. His muscles trembled from exertion. The ninjato was heavy, unwieldy, but perfect for him to build strength and become more familiar with a sword.
He didn't know if what they said in fanfictions is real; that it's bad to learn by oneself and teach oneself as well, since it was easier to learn bad habits that are difficult to unlearn when one is older.
Either way, if he was indeed learning bad habits, that was something he could only work on in the future. For now, his priorities were different.
After a few more deliberate cuts, he slid the weapon back into its sheath. That was enough, he still wanted to work on his body flicker.
He formed the hand seal, breathing slowly. The technique still required the tiger seal, which irritated him. True mastery meant using it instinctively, seamlessly and without any visible motion at all. Right now he could use it efficiently, but not at the level he wanted to. He couldn't afford to give away his movement with unnecessary gestures.
Kuroichi flickered forward, vanishing and reappearing at the edge of the trees. The technique was smooth, much better than when he just started learning it. Another flicker, then another. He jumped from place to place, adjusting his chakra control with each burst.
He focused on silence now. Landing softer. Letting the flow of chakra build just enough for momentum but not explosion. The more refined he got, the less the movement cost him and chakra efficiency was just as important as speed, especially if his enemy was smart and not letting him absorb any of his chakra.
From her perch high on a thick branch, Kurai watched him out of the corner of her eyes for a moment. She held a single leaf in front of her, focused on slicing it in two.
Since the night of the bandit camp attack, the owl had changed. Her behavior, which before was mostly curious and playful, had taken on a new edge. She was more serious and driven, which Kuroichi noticed in her eyes as they shone with determination.
She worked on the leaf splitting exercise with as much effort as her small body could manage. Earlier that day, he'd tied small self-made weights to bits of cloth and had her lift them in her talons mid-flight. It wasn't glamorous, but it was definitely strength training.
She had screeched at him the first time, insulted, but had done it anyway. After several failed lifts and frustrated flapping, she began managing the weights, one by one.
Another hour had passed, and before the sun dipped into the horizon, Kuroichi returned to camp with Kurai gliding overhead.
After they had eaten and regained some energy, Kuroichi settled by the fire and pulled out two scrolls he had only skimmed before.
Genjutsu.
He hadn't used it in the last battle, since he didn't even know how, but in hindsight, he realized how effective in a fight it could have been. Genjutsu didn't rely on brute force, speed or strength, it was more deception, subtlety and precision. He unrolled the scroll and read the jutsu name.
'Genjutsu: Yin Balance Jutsu!'
He furrowed his brow, the description was simple but fascinating. By injecting chakra into the enemies brain's sensory center, specifically a portion of it dealing with balance, it created confusion in the inner ear. They would stagger, fall dizzy or be disoriented and fall over.
The concept was clean and easy to understand, perfect for learning how to inject chakra into someone else's body, as well as generally getting used to putting the opponent under genjutsu.
The genjutsu didn't force any pain or hallucination, it just caused a specific dysfunction, but used in the right moments, it could be life saving.
He smirked, that maybe could've turned the tide against the rogue ninja, who knew?
He read further until he reached for another scroll, this one detailing the second genjutsu.
'Genjutsu: False Surroundings Jutsu!'
Unlike the balance disruption, this technique required specialized visualization. The user had to imagine a small visual detail, something subtle, and project it onto the opponent's perception.
The technique couldn't fabricate entire landscapes or people, only change small details, like a puddle into dry dirt, a kunai into a stick etc. It required intense mental clarity, as well as a vivid, unwavering mental image.
Kuroichi closed his eyes and saw a tree. It was gnarled and ancient, its bark rough beneath his fingers. Moss grew across the roots where a large single crack ran across the trunk. He focused on it, built it up, until it looked, felt and smelled real.
He opened his eyes and exhaled slowly. 'I'll need more than meditation to make this work, I need my mind to create illusions that are no different from reality.'
He sat in the middle of camp and began to meditate deeply. For nearly an hour, he didn't move. Each time a mental image faltered, he forced it back into focus. Each sensation, whether it be sight, sound, or texture, had to be envisioned in exact detail. He relived memories, exaggerated details and refined them until his brain could no longer tell the difference.
Eventually, he stood and moved to the center of his shelter. He tried the False Surrounding technique, forming the chakra with slow, precise hand seals. Nothing happened. He adjusted his focus and tried again.
There still wasn't any visible result.
He clicked his tongue. "I need someone to actually test this on..", he muttered.
That's when Kurai hooted from the branch above.
He looked up. "You in?"
She blinked once, then flapped her wings and dropped down in front of him.
Kuroichi grinned. "Alright then. Let's see if I can make you see something that's not there."
He formed the illusion, focusing hard on a tiny detail; a rock near her foot that he mentally reshaped into a twig. He held the image, shaped the chakra, and sent the jutsu toward her.
Kurai tilted her head. She pecked at the rock once. Then again. A small confused chirp escaped her.
Kuroichi grinned wider. "Good. That's good."
He adjusted the visual slightly, this time shifting the appearance of one of his kunai to resemble a small fruit. Kurai looked at it skeptically, then fluttered back a step.
"Too smart to fall for that one, huh?" he laughed.
She flapped her wings in response and gave an annoyed hoot, as if saying, "Try harder."
They continued this training for a while, with Kuroichi gaining much valuable experience in using this technique . Using genjutsu came to him effortlessly, much more so than even the water jutsu.
'Seems like I have some talent in this.. maybe I should think of ways to improve genjutsu even further?'
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Want to read ahead?
Advanced chapters on pa*treon.com/WavyWriter