A Shinobi's Guide to Not Dying

Rei sat in the Academy classroom, watching Takashi-sensei approach the chalkboard. The room buzzed with low murmurs and shifting bodies as the students sensed the anticipation in the air. Over the past few days, they had gone through a series of physical exercises and lessons on theory. Not everyone had been fully engaged in these sessions, more than a few wandering and idle minds. 

Today though things were different. 

Everyone was excited and waiting expectantly. 

Takashi-sensei turned to the class, an encouraging look in his eyes. "Now, I'm sure everyone remembers what today's lessons will entail?" No one said anything, but the fire burning their eyes was a clear answer, even Rei couldn't hide his own excitement. "Very good. Then it's time to begin utilising and controlling our Chakra. We've already had a little time getting accustomed to the feeling of our Chakra, but today, you'll be starting to learn how to control it."

Rei's attention sharpened. 'Perfect.' He had always possessed knowledge of Chakra from his time watching the anime. However, if there was one thing his short time at the Academy had taught him was that the anime didn't have all the answers. There were aspects of the wider Naruto world that hadn't been fully explored or expanded upon. 

Now that he was actually a part of the Naruto world, it was these parts that became glaringly obvious. As a result, he was erring on the side of caution with most things, especially when it came to his means of self-improvement. He didn't know anything and rather than rush to his death because of reckless stupidity and eagerness, Rei had decided to allow Takashi as his teacher, guide him. 

There had to be a reason why they hadn't been taught Chakra control at this point, Rei had argued to himself. Even if he was wrong, this lesson was only taking place a few days after first feeling his Chakra. Therefore, he wasn't missing out on much by waiting and biding his time for the answers. 

"Your first exercise," Takashi continued, holding up a single leaf between his fingers, "will be the Leaf Sticking Exercise. This is a basic method to train your control. By focusing your chakra onto a single point, you'll hold this leaf against your forehead without using your hands."

Takashi demonstrated by placing the leaf against his forehead. The class watched, captivated, as the leaf stayed in place effortlessly. He let it drop after a few seconds and then proceeded to move around the room, handing a leaf to each student.

"The key to this exercise," he explained, "is not raw chakra, but fine control. You need to focus on directing just enough chakra to the spot where the leaf is placed—too little, and it'll fall; too much, and it'll bounce right off."

Rei took the leaf from Takashi-sensei, examining it as if it held the secrets of the universe. He knew about the Leaf Sticking Exercise from his previous life, of course, but knowing about it and actually doing it were two very different things. 'Just focus and control my chakra… Sure, sounds easy enough. How hard can it be?'

Rei placed the leaf on his forehead, closed his eyes, and tried to concentrate. He focused on that strange, almost electric feeling in his core that he knew was his chakra. Slowly, he tried to channel it toward his forehead, but it was like trying to coax an unfamiliar energy out of hiding. The sensation was faint—almost like a warm hum beneath his skin as if his body held an electric current he barely knew how to touch.

He pushed a small amount of chakra toward his forehead, trying to keep it steady. But as soon as he thought he had it, the leaf fluttered to the ground.

A frown graced his features, but Rei took a deep breath and picked up the leaf once more. He had managed to coax the chakra within him to his head, but it clearly hadn't been enough. However, chakra wasn't nearly as easy to manipulate as he had initially thought. 

This was vastly different than just sensing and feeling the chakra within his body. Now he was trying to get it to move, spread out across his body in accordance to his will and it was resisting. The best way to describe it was a rubber band, stretching it to spread out in one specific direction while it stretched, fighting harder against him the more he stretched it. 

Not entirely accurate, but the best description he could give on it. 

Even his breathing and calming his mind, Rei rested the leaf against his forehead, holding it in place with his hand while he closed his eyes. He took a moment, feeling and pushing the chakra within his body to stretch and move up from his abdomen. He felt the warm, electric feeling flow through his chest, up past his neck. 

The warmth spread across his head, almost like it was filling every nook and cranny it could find. He could feel the warmth on his ears and behind eyes, yet Rei resisted this movement and tried to push the chakra solely to his forehead where he could feel his finger holding the leaf in place. 

Then slowly, Rei pulled his finger away and when he opened his eyes, he saw the bottom of the leaf just dangling within his eyeline. It stayed there for a few seconds before slipping down, falling past his face like it had been hit by a breeze, almost taunting him. 

Rei groaned inwardly, feeling a twinge of frustration. 'Okay, so definitely not that easy.'

Around him, some of the students were having even less luck. Leaves were dropping all over the place, accompanied by sighs and muttered curses. A few, though, were already showing promise. One of the clan kids near the front had managed to keep the leaf stuck for several seconds.

Rei grimaced. 'Of course, even the "extras" are ahead of me.' Part of him was annoyed, but another part recognized that falling behind the clan kids might help him keep a low profile. 'I suppose I should be thankful that they are though. If being underwhelming helps me blend in, I'll take it.'

His only real concern was that if he couldn't take on some nameless background character, that didn't really bode well for his ability to take care of himself. Then again though, so long as he could escape, fighting anyone wasn't really necessary. 

He took a deep breath and focused again, this time attempting a more controlled flow of chakra. He felt it rise up toward his forehead and settle just below the skin, enough to feel warmth but not force. For a moment, the leaf clung to his forehead before, once again, it slipped off.

-X-

Over the next few days, Rei repeated the exercise, learning to focus his chakra little by little, even repeating them back in the comfort of his barren room at the orphanage. While he was still far from success, he could feel himself making small steps forward. Some kids were already managing to keep their leaves stuck for extended periods, their focus unbroken. They looked almost smug about it, too, which grated on Rei's nerves considering he had barely been able to break the thirty second mark after all this time. 

'Keep it together, Rei. You're not here to compete. Just stay in your lane.'

Each day, he managed to keep the leaf in place for a few more seconds, though it continued to slip before he could hold it for more than half a minute. The progress was small, but enough to give him a faint sense of accomplishment with each small victory.

-X-

Once they had gotten somewhat accustomed to chakra control, Takashi-sensei moved on to teach them the three basic Academy jutsu: the Clone Jutsu, the Transformation Jutsu, and the Substitution Jutsu. Well, not actually teach them the Ninjutsu specifically, only touch upon the theory of them. 

"These techniques are fundamental," Takashi-sensei explained, "and you'll be tested on them in your graduation exams. Mastery of these jutsu is required to pass and become Genin."

Rei listened intently, fully aware of the importance of these jutsu. One of these specifically interested Rei, that being the Substitution Jutsu. The ability to switch himself with any object was something Rei had often seen as vastly underutilized in the Naruto world. There had to be a limit otherwise it was a vastly underestimated ability that Rei had every intention of abusing to its utmost level. 

Takashi-sensei demonstrated each jutsu, his movements precise and controlled. He performed the Clone Jutsu first, creating a perfect replica of himself beside him, then followed with the Transformation Jutsu, where he seamlessly turned into a copy of the Hokage. Lastly, he performed the Substitution Jutsu, disappearing in a puff of smoke and reappearing with a log in his place.

The class seemed awed, a few kids gasping in amazement. Rei, meanwhile, felt a bit more apprehensive. 'They make it look so easy. But like everything else so far I don't think it will be that simple.'

-X-

As the day came to a close, Rei headed out of the Academy and back to the orphanage. Unlike most kids who either headed home or to the park, Rei had other uses for his time. He was not a prodigy, nor did he have the resources and guidance of a clan. No, Rei had to purely rely on his own hard work and dedication in order to get stronger. 

It was why, at the end of every day, he returned to the orphanage and made his way to a secluded spot behind the building where a small cluster of trees stood. As he had been doing, Rei once more sat down under one of the trees, picking up a leaf from the floor and placing it on his forehead. 

It was a practised move at this point, the leaf sticking to his forehead before slipping down after just under a minute passed. He was getting closer to that one minute mark slowly and steadily. It was frustrating for sure, but Rei didn't dwell on it too much. 

Its then he looked up at the tree behind him. 

The Leaf Stickign Exercise wasn't the only means of improving chakra control. There were two more, those being the Tree Walking and Water Walking Exercises. Far more advanced than what he was trying, but Rei was as always, curious to see what he could do. 

His ability to stick a leaf to his forehead was improving, Takashi highlight that so long as one could keep the leaf on their forehead for a minute was deemed acceptable. As a result, those few who had succeeded doing this had started to slack off when chakra control lessons came around. 

Rei was determined not to. 

He wanted near perfect chakra control. 

After all, medical ninjutsu was something Rei intended to learn in order to help heal any injury he might incur in the future. As a result, having made some more progress with his chakra control, Rei once more stood up and looked at the tree in front of him. 

"Right," he murmured to himself, reminding himself the basics of chakra control taught in the lessons and what he had seen from the anime. 'Focus chakra to your feet, walk up the tree, easy enough.' He placed his hands on the bark for balance, then tried pushing chakra to his feet.

Taking a deep breath, he took his first step up the tree—and promptly felt his foot slip. He stumbled back, barely catching himself as he hit the ground. He looked around, feeling foolish even though no one was there.

"Okay, I was at least hoping to get stuck on the tree but its better than getting blasted off," he muttered, dusting himself off.

Rei spent the next hour attempting Tree Walking, his frustrations mounting with each failed attempt. No matter how he tried, he either used too little chakra and slipped or too much and felt the bark splinter under his feet. By the end, he was breathing heavily, his legs sore and his pride bruised. He slumped to the ground, feeling like he'd been kicked down a mountain.

"Managed to get one foot on at least." Rei told himself. 

He hadn't yet been able to get off the ground, but the fact he had been able to get one foot stuck to the tree was good. It was now about remembering just how much chakra he had in his foot when he stuck to it. That was something Rei had realised was the trick to the Leaf Sticking Exercise. 

Remembering the sensation of just how warm his forehead had felt, he equating that warm feeling to the chakra within his body. If he could get the temperature just right then the leaf stuck and following that was simply making sure that temperature didn't dip or rise. It would be the same for the Tree Walking Exercise and then eventually the Water Walking. 

Hopefully it would then become an exercise he no longer had to consciously think about. 

But that would take time and constant effort. 

-X-

That night, back on his futon, Rei stared up at the ceiling, exhausted but strangely satisfied. Today had been difficult—more difficult than he'd expected—but he had taken a step. Maybe not a big one, but a step all the same.

He thought back on Takashi-sensei's words about focus and patience. Chakra wasn't about power; it was about control. The Leaf Sticking Exercise had taught him that, and his attempts with Tree Walking had only reinforced it.

'This world really doesn't hand you anything easily, does it?' He thought wryly. But he knew he couldn't afford to slack off. This was a world that rewarded hard work, patience, and determination, and he'd need all three to make it out alive.

He closed his eyes, repeating his silent mantra once more. 'Stay unnoticed. Keep improving quietly.'

A faint smile tugged at his lips as he drifted off, feeling a flicker of hope amidst the exhaustion. He was still far from perfect, but he was on his way. 'If I ever manage to stand on water, someone better build a shrine in my honour.' As he let sleep take him, one last thought crossed his mind. 'Maybe if I train hard enough, I'll figure out why I decided this was a good idea in the first place.'