Naruto: Threads of Crimson

Standing across the yard from my dad, his hard gaze pierced right through me. His stance was firm, unwavering, while my mother sat off to the side, observing us with quiet intrigue.

"Using our Sharingan to cast genjutsu on enemy ninjas during combat is one of the most powerful tools in our arsenal," my father began, his voice steady and authoritative. "As I'm sure you've already experienced, you can see why." As he spoke, he channeled chakra into his eyes, the familiar glow of the three-tomoe Sharingan flaring to life.

"The problem," he continued, "is that many of our clansmen never push beyond the basic Sharingan-induced genjutsu." He finished the sentence with a slight roll of his eyes, clearly frustrated by the lack of ambition in some of our clan members.

"But then," he went on, "there are a select few who master genjutsu to the point where they become legends. Take Kagami, for instance. He was said to be able to put multiple Kage-level shinobi under his control with just a glance." My father's voice softened slightly as he spoke of Kagami, his respect for the lost Uchiha legend evident. "Ever since he disappeared on a mission about a decade ago, the clan hasn't had a genjutsu user of that caliber."

He sighed, rubbing his forehead, lost in thought for a moment before refocusing on me. "Anyway, since you've shown an early talent and interest in genjutsu, I'm going to teach you how to put someone under a genjutsu using all five of their senses. Normally, this is something we teach later, once a shinobi has mastered the basics and can hold a genjutsu for at least thirty minutes."

He paused, and I saw a flicker of pride cross his face as he gave me a small smile. "But you've already shown those capabilities while still in the academy, so we can skip the basics and go straight to the advanced techniques. I have no doubt that with a little guidance, you'll become one of the strongest genjutsu users in our clan since Kagami."

My mother beamed from her spot on the side, clearly proud, but I couldn't help letting a little smirk creep onto my face. "Of course I will. I mean, I'm your son," I replied with a touch of arrogance, my two-tomoe Sharingan spinning into view, reflecting my confidence.

Dad gave me a nod, acknowledging my confidence, and continued. "Good. We'll start with casting genjutsu through touch, which is the easiest sense to manipulate since you have direct physical contact with your target."

He walked over and extended his hand towards me, his expression growing more serious as he explained. "Even though touch-based genjutsu is often subtle, it can create just enough of an opening for you to take your opponent out. It's all about being crafty and using the opportunity wisely. The first thing you need to do is let your chakra flow from your fingertips into my skin. You want to let it seep slowly into my chakra network."

I reached out and placed my hand on his, feeling the warmth of his skin beneath my fingers. Concentrating, I began channeling my chakra into my fingers, following his instructions and allowing it to flow slowly into his chakra pathways. It felt strange—different from the usual genjutsu I had cast with my Sharingan. The sensation was more delicate, almost like trying to weave my chakra into the fabric of his own.

"Next," he continued, "once your chakra is in your opponent's body, you want to create a small illusion. It doesn't have to be anything elaborate—just enough to disorient them. Something like making them feel off-balance, or causing their vision to swirl. It's not about trapping them in a complex genjutsu, but about creating an opportunity."

I furrowed my brow in concentration, my mind focusing on what he said. 'This is way harder than using my Sharingan or the genjutsu I did back in the academy,' I thought. 'It feels like I'm swimming upstream.' I could feel my dad's chakra resisting mine—not overpowering, but enough to make the task challenging. Granted, my dad was far stronger than any opponent I'd faced so far.

With effort, I began shaping the illusion in my mind, making my father feel as though he was leaning slightly to the right. I felt my chakra take hold, and sure enough, I saw him lean ever so slightly to the right, his balance shifting.

Looking up at him, I saw a raised eyebrow and a somewhat amused expression on his face.

"I swear you are freaking weird. You know that?" he said, shaking his head slightly.

"Kaito! Don't say that to our son," my mom called out from the sidelines, a hint of admonishment in her voice. I couldn't help but let out a crooked smile.

My dad ruffled my hair again, his expression proud. "I mean, come on. To be able to grasp something this complicated on your first try, especially against someone with as much chakra as I do, is incredible." He paused, grinning. "Heck, who am I kidding? We both knew you were going to be special when you awakened your Sharingan at just six months old."

Off to the side, my mom sighed, a fond smile playing on her lips as she recalled that night. "Oh, your dad was completely stunned. You should've seen the look on his face—it was priceless! Even more shocked than when we had our first hug, and I used lightning chakra to give him a little zap," she giggled, glancing playfully at my dad, who quickly looked away, clearly embarrassed.

"I thought we agreed to never bring that up again," my dad muttered, his ears turning slightly pink.

My mom walked over, kissed his cheek, and grinned. "I never said I wouldn't tell our son."

Trying to regain control of the situation, my dad picked her up and carried her back to the step where she had been sitting before setting her down. "Aaanyway," he said, clearly eager to move on, "the next step would be casting genjutsu through sight. But you've already shown proficiency with that, even on your first day at the academy." He gave me a nod, pride gleaming in his eyes. "We'll skip it for now, but don't forget to practice it when you're training with Shisui."

I nodded, already planning to go over it with Shisui soon. Then, my dad pointed to his ear. "Now, we'll move on to casting genjutsu through hearing. This is where you infuse chakra into the sound waves you create. You'll use the same principle as casting through touch, but instead of direct contact, you'll use sound. The easiest method is with your voice."

I tilted my head slightly, processing what he said. 'That does make a lot of sense,' I thought. 'You don't have to touch anyone, and you can cast without weaving hand signs. Plus, your voice is always available to you. And if it works with your voice, it should work with other sounds too.'

As I thought this through, my dad remained quiet, watching me carefully until I finally spoke up. "You say the easiest way is with your voice, but does that mean we can use sound waves produced by our feet or hands too?"

He nodded, a small smile tugging at his lips. "Exactly right. For instance, if I walk toward you while crunching my feet on the ground..." He started walking toward me, his steps deliberately heavy, the crunching of grass filling the air.

"Those sound waves could carry chakra, creating an effect like this." As he continued, I began to notice small, black spots appearing in my vision, as if my peripheral sight was flickering in and out. "This is an advanced technique you'll learn as your chakra control and genjutsu skills improve. Right now, you can't do it yet, but it's something to work toward."

I frowned, slightly put off. "But you just acted shocked that I could cast genjutsu through touch so easily. Now you're saying I'm not ready for this?"

"Oh, don't get me wrong, I was, and still am, pretty horrified at the amount of talent you have for genjutsu and chakra control. It's not something I see every day. But talent alone isn't enough—you haven't practiced genjutsu in this capacity at all. You might have the potential, but if you don't put in the hard work, all that raw talent will go to waste."

I kept my gaze locked on him, listening intently as he pressed forward. "'Hard work beats talent until talent works hard. Then, there's nothing that can stand in its way.' That's a quote my father once told me, and it's been passed down through our side of the family for generations." He paused, his eyes reflecting the weight of those words. "I know you're aware of your own talent, and I see it too, but the key is to not let it go to your head." He finished by pointing a thumb at himself, a small grin on his face. "Trust me, I learned that the hard way."

I couldn't help but smile a little, recognizing the lesson in his words. But then, his tone shifted slightly, becoming more serious. "I know you and Shisui have been practicing together for a while now, and that's great. But you both need to push yourselves even further. There's always more to learn, and there will come a time when that extra effort might mean the difference between life and death—either yours or someone else's. I don't want you to regret not working harder when it counts."

As he said this, I saw his eyes glaze over, lost in a memory I wasn't privy to. He knelt down in front of me, resting a hand on my shoulder, his voice softer. "When you're training, just remember that you're representing our family and the clan. You carry that with you, and it will give you strength. You've got what it takes, Shiro. Just keep that in mind, and you'll do great. Okay?"

I met his gaze, feeling the weight of his words settle into my chest. This wasn't just about learning a jutsu, it was about responsibility, about living up to the legacy of our clan. With a slight nod, I replied, "I would never bring shame to our family or the clan's name." And I meant it. The pride I felt for being part of the Uchiha clan ran deep, and I knew I had a lot to live up to.

He smiled at my response. "I know you won't, son. That's why I have all the confidence in the world in you." He gave my shoulder a reassuring squeeze before standing up again. "Now, to infuse chakra into sound waves, you need to fine-tune the frequency at which you release your chakra when you make a sound. It's all about precision and control, which sounds easier than it is, trust me."

"After hearing, we could cover the taste," my dad continued with a slight shrug. There's little to no reason to use that sense when casting genjutsu. It's an advanced skill but not really practical in combat situations. Honestly, it's more useful for infiltration situations. If you ever decide you want to learn it later on, though, I'll be ready to teach you."

"I think I'll pass on the taste for now," I replied with a grin.

"Fair enough," he said, his tone light but instructive. "The last of the senses you can cast genjutsu through is scent. It's surprisingly useful in certain situations, like when you're surrounding an enemy outpost in a forest. You can subtly gain the upper hand before combat even starts without them realizing it."

He continued explaining, his voice steady. "This type of genjutsu is a bit of a cross between the sound and touch techniques. You need to infuse your chakra into the scent, but it's all about balance. If you leak your chakra too quickly, the smell will dissipate before it can take effect. If your chakra is too slow, the scent will linger too long, and the enemy might notice something is off. It's all about controlling the frequency, just like with sound."

Curiosity sparked within me as I processed this new information. "When will you teach me how to do this one?" I asked, watching him as he rose back up from the knee he'd taken.

"Once you're more familiar and proficient with casting genjutsu through touch and sound," he replied. "You need to master those first. Until then, I want you to practice putting people under genjutsu using those methods until they can't even tell they're caught in one."

He paused for a moment, making sure I understood the importance of mastering the basics before diving into more advanced techniques. "All in all, the easiest sense to induce genjutsu with is eye contact through the Sharingan. That's why we rely on it so heavily. After that, touch and sight are the next most straightforward methods. Smell and sound take more finesse, and while taste is possible, it's rarely used, but would rank up with touch in terms of effectiveness if we included it."

I nodded, absorbing everything he had said. Each sense carried its own challenges, but mastering them would give me a range of tools to manipulate the battlefield. The thought of being able to deceive an enemy through multiple senses was both exciting and daunting, but I knew it was just the beginning of my genjutsu journey.

"Now," he said, clapping his hands together, "let's get back to work on touch and sight. You've already got the foundation, but there's still much to refine."

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(A/N: Jeeeez, long chapter here again, but I wanted to include some reasoning behind why this kind of genjutsu inducement isn't everywhere in the Naruto universe. It's because it takes a lot of control and talent. All in all most people wouldn't bother with genjutsu when they can learn a sword and taijutsu techniques, most villages would much rather have someone focus on those skills than these. Hope you guys are enjoying it!)