Naruto: Threads of Crimson

Sitting on a log still damp from last night's rain, I watched as droplets clung to the leaves and grass, the fresh scent of earth and water lingering in the air. Reika, our jonin sensei, stood in front of us, her sharp eyes flicking between Shisui and me as if she were still sizing us up, trying to figure out exactly what we were capable of. She kept tilting her head, as though pondering whether we were ready for whatever was coming next.

"So, what are we going to do today, Reika-sensei?" Shisui asked, his voice cutting through the quiet. His eyes sparkled with curiosity as he stretched out his arms, still a little stiff from sitting on the wet log.

Reika turned her gaze to him, a small smile tugging at the corner of her lips, though her tone remained serious. "Well, I'm not entirely sold on you two just yet," she said, crossing her arms. "Because of that, today's going to be the deciding factor. I want to see how quickly you can learn. Normally, a jonin sensei would give their new team a teamwork exercise, but since you two have been close friends for a while, I'm skipping that. Instead, I'll be testing your ability to adapt and grow quickly."

The tension between us softened slightly. It wasn't a traditional test of teamwork—something Shisui and I had mastered long ago. But the prospect of learning new skills, of showing how fast we could adapt, made my heart race with excitement.

Reika turned and walked a few steps away, her boots making soft squishing sounds against the wet ground. "The first thing you need to learn is the Body Flicker Jutsu. This will allow us to move faster when we need to cover long distances quickly. It's simple: make the tiger hand seal, direct your chakra to your legs, and then…" Her voice trailed off as she disappeared in a blur of movement, leaving only a faint ripple in the puddles where she had been standing.

I watched her demonstration closely, my Sharingan spinning to life without even thinking. The tomoe in my eyes tracked every detail, every subtle shift in chakra, committing the movement and chakra flow to memory.

When Reika flickered back in front of us, her sharp gaze caught my glowing red eyes. A slight frown creased her brow. "You've already activated your Sharingan, I see."

Shisui clicked his tongue, grinning at me. "I swear, your Sharingan is a cheat code. I can't wait to unlock mine."

Reika raised an eyebrow. "Well, if that's the case, I'll need to give you something that your Sharingan can't copy straight away." She paused, tapping her chin thoughtfully, her eyes glinting with amusement. "There are jutsus that don't rely on hand seals, which means you won't be able to cheat your way through this one."

The idea piqued my interest immediately. "What kind of jutsu are you talking about?" I asked, leaning in slightly, my curiosity fully hooked.

Reika smirked. "From what I've heard and what I know of your clan, you can copy any jutsu that requires hand seals because your Sharingan lets you see chakra flow. But if a technique doesn't have hand seals, seeing the chakra flow isn't enough—you have to understand it, control it on your own."

I nodded, understanding the challenge. "So you're saying if you give me a jutsu without hand seals, I'll have to figure it out the hard way."

"Exactly." She gave me a knowing look. "And I think I know just the jutsu. Since neither of you are natural sensors, we'll be working on something that'll help you detect movements around you. It won't turn you into a full sensor-type ninja, but it'll give you an edge."

Both Shisui and I exchanged excited glances. The idea of learning a jutsu that could allow us to sense our surroundings was incredible. As part of the Yamanaka clan, Reika was already a natural sensor, but the idea that she could teach us something similar was mind-blowing.

Before diving into the new jutsu, Reika demonstrated the Body Flicker again for Shisui, who watched her every move with rapt attention. "Make sure you learn this by the end of the day," she said, her voice firm with expectation. She then turned her attention back to me.

"The jutsu I'm about to teach you qualifies as an Earth-style technique," she began, her voice lowering slightly, as though sharing a secret. "But it's more than just an ordinary Earth-style jutsu. This one lets you sense vibrations and movement through the ground. It's like gaining a sixth sense." 

I was already hooked, my body leaning in closer as she explained.

"You'll need to channel your chakra into the earth and spread it out in a web-like pattern," she continued. "Once your chakra forms this web, it'll pick up vibrations—small, subtle movements—and send that information back to you. The trick is in the control. If your chakra control isn't precise, you won't feel anything. But if you get it right, you'll be able to sense even the faintest movements over a large area."

A slight smirk tugged at her lips. "No pressure."

Kneeling on the ground, Reika motioned for me to join her. My heart pounded as I activated my Sharingan, focusing intently on the chakra in her palm as it swirled and coiled, like a living thing. With a quick, fluid motion, she pressed her hand into the ground, and a web of chakra shot out beneath us. 

I gasped softly, mesmerized. The chakra spread out like a spider's web, spanning several miles in all directions. The network pulsed with life, each thread transmitting tiny vibrations back to its source.

"Wow," I breathed, unable to tear my eyes away from the intricate web.

"Pretty cool, huh?" Reika said, a note of pride in her voice. "This web allows you to 'see' your surroundings with incredible precision. You'll be able to sense the size, shape, distance, and movement of objects around you. Once you get used to the feedback, you can even use it in battle."

I watched as the chakra web slowly dissipated, fading back into the earth as Reika stood up, dusting off her hands. "But remember, it takes a lot of control. Don't expect to get it right the first time."

My eyes followed the last flicker of chakra disappearing into the ground, my mind buzzing with possibilities. A jutsu that would allow me to sense the world around me, to feel the earth and its movements like a second sense—it was beyond anything I had imagined.

"Think you're ready to try?" Reika asked, her voice light but full of challenge.

I met her gaze, determination burning in my eyes. "Definitely."

"Ok then, I could give you more tips about it, but that would be cheating and unfair to Shisui, so you'll just have to figure the rest out on your own." Reika-sensei gave me a half-smile before leaning back against the trunk of a tree. Her eyes held a glint of amusement as she prepared to watch us struggle our way through the day.

As I watched Reika-sensei settle into her spot, my mind buzzed with thoughts on how to tackle this new challenge. The Body Flicker Jutsu had come to me easily, thanks to my Sharingan's ability to observe and replicate movements. But this earth-style jutsu? This was a whole different beast.

Kneeling on the wet ground, I closed my eyes, feeling the cold dampness seep through my clothes. I took a deep breath, centering myself. My hands tingled as I channeled chakra to my palms, the energy swirling inside me like a restless storm. Holding it steady was harder than it looked. The chakra almost felt... annoyed, like it wanted to break free and do something explosive instead of patiently spreading out.

'Okay, here goes,' I thought as I placed my hand on the earth and released the chakra.

Immediately, something felt wrong. The chakra dissipated far too quickly, barely extending a few feet before vanishing entirely. I opened my eyes to see nothing but a small, barely visible hole in the ground.

'Not great,' I muttered to myself, frowning, as I sat back up.

For the next hour, I repeated the process, tweaking the chakra flow here and there, but each attempt seemed to yield only marginal improvement. My progress felt slow, almost infuriatingly so.

"You're not quite there yet," Reika-sensei's voice broke through my concentration. "You're thinking of it as just a spider web shape. The reason it's like a spider web is because of the way it captures and channels feedback. Focus more on that, less on the shape."

Nodding, I tried to internalize her advice. 'It's not just the web—it's about how the web works. The delicacy of it, the way it receives vibrations, like a spider sensing the world through its web.'

I visualized the chakra differently this time, more like threads reaching out to capture the subtle shifts in the earth. My hand hovered over the ground, pulsing with chakra. Slowly, I placed my palm down, releasing the energy in a more controlled, deliberate way.

The results were immediate. I could feel the web stretching further than before, weaving itself more tightly into the ground. The feedback was faint but unmistakable, like a soft pulse echoing through my fingertips.

"Getting better," Reika-sensei commented, her voice tinged with something that might have been approval. "But you'll need to increase the range if you want it to be practical in real situations. Otherwise, you're just wasting chakra."

I frowned, feeling the challenge set in. 'She's right. I need to push this further. A sensor jutsu that only works close up is useless.'

I poured more chakra into the web, trying to extend its reach. It grew—slowly—but steadily, stretching out under the earth like delicate tendrils. Suddenly, the feedback became more detailed. I could feel the faint movements of insects skittering across the ground, the subtle shifting of tree roots. It was like a whole new world opening up beneath me.

As I continued refining the jutsu, I began to sense Shisui through the vibrations. His movements were swift and fluid as he practiced the Body Flicker Jutsu. Every time he flickered, the ground under him shifted slightly, sending ripples through the chakra web I'd created. It was remarkable how quickly he seemed to be mastering the technique.

Minutes blurred into hours, my focus sharpening with every attempt. Each time I expanded the web, I discovered something new—how to regulate the chakra flow, how to make the web more responsive to certain movements and less to others. By the time the sun had shifted high into the sky, I could sense even the most minute details, like the rhythmic beating of Reika-sensei's heart as she observed us from a distance.

"You're getting there," Reika-sensei said, this time with a note of genuine excitement in her voice. "Now, focus on something specific. Try to sense my movements."

I closed my eyes again, concentrating harder this time. I let the web extend out towards Reika-sensei, filtering out all the background noise—the insects, the shifting leaves—until her presence became crystal clear. Every step she took, every tiny shift in her posture, was transmitted back to me as if I were watching her through my Sharingan.

Suddenly, I felt her arm move—a quick, playful gesture. I opened my eyes and caught her sticking her tongue out at me.

"Hey! That wasn't very nice!" I called out, grinning despite myself. She burst into laughter, her usual serious demeanor cracking into something far more relaxed.

At that moment, Shisui approached, his face flushed from exertion but his eyes bright with excitement. "Looks like we both made some progress today," he said, clapping me on the shoulder. "I managed to flicker for a couple of hours straight. How about you?"

"I think I got the hang of the chakra web," I replied, still feeling the faint pulse of the earth beneath me. "It's incredible, Shisui. You can feel everything around you. I could sense you practicing all day, even when you were flickering."

"That's awesome," he said, his eyes widening. "Being able to sense like that? You'll be unstoppable."

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(A/N: Bit of a lengthy chapter, but I wanted to introduce a new jutsu before their first mission as well as build upon the relationship between teacher and students.)