Naruto: Threads of Crimson

I walked to the Uzumaki compound with slow, deliberate steps, the warm breeze blowing through my hair as I thought about the day ahead.

'Kushina agreed to become my sensei, and she told me about the things she was going to teach me the last time I saw her, but why was that all we did? Could it have been because Mom told her about the upcoming funeral? Maybe she didn't want to burden me any further that day?' My thoughts kept running as I entered the compound gates.

Shrugging, I decided it didn't really matter. 'She's going to teach me her clan's sword style, some extra jutsu, and fuinjutsu, and that's all that matters. As long as it's all worth learning, I'll stick with her training no matter what she throws at me.'

I arrived in Kushina's backyard to find her standing in the center of the clearing, her bright red hair catching the afternoon sunlight. She waved cheerfully, her usual energy evident in the way she was practically vibrating in place.

"Morning, Shiro!" she called, her voice warm and welcoming.

"Good morning, Kushina-sensei," I replied, offering her a polite bow as I stepped closer.

"Sensei, huh? I could get used to that," she teased, and I rolled my eyes with a slight smile.

"Whatever, sensei. Let's just get to the good parts," I urged, eager to learn something new.

She grinned, clapping her hands together. "Alright, alright. A few days ago, we talked about what I'd be training you in: kenjutsu, ninjutsu, and fuinjutsu, right?"

I nodded.

"But before we dive into all the fancy techniques, there's one thing I want to make sure you're up to par with: chakra control. It's the foundation for everything else. Whether it's genjutsu, ninjutsu, or taijutsu, you name it. Chakra control affects it. If your control is sloppy, you'll waste chakra and leave yourself open in a fight."

I nodded along as she explained. Having been a shinobi for a little while now, I could already see why chakra control was such a big deal, even if the academy hadn't stressed it much.

She gestured toward a pile of logs stacked neatly nearby. "Since you've already mastered the basics like the tree-climbing exercise and water walking, we're going to try something a little more advanced."

I raised an eyebrow, curious, as she walked over to the pile of logs. One by one, she stacked them into a pyramid, a base of three logs, two on top of those, and one final log perched precariously at the very top. The entire structure wobbled slightly as she stepped back, brushing her hands off.

"Your goal," she began, turning to me, "is to stand on top of the highest log. But here's the catch: you'll need to use your chakra to stabilize not just yourself but the entire pyramid. If your balance or control slips, the logs will roll away underneath you, and you'll end up with your face in the dirt, and me laughing at you."

I frowned slightly, studying the precarious stack. 'This seems way trickier than just sticking to a tree or walking on water. Not only will I need to stick myself to each log, but I'll also need to stabilize my movements so they don't affect the logs as much.'

Kushina must have noticed my hesitation because she smirked. "Come on, you're an Uchiha, right? This should be easy for you, ya know."

"Easy, huh?" I mumbled, taking a step toward the first log. 'We'll see about that,' I thought, stepping onto the base of the pyramid.

Channeling chakra to my feet, I stepped lightly onto the first layer of logs. The structure shifted immediately, my weight causing the bottom logs to slide slightly. I adjusted my chakra flow, stabilizing my movements, and climbed to the next layer.

"Good! Keep it steady," Kushina encouraged from the sidelines, her arms crossed as she observed.

The second log felt much more unstable. Somehow, I needed to keep the second layer of the pyramid completely still.

Taking the next step onto the log, it began to turn slightly, and I nearly lost my balance before an idea came to me. 'Wait a second, this exercise is very similar to the water-walking exercise. Every time it moves, I need to adjust my chakra, though not in the same way.'

The stack shifted again, and I began projecting my chakra out from my feet in the opposite direction of the logs' spinning. 'Water-walking requires you to fine-tune the frequency of your chakra so it doesn't break through the water's surface. This exercise requires both frequency adjustment to avoid launching off the log and direction control to counterbalance the movement.'

Smiling, I looked at the final log on top, having figured out the trick to the exercise. Crouching low, I jumped onto the top log and balanced effortlessly. Letting out a triumphant smile, I felt the stack shift slightly before settling into place with me at the top.

"It's harder than I thought, I'll admit, but nothing too difficult to learn," I said, noticing Kushina's mouth drop slightly in shock.

'May-sensei was right, he really is a monstrous talent, even for an Uchiha,' Kushina thought as she began clapping her hands. "Not bad. Now hold it for ten seconds without moving."

The ten seconds breezed by as I stood there, every muscle in my body taut as I maintained balance. Finally, Kushina gave a sharp whistle, and I hopped down, landing lightly on the grass.

"That was impressive, Shiro," she said, her smile wide. "Most people can't stabilize the pyramid on their first try. You're already ahead of the curve."

I smiled and took an exaggerated bow. "It was different, for sure, not like any chakra control exercise I've done before," I admitted. "But it also wasn't anything too difficult."

Kushina punched me on the head as her hair began to float. "Don't get too cocky, brat. You've still got a long way to go before you're taking down a jonin from the Leaf. I swear you Uchiha always have that same cockiness to you. Even Obito has it and he isn't a prodigy within the clan." Her hair settled back as she continued, "But you're already doing better than I expected, so good job!"

Her words brought a small swell of pride, but I pushed it aside and rubbed my head where she'd punched me. 'She's right, no time to get cocky. There's always room for improvement.'

"Anyway," she said, clapping her hands together again. "Now, let's talk about something that'll make your life a whole lot easier in the long run: reducing hand seals."

I raised an eyebrow, intrigued.

"Every jutsu has a set number of hand seals, right?" she began. "But hand seals are just aids to help knead your chakra into the right shape for the effect you need." I nodded as she continued.

"When you first learn a technique, you must perform every seal to shape your chakra correctly. But as you become more familiar with the technique, you can start cutting down on the number of seals. It's all about understanding the flow of chakra in your body and controlling it."

She held up her fingers, counting as she explained. "Most ninja can reduce the seals of a jutsu by about 50–70% depending on their chakra control. So if a jutsu needs ten seals, they might get it down to three or five with enough practice."

I nodded, already thinking about the jutsu I knew. 'Man, that would be super useful. Imagine needing only one hand seal to launch a fireball in a fight where victory could be determined by even the smallest margins.'

"A seasoned ninja might get it down to two seals," she continued. "But you can go even further, reducing a jutsu to one seal or none at all. That takes such a rare level of skill that only a few people in each generation can perform seal-less jutsu. A generational talent, even. My husband, Minato, is one of those rare shinobi who can perform most techniques without any seals."

The mention of her husband piqued my curiosity. "No seals at all? That's insane. How much control does that even take?"

Kushina grinned, clearly noticing my reaction. "Yeah, he's something else. But for now, let's start small. Pick a jutsu you're comfortable with, and I'll help you work on reducing the seals."

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

(A/N: Introducing the idea of signless jutsu pretty early here because this is going to be one of the things he works towards next as well as a couple of other things that I have in mind.)

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