[Bonus Chapter for Powerstones]
"The principle of sensory ninjutsu isn't actually that complex."
In the forest atop the ridge, after eating and drinking their fill, Eagle began to explain her understanding of sensory arts. It was clear she enjoyed the feeling of being a teacher; she even paced back and forth in front of Amamiya Ayane with her hands behind her back.
The only issue was Eagle's height—or lack thereof. At barely 155cm, she couldn't quite establish the "authoritative teacher" vibe. Instead, she looked like a child playing dress-up in adult clothes.
Ayane suppressed a smirk and played along. "And what is that principle?"
Eagle chuckled. "To put it simply: find a suitable medium, then use that medium to broadcast your chakra far and wide."
She didn't hold back, explaining freely. "There are many mediums to choose from—inanimate objects like soil or water droplets, or living things like animals. It depends on the specific jutsu and your chakra nature."
In the original series, sensory techniques varied wildly: Pain's Rain Tiger at Will, Karin's Mind's Eye of the Kagura, Gaara's Third Eye, the Yamanaka clan's secret arts, and the Aburame clan's bugs. Except for Karin, most required a clear physical medium.
"Our Rain Village's sensory arts primarily use the water element found in the environment." Eagle suddenly brought her hands together, weaving through seven or eight hand seals before slamming her palm onto the ground.
Say what you will about her height, but that move had flair. Ayane was genuinely impressed.
"Because it rains year-round, the soil in the Land of Rain is saturated with water," Eagle explained. "We use that moisture as a conductor to extend our chakra and perceive our surroundings."
Ayane applied some logic. "In that case, why not just use the earth element? There's way more of it."
Eagle froze, stumped. "Uh, well... that..." To be honest, she had never thought about it. She just practiced what was in the scrolls.
"Probably because the earth element is too dense and heavy," Woodpecker chimed in, drawing from his years of experience. "It lacks the 'flow' of water. While earth is more pervasive and would yield better results, the chakra consumption would be massive. It's likely a matter of efficiency."
Ayane nodded. For others, high chakra consumption was a dealbreaker. For her? It was a non-issue.
Her innate purple trait, [Diluted Uzumaki Bloodline], gave her ten times the chakra of her peers, and it was only growing as she aged.
She didn't know her exact "Kakashi-unit" measurement yet, but she had never once worried about her mana bar. If I get the chance, I might try to modify this technique to use earth, she thought.
Sensing she was losing face, Eagle hurried to the next step. "Alright, enough theory. Practical time!" She grabbed Ayane's left hand and pressed it toward the ground. "Come on, follow the flow I taught you and try to release your chakra!"
Ayane looked at her like she was a troubled child. "How am I supposed to form seals if you're holding my hand?"
"Oh..." Eagle started to let go, but then she saw Ayane's free right hand blur.
Ox → Dog → Horse → Rat → Dog → Boar → Snake.
"One-handed seals?!" Eagle's eyes went wide behind her mask. She let out a cry of mock despair. "Curse you, Swan! You're showing off again!"
Even Woodpecker was shaken. Given Ayane's age, this level of talent was terrifying. It's like the heavens are personally spoon-feeding her success, he thought with a mix of awe and envy.
Ayane ignored their shock and focused. She pushed her chakra through her palm into the earth. Suddenly, it was as if a third eye opened in her mind.
The ground within a ten-meter radius appeared in her consciousness like a high-resolution X-ray. She could "see" the damp soil, the hard rocks... even the worms wriggling through the dirt.
No wonder the Sage of Six Paths said chakra could connect hearts, she mused. This is basically a low-tier version of 'Divine Sense' from those cultivation novels.
Seeing Ayane go silent after the seals, Eagle leaned in, her head pressing against Ayane's as she whispered curiously, "Well? Did it work? What do you sense?"
Ayane's nose twitched. "Hmm... I've sensed something quite extraordinary."
"Extraordinary? What is it?"
"Well..." Ayane paused. "Your palms are very soft. And your body smells very nice... like lemon blossoms."
Eagle froze. A second later, her face turned beet-red behind her mask. She snatched her hand back and made a strange "kyuuu" sound. "What the—?! Be serious, you jerk!"
Ayane didn't let up. She turned sharply toward her. "Spill it! Did you sneak off to find a place to bathe without me?"
In her past life, she was a person who valued hygiene; in this life, she was a beautiful girl. The habit of bathing was etched into her soul. But bathing was strictly forbidden for Anbu on mission to prevent scent-tracking. She had been suffering for days.
Eagle crossed her arms in a "X" shape. "Stop! Sensory ninjutsu is not for sniffing out bath secrets!"
"Hmph... you're still not confessing..." Ayane stepped closer, mock-menacingly.
Suddenly, her expression snapped. She spun toward the dense forest behind them. "Who's there? Show yourself!"
The transition was so sudden it left no room for doubt. Woodpecker drew his weapon instantly, his gaze following hers. Eagle was a split second slower, but she immediately formed seals for her own sensory jutsu.
"Urgent military intelligence!" A ninja wearing a Rain protector stumbled out from the trees, gasping for air. "Konoha... Konoha has sent a massive force across the Anyue River... It looks like a full-scale invasion! The decisive battle is starting!"
The trio stiffened. Before Ayane could speak, Eagle pressed against her back and whispered in her ear: "Swan... six o'clock, ten meters back. There's a 'tail' behind him..."
Ayane's breath hitched. She glanced back casually, but the forest was a wall of deep shadows. She formed a seal behind her back with one hand while stepping forward toward the scout.
"Which unit are you from? How many Konoha ninja? Who's leading them?"
As she spoke, she lowered her blade, Stormrazor, until the tip touched the ground. The benefit of chakra-conductive metal was immediate. Her chakra flowed silently through the blade and into the earth. Her newly learned sensory perception rippled out.
There. A tiny, nearly imperceptible chakra signature.
Even though she couldn't see it, the positional data was enough. For someone with the green [Tool Projection] trait, that was all she needed.
"Anbu-sama, I am Kawayawa from the Fourth Squad, First Reconnaissance Unit," the scout replied. "The commander is unknown, but there are roughly eight hundred ninja, they've already—"
Ayane's wrist flicked.
Swish!
Two kunai blurred into the dark.
Thwack! Thwack!
The sound of metal hitting wood. Behind her, Eagle let out a long breath of relief. "It's dead."
Woodpecker flickered to the spot. He reached down to the base of a tree and stood back up. "A small white snake."
Eagle was confused. "A snake with chakra? A summoning? But it's so small, what could it possibly do?"
A snake...
Ayane's heart sank. Others might not know, but she did.
The person behind that snake was Orochimaru. Which meant the "Three Sannin" had arrived
🔓 You hold the keys to bonus chapters:💬 10 reviews ignite 1 bonus chapter🔷 100 Power Stones summon another
🔥 Your power determines how fast the tale unfolds.