I continued my lessons with Master Shuzo for three days. I could tell he was starting to believe that I actually wanted to learn fuinjutsu. Given my understanding and mental age, he was clearly surprised by how quickly I was progressing.
He had started teaching me some basic fuinjutsu formulas, simple symbols, how to draw them correctly, and how to control my chakra enough to imbue the ink. For now, I was only learning basic symbols, since that's all my current level of chakra control could realistically handle. I hadn't learned anything about triggers or activation mechanisms yet, but he implied that would come later. So I stayed focused, fully engrossed in my fuinjutsu training while making steady progress with my lightning chakra circulation. I was taking it extremely slow. Moving the current a few millimeters closer into my chest, one day at a time. A prolonged battle of will and attraction.
When I returned from training with Master Shuzo, I found Shizuru waiting outside my place for our usual walk. I smiled. I genuinely enjoyed these walks. They did something to my mood. They helped me feel less… alone.
She didn't say anything at first. Just handed me two rice balls wrapped in cloth, like it was the most normal thing in the world. I took them without a word, tucked one into my pocket, unwrapped the other, and nodded in approval at the smell of pickled plum inside. Her mom had basically decided to spoil me with daily food offerings. I wasn't complaining. What a great family.
We walked side by side through one of the lesser-used streets near the training grounds. It was quiet. Peaceful. Late enough that some people had already turned in, but not so late that the ANBU started giving you funny looks.
"How's the old man?" she asked eventually.
"Dusty. Cryptic. Might be part seal himself. Hard to say," I replied between bites.
She hummed in amusement. "So… fun."
"Oh, loads. Today he gave me a lecture about ink being a reflection of the soul. Then made me redraw the same seal twenty-three times. I wish that was an exaggeration."
"Was it at least better on the twenty-third try?"
I glanced up at the moon. "Worst one yet."
We took the long route, cutting across a narrow wooden bridge that overlooked a shallow stream. Shizuru leaned on the railing, staring down at the water like she was pondering the secrets of the universe. I stood beside her, letting the silence stretch out.
"You're quieter than usual," she said after a while.
"Long day," I muttered. "A lot on my mind."
She didn't push. Just nodded slowly, eyes still on the water.
After a few seconds, she added, "You know, I think you're doing better than you think."
I gave her a look. "Is that so? How can you tell?"
"I'm smart. And I have eyes."
I snorted. "Right. Nara wisdom."
She shrugged like she wasn't disagreeing. Then she turned toward me, voice a little softer. "You're not easy to talk to sometimes, Noa. But I'm glad we do this."
"Walk awkwardly in silence?"
"No. Share food. Breathe fresh air. Not training, just walking."
"Huh. That is indeed suspiciously good."
She smirked, pushed off the railing, and started walking again. "Let's keep going. I want to be home before my mom decides I've been kidnapped."
I followed, stuffing the last bite of rice ball into my mouth. The night air was cool, and for once, I didn't feel like the world was actively trying to crush me.
Just nudge me a little. And that, I could live with.
After, I walked her to her compound, joking about the people we passed along the way. A habit she claims counts as bullying, given my usual snarky remarks, I went back home, ready for tomorrow. My first day of sensory training. Luckily, it was scheduled for the very early morning, before my fuinjutsu session. I wouldn't have time to meditate, but I'd already decided to move that to the evening on sensory training days. Trade-offs. Fun.
The next morning hit me like a sleep-deprived punch to the soul. The sun was barely up, and I was already dragging myself through the empty streets of Konoha with half a rice ball in my mouth and an Academy-loaned water bottle in hand.
The meeting point was behind the western training fields, where the barrier team usually ran drills. I arrived to find a single figure standing in the middle of an open clearing, arms crossed, back perfectly straight like he'd been born to judge posture.
He wore a sleeveless vest, utility pants, and a standard shinobi forehead protector with the Yamanaka crest faintly etched into his shoulder strap. Young-ish, early twenties, maybe, with the tired expression of someone who'd been asked to train kids before and still hadn't emotionally recovered.
"You're Noa," he said without greeting, voice flat. "I'm Yamanaka Reiji."
"Nice to meet you," I said, doing my best to sound not-half-asleep. "You're the one Sena 'asked nicely,' right?"
He blinked at that, clearly not expecting me to be direct. "... Yes. She did ask. Nicely."
Translation: I owe her a favor and this is suffering.
Reiji gestured to the ground in front of him. "Sit. We're starting with testing your base chakra sensitivity. I'll expand my field. You try to detect the direction based on which side of your body it makes contact with first. No tricks, no flaring your chakra. Just feel."
I sat cross-legged, posture halfway decent thanks to months of meditation. He closed his eyes, and in the next second, I felt it. a subtle wave, like a ripple in still water. Not overwhelming. Not sharp. Just there.
"Focus on your solar plexus," he said quietly. "For now, let your chakra stay still, not active. Don't search yet. Just feel. For now, it's about sensing while staying still. Later on, if you have what it takes, we'll work on sensing while moving or while your chakra is active."
I narrowed my eyes and tried to shut out the wind, the birds, the distant sounds.
Then I felt it.
A faint hum brushing the edge of my awareness. Like warmth without heat. Pressure without weight. It was barely there, like the air had remembered something important and didn't want to say it out loud.
"Around ten meters. Slightly to my right," I muttered.
Reiji opened one eye, and his lips twitched upward, just a little. "Impressive."
High praise.
"Again."
And we did it again. And again. Each time, he shifted his position while moving in complete silence. Slightly, subtly. Sometimes closer, sometimes farther. I wasn't perfect. Not even close. But the more I stopped trying to feel everything, the better I became at noticing specific things.
By the time the sun peeked over the rooftops, I was drenched in sweat and not from movement. Chakra sensitivity wasn't about effort. It was about awareness. Exhausting in a completely different way.
Reiji finally stood, dusting off his knees. "That's enough for today. Your baseline is surprisingly solid. You'll improve quickly."
I blinked at him. "Is that a compliment?"
"No," he replied. "It's an observation."
I couldn't help but grin as I got to my feet. "So, when's the next lesson?"
Reiji offered a tired shrug, then turned to leave. "Same time, after tomorrow."
I watched him walk off, then took a long breath and rolled my shoulders. One down. One more training session to go.
Time to get sealed and emotionally critiqued by a cryptkeeper.
What a life.