Illumination – A Naruto Fantasy

Rei glared at the factory

"I don't like this at all" (Rei)

"Yeah. Considering they released two hostages last time, it's safe to say they've almost cracked the safe. Once they do, they'll probably take the remaining ones with them to use as leverage for escape" (Tai)

"If that happens, things will only get more complicated" (Suzu)

"That's not an option. Our orders are to ensure NO ONE sees what's inside that safe. Rei! After hearing what Shō-san had to say, I'm sure you and I are of like mind" (Tango)

"We are" (Rei)

"Have you felt anything yet?" (Suzu)

"No. But they could be suppressing their chakra like us" (Rei)

"Only one way to find out. We're here now anyway so you might as well" (Tai)

"Do it Rei" (Tango)

"I'm on it" (Rei)

Rei step forward and formed a hand seal

{Let's see what you've learned...} (Tango)

 

♦♦♦

 

Three weeks ago...

"..." (Rei)

Bonk! A figure wacked Rei on his head

"Agh! Damn it!" (Rei)

"You couldn't 'feel' me sneaking up on you this time either" (???)

"I'm gonna get a concussion at this rate!" (Rei)

"No use whining, I told you this wasn't going to be easy" (???)

"I know, I know. I have to clear my mind and properly manipulate my chakra" (Rei)

"Tango asked me to teach you and I don't tend to half-ass my work" (???)

"I gotta say, he continues to impress. The fact that he would call in another 'letter' just to teach me is testament to his dedication, C" (Rei)

During Team Tango's training, Rei asked Tango and B for the methods of sensing Chakra. Not sensor-ninja themselves, Tango called in a favor from someone who could teach Rei

The ninja who acquired the letter "C" little over a year ago after the previous one died

"You're making nice progress for someone so young" (C)

"Well my 'young' head begs to differ" (Rei)

"I'm serious. Largely in part to your incredible chakra control, you already learned how knead your chakra to sense others. Most people take months, if not years to accomplish what you've done in such a short time" (C)

{The only reason I'm able to do this at all is because of my advanced intelligence and Neo-Ōtsutsuki body} (Rei)

"So let's continue" (C)

"Alright, I'll try to do what you said. It's just, the concept of sensing chakra without actively trying to sense chakra sounds very contradicting" (Rei)

"Okay then, answer me this Rei, are you breathing right now?" (C)

"Y-yeah" (Rei)

"And are you focusing on breathing right now?" (C)

"Well...no. But that's breathing, it's-" (Rei)

"Natural? In a way, it is. Like walking, or talking, or moving any part of your body. But the truth is, you had to learn to walk and talk" (C)

"...Are you suggesting..." (Rei)

"Learning to sense chakra 24/7 without intense concentration is based on the same principle. Everyone can 'feel' chakra because feeling chakra isn't a jutsu, it's a sense. A sixth sense to be specific, barely any different from seeing or hearing" (C)

"Basically, you want it to be as natural as breathing for me" (Rei) 

"Even for sensor-ninja, detecting chakra is not instant; in order to sense chakra, one must actively mold chakra in order to detect other chakra over a wide range" (C)

"However, there's something that doesn't make sense. I've seen you use this ability in TWO different ways. One where you feel chakra like it's natural as you want me to do. But another where you've had to concentrate and even form hand seals. So what's up with that?" (Rei)

"Because there are two different ways of sensing" (C)

"Now you've officially lost me" (Rei) 

"Lemme give you an example. Take a symphony orchestra playing a song composed of many different instruments. Now when they play, hearing the song is not a problem for you right?" (C)

"Mhm" (Rei)

"But what if you wanted to listen to one particular instrument in that orchestra. To drown out the other 'noise', you'd have to concentrate right? Do you see where I'm going with this?" (C)

"So for you, sensing chakra all around you is like listening to an orchestra. Doesn't take much effort when it becomes natural. But when you need to find or focus on a particular individual within a large group, that's when you need to concentrate" (Rei)

"Right now, you're not even able to hear the whole orchestra without trying, let alone, focusing on a single individual. But at least you understand what you need to do, right?" (C)

"Yes" (Rei)

"Good. But be careful using it on the battlefield. None will notice you when you're just tuning into the orchestra, but when you focus and put more power into your sensing, other sensor-nin will notice and find out you're actively looking" (C)

"Potentially revealing my location, which could mean the difference between life and death" (Rei)

"Correct, you've finally got it" (C)

"Still doesn't mean I'll be able to do it" (Rei)

"Glass half full Rei, glass half full..." (C)

 

♦♦♦

 

"Mmm. Sensei..." (Rei)

"Hm?" (Tango)

"There are twenty people still inside. Four of them have chakra too weak to be shinobi" (Rei)

"The three employees and the manager. So it's not eleven, but sixteen enemies" (Tango)

"Except for one, most of them have average chakra's, not even at Chunin level" (Rei)

"Eh? I thought they'd be tougher for adults" (Tai)

"Missing-nin with a skill level of Jonin or higher are pretty rare, mainly due to being priority targets by their home villages" (Suzu)  

{Right, a ninja's body is a treasure trove of information, especially higher level ones. You definitely wouldn't want such secrets to get out} (Tai) 

"Hm? Guys...the chakra of one particular hostage is pretty weak. His life is in danger and he's been separated from the other three" (Rei)

"It has to be the factory boss, Tetsuo Mori. These ravagers probably 'interrogated' him, thinking he could open the safe" (Tai)

"Along with Tetsuo, there are three men in what I assume is the office with the safe. Two of them are hunched together, most likely the ones trying to crack it. The last one is watching over them, and considering this one has the strongest chakra of the whole group, it's safe to assume he's the leader" (Rei)

"Shō-san said they've been able to stop any attempt at sneaking in, do they have a sensor-nin?" (Suzu)

"If they did, they would've noticed me by now as I'm making my sensing as obvious as possible. But I haven't detected a sensor, and I also don't feel the chakra of animals inside" (Rei)

"Ruling out the possibility of ninja hounds or other animals with detecting abilities" (Suzu)

"At least we can stop suppressing our chakra now, that was getting annoying" (Tai)

"There is one thing odd. Aside from the men in the office, and the one watching the other three hostages, there are eight men patrolling the area" (Rei)

"What about the last four?" (Suzu)

"That's the odd thing, they're all hunched up next to each other...and they haven't moved at all" (Rei)

Suzu suspicions rose with that statement

"...Where are these four exactly?" (Suzu)

"Considering the make of the building, I'd say they're near its dead center" (Rei)

{Center...I wonder...} (Tai)

Tai looked towards the factory before picking up something off the ground

"Tai?" (Tango)

"You three, pay very close attention to the building and tell me if you notice anything weird" (Tai)

Tai threw a rock at the factory but oddly enough...

FIZZZZ

...the air became slightly distorted

"Was that...?" (Rei)

"A barrier. That's one of the words the hostages overheard, and told Shō-san when he questioned them" (Suzu)

"It has to be the Kekkai: Tengai Hōjin¹Barrier: Canopy Method Formation, a probe-type barrier that covers all directions. Anyone or anything that touches it will instantly be detected...look...some of them are already moving" (Tai)

As Tai pointed, the team could see two armed men approaching the area where the barrier was disturbed

"Such a fast response time, barely a few seconds passed before they showed up" (Suzu)

"That must be what the four guys hunched together are doing, maintaining the barrier. Looks like that rules out the chances of a sneak attack" (Tai)

"Not if I put them under my Genjutsu" (Rei)

"You sure? Last time you tried putting multiple targets under Genjutsu was during our fight with those damn hippos and it didn't work" (Tai)

"C gave me some much needed tips. Plus, learning to sense chakra has done wonders for my chakra control. Manipulating four people so close together won't be a problem. Once they're under, we won't have to worry about the barrier" (Rei)

"...If this works, we could rescue the hostages before the fighting even begins. Maybe even pick off a few of them quietly as well" (Tai)

"In that case, I'll take your normal position as the vanguard" (Suzu)

"Thanks. Once it gets loud I'll join you" (Rei)

"Okay lets...oh! Sensei! I'm sorry, none of us asked for your opinion. Is this strategy acceptable for you?" (Tai)

"...No objections here" (Tango)

Tango, who had his arms folded, was simply standing there the whole time

{Look at them...they're behaving like an actual unit now. But let's see how well they perform} (Tango)

"Let's keep this radio silent. Tango-sensei, please set up the Chakra Transmission" (Suzu)

"I'm on it. Hah!" (Tango)

Tango connected everyone's minds with his chakra

⌈Still a funny feeling as usual. I'm gonna get into position. I'll let you know when my Genjutsu is cast⌋ (Rei)

⌈Okay⌋ (Tango, Tai, & Suzu)

WHOOSH! Rei separated from the rest of the group

Making his way to the other side of the barrier, he positioned himself outside the view of a window where the barrier holders could get a good look at him

{Oh good, they're lined up next to each other. Now I just need all of them to look at me in order to cast it. Just gotta remember what C said, go original!} (Rei)

 

"Rei, genjutsu is when a ninja controls the chakra flow of a target's cerebral nervous system, affecting their five senses. But in order to control a targets five senses, you must connect your chakra with theirs via one of the five senses. Meaning if they can't see, hear, or feel your chakra with any other physical sense they possess, you can't cast Genjutsu on them.

It's for this reason Genjutsu is used more for the things like interrogation and espionage, rather than combat. People who mainly specialize in it and Doujutsu²Eye Technique users are the only exceptions.

And finally, the best way to use Genjutsu is to make your own original illusion. Whenever you use it, you're basically creating an entirely new, albeit illusionary, world that you control to influence an enemy. Focusing on free reign, instead of using a Genjutsu you learned somewhere else with preset conditions, is a far better means of tricking your target. So mix it up!" (C)

 

Rei kicked a rock towards the barrier before moving his hands

{Heh! Time for a little Non-canon}

The barrier users simultaneously turned their heads towards the window where Rei was facing

{Now!}

His hands holding a hand seal

 

 

 

 

 

"Magen: Kakuran!³Demonic Illusion: Disturbance" (Rei)