Chapter 9

Title: Chakra Control

...

"Kakashi has already taught you about Chakra control so I won't talk too much on it, however, one thing you all must know is that... Chakra Control is what determines how much of a genius you are." Shun addressed the three Genins

Shun looked at the eager faces of Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura, who were all sitting in a circle, ready to learn about chakra control. He continued, "You see, chakra control is like the foundation of all ninja techniques. It's what separates the average ninja from the exceptional ones. Kakashi-sensei has given you the basics, but let's dive a bit deeper."

Naruto raised his hand. "I know I've got a lot to learn, but what exactly is chakra control, Shun-nii?"

Shun nodded at Naruto's question. "Great question, Naruto. Chakra is the life energy that flows within every living being. Chakra control is about mastering the flow and balance of this energy within your body. It's about being precise and efficient with your chakra usage."

Sasuke leaned forward, intrigued. "So, how do we improve our chakra control?"

Shun smiled. "Well, Sasuke, Kakashi should have shown you an example already, but, a more lucrative way to improve chakra control is through meditation. It helps you connect with your chakra and understand its flow. You can also practice tree climbing exercises. Try to channel just the right amount of chakra to your feet to stick to a tree without damaging it. It's a good test of control."

Sakura seemed thoughtful. "But how does chakra control make us geniuses, as you said?"

Shun explained, "Chakra control allows you to perform jutsu with greater finesse. It means you can use less chakra to achieve the same results as others, making you more efficient and effective in battle. It's about doing more with less."

"Come, Sasuke, perform your Fireball Jutsu." Shun motioned to Sasuke who looked at him in confusion before standing up to perform the technique.

After a series of handsigns, a fireball twice his size appeared and was shot towards the forest. Sakura looked at this in awe while Naruto clicked his tongue.

"Good. Now can you tell me how much of your chakra you used for that technique?" Shun asked and Sasuke thought for a moment before saying. "Like one third of it."

"Hmm. Alright, let me perform it." Shun said and without handsigns a humongous fireball appeared and literally scorched the trees and earth around them.

But without releasing it, Shun withdrew his chakra and the fireball disappeared.

"Who amongst you can tell me what just happened?" Shun turned to his students only to see them standing petrified.

Snapping his finger, the three awoke and looked at Shun in horror.

"Nii-san! What was that? How did you do that!?" Naruto cried on the top of his voice.

"I'm the one asking the question here. Anyone?" Shun asked, but seeing their confused expression, he continued.

"I just did the same technique as Sasuke, but without handsigns. But, it was bigger, hotter and controlled. Yes?" Shun asked and they all nodded.

"I could even disperse it by will. That is the extent Chakra control can take you." Shun said and motioned to Sakura. "Come here."

Sakura flinched before approaching Shun nervously. "Don't be nervous. I'm only using you to illustrate something. You're the most intelligent one amongst them afterall..."

"Hey!" "Hey!" That was Naruto and Sasuke.

"...book wise, that is." Shun completed his sentence without even sparing a glance to the two boys. "Now, I want you to try and resist." Shun simply said and immediately took a hold of her hands and began forming some handsigns.

(A/N: Similar to what Obito did when he used Kakashi's hand to form handsigns. Or even Sasuke to Naruto.)

Sakura's eyes widened in horror as she tried to resist the pull on her chakra all to no avail. It was as though she was a a tiny pebble dropped into a huge sea.

Releasing her, Shun took a step back. "Ninpo: Terraforming." As he said that, the earth beneath him began to tremble subtly as the terrain around him, gradually transformed into a perfect training ground.

The once uneven ground became smooth and flat, ideal for rigorous ninja exercises. Smooth pathways and training dummies emerged, ready for action.

But he wasn't finished yet. With a gentle wave of his hand, he guided a small river to flow through the landscape.

"Woah!!" Sasuke, Sakura and Naruto exclaimed in awe as their environment changed. They couldn't make head or tail on what was going on. Only a slightly pale Sakura could make sense of it.

On one side of the training area, a basketball court complete with marked lines and a hoop gradually formed. The surface was as smooth as glass, perfect for dribbling and shooting hoops.

As Shun opened his eyes, he surveyed his handiwork with a satisfied smile.

"So... How much of your chakra did I make use of?"

"Nearly all of them!?" Sakura exclaimed in both anger and fear.

"Eh? For real?" Shun asked with a chuckle while scratching his cheeks nervously. "Anyway, this was all done with your chakra."

"Don't ignore me!"

"How is that possible?"

Shun decided to ignore the first voice and look at Sasuke who asked the question.

"It's simple. With perfect mastery over your chakra. You could even compel an enemies chakra to perform your Jutsu." Shun said with a smug smile. "However, they're actually so few people who could achieve this."

"Who are they?" Naruto asked.

"Hmm. Just the few living geniuses from their respective academy days." Shun said. "Like Kakashi, your Sensei."

"Kakashi?"

"Our Kakashi-sensei?"

Naruto and Sakura asked respectively and Shun nodded. "Your Sensei is one of many geniuses that have walked this world. Remember the kid you met earlier?" Shun asked and they nodded.

"At that age, he already has the making of a Chunin. However, at that age, Kakashi was already a full fledged Jounin." Shun said.

"For real?" Naruto asked and Shun nodded.

"Wow. That's..."

"Amazing. I know. He graduated the academy at the age of 5. Became Chunin at the age of 7 and finally Jounin at the age of 12. That means, when he was your age, he was already a Jounin." Shun said with a smirk as he saw the disbelieving look on the children's faces.

"He's not the only one though. There was another person. Itachi Uchiha." Shun said and Sasuke flinched. A look of anger and hatred flashed in his eyes before they were suppressed.

Shun smiled but said nothing. "He graduated the academy at the age of 9, alongside Izumi and Hana from from the Inuzuka clan,"

"Inuzuka? Like Kiba's clan?" Sakura asked

"Yup. She is Kiba's actual sister too." Naruto answered with a grin.

"What about him? How much of a genius is he?" Sasuke asked.

"Well, after graduating at that age, he was made Jounin at the age of 12, and Anbu captain the very next year." Shun answered.

"Anbu?" Sakura and Naruto asked.

"Yeah. The village's super Squad."

"So he was a captain of a super Squad?" Naruto asked in excitement. "Then he should be stronger than the Hokage right?"

"Why do you ask?"

"Why? Of course it's to Join this super Squad and become captain too." Naruto answered.

"Unfortunately, you don't have the making of an Anbu." Shun ruffled his hair, and without waiting for him to continue. "Another person is from the sand Village. Sasori of the red sand."

"The red sand?" Naruto tilted his head in confusion. "Does he use red sand technique?"

Shun shook his head and answered. "His hair is just red so..." He shrugged and continued. "Anyways, he graduated the academy at the age of 8 and became a rogue Ninja at 13."

"Rogue Ninja? What's that?"

"Yeah. They're people who betray their villages." Shun answered. "Another person of note is... The Fourth Hokage of the Leaf."

"The Fourth?"

"Yeah. He graduated the academy at 9, fought in the second Shinobi war and became a Chunin during the war. After the war, he trained your Sensei and his teammates before the third Shinobi war."

"He's sensei's Sensei?!" The three of them asked at the same time.

"Yup. He was a genius so the third asked him to take care of another genius." Shun said. "Moving on. He was able to strike terror into the heart of the Stone and Lightning Village with his enormous speed that earned him the Monika of - The Yellow Flash -"

"The yellow flash? What's that? He was yellow or something?" Naruto asked, while indirectly insulting his father.

Shun chuckled at that and said. "It was said that there was always a yellow flash before the enemies lost their lives. This made for the stone village to issue a warning."

"A warning? I thought the Yellow Flash was stronger than them?" Sakura asked.

"He was. But the warning was not for him, but for the Stone Ninjas."

"For the Stone? What was the warning?"

"To Run on Sight."

"What?" The three children looked at Shun in confusion as they didn't really grasp what it meant to run at the sight of am enemy Shinobi.

"The warning was for them to run as soon as he's sighted as they had no means to contain him." Shun said with a fond smile.

"Then how did someone that strong die then?" Naruto asked. "He was the Hokage right? How could he die?"

"Hehe, wouldn't you like to know?" Shun said before continuing. "And finally on the list... There's this other Genins... He didn't graduate early... No... He graduated at the ripe age of twelve..."

"Then how is he a genius?"

"Thanks for asking that question, Naruto. He was a genius because... He directly became a Jounin from the academy. He was so strong that not even expert Jounins could beat him and even till this day, he remains unbeaten..."

"Can you guess who this person is?" Shun asked dramatically with puffed out chest

"You." Naruto and Sasuke both answered nonchalantly at the same time, directly destroying the dramatic air Shun had created.

"Hey. That's just mean." Shun barked at the two.

"Nii-san, you never let us not know about your awesomeness." Sasuke said with an eye roll.

"Wha-! Did you just roll your eyes at me?"

"No?"

"I'm asking the questions here young man." "No." He answered with another eye roll.

"Hey. I just saw you do it again. Naruto, you saw it too didn't you?" Shun asked.

"Didn't see nothing Nii-san." Naruto defended his brother in crime.

"Oh... Okay. Okay. I see. No problems." Shun said as he took slow steps backwards, sounding heartbroken by the attitudes of his brothers.

"I suppose you all are mentally prepared to train your chakra control then?" Shun asked softly.

Naruto scratched his head. "Sounds tough, but I'll give it my all!"

Sasuke nodded in agreement. "We're all up for the challenge."

Shun looked at them. "That's the spirit! Remember, mastering chakra control takes time and practice. But with me and hard work, you can become true geniuses in the ninja world."

The three young ninjas exchanged glances, ready to embark on this new journey of improving their chakra control skills under Shun's guidance.

"Now you see that court over there? That'll be where we will be Training our hand-eye coordination as well as teamwork...after we're done training our control that is..."

The three looked at the weirdly shaped court in confusion before looking at Shun who had begun smiling malevolently. "Now... Try you best to actually survive."

As soon as he said that, an enormous pressure descended upon them causing them to stumble and lose their footing.

"Now this pressure only acts on your a chakra-less body. Try to coat your body with the minimal amount of chakra possible... Your entire body."

"Isn't that impossible? How can we do that?"

"I dunno. You were the ones that said you wanted to be as strong as that boy when you meet next time." Shun shrugged.

"You were the one that said it. You said you'd make us strong enough to beat that boy." Sakura strained her body and voice to reply.

"Eh? Really? Hm. Well, this is good training. The pain will make you all learn quickly. Trust me." Shun said with a causal smile.

"I feel like he's getting revenge on us Sasuke."

"I have eyes, and my body can also Interpret what it is currently feeling." Sasuke snorted at his childhood friend who was stating the obvious.

"Then..."

"Just keep quiet and try to control your chakra. We've tried this training out with Izumi-nee before right?" Sasuke told him.

"Eh? But that was just once, and we were messing around that time."

"Doesn't matter. Just try to coat your body with chakra. Those earth dummies are coming." Sasuke said and tried to stand up as he had managed to free himself of the pressure somewhat.

However, as soon as he stood up, be saw that Sakura was already standing...and was actually stable at that.

She felt his gaze and looked at him with a cute smile while sticking out her tongue.

'The hell?' Sasuke thought and looked at his friend who was already on his feet but was hunch backed. 'The actual hell?'

"How did you manage to stand?" Sasuke asked curtly. "And move at that."

"It's chakra control. Remember what Kakashi-sensei taught yesterday? To focus all our chakra on the soles of our feets." Sakura said and Sasuke nodded

"In Shun-san's case, I think he wants us to focus all our chakra on all of our body, instead of one place." Sakura concluded.

"I know. I'm just curious... How were you able to do it? We haven't learnt this before and I'm sure you also haven't. Your surprise was genuine yesterday when Kakashi did it." Sasuke asked.

"Of course I haven't learnt it. I'm just that good." Sakura said casually, but for some reason, Sasuke's eyes twitched as that particular statement overlapped with what Shun would say whenever he did something unique.

Meanwhile, Naruto who also heard the conversation felt the same way as Sasuke and couldn't help but glare at the smiling young man standing a distance away from them.

Sensing their gaze, he smiled even deeper and waved at them.

Sasuke, not one to be outdone, decided to focus all his chakra throughout his body as well, determined to match Sakura's achievement. Naruto, on the other hand, grumbled to himself, feeling a mix of frustration and determination to catch up.

Meanwhile, Shun observed their efforts with a watchful eye, a hint of pride in his gaze. He had pushed them not only to test their abilities but also to instill in them the importance of mastering chakra control.

He knew that with dedication and perseverance, they would unlock their potential and become formidable ninjas. Afterall, they did it in the original.

With him here, they could achieve it and more.

With a sly smile, Shun called out to them, "Remember, the path to becoming a true genius requires hard work and determination. You've taken your first steps today. Keep pushing your limits, and you'll achieve greatness."

Naruto and Sasuke exchanged determined glances, fueled by their competitive spirits and the desire to prove themselves.

Shun's and Itachi's enigmatic presence in their lives continued to be a driving force in their training, guiding them towards a future filled with challenges, growth, and the pursuit of becoming extraordinary ninja.

Sasuke, for the strength to confront his brother and ask "Why?"

Naruto, for the strength to prove himself to the village, as well as his rival.

****

I am sincerely sorry for the lack of chapters for 2 days straight. We had a power outage for a period of time so I couldn't really write with confidence, knowing my devices would shut down soon without any backup.

Next chapter will be a rundown of their training and progress as well as the beginning of the fight on the bridge.

Enjoy....