Chapter 14- Plans and Sensory Training

< Ninja Academy, Katsuo's Classroom >

Katsuo was seated in the farthest corner of the upper row, his left hand supporting his chin and his right hand rhythmically tapping his fingers on the desk, a typical action indicating he was pondering about something.

'Okay. I have both fire and lightning affinities, and I've already learned the shadow clone jutsu. Now, what should I focus on next?'

Initially, Katsuo's father intended to teach him a standard water clone; if it had been any other child, they would have learnt the technique with great excitement and without any questions. But Katsuo, being Katsuo, asked his father whether there were any other cloning techniques.

Upon hearing his father mention the shadow clone jutsu, Katsuo's eyes had lit up with eagerness, and he had quickly expressed his strong desire to learn it.

However, Katsuo's father, being pragmatic had swiftly rejected the idea, arguing that it wasn't suitable for kids. He pointed out that the jutsu consumed half of the user's chakra to create a solid clone, and the memory transfer aspect could leave the user feeling dizzy and disoriented, making it quite risky for someone so young.

Refusing to take no for an answer, Katsuo pulled out his trump card – the "Puppy Eyes no Jutsu."

He unleashed his most convincing puppy-dog eyes, catching his father off guard and melting his resistance. With a sigh of surrender, his father had reluctantly agreed to teach him, albeit with repeated advice to make only one clone, no more than that.

Katsuo, however, felt no shame in resorting to such tactics. He firmly believed that a resourceful shinobi should always use every tool at their disposal to achieve their goals.

'Hmm... maybe I should go to the library and look for some E-rank jutsu first.Then, I can abuse the shadow clone jutsu to speed up my training, just like Naruto.'

'I should also go to the training tower and practice my sensory abilities; it could serve as the foundation for awakening the - 'Mind's Eye Of The Kagura.'

The Mind's Eye of the Kagura is a technique that allows one to sense chakra from exceptional distances in great detail. These sensory capabilities bless the user with abilities that even surpass dōjutsu with comparable powers.

By closing one's eyes and opening the mind's eye, the user delves into a realm of heightened perception. This extraordinary ability grants them the power to sense and track chakra across vast distances, extending their sensory reach to encompass several dozen kilometers. Within this expanded awareness, even the slightest flicker of unusual chakra activity doesn't escape their notice.

With intense focus, the user can hone in on a specific target, peering into the very essence of its chakra. This intricate inspection reveals not only the target's location and movements but also provides detailed insights into its unique characteristics. The user becomes a chakra detective, capable of deducing the very nature of the chakra they observe.

This profound sensitivity to chakra fluctuations empowers the user to discern subtle shifts in a person's chakra, whether it be during the molding of chakra, moments of deceit, or the presence of genjutsu—a formidable skill that can unravel the mysteries hidden within the world of chakra.

Katsuo was well aware about the abilities of the mind's eye and he was eager to awaken his own.

Actually, it would be more accurate to say that Katsuo was fully aware of the capabilities of a sensory ninja and was very interested in becoming a skilled sensor.

He'd watched 'Naruto' and knew that sensory Shinobis were highly skilled at their art, capable of sensing a person's chakra from hundreds of kilometers away.

According to Katsuo, it was a must-have skill for any ninja. being aware of your surroundings can considerably boost your survivability, lowering your chances of getting ambushed by anyone.

However, not everyone can become a sensor. Just like, everyone has chakra, but not everyone can use it.

Ordinary people aren't even aware of it, just like the chakra that flows through their own bodies, but ninjas hone that perception in training so that as long as they are close enough, they can feel chakra. This can be vital for detecting nearby enemies, incoming techniques, the influence of genjutsu or even when someone is transformed. They can even differentiate between people through the unique pattern or signature of their chakra like with fingerprints.

Unfortunately, the average shinobi can barely feel chakra outside of their immediate proximity and it works best when physically touching the person or object. They can only feel it from a distance when it exists in large enough volumes such as ninja raising their chakra level to extremes, a clash between powerful enemies or a large-scale battle of shinobi.

This perception is also why people can feel killing intent of another indivudual. Killing intent is one's desire to harm or kill being projected through their chakra into their surroundings towards the chosen target to incite fear with its threat. This can paralyze the victim, encourage suicidal impulses or even make them so afraid that they hallucinate their own death. The greater the malice and more powerful the individual then the greater the psychological effect it can have on the target. And not even seasoned jounin are entirely immune to this fear.

Even animals can feel chakra and are actually more sensitive than humans due to their animal instincts. Ninjas have taken advantage of this by training their animals to utilize this sense for their benefit e.g. ninja dogs detecting chakra through their sense of smell.

However, sensors are a limited group of people who are born with a naturally superior level of chakra sensitivity. They can consciously detect chakra far beyond what most people are capable of, both in distance and detail, by molding their chakra to enter a state known as sensory mode.

In sensory mode, they can pinpoint someone's exact location, differentiate between people by their chakra, judge how powerful someone is, recognize changes in chakra level or its absence, divine a person's nature, and even identify their family or native country. The extent to which a sensor can detect chakra depends on the individual's talent and skill rather everyone having an equal level of ability.

Some sensors will transmit their sensing through their surroundings to enhance its accuracy such as touching the ground with their finger, allowing them to sense anyone in contact with the ground in more details.

What's more, Sensors are automatically aware when they have been sensed by someone which can save them and their allies from being caught off-guard by an enemy's reconnaisance or ambush. The only way to counter chakra sensing is to suppress one's chakra to prevent them from being sensed. Most ninja unconsciously learn to hide their chakra for stealth, lowering the amount of chakra flowing through their pathways and make themselves less distinctive so they can slip past the senses.

Naturally this limits their ability to mould chakra which, at the very least, minimizes how much they can use while keeping their chakra hidden so it forces the ninja to stop the suppression when they need to attack or defend. Just as sensors can sense on a level beyond anyone else, they can essentially make themselves invisible to anyone else's sense of chakra at the cost of not being able to use their own chakra sensing.

Katsuo didn't have to be concerned about his inability to become a sensor. Katsuo was a natural born sensor, just like his parents. When he was three years old, he could faintly feel the presence of nearby people. He did not keep this information from his parents, who were pleased to say the least. They then began to teach him about sensory abilities and how to use them, lest he felt overwhelmed by his own senses.

For the time being, he could perceive anything within a radius of 100 mitres; beyond that, things began to become a jumbled mess beyond his control. So his task now is quite straightforward. He only needs to perfect his skills.

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< Uzumaki clan - Training Tower >

Katsuo stepped into the training tower, greeted by its well-lit interior.

Unlike other buildings, the training tower had no openings for natural lighting. Instead, the hallways and training rooms were adorned with seals that emitted a soft, consistent glow, providing plenty illumination. This place was exclusive to clan members; outsiders were strictly prohibited.

With an obvious sense of purpose, Katsuo made his way through the tower's hallways towards the sensory training zone.

Katsuo didn't even think about whether or not he'd find an empty room. The training tower boasted over ten floors, each housing numerous rooms filled with an array of training equipment and intricate seals.

He was well aware, however, that not all floors were accessible to children like him. Certain floors have obvious entry requirements and restrictions.

- ( Scene Break ) -

Katsuo found himself in the center of a large chamber. Everything in the room had been painted a deep, engulfing black, from the walls to the floor and ceiling. The only sources of light were the elaborate seals spread throughout, which gave an eerie, dim glow.

This was the sensory training room, which was established with a variety of training instruments. It was outfitted with seals designed particularly to confuse one's senses, capable of dampening sound, scent, and even detecting the most tiniest spikes of chakra.

Various tools and instruments, including projectile launchers, were neatly set throughout the area. It was a planned setting for honing sensory skills to their utmost potential.

Katsuo after taking a deep breath yelled, accompanied with a small burst of chakra.

"START"

As the training began, the chamber went completely dark, the seals dimming their faint glow. It was now a world of pitch-black darkness.

The hidden tools came to life with a slight surge of chakra, propelling their projectiles towards the source of the disturbance. It was a test of sensory acuity, forcing the person within to rely exclusively on their enhanced senses to avoid the unseen threats rushing through the darkness.

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A/N: The projectiles are blunt wooden kunai's. I mean, who wants to die doing training.

~Power Stones~

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