Genjutsu! (solo)

This morning was surprisingly warm, considering that Kumo was a mountainous region, with volatile weather, but there was no harsh wind or freezing rain. It was sunny, and it was warm, and it was clear. So, naturally, all ninja who took notice of this weather, and that was every ninja, grabbed an umbrella or a raincoat and continuously cast suspicious glances up at the sky, wondering when the clouds would come about and it would start raining. Though, some did decide to enjoy the weather while they could.

Aya Hiyashi was one of these ninja. Though she had a full body length raincoat tucked under her shoulder just in case. Though if push came to shove she could just use Hiding Like a Mole to avoid the rain and wind, not to mention the people trying to get out of the rain.

The young teenage Chuunin was walking towards the library, sending out her chakra and picking up the chakra signatures of her fellow ninja. Some would flare their chakra a little in greeting, and it made her smile at how comfortable everyone was today, even with the distrust sent to the heavens.

Entering the library through the door, unlike some people who feel the need to enter and exit through random entry points, the teen waved to the woman manning the front desk and wordlessly went up the stairs to the 'jutsu' section, and she felt a subtle wave of foreign chakra wash over her senses, and she sent a small wave of her own cool chakra out in like a single ripple in response. The Anbu watching her flared their chakra a little, and the teen relaxed minutely, he had recognised her chakra and she was not deemed a threat. Gods, she hated the whole scanning thing whenever she entered the jutsu section. It always made her jumpy, or put goose bumps on her arms and a shiver running up her spine.

Now, normally she would go to the Earth Jutsu section or the Medical Jutsu section, but not today. Today she went to the genjutsu section. The redhead couldn't tell if it was one of those isles that had a lot or was a little empty, because elemental jutsu was simply so immense that trying to compare it to any other type of jutsu made it seem that much larger and the other jutsu collection so much smaller.

Scanning the shelves, she spotted a 'Beginners Guide to Genjutsu' scroll, and pulled it out. Walking over to a sunny nook stuffed with plush cushions and a few plants, the teen plopped down and opened the book. Reading the words and memorising the theory and instructions and the bare basics.

In theory, it was pretty simple. The caster weaves a net around an area or a person, their chakra subtly invading the victim and influencing their senses, making them see, smell, hear, feel, taste and sense things that are not actually real. They could simulate scenarios or help the mind remember or to help them forget. And, depending on the hand seals and the skill of the user, the user could make just about anything happen in the mind of the victim.

'I can work with this' Aya thought as a devious smile began to bloom on her face. Oh yes, she can definitely work with this. Add her imagination, her experience with family, and her medical knowledge, she could come up with anything from the embarrassing to the downright terrifyingly morbid. Standing up, she stretched her limbs to wake them up from being motionless for so long. Returning the scroll back to its place in the library, the teen browsed for a few easy jutsu.

Genjutsu Shibari, or Genjutsu Binding, was a B-rank jutsu but it looked simple enough. No hand signs, which would be a problem, but she could work towards it.

Demonic Illusion: Descending Hell Technique was, in its essence, a bluffing technique. By using dramatics and probably flaring some chakra, you can basically bullshit your way out of any situation or distract your opponent long enough to deal a blow. It was a C-rank, but also the easiest one she could find that wasn't a clan technique or had some insane requirement, and something that she was actually capable of.

Sighing, she took the scrolls and had them checked out for the day. Heading to the nook she found a few weeks ago, on the other side of the village, she jumped almost lazily from rooftop to rooftop, taking to the wires or telephone poles on occasion, until she reached her little training alcove.

Spinning around and sitting down in a crossed-leg position, she only had to take a few breaths before she had centred herself and found her chakra. Focusing on that constant glowing hum, she slowed the movement down to a stop and kept it still for a good few minutes before speeding it up and letting it adjust naturally to the change in tempo. She pushed chakra to limbs and muscles, forcing them to take as much as they could without doing some damage that could very well be permanent or put her out of duty for a few weeks.

Feeling her chakra was now far more active than its usual low humming, she took a deep breath and slowly went through the hand signs for Demonic Illusion: Descending Hell Technique and took special note for at which points her chakra flared and where in her body the energy gave that extra burst. And with no other person to try it on, Aya cast the genjutsu on herself. It was weird feeling your own chakra seep into your system and weave around the senses.

The teenage medic immediately felt the warmth blooming on her skin, and it began to get warmer. Opening her eyes, she looked up and saw the few clouds in the sky disintegrate as a giant fireball began to descend towards her at startling speed. The detail was really something to admire. Leaning back, she put her hands behind her to support her weight and continued to watch the illusion with the fascination of a medic discovering a new organism or poison.

"Well" she began idly as the heat on her skin increased in temperature "it's sure as hell effective, if I didn't know better I would think it was real" and she would of, but hopefully she would be better equipped to handle genjutsu in the future. Putting her hands into the tiger hand seal, she dispelled the illusion easily enough. She went through the jutsu a few more times, making sure she memorised the hands seals and the chakra patterns and how the genjutsu feels when it was settled over her. This was so if someone tried to use it on her, she would be able to notice and dispel it with greater ease. Hopefully.

Checking her chakra levels, Aya decided that she actually had enough chakra to try Genjutsu Shibari. Though it was a higher ranked, and had no hand signs, Aya was certain that she could figure it out. Now, all she needed was a test subject. Hm...

From what she remembered, you needed eye contact but it didn't need to be direct. Does that mean a reflection would work? Standing up she stretched her hands above her head and bent her back, enjoying the cracks and pops as the built up pressure was released. Walking over to the tree shaded part of her alcove, she knelt down by the stream hidden by the roots. Leaning over a little, she stared into her reflection for a long moment before she sighed.

How was she supposed to do this? Focus her chakra and... weave? Yeah, she suppose that would be the best was to imagine it. Weave her chakra around her eyes... and, send it out?

Growling in frustration, she rubbed the back of her neck and glared at her reflection. The rippling image glared back, and Aya suddenly realised why Genjutsu masters were so rare. It truly was a difficult and complicated specialty. But she wouldn't stop until she had this jutsu down, that she was sure of.

Taking a deep breath, the redhead closed her eyes and focused her chakra and weaved it the same way the Descending Hell Technique had felt when it settled on her. Focusing it around her eyes, she opened them and stared into her reflections matching eyes. For a few seconds she continued to stare, before she lent back and looked around. Nothing. Nothing had changed, been altered, or even felt different.

Closing her eyes again, Aya focused her chakra and weaved it again the same way, but slightly different from before. Looser, easier to move, and when she stared into her reflection she pushed it out a little. Projecting it outwards and towards the reflections gaze. Again, nothing was different outside, but she felt her chakra shift a little. Putting her hands into the appropriate seal of the Tiger, and dispelled the genjutsu. Again, besides the feeling of being in a genjutsu, there was no difference.

What was she doing wrong? It seemed she got the idea of the jutsu right, but she just seemed to be failing to... do something. Clearly. Huffing, she crossed her legs and folded her arms. Let's see... genjutsu is, in it's barest basics, a technique that produces illusions that messes with the victim. Like with the Descending Hell technique, it makes the victim believe that a giant fireball is going to crash into the earth and kill everyone within the area.

Now what was the difference between these tow technique? Hand signs, obviously, and the illusion itsel-

Wait a minute.

Closing her eyes again, Aya went through the sequence of focusing her chakra around her eyes and weaving her genjutsu. Only this time, she imagined a barren wasteland with a fresh spring in the distance, but no matter how much to walked or ran, it didn't get any closer. When she opened her eyes and made eyes contact with her reflection, the world fell away and was replaced with the barren wasteland she imagined. There was the spring in the distance, green and blue with trees framing it.

Aya already knew there were major flaws. There was no heat, she didn't feel thirsty, and she couldn't actually see the sun despite the sky being clear of any clouds. Well, at least she figured the bloody thing out. Cancelling the jutsu again, she sighed at the whole situation. Basically, one had to picture the illusion as well as weave it for the jutsu to work. Well, that certainly put a mental strain on her, if the budding headache blooming behind her eyes was anything to go by.

Standing, Aya was wondering what would be for dinner when she felt the blood rush to her head before she blacked out.

When the redhead woke, it was to a large drop of water landing on her forehead. Her body jolted at the sudden coldness on her skin, and she instinctively reached for her weapons holster as she opened her eyes. Her hand gripped the kunai loosely as she stared at the cloudy sky for a good minute, uncomprehending of the world around her. The sky rumbled, low and long, before it opened up and the rain came pouring down in thick sheets.

It took another twenty seconds before Aya fully came back. Jerking into a sitting position with a cry of "Crap!" she scrambled onto her feet, tucking her blade back into her holster, and ran for the clearing. Scooping up her raincoat as she passed it, the teen threw it over her shoulders and slipped her arms through the sleeves and jumped down the small cliff and onto the first roof.

It was dark enough for her to know it was late, dinner late, and she knew that by the time her mum was through with her there wouldn't be much food left. Hell, she might just go hungry if mum was angry enough.

Landing on the street of her home, she moved to open the door when it was thrown open by a tall blonde woman she knew as her mother. Giving an awkward, sheepish grin, she pulled back the hood of her raincoat enough for her face to be revealed to the taller woman.

"Hi, mum" she said happily, her grin turning a bit more carefree before she was pulled into the house. The raincoat was removed and replaced with a towel before she could blink and her mother was already scolding her about something but was talking to fast to actually be understood. Glancing down the hall from under her towel, the teen caught sight of some of her relatives. Two of which were shinobi.

'Ah' she thought 'That explains how mum knew when I got here' Aya allowed her mum to worry and fret, before being sent up to her room with hot soup and a cup of hot cocoa and being banned from training for the next few days. A light sentence, she'll admit. Once she had showered and changed, Aya enjoyed her meal and sipped her hot drink while staring out her window. It was hard to see more than a few metres through the rain, but it had become something of a habit to watch the rain. Eventually, she settled into her warm covers and fell asleep to the sound of rain and distant thunder.

She woke up with a cold the next morning.

(WC: 2257. Genjutsu Specialty, Genjutsu Shibari learned, Demonic Illusion: Descending Hell Technique learned. 6 stat points)

Approved of Gen Spec and 11 stats. You can use the extra 257 words towards a jutsu, but you can't learn jutsu with the same words you put towards the spec.

Ah~ Okay, that's cool. Thanks!