Naruto: Heavenly Demon Karin Uzumaki

The Chunin whimpered as Karin's sharp crimson eyes bore into him. His breath came in short, panicked gasps, and he stammered, trying to form coherent words.

"I… I'll talk! Please, don't kill me!" he finally choked out, spitting blood as the kunai remained pressed against his lips. Karin nodded slightly, easing the pressure just enough for him to speak clearly, though her hand never left his throat.

"Good," she whispered, her voice chillingly calm. "Start with the basics. What are these 'hand signs' I've seen shinobi use?"

The man swallowed hard, his Adam's apple bobbing under her grip. "Th-the hand signs…" he stammered. "They're the foundation of ninjutsu. There are twelve basic ones, each representing an animal in the zodiac—Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Ram, Monkey, Rooster, Dog, and Boar. Shinobi combine them in sequences to mold chakra into techniques."

Karin tilted her head slightly, processing his words. "And what exactly do these hand signs do?" she asked, her voice sharp and cutting. "What is their purpose?"

"They… they help focus and shape chakra," the Chunin explained, his voice faltering as her eyes narrowed. "Chakra on its own is just energy. The signs channel it, give it direction and purpose. Each one has a specific effect, and when combined, they form patterns that create jutsu."

Karin's mind worked rapidly, analyzing his explanation. At first, the concept had intrigued her. It reminded her of Qi Circulation Techniques from her old life, where intricate movements and breathing patterns allowed cultivators to control their internal energy. But as she pieced it together, she felt a flicker of disdain.

'How rigid,' she thought. 'These hand signs are nothing more than crutches for the untalented. A true master should not need such tools to manipulate their energy. Any observer with sufficient skill could easily read these signs and counter them before the jutsu is even complete. It's sloppy, predictable.' Her lips curled into a faint sneer. 'This system is a shortcut for the weak, nothing more.'

Leaning in closer, she tightened her grip on his throat. "And chakra itself," she pressed, her voice low and cold. "How do you train it? How do you make it stronger?"

The Chunin's eyes darted around, as though searching for an escape. "Y-you don't train chakra directly!" he blurted out. "Chakra is a combination of physical energy from the body and spiritual energy from the mind. You train your body and mind to increase it. A strong body alone won't give you much chakra if your mind is weak, and the same goes for a sharp mind in a frail body."

Karin's eyes narrowed as she absorbed this information. It was fundamentally different from her experience with Qi cultivation, where internal energy could be directly increased through meditation, breathing techniques, and elixirs. Here, the growth of chakra was tied to the balance between the physical and the spiritual—a symbiosis she found intriguing.

'So, the strength of the body and the sharpness of the mind both play a role. That explains why these shinobi can develop such precise control despite their otherwise mediocre constitutions. But my situation is different.' A faint smirk tugged at her lips. With the vitality of the Uzumaki bloodline coursing through her veins and the ancient, tempered soul of a Murim cultivator, her potential far outstripped that of these common warriors. Even if she was weak now, her foundation was formidable. It was only a matter of time before she reclaimed her power.

Her grip on the Chunin's throat tightened slightly, making him wince. "And how do you train control?" she demanded.

"There are basic exercises," he said quickly. "The most common are the Leaf Sticking Exercise, Tree Climbing, and Water Walking."

"Explain."

"The Leaf Sticking Exercise is simple," the Chunin said, speaking quickly under her withering gaze. "You focus your chakra on a single point—usually your forehead—and stick a leaf there. It's about control, keeping the flow steady and precise."

Karin frowned slightly. While the exercise sounded almost insultingly basic, she recognized its potential as a tool for refinement. 'A training method for complete precision in a single point. Useful in its simplicity, but ultimately limited.'

"And Tree Climbing?" she asked.

"It's the next step," the Chunin explained. "You channel chakra to your feet and use it to stick to a tree trunk. But if you use too much, the chakra repels you—you get blasted off the bark. Too little, and you slip. It's about finding the perfect balance."

Karin's eyes sharpened at the word repel. The idea of using chakra to create a repelling force was fascinating. In her past life, such a concept was unheard of. Qi flowed smoothly through the meridians and was rarely used for anything so dynamic. Yet here, chakra could be used both to adhere and to repel, creating a level of versatility that was unheard of in Murim.

'If chakra can repel, then it can be used for more than just control. A well-timed repelling force could deflect an attack or even launch an enemy off balance. The potential applications are immense,' she thought, her mind racing with possibilities.

"And Water Walking?" she asked, her tone sharp.

"It's harder," the Chunin admitted, his voice trembling. "You have to constantly adjust your chakra flow to match the movement of the water beneath you. It's about harmony—balancing your chakra with the instability of the surface."

Karin nodded slowly, her mind dissecting each of the exercises. Though simple, they were elegant in their design, each one building on the principles of control and balance. In her hands, even these "basic" techniques could become deadly tools.