40 Spiritual Projection and The Boogeyman

The first step to become a shinobi is that you must activate your dormant chakra's core. Like what Naruto had said before, people might be born with chakra but not everyone can use it because they don't have a way to achieve it. In a harsher word, they simply didn't have a 'talent'. In order to activate one chakra's core, you must dive into your sea of spiritual consciousness and find where it laid. This by no means was not a simple feat, have you ever dive into the sea to look for a pearl? Imagined if this is the same action but with double, if not triple in its difficulty. People's spiritual consciousness is not empty, just like the sea where it had many things such as fishes and plants. Spiritual consciousness built upon people's thought and feeling. The more complex or troubled people's heart, the harder they would find their chakra's core. This will frequently have happened to someone who had reached their adulthood because that means their life became more complex. Back at Naruto's homeland, if you not capable to achieve this feat before you reached 10 years old, then you might as well just give up. Not only your chance was getting lesser, even if you do succeed, other people might be already far ahead of you.

Anxiety swirled around Jiang Wei. She frowned with downcast expression, "But I'm turned 22 this years, isn't that mean my chance was close to zero? Also what if... what if I don't have any talent? What if-"

Naruto rose his hand, stopping her from talking any further, "Don't worry, those age limits and talent things? It's all just bullshit."

"En?" Jiang Wei looked flabbergasted

"The things I said before was just common knowledge in my home, in fact, they had been using this as a propaganda to make sure shinobi's population was still within their grasp," disdained reflected in Naruto's eyes

"Who are 'they'?"

"People who used to run my country, you know, government, or whatever they were," he shrugged.

Jiang Wei pursed her lips, "It seems you didn't like them."

"No one did," Naruto laughed which followed by hers. Their laughter was singing in the room that once visited by the silent.

They eventually wound up and Jiang Wei tilted her head, "So... it's that mean there is another way to awaken someone's chakra?"

"Of course," Naruto nodded.

Jiang Wei beamed up with her eyes filled with anticipation, "How?"

"Through spiritual projection." Naruto took a deep breath before he continued.

Spiritual or astral projection was an ability possess by someone to leave their physical body in a spirit form and go from one place into another even if the place was out of human reach. This kind of ability mostly possessed only by certain people and was very rare. Some said they can even go into a realm where no living human ever been there like spirit world and such.

Spiritual projection Naruto means wasn't the same like in the context above, but more about imagining or picturing your spiritual consciousness as a place that you most familiar with; A hill, A town park, forest's clearing, etc. Then, you projected yourself into that picture like you actually standing at that place in the real life.

In order to be able successfully to do this, you must put yourself in a half-awake state through meditation and hypnotic suggestion then be one with the nature around you. To entered spiritual consciousness, you just need meditation, but when it comes to spiritual projection, you will also need suggestions. Some people can do self-suggestion, some need helps from others. The important thing is, everyone can be suggested.

Jiang Wei sat in crosslegged and shut her eyes tight. Meanwhile, Naruto stood not far from her, parching his mouth occasionally and let out a strange yet alluring voice in order to help her entered the half-awake state. His voice, of course not just a normal kind of voice but had been mixed with a technique of genjutsu so it became more effective.

"Steady your breath..."

"And relax your body..."

"As relaxation took its course, you feel every fiber in your muscle start getting loose..."

"And your bone became softer..."

"Now, I'm going to count, as the number goes up, you will find yourself getting drifter and drifter..."

"Then you finally arrived at the place you like the most..."

"Nod your head if you understand..."

Jiang Wei did what she told.

"I'll start counting..."

"1... "

"2... "

"3... "

Naruto kept counting before he finally stops. Then he looked at Jiang Wei who sat peacefully with a serene expression on her face. Her breath was soft, so soft almost like she's not breathing at all. By this time, Naruto knew his suggestion had cast on her.

"Rose, can you hear me?"

"Yes..."

"Tell me your name"

"Situ Jiang Wei..."

"Tell me your birthday."

"August 25, 1991."

"Tell me your hobby."

"Play violin."

After asked several more, Naruto got to the main point.

"Rose, I want you to tell me where you are."

"... Zhong Hai Rainbow Garden..."

Naruto knitted his forehead, "What did you see there?"

"...Flowers..."

"What colors they had?"

"Red, blue, green, yellow, purple, and orange."

Naruto chuckled, No wonder it called rainbow.

"Now Rose, I want you to forget all that color and replace it with only one kind. Any color is fine, just make sure it only one, OK? Can you do that for me?"

Inside Jiang Wei's mind, she stood on the bed of flowers in some sort of vast penthouse. Her eyes swept the sea of flowers arranged in many styles. The flowers were bundled and formed in a circular arrangement. Some are put in rows and lined up together. She put her hands behind her back and bounced on her feet. Sometimes she would crouch, placed her elbows on her lap, and used her hands to hold her chin. She gazed what laid in front of her for not know how long before she moved on elsewhere.

"Rose?" At this time, Naruto's voice resonated again in the land and went to her ear. Jiang Wei looked around with a creased forehead and tears shone on her eyes. She eventually took a deep breath and closed her eyes. After a while, she opened them up and all the flowers had changed their color to red. She pursed her lips then sent a response to Naruto.

"Great, now I want you to find a blue colored one among these reds," Naruto said without any changed indication in his tone. Jiang Wei eyes widened and glance around with a doubt. Looking for blue colored flower among red ones shouldn't be hard right? After all, something would be recognized easily if it was the only one that is different.

"You did not hear it wrong, that's what I want you to do~"

What's with the playful tone? Jiang Wei frowned. Then she looked around again, She rose her chin high and a smirk appeared on her lips. She strode forward and rocketed from one place into another. Her eyes resembled a hawk's eyes, perching on a top of a tree while observing its surrounding. Sadly, what seems looked easy to her before somewhat became difficult. All she could see just red flowers, not a single blue one she could find. She started to doubt whether Naruto just playing with her.

"Nope, I'm not kidding, it's there, just keep looking~"

Again with that tone! Jiang Wei stomped her feet. She took another round, even climbed into a higher platform. But all she could see was just red and redder. she sat at end of the platform and dangled her legs.

Perhaps there is a trick need to be done? She crossed her arms on her front while touching her lips with a finger. Time to time she would scratch her head and crinkled her nose.

Aaaah! I give up! She fell back till hit the platform and stared at the pent house's ceiling. she didn't expect this quest turn out to be this hard. She rolled left and right before sitting up.

Fine! I just look around again! She jumped down and started running in a random direction.

Back to reality, Jiang Wei whole body covered in sweats, her exposed skin flushed red and her bountiful chest heaved. On her side, Naruto gently wiped out some sweat from her with a towel. His eyes gazed at her with a warm and sincere look. In his mind, some recording was played like in the theater.

Somewhere in a place with a wall made of stone and cold temperature, an old man with a lot of bandages was seen standing not far from a boy who sat crosslegged. The old man had a short and black hair while the boy also had short hair but gold colored. The old-man wore some sort of yukata with his torso was exposed and the golden-haired boy wore a blue-jumper suit. Right now, the boy's body glistened with sweats and veins could be seen on his temple.

"Damn!" After a while, the golden-haired boy seems broke out from his tranquil condition, he gritted his teeth, "I almost had it but it's just keep swayed by the current!"

Then he looked at the bandages-old man with an apologetic manner, "Sorry, I know you had a great anticipation of me but..."

He sighed.

"It's not your fault," the bandages-old man coldly said, "it's the demon fox influence."

The golden-haired boy widened his eyes, "Why is this have anything to do with it?"

"You are its host, you and it literally is one. It could easily disturb your concentration and affected your sea of spiritual consciousness..."

the golden-haired boy clenched his jaw and hands, "So that... 'thing' just keep messing with my life."

"I can help you severe your connection with it," Before the golden-haired boy became happy, the bandages-old man quickly cuts in, " but only for thirty minutes."

"In that duration, you must be able to find your chakra's core inside the sea, or you will forever can't be shinobi."

The golden-haired boy's heart turned cold, "What?! This is my only chance?!"

The bandages-old man nodded, "So? what will it be?"

The golden-haired boy frowned, he closed his eyes and crossed his arm, then, with a confident gaze he said: "let us begin"

"Good!"

The bandages-old man walked toward the golden-haired boy and stopped several meters from him. He blew something into his cane then use the cane to draw something on the ground. Not more than five seconds, he moved onto another spot and started drawing again. He did this multiple times while moved in a circle with the boy as the center.

"Done!"

He goes back into his initial spot and his hand started forming several gestures, "Sealing Technique: Yin and Yang Imprisonment!"

*Bang!*

Eight pillars of stone surged from the ground. they all bore a strange pattern and had an idol on the top of them with their eyes glittered. The space around the golden-haired boy became distorted while nature around him seems turned uneasy. The air pressure got heavy but somehow the spiritual climate changed rich.

At this moment, he felt something was happening inside him. It's like his soul was trapped inside a confinement. Then being separated into two part while the other was taken or kept away from him.

"What do you feel?"

"I feel... weightless."

the bandages-old man nodded, "You have thirty minutes from now, go."

The golden-haired boy fixed his posture and closed his eyes again. During the whole process, red like aura slowly crept out from him, they collected above him and started making out some blurry figure. It began with an outline of a sharp chin, then pair of long ears, grizzly cheek, sharp teeth, and a pair of wide eyes. The bandages-old man shuddered when he stared by those eyes full of hate and killing intent but didn't back down. He stared back as if he mocked whoever or whatever that blurred figure representing.

Thirty minutes had passed, the stone pillars drawback to the ground and gone without a trace. the golden-haired boy opened his eyes and rose. A confident smirked sat on his face.

"I take it that you have succeeded," the bandages-old man said, "show it to me."

the golden-haired boy nodded and brought out two of his finger from each of his hand up to his face then clasped them together.

The bandages-old man could feel a flow of energy running its course inside this boy's body, it swam from one place into another through his veins without any obstacle.

Incredible, the bandages-old man eyes lit up with admiration.

Usually, someone who just woke up their core will have some trouble to flow their chakra like that.

For the first time, a slanting curve appeared on the bandages-old man side of the lips, With some modification and external bits of help, he'll be a perfect weapon.

Not to mention he had that demonic fox, he couldn't help but let his back hair stood, He'll be a monster that he always means to be.

"Alright, that's enough."

The golden-haired boy put down his hand, and as soon as he did that, his chakra no longer actively flowed. He walked forward and stood upright with his hands on his back. He gazed straight at the bandages-old man and his lips went wide with graciousness.

"Get some rest, it has been a long day for you," the bandages-old man turned around and made his way toward the exit.

The golden-haired boy's gaze never strayed from the old man's back but his lips have betrayed his previous expression. Chillness appeared on his eyes like he had become someone completely different.

"That geezer needs to die," from inside the boy, a deep voice resounded.

"Don't worry, he will..." Naruto sneered, "for now, he still has a use for me."

"Humph, what he possibly can teach you, you had me this great fox."

"Can you teach me Fuuinjutsu? Or wind element ninjutsu?"

"I..."

"You can't right?"

"Goddamnit kid, I taught you about spiritual projection!"

"Yeah, you did... but that was that and this is this."

"Grrr... Fine! Just don't forget our deal!"

"Don't worry, I won't."

"Um?"

Naruto awoke from his memory triplane, he went silent for a while before turned his head in a certain direction then became silent again.

"..." his eyes seems pondered about something, he sighed but smiled nevertheless and leaned toward Jiang Wei's ear. He whispered something before stood up from the bed then left it for the table near the soft-leather couch in the room.

Naruto grabbed the 9mm on that table while brought out its magazine from his back. He had separated them back when he was coercing Jiang Wei to stop him from shooting himself. Naruto strolled toward the door as he put them back together and made a *click* sound.

Naruto halted his step and glanced back at Jiang Wei who wore a smile now. He chuckled and proceed to the outside of the room.

Leaving behind two still unconsicous men on the narrow path, Naruto turned left in the intersection before the bar's main hall. It leads to the room where they kept foods, wines, and many other. With a hum, Naruto pulled the door and closed it behind him. The place was quite large with many shelves and mostly made out of woods. Weirdly at this time, the room was close to pitch black, only one lamp in the center of the room was lit, even though there was supposed to be several lamps and windows. Perhaps because the sky outside's filled with clouds so the moon couldn't do its job, but the lamps in the room normally would have been lit. Also, somehow there was an unusual calmness. Because the room's connected to the bar's back alley, wild cats and stray dogs would usually clatter but now, it just silent. The air filled with the lingering smell of wine with various kind. Naruto leaned against the door with his back and kept humming. The man as if not bothered by the unusual situation around him.

"Alright, come out now..." Naruto lightly said but there is still no change in the room. Even the air as if coagulate here.

"Do you guys really have to make me do this?" he shook his head, "fine, it's your choice!"

*Bam!*

Without hesitation, Naruto raised the 9mm and fired it off at southwest direction.

*Spurt!*

*Thud!*

The atmosphere in the room was once again, still silent like before, but now its no longer just mysterious silentness but also filled with grimness. If before, wine smell was the boss in the air, now, iron-like smell joined the fray.

"Well, I just fired at a random direction," Naruto made a small laugh, "never thought it's actually hit someone."

"You not just hit, you killed him," a cold voice broke the glass of silentness in the room.

Several figures moved out from the shadow, they wore black attire though it looks like not in the same styles.

"What? I killed him?!" Naruto's voice trembled. "I... I didn't mean it, I just planning to scare you guys, but I'm a lousy shooter, so..."

"Shut up!" One of the men pointed his Glock completed with a silencer at Naruto. Naruto's body shook and he raised both his arm to the air as if he tried to surrender.

"P-please, it just a lucky shot, I didn't mean to..."

"I said shut the fuck up!" The man now walked closer toward Naruto, "you killed my men, now you will pay the price!"

"Stop!" before he managed to pull the trigger, another man spoke with a husky voice, "remember our mission!"

"It's easy for you to say, it wasn't yours he killed!" The man clenched his jaws as he staring dagger at the trembling Naruto.

Then the husky-voice man came closer, he grabbed the man's shoulder, "The boss told us only to kill the target, putting more body in the bag just bring us unnecessary trouble!"

"It just one man, nothing will change," the man grumbled, his gun still aimed toward Naruto.

The husky-voice man sighed, "Then do as you wish."

*Phew!*

*Bam!**Bam!*

The man shot him but Naruto swiftly dodged it by sliding his body with his right shoulder hit the ground and fired back two consecutive shot, one at the man's knee and another one to his face as he fell. Without waiting for anyone to recover, Naruto rolled backward, crouched and shot the husky-man on his temple. Then he retreated to the darkness behind him.

By the times they realized that they had lost two leaders of their group, the man who responsible for this carnage had disappeared and they aggressively searched for him.

"He still in the room, keep your eyes open and fire the moment you saw him." One of them spoke with a cold and strict tone. It seems there is still another leader in these band of misfits. Naruto observed while still hiding inside the darkness, the place was full of wine's rack and some other shelves so its actually very easy to hide, not to mention the lights were very scarce.

Naruto stuck his figure to the shelves on the second row, two men were about to cross him from front and back. Since he closer to the man at his front, then he would naturally attack him first. Before that man arrived, Naruto grabbed his shirt and clasped his head with one arm on his whole chin and another covered his neck. The man made a muffled sound and not letting a second to pass, Naruto twisted his head. He fell and Naruto quickly searched him, he found what he needs the moment another person pass the shelves.

*Phew!*

As Bullet take a nest on that man's head. Naruto made a seal with his hands, "Shadow Clone Jutsu."

*Poof!*

Two similar men like Naruto appeared behind him, Naruto pointed his finger to the just fallen man.

"Take his gun and kill some of them. Repeat these process until no one left..." He eyed the man that stood in the center as curve formed on his lips, "but leave him alone, the best dish should dine the last."

"Sure boss!" they went to their task like they were told to.

One by one was taken down either by Naruto or his clones. These men were having a hard time to point out Naruto's exact position because when they thought they had caught 'him', he magically disappeared like he wasn't there before.

The leader at the center of the room broke out a cold sweat, he never experienced this kind of strange person before, sure he was an assassin, but compared to other ranks, he just a middle-rank person. Mostly, he only assassinates several low-class businessman or middle-influenced politicians. When took this job, he thought the boss was just exaggerating about its difficulty but turned out he was right. No wonder those 'gambling' addicted group rejected this bounty, perhaps they had predicted the probability of these events will be played out like this. The man kept barking out orders and he didn't have to worry because he thought he still has a lot of 'men', judged by the lot of them who busily going around him.

But at this moment...

*Poof!*

The leader's sight filled with smoke, he covered his nose and mouth also waved his hand in the air to clear out some of these smoke. When the room was cleared, he widened his eyes while glanced in many directions. He noticed... that he was suddenly... alone in the room.

"W-what happen? W-where all they had gone?" The man said with ghastly expression.

"They have certainly taken a vacation," from the shadow Naruto's figure strolled out, "well, I have no idea where they go though, they never send me a postcard."

The leader felt his heart was falling into an abyss, he realized by now that the ones who kept walking around him were not really his men, but this man illusion tricks. He had heard some people with extraordinary skill before. For example, the tiger king who says had an enormous strength inside his punch, there were also rat king, wolf king, and others.

Actually the leader's guess not far from correct, Naruto was indeed using tricks but not an illusion, he thought that just killing these men would have been boring, so he ordered his clone through telepathy to use transform techniques to change their appearance similar to these people. While they hide their dead bodies in the shadows, they tricked the leader and other people by giving them an impression that their ally was still alive.

The leader knew the skill and prowess the man in front of him. He thought it was stupid to face him directly, he glanced at the door's that lead to the alley. He remembered that he still has one ally, he didn't know how reliable this guy is but from the rumor he heard, this guy was an expert sniper who not only could kill through dead shot but also his bullet was coated with a potent poison that it only need to graze the target's skin to completely kill him.

"Hahaha! Well played!" The leader clapped while slowly trod his legs toward the exit, "you sir had certainly amazed me."

"..." Naruto only gave the leader a faint smile which hard to describe what it's meaning.

"But you will not get to me!" the leader turned around and jumped toward the exit, he hoped at least he could draw this man outside, so the sniper who called himself poisonous spider could kill him.

*Bam!* *Bam!*

Alas, his hope extinguished with two loud and clear gunshot came from his behind, it pierced his thighs and made him kissed the wooden ground. The leader only a few meters away from the door, perhaps if he little faster, he could have been getting away.

Naruto whistled as he approached the man, every step he took, it's like a reaper who sharpening it's sickle, every song he hummed, it's like a requiem of death for this leader.

"I usually didn't like to show off any skill," Naruto said while making his way toward the leader," it could also bring me unnecessary trouble."

"But..." Naruto smirked as he arrived beside him, "you guys were assassins like to play in the darkness, so I thought my secret was saved, maybe."

"W-who are you?" The leader asked with fear in his eyes.

"Me?" Naruto gave out a ponder expression before he let out a smirk and leaned down, "I'm the man who killed the boogey man."

The leader froze and his skin devoid of other colors besides white, "Y... Y... Yo... You... are?!"

*Bam!*