Naruto: Becoming a master taijutsu using martial arts.

I was laughing a lot because there was a dude here talking about the number of OCs in the story, and it's funny because he was specifically talking about Jimei, who actually isn't an OC but a minor character from Naruto that I'm adapting. Of course, the story has a lot of OCs in these early arcs, but the bigger canon characters will start showing up from Kenshin's Chunin Exams onwards. I just wanted to drop a comment here listing some characters that you might think are OCs but actually aren't—those who have already appeared in previous chapters and some who will show up in the next 10 chapters that are already written.

So let's see!

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My heart was racing, but before I could even react, spider webs shot out of the woman's hair, creating a huge web wall between me and Natsu, separating us.

"Kumoheki! (Spider Wall)" The cold voice of the Spider Woman echoed with the name of her technique

"Natsu!" I shouted, seeing the wall form between us, but of course, no answer came.

I bit my lip. Well, this just got a whole lot harder. I was hoping Natsu was okay since apparently, this Shirogumo was focusing on me now. I refocused on her... no, on the creature in front of me.

"Kumoyari! (Spider Spear)"

My eyes widened, and before I could move, a buzzing sound cut through the air. I saw the webs condense into a sharp and deadly form.

A spear made of webs shot toward me, fast enough to make me question if I was about to become Spider-Man's worst enemy.

My body reacted before my brain, rolling to the side like I was doing some kind of bad, awkward dodge. The ground where I had been just a second ago was brutally stabbed by the sticky spear with a sickening crack that echoed through the battlefield. I swallowed hard. 

These webs are bad news.

I thought, seeing how deeply the spear had impaled the spot where I had been. But with Natsu far away and Jimei captured, I had to wrap this up quick. Plus, this spider-thing clearly wasn't in the mood for me to brainstorm.

"You will be devoured." The woman's voice was cold, with a touch of cruel amusement. "Kumoyari! (Spider Spear)"

Another spear came at me. I dodged right, hit the dirt, and narrowly avoided another spear aimed straight at my head.

Despite how terrifying and quick they were, I was managing to hold my ground. I was good at dodging, and I knew that all I needed was to get close enough to land a solid kick to those spidery legs of hers.

And then I heard it.

"Kenshin! Help!"

It was Natsu's voice, yelling for help. Even though I hadn't known her for more than a day, my heart froze. Without thinking, I turned toward the scream. But what I saw was... her.

Her presence was a nightmare wrapped in a predator's smile, and the air around her was thick with an ominous heaviness. My muscles tensed instinctively. She was the living embodiment of "Nope."

"Shindōgumo (Vibrating Spider)" The Spider Woman stared at me with a malicious smile on her lips.

That's when I noticed it—the webs around me, the ones she had used in her previous attacks, were vibrating oddly. That scream... it was a genjutsu! She had trapped me with the vibration in the webs!

"You really fell for that." she taunted, her grin widening.

Genjutsu… An auditory genjutsu? I didn't have time to think about it. I quickly formed the hand seals to break free from whatever genjutsu had been used on me.

But the time it took to free myself had been too long. She seized the opportunity, and as soon as I broke free from the genjutsu, I saw three new web spears rapidly approaching. Even if I dodged one, I wouldn't be fast enough to dodge the others... At least not with my normal speed.

I quickly formed a seal with my hands and concentrated chakra into my body.

Damn it, I don't want to use this now...

"Maboroshi Ashi (Phantom Step)!"

In an instant, I vanished in a blur of motion. It was like I was a shadow, zipping around in every direction. My steps were so fast and fluid, reminiscent of the Shunpo I had seen in another life.

When I learned the Shunshin no Jutsu, I knew I'd need a technique to boost my speed even more. The Shunshin worked well for moving from point A to point B, but it was predictable—unless, of course, your name was Uchiha Shisui.

Shisui could use body flicker in battle because of his Sharingan, allowing him to move fast and recover from the fast movement without a break. Me? No Sharingan. Just lots of improvising.

I combined the Shunshin with taekwondo footwork, where we're taught to do tiny jumps on the balls of our feet to stay light on our toes. With those two techniques, I created a technique where I moved in high-speed zigzags, leaving afterimages to confuse the enemy's eyes.

It was only possible because I used Shunshin for short, quick movements, jumping lightly before using it again. This technique was mentally exhausting because I had to release chakra quickly through my feet to maintain the high-speed Shunshin movements and change direction. I had practiced tirelessly to master it.

The Spider Woman's eyes widened slightly, surprised. Her attacks became frantic, but her spears passed through nothing but illusions. I was always a step ahead, gliding between the deadly threads.

"How long do you think you can keep this up?" she asked, with a hint of sarcasm in her voice.

I smiled, despite feeling like my brain was about to short-circuit. I really couldn't keep it up much longer. The chakra drain was huge, and staying focused was like running a mental marathon. If I messed up my timing, the whole technique would collapse.

But I'd never admit that to a creepy spider woman.

"I can do this all night long."

Luckily, I wouldn't need to hold out much longer, because just as the creature focused on me, I saw a figure charging toward us.

Behind her, Natsu appeared with ridiculous speed, slamming her in the back with an open palm. The hit sent the woman flying through the air, rolling across the ground like a ragdoll.

"Natsu!" I called, relief mixing with adrenaline. "Nice job!"

She stood up, breathing heavily but with a defiant smile.

"You too, Kenshin-san."

We exchanged smiles, and I was relieved. With Natsu here, it would be much easier to deal with that creature. But the moment of relief didn't last long. The creature stood up on its legs, seeming to stumble a little as it regained its balance.

"You did well... but your efforts to save that boy are pointless." she said, her voice dripping with malice. My eyes went wide. "He's already dead."

"…What?" My voice came out as a whisper.

And before either of us could react, her body dissolved into a puff of smoke.

Natsu and I stood there, frozen, with the sound of our hearts pounding in our ears, and uncertainty in our eyes.

Jimei...