The next morning, I woke up to the sound of the alarm. To my surprise, my body didn't feel heavy; rather, it felt light.
"The recovery speed of those with an open chakra is much higher than that of regular people," I thought.
With this amount of training, I definitely wouldn't have been able to get up the next day. However, the strain on my young body is neutralized by the chakra, so training won't be an issue, I thought again.
Since classes continued today, I quickly went through my morning routine and headed to the academy. The day passed without much happening: the teacher continued handing out books on reading, writing, and mathematics.
But then I ran into a small problem — I didn't know how to write!
"I'll have to add calligraphy to my plan," I thought, trying to write kanji.
Fortunately, I wasn't the only one in this situation — many children were stuck at this stage too. It was funny, now I was comparing myself to the children...
After the academy, I rushed home. My plan for the week was to learn how to form seals.
Approaching the wardrobe, I looked at the scrolls. From my father, I had received:
• A scroll with the technique " Wind Release: Great Breakthrough" of rank C
• The technique "Body Flicker" of rank D
• A scroll with my father's notes, which contained basic information about seals, chakra, body training, and the missions he had completed.
In total, I had three scrolls.
I wouldn't be able to study all the seals right away, so I first wanted to train the formation of seals. But before that, I needed to study the theory. I opened the scroll again and began rereading the information about the seals I planned to learn today...
And immediately, I encountered a problem.
Basics of Seals
Seals (or mudras) are combinations of special hand gestures used to form and activate ninja techniques. They allow chakra to be directed and transformed into the necessary form to perform jutsu. Each technique requires a specific sequence of seals, and their speed and accuracy can be decisive in battle.
Finger physical preparation — the faster and more accurately the seals are formed, the more effective the technique. Flexibility of the fingers and speed of movements are crucial.
Mental concentration — it's not just about memorizing the sequence, but also understanding how chakra flows while performing the seals.
Connection with chakra elements — each element requires its own unique combination of seals.
I had a problem, I thought, looking at the second point. I couldn't direct chakra. The most I had learned was creating chakra to recover faster or slightly enhance my body.
I hadn't even thought about controlling it — I had forgotten!
Then I had to find the simplest method of chakra control. I scrolled up the scroll and found it:
Leaf Concentration Practice — This training method involves placing a leaf on the user's forehead, into which they must concentrate their chakra.
"I get it!" I remembered it from an anime, I thought, opening the window.
1, 2, 3... 10 leaves. I picked them from the tree right outside my house and closed the window.
I frowned. In theory, it sounded simple: concentrate the chakra in one point and hold it. But in practice, even such a simple exercise turned out to be difficult.
I took another leaf and tried again to direct chakra to the center of my forehead. After a few seconds, the leaf moved... and fell again.
"Damn..." I muttered, starting to realize that chakra control required intense concentration.
Inhale. Exhale. I closed my eyes and focused. I imagined how the chakra flow rose from the depths of my body and concentrated in one point. Slowly.
I placed the third leaf on my forehead. It slightly lifted, but immediately fell.
"Progress, but still not enough," I sighed.
I kept trying, experimenting with the amount of chakra. Sometimes there was too little, and the leaf just fell. Sometimes too much, and it literally bounced off. I had to find a balance.
After twenty attempts, I finally managed to keep the leaf up for a few moments.
"Great!" I smiled. "It's not hopeless after all."
Two hours later:
I sat there, and what I had achieved was holding the leaf for about 10 seconds before my concentration would slip, and it fell. I'd have to postpone training the seals for now due to this problem. It was 3:17 PM.
I had a plan to develop several ninja skills at once, and it was simple and reliable, like a Swiss watch. "If I can't train seals, I can train chakra control while running. I just need to attach a leaf to my body," I thought, closing the door and starting to run to the training ground.
How wrong I was! It was so difficult…
Literally a few seconds after I started running, the leaf fell. I stopped, picked it up, and tried again.
I started running slowly, focusing on the sensations. However, as soon as I sped up, my concentration immediately faded. The leaf fell, and I stopped again.
"This won't work," I muttered.
Due to the leaf falling, I had to stop and pick it up again, wasting time. I had to change my approach. I took the leaf off my forehead and placed it on the back of my hand. Maybe this way, it would be easier to control the chakra flow, as I would be able to see its position.
The new approach was a little easier. I could track the leaf's movement and adjust the chakra flow in real time. Of course, I couldn't maintain perfect concentration, but the result was better.
Two more hours later:
I could keep the leaf up while running for almost twenty seconds before it fell. Progress was slow but steady.
"If I can hold it for at least a minute, my chakra control will be good enough to go back to studying seals," I thought, remembering the information from the scroll.
Damn. The leaf slipped again, gently swaying in the air before touching the ground. I froze, barely containing my irritation. Something wasn't right.
Even though I was following the basic method, the sensation of the chakra flow remained blurred. Energy flowed inside me, but I wasn't controlling it — it moved chaotically, slipping away like sand through my fingers.
I knelt down, picked up the leaf, and stared at it for a few seconds. Memories of the scroll I had reread last night surfaced. "Chakra is the energy that connects the physical and spiritual aspects. It obeys not only concentration but also the inner state of the user."
I closed my eyes, forcing myself to become aware of my body. My heartbeat was quickened, my breath was a little erratic, my muscles were tense.
And then it hit me.
I had been trying to control the chakra relying solely on my mind, but I had overlooked another important aspect — the body. My posture wasn't stable enough, my movements were jerky, and my breathing was offbeat. I didn't feel harmony, so I couldn't achieve perfect control.
Deep breath.
Exhale.
I relaxed my fingers, allowing the leaf to fall onto my hand. This time, I didn't try to "hold" it with my willpower. Instead, I started working with my body.
A slow, steady inhale. Filling my lungs with air, I imagined how the chakra rose and flowed smoothly into my hand. The leaf quivered, but didn't fall.
I took a step forward.
The flow didn't waver.
Step.
The chakra moved smoothly, like a river without waves.
Step.
Stability.
A moment later, I was running, fully focused on the delicate balance between my body and the chakra. I wasn't just "attaching" the leaf to my hand — I was synchronizing with it.
Thirty seconds.
The chakra flowed confidently, but at one point, I felt a strange vibration in my hand — a slight, almost imperceptible dispersal of energy. That was the limit.
Forty seconds.
A light gust of wind disrupted the fragile balance, and the leaf slowly glided down.
I stopped abruptly, breathing heavily. Inside me, a storm of emotions raged — irritation, relief, anticipation.
I had kept the leaf for almost a minute.
I couldn't suppress a pleased smirk. "This jump almost doubles my speed! I can say I've had an epiphany."