Osamu POV
3 months later
Yago Residence
Morning
In the 3 months that passed, all my baby fat was gone. Though there are no signs of muscles yet, I can feel myself growing stronger than normal people (civilians).
In every exhaustion, I would try to meditate on my own and follow the breathing pattern I just learned to sense my chakra reserves. I already mastered the sticking leaves on my body in 2 months, and I mastered tree-walking for a month.
In a month, my reserves progressed to the size of a golf ball!
In two months, it was the size of 2 golf balls!
And finally, in 3 months, it was the size of 3 golf balls.
I don't know why my progress was fast, but it probably has something to do with it being too small that the progress looks fast. Once I hit my limit, it will probably slow down.
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Yago Residence
Evening, Dinner
"Osamu-chan, how's your training so far?" Mom asked out of the blue. Although we still talk occasionally every dinner, it's never been about my training. This is the first time.
"It's going well, mother. I have already begun sticking leaves to my body to practice my chakra control. It was recorded in that medical ninja book I read in the library." Both of them looked surprised at my answer.
I really held back my answer, you know.
Sticking leaves is perfectly normal to me now. My chakra control has already progressed to sticking on my room's ceiling and walls, or the trees outside.
The only exercise I have not yet tried is walking on water.
"You have already awakened your chakra?" My father asked.
"Yes, father, about three- I mean just a month ago." There, I held back pretty well. But father's exaggerated reaction of taking in a full breath tells me I should've held back more.
"It only took you 2 months to awaken your chakra? I heard it takes 4 to 6 or maybe more months to awaken one's normally!" 3 months have passed. In case you're confused, a month ago means 2 months after the scroll was given to me.
No father, it took me only a few hours to do it, precisely 3 hours! But your reactions are also why I am not saying anything accurate!
Although my chakra pool is getting bigger as I continue practicing, it will definitely begin slowing down once I hit the limit of my civilian talent.
Time to think of a reason why it took me apparently 'just 2 months'.
"Yes, I almost gave up halfway through, but I persisted because I want to be able to protect both of you." At least half of that is true. Not that it entered their ears at all, as they seem to be high.
"My boy is a genius! Even with no shinobi blood, he still awakened his chakra way earlier than normal! If that is not genius then I don't know what is."
"Yes, we have a genius son hahaha!!!"
They celebrated my accomplishment, and what can I say? It moved me a bit as my mouth curved into a smile. This feeling, I rarely felt in my last life.
It doesn't matter to me if the world celebrates my birthday. But with the people I love? Nothing brings me bigger joy than that, and I will protect them from this world, I swear it!
"I wonder if your younger sibling will have the same talent as you?" My mother asked suddenly while caressing her stomach.
"Right, of course you're pregnant. Hold on. Is it a girl or a boy?" I asked. Not really surprising there, with all the fights they had every night, it was only a matter of time.
"We still haven't checked yet. We will know it on the weekend once your mother takes her day off from work." Father answered.
"Well, I guess that gives me more motivation to become stronger so I can protect my soon-to-be-born baby brother or sister!"
And so the dinner was full of celebration. My apparent genius and my new, soon-to-be-born sibling.
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Osamu Room
An hour before midnight
I have just used up my reserves again, so I began recovering them.
Half an hour later
Once I was done recovering my chakra, I relaxed a bit but didn't open my eyes yet, as I was thinking of something.
I just thought that, if chakra is formed by combining the physical and spiritual energy, then how is it formed?
Or how did it happen? Through refinement. The method used in the scroll to control both physical and spiritual energy combines and balances them.
But where did both of these energies come from? According to the scroll, physical energy comes from the body's cells, while spiritual energy comes from the mind, willpower, and experience.
Sure, but where exactly in the human body are those located?
Leading with that thought, I did the breathing pattern and tried to feel my chakra.
Instantly, I felt my chakra pathway system, which I am already familiar with, even the 8 tenketsu points, and my chakra reserves.
But these are all things I already know; I am searching for something else. I started the refinement process.
Focus
Breath
Concentrate and feel where the exact location of the 2 energies originates.
1 hour
2 hrs. By this point, patience is already ingrained in me from practicing chakra control.
3 hours later, I felt it.
Something different.
A different feeling from the chakra reserves.
I feel two connections from my Dantian, one connected to something located in the center of my chest, just above the Dantian, and the other in the center of my head between my eyebrows.
(AN: In traditional Chinese arts, according to my research, there are 3 Dantians. The lower Dantian is in the lower abdomen. The Middle Dantian, which is in the center of the chest. And the upper Dantian, which is between the eyebrows. All of which is inside the body, not the outer layer. I've used this theory here in case you thought I just made it up.)
I held on to that feeling. Although I can't explain it yet, I know what they are, and I must familiarize myself with this feeling.
I must be able to feel them again later once I stop this.
Exhaustion came upon me, and my concentration was broken. My reserves weren't spent since I was recovering them. However, I am fatigued, mentally and physically, like I just entered a marathon while solving integral calculus equations.
And so, I slept with a few hours remaining until the sun rose.
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Daytime
After Breakfast
Osamu POV
The spiritual(mental) energy, as described in the scroll, and the physical(stamina) energy.
Although both were mentioned, there was no further explanation besides the fact that both energies are what the Chakra is composed of. But I know for a fact that the locations I've found last night are where they are located.
Which means that, between my eyebrows, is the location of my spiritual energy, in the center of my chest, is the location of my physical energy, and finally, in my lower abdomen, is the location of my chakra, which is the combination of both.
Anyway, spiritual energy is not a new concept to me. Besides the fact that it's been discussed in the scroll, I knew a few Anime that utilize it. Dragon Ball (though sometimes it's called Ki), Bleach, Yuyu Hakusho, Shaman King, etc.
The physical energy, however, not one anime comes to mind. But in the chance that physical energy can also be called aura, then Hunter Hunter comes to mind. Or, if I may be so presumptuous, it can also be the armament Haki in One Piece, where its counterpart Observation Haki can be related to spiritual energy. Not sure about the Conqueror's Haki, though.
It's not like I've watched a lot of anime in my last life; the fanfictions and cultivation novels made sure of that.
Speaking of which, in cultivation novels, there is a common practice of taking in the qi of the world inside one's body. This was the way of cultivation. Or the 'Dao' to immortality.
In this world, qi is actually natural energy. And it is not as pleasant as the qi in cultivation novels, which you can easily take in based on a mantra or cultivation technique. Then it would simply elevate your cultivation realm.
In here, if you do that, you will definitely turn into a stone statue. However, if you are successful and become a sage, you actually become strong, just like a cultivator. But it's not a simple absorption of natural energy at all; you have to balance the 3 primal energies, energies that existed way before the Chakra was introduced by the aliens/Otsutsuki Clan.
Namely, natural energy, spiritual energy, and physical energy. All three are to be in perfect balance to form Senjutsu Chakra. Only then will Sage mode be achieved.
Now, here is another difference. In cultivation novels, once you've made a breakthrough, it is permanent, which means you can make progress. In here, it is limited. Once you have exhausted the Senjutsu Chakra, you have balanced, that's it, you turn back to normal. You have to start all over again.
Also, in a cultivation world, they don't just balance the natural energy inside their body. They integrate it. Which is might be the main difference why in here it can be exhausted, in there, it becomes a part of the cultivator's strength. All this are just some thoughts which I can hardly rely on since I don't know any cultivation manual or mantra.
Now that I can feel both my spiritual and physical energy, I have grown even more curious. If Chakra were not introduced into this world, would there have been a different power system in this shinobi world?
This also meant that the 3 primal energies in this world. Natural energy, which is in the world itself, Spiritual energy, which is probably also connected to the soul of every living person, and finally, physical energy, which is connected to the physique or even life energy of every creature on the planet. If these energies had been the basis of strength, few would've succeeded because of their difficulty in mastering the balance of all three.
Maybe the Samurai profession might have bloomed instead of shinobi.
Settling into a meditative lotus position once again, like last time, I searched for my Chakra. It is now the size of 3 golf balls combined, just a few more times before it can reach the size of a soccer ball or volleyball. I have no idea the size reference for an academy student or a Genin, so I'll have to find that out myself soon.
Moving on from there, I've easily located my spirit and physical energy location. However, upon another look or probe, I felt a connection from the center of my chest to every part of my body.
Be it my eyes, ears, nose, tongue, teeth, hair, fingers, hand, feet, heart, liver, lungs, intestines, or even my butt and junk. It is all connected except the brain.
Meanwhile, my spiritual energy located in between my eyebrows only has one connection, which is the brain in its entirety. All of the parts of the brain that you can name are connected to my spiritual energy reserve.
(AN: I will use the Upper, Middle, and Lower Dantian terms from time to time if it fits. Upper Dantian for the location of the spiritual energy reserves, Middle Dantian for the location of the physical energy reserves, and Lower Dantian for the location of the Chakra reserves.)
All of the parts in my body are connected to the 2 sources: the Upper and Middle Dantian. Now here's the question: Is chakra connected in the same way?
The answer is Yes and No. Chakra is connected to the 8 Tenketsu(Chakra nodes) points or gate: 2 in the brain, 2 in the spinal cord, 1 in the abdomen, 1 in the stomach area, 1 below the stomach, and finally one in the heart.
Yes, it is connected to some parts where both spiritual and physical energy are located. And no, there are some parts where it isn't connected.
I should also take note that if my Chakra reserves are the size of 3 golf balls, my physical energy is half its size, but my spiritual energy is twice the size of my Chakra reserves.
There are only 2 factors I can think of that make my spiritual energy bigger than the other two energy:
1. Because my soul wasn't originally born here, no combination of souls here, since I clearly felt that I was simply in hibernation until I was six years old.
2. Because my mind possesses maturity since I was already an adult when I died and came to this world.
That's it.
Continuing my exploration, I found out that it is quite easy to control these energies towards the Lower Dantian and form a chakra using the refining method I learned. Because of this, controlling both energies to different parts of the body is also quite easy.
Now, regarding the other pathways I've discovered earlier, there's no way the people of this world don't know this. This must be the reason why some clans have secret techniques instead of bloodline limits. Because some of their secret techniques can be discovered if you know what you're doing.
However, that's them. They have resources and years of knowledge passed down through generations, while I am exploring using my own body, which is just 6 years old. The only advantage I have is the knowledge of the future and maybe some secrets of the past from a thousand years ago.
That only means I need to learn more about how far they have come with their understanding of this. Based on the knowledge I have of the show, the most common example of them knowing of this is the use of Yin and Yang chakra nature, which is connected to their clan secrets.
Namely, the Akimichi for the Yang release and the Nara and Yamanaka for the Yin release. Even the Uchiha's bloodline limit, the Sharingan, is also a type of Yin release bloodline limit.
Which means, this world already knows how to utilize both spiritual and physical energies in the form of Yin and Yang release.
But even if I wait, I probably won't be able to get their clan knowledge unless I want to become a missing shinobi. Which means I have to explore it on my own.
Well, I still have a year before the Ninja Academy opens up for new students. I should be able to discover something within that time.
Hopefully.
End of Chapter