NOVEL ONLINE FREE Chapter 3: Chapter 3: Chakra, and The SPRINGTIME OF YOUTH!
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With a yawn and a stretch, I woke up in my new apartment.
'It's not much, but it works for me. If I just move the table in the living room to the side, I'll have plenty of space to move around.'
But before I did anything like that, I needed another plan.
Step 1: Unlock my chakra. (Hopefully.)
Step 2: Gain more skills.
Step 3: Try and find someone to teach me...
With the day's goals laid out, I sat down and began with the first step. While searching for that centipede yesterday, I'd noticed something strange—after using [Pheromone] for a while, my body had started to feel tired.
'That must mean using skills consumes chakra.'
So I decided: to unlock my chakra, I'd use the skills that consume it and work from there.
I grabbed a bowl, sat down cross-legged, and activated both [Poison] and [Pheromone] at the same time. Liquid dripped steadily from my fingertips into the bowl, while invisible scents began to flood the air.
'I can feel it… pheromones from all over the village, flowing through the currents like wind.'
I focused on them—following the trails as they twisted and swirled through the air. In time, I began releasing my own pheromones outward, following them and faintly manipulating them as they dispersed.
My whole body felt warm.
A slow, thick heat flowed under my skin, almost like syrup. I felt it seep into my fingertips, turning faintly venomous. It shifted under my flesh, then slipped outward again, becoming pheromones in the air.
I followed that cycle—movement, transformation, release—and slowly traced it back to its origin: somewhere near the center of my stomach.
'This must be my chakra core.'
In anime, they always portrayed it as a flickering flame. But this felt different. It moved like thick water at the center—smooth and steady—but danced like wind along the pathways branching through my body.
Moving it felt like trying to move during sleep paralysis—sluggish and frustrating—but it was still movement nonetheless.
I opened my eyes and looked up at the dimming sky. "…The day passed?"
[Isolation] must've used the materials in my [Stomach] to convert into energy while I was meditating.
A look of pure exhaustion crossed my face.
And then—I passed out.
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Some unknown time later, I awoke to the sharp scent of bleach and the glow of fluorescent lights.
I blinked. Blindingly white walls. Cold sheets. Medical equipment.
A hospital…?
A nurse noticed me stirring and quickly called for someone. Moments later, a stern-looking doctor stepped into the room, clipboard in hand.
"You're lucky," the man said without preamble. "If someone hadn't found you when they did, you would've died of chakra exhaustion."
I winced.
"But," the doctor sighed, "you did it. You managed to awaken your chakra by yourself, no less. That's incredibly talented"
He flipped a page on the clipboard.
"And more than that, your bloodwork revealed something else. You're showing signs of a possible Kekkei Genkai. Every nutrient we gave you during recovery was converted instantly into energy..."
"Since this hasn't been observed in anyone else in your lineage, you'll have the opportunity to name it yourself..."
A long pause settled over the room.
I leaned back and put on a thoughtful expression, letting the silence stretch while my mind screamed internally.
'They think [Isolation] is a bloodline?! SHIT! That's not good! If this gets out, Danzo is going to have a field day. The second he hears about a mysterious orphan with a never-before-seen Kekkei Genkai, I'll have Root agents crawling through my window at night.'
I clicked my tongue.
'I need to get on the Hokage's radar fast. Before Danzo finds me.'
The doctor cleared his throat. "Do you have a name in mind?"
I blinked, then groaned and let my head flop back against the stiff hospital pillow. "Ugh… yeah. I'll call it…"
"Shohi."
"Meaning Consumption."
The doctor gave a curt nod and scribbled something on his notepad.
"Due to the nature of your bloodline, your recovery has been very fast. You'll be discharged in an hour." With that, he finished writing and left the room.
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About an hour and a half later, I was once again walking the streets.
"Bleh, hospital food sucks."
I looked up at the sun. "Looks like it's just about noon, I'd say."
'All my plans got thrown off because of this… Even worse, now I have to worry about Danzo… Damn.'
A feeling of dread washed over me.
'HOW THE HELL AM I SUPPOSED TO GAIN THE HOKAGE'S ATTENTION IF I'M NOT EVEN IN THE ACADEMY YET?!'
My spiraling thoughts were interrupted by a few loud voices nearby.
"LISTEN UP, GUY! YOUR SPRINGTIME OF YOUTH IS JUST BEGINNING!"
"DURING THE SPRINGTIME OF YOUTH, YOU MUST NEVER LOOK BACK—JUST LIKE ME!"
Two very large-eyebrowed individuals stood near me…
'Isn't that Might Guy and his father? That's it! If I can get Might Dai to stand with me, I don't think Root will come after me!'
A small smile spread across young Gai's face. "Can I really become powerful… Papa?"
Suddenly, more voices joined in.
"Hey Might Guy, playing training games with your kid again?"
"KILLER TRAINING TIPS FROM THE ETERNAL GENIN!"
The two men burst out laughing. Dai was about to respond enthusiastically when both were hit with a rock.
"OW! What the hell?!"
Everyone turned to me.
"It's not nice to bully people... Especially if you're ninjas. Now buzz off."
Gai looked at me with tears brimming in his eyes.
"What are you talking about, you little brat? I ought to teach you a lesson!"
One of the men rushed at me with his fist raised—but Gai stepped in front of me.
"Don't you ever make fun of my Papa again!"
The first man lunged and hit Gai in the head, knocking him over.
"Wanna say that again, little punk?"
Without warning, I dashed forward, planning to punch him. But the second man stepped in and kneed me in the stomach.
"Blagh—" Spit flew from my mouth. I wheezed, the air knocked clean out of me.
"Stay down before we give you two a real beating," one of them warned as they started walking off.
My hand reached out and grabbed the leg of the one who'd kicked me. "...Not until… you apologize…"
[Strength]
Using the skill I'd unlocked when I gained access to my chakra, I squeezed his leg, making him yelp.
"AHHH! Damn it! What the hell—what's up with that freakish strength?!"
He went to kick me, but I activated [Exoskeleton] beneath my clothes.
Even so, his blow sent me rolling across the street into a fence.
Might Dai stepped between us. "That's enough. He's just a kid who doesn't know better."
I saw Gai's eyes watering as he looked at me.
"Tch, fine. But don't think if this happens again you'll be let off so easy, brat." They left—one of them limping.
"Why did you do that?" Gai asked quietly beside me.
"Am I wrong for wanting to help someone?" I replied.
Tears were already falling from his eyes.
"You can come to our house for dinner... Thank you for showing Gai what it means to HAVE THE SPRINGTIME OF YOUTH!" Dai exclaimed, his voice rising with every word.
I took a moment to catch my breath. "Sure, I'd love to see your house."
Gai and I carried each other's exhausted bodies toward their home.
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The sounds of rapid munching and slurping echoed through the house.
"MY FLAMES OF YOUTH WILL NOT LET YOU WIN THIS CONTEST, SURAIMU!"
I kept eating with speed, using [Stomach] to store ridiculous amounts of ramen of every flavor.
After a while, Dai patted his stomach and set down his bowl. "You sure do have quite the appetite, Suraimu… NOW WE MUST RUN 500 LAPS AROUND THE BACKYARD, AND IF WE CANNOT DO THAT, THEN 1,000 PUSHUPS, AND IF WE CAN'T DO THA—"
"Uhm, Mr. Dai… I don't think I could do any of that…" I said, scratching my cheek.
"Don't worry, Suraimu. As long as you try your hardest, he'll be satisfied with that," Gai said while stretching.
"O-Okay, if you say so." I started mimicking Gai's stretches.
Dai looked at us, tears flowing down his face. "WHO WOULD HAVE THOUGHT MY SON WOULD HAVE MADE SUCH A YOUTHFUL FRIEND! TO COMMEMORATE THIS, I WILL RUN 500 MORE LAPS, 1,000 MORE PUSHUPS, 500 MORE SQUA—"
"Please don't do that, Mr. Dai… I don't think anyone's body could ever keep up with that," I said anxiously.
"MY BODY WILL NEVER FAIL ME BECAUSE I AM IN MY SPRINGTIME OF YOUTH!" Dai declared, flipping out the door—on his hands.
"Better start now before he makes me do more... You coming, Suraimu?" Gai asked.
"…Yeah, right behind you," I said with dread, already mourning the abuse my body was about to endure.
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Hours later, Gai and I collapsed on the couch, panting.
"How is your father still going?" I wheezed.
"Never mind that—how were you even able to keep up with him for this long?" Gai replied, just as breathless.
I shrugged. "Probably the super food you guys were eating," I joked.
"Hey Gai? What's up with those books?" I pointed at a high shelf.
"Oh, those? My Papa saved a guy a while ago, and he rewarded him with those. Papa says he doesn't understand them though."
"Do you think Mr. Dai would mind if I took a look?" I asked.
"Probably not. Papa's always sharing things and helping others," Gai said proudly.
I stood on my toes and grabbed one of the books. As I cracked it open, I squinted.
"Huh… This kinda looks like a...?"
Suddenly, Dai burst through the door. "I HAVE FINISHED MY POST-DINNER WORKOUT! … Huh? What do you have there, Suraimu?"
"Oh, this? I asked Gai if I could look at one of the books. It looks like an introduction to fuinjutsu… Do you know what it is?"
Dai shook his head. "I've heard of fuinjutsu, but what you're holding is a very precious book that was given to me…"
"Do you mind if I read them?" I asked hesitantly. 'Wait… fuinjutsu—that's the sealing stuff that was used on the Nine Tails, right? I've seen fanfics where reincarnators use it, but I never really paid attention…'
Dai nodded. "I see… THEN IT SHALL BE MY SPRINGTIME OF YOUTH THAT IGNITES YOURS INTO A BURNING BLAZE, YOUNG SURAIMU!"
"Uhm… what does that mean, Mr. Dai?"
"Oh, you can read the books—as long as you come over. Unfortunately, they're quite expensive, so I can't let you take them home."
A cheshire grin crept onto my face.
'What a jackpot I've stumbled upon. If I can't get [Great Sage], then I'll just make my own.'
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