The Nen Professor

Whale Island

Far across the vast blue waters, nestled away from the bustling world, lies Whale Island, a place untouched by time. Here, the waves crash gently against the rocky shores, and the wind carries the scent of salt and pine through the air. It is an island of serenity, where life moves at a pace dictated not by ambition or technology but by the rhythm of the ocean itself.

For the people of Whale Island, the sea is both a protector and a boundary. It shields them from the troubles of the outside world but also confines them to a life of simplicity. There are no grand cities here, no towering buildings or neon lights—only the rolling hills, thick forests, and the small village where generations have lived and died, content with the tranquility that the island offers.

The forests of Whale Island stretch far beyond the village, covering much of the land in a blanket of emeralds. Towering trees, some older than the oldest islander, whisper in the wind, their leaves dancing to the tune of nature's song. Wildlife thrives here—birds with vibrant feathers, nimble foxes, and the ever-present hum of insects fill the air. For those who listen closely, the forest is alive with stories, carried in the rustling leaves and the distant calls of unseen creatures.

Beyond the trees, the ocean rules. The cliffs that stand at the island's edge are rugged and firm, shaped over centuries by the relentless push of the tide. From these cliffs, one can see nothing but the endless blue horizon, where the sky and the sea meet in an eternal embrace. The cliff, usually bereft of guests had a special visitor today.

A young child of ten years old can be seen standing below it. The cliff loomed above him, its jagged face reaching toward the sky like the unmoving hands of a giant frozen in time. From below, it seemed impossibly high, an unscalable wall of stone that dared only the foolish to challenge it. Yet, as the waves crashed against the rocks below and the wind howled through the crevices, he felt something stir within him—a silent challenge, a whisper in the back of his mind urging him upward.

Without nary a thought, the child jumped up, his ascent stopping five meters above the ground with his hands catching on to the cliffs jagged surface like a monkey. There was nary a doubt in the child's mind as he hung on to the cliff with his entire weight relied on the single hand that held on to the cliff's surface with contemptuous ease. With a light push he began his ascent climbing the rocky surface with the agility of a simian.

His speed remained consistent throughout his ascent with his vision focused up. He never looked down. Looking down was for those who doubted. And doubt had no place here. Higher. He climbed higher.

Then, finally, he saw it. The edge.

He sped past the final stretch, his body becoming a blur as his hands held on to the final edge before he pushed himself up. He somersaulted in the air before landing gently onto the surface of the cliff.

He stood in the grass, barely winded after climbing hundreds of meter. The sky stretched endlessly above him, the ocean roared below, and the wind no longer pushed against him but wrapped around him like an embrace. He had conquered the cliff.

And for a moment, he simply stood there, staring at the endless blue above, feeling more alive than he ever had before.

Even at ten years old, Hiruzen Sarutobi, now known by as Hiro Freecss, carried himself with a presence far beyond his years. His expression was serious yet curious, as if his mind was always calculating, always learning—absorbing everything around him like a sponge.

His hair, a deep shade of brown, stood in wild, spiky tufts that refused to be tamed, no matter how often he ran his fingers through it. The unruly locks gave him an air of mischief, but those who knew him well understood that behind the playful exterior was a mind sharp as a blade, constantly thinking several steps ahead.

His eyes—dark, deep, and intelligent—seemed to hold the weight of someone much older. When he focused, they burned with determination, a fire that flickered but never wavered. He had the look of a boy who could see the world not only as it was, but as it could be. And yet, there was still a flicker of youth in his gaze, a playful light that shone through when he laughed, when he challenged his sister to a game of tag, or when he got caught sneaking dumplings from his grandmother's kitchen.

His face still carried the softness of childhood, though the beginnings of sharper features were starting to show—high cheekbones, a defined jawline, and slightly thick eyebrows that gave him an air of seriousness even when he wasn't trying. His skin was a warm tan, the result of long hours spent under the sun, training endlessly to improve his skills.

Dressed in a dark training gi, Hiro's clothing was simple but well-worn, a sign of constant use. The sleeves were slightly too short, hinting that he had outgrown them, but he didn't care. His belt was tied in a practiced knot, his sandals scuffed from years of wear. His hands, small but calloused, bore the faint traces of bruises and scrapes from training.

And then, there was his aura. Even at ten years old, there was something about him—an air of calm control, an intensity that hinted at the future legend he would become. He wasn't the loudest or the biggest, nor was he the strongest—yet people gravitated toward him. His mind was sharp, his instincts keen, and his will unshakable.

"Has it been ten years already?" muttered Hiruzen now Hiro, as he looked at the endless expanse of blue that stretched on to the horizon. Hiro had believed in reincarnation, how could he not, when his teacher, the Second Hokage had created a jutsu to bring back the dead from pure land. He believed in the concept of soul, hell and all other baggage that comes along with it. But never had he imagined that there he himself would be reborn in an entirely new world which had neither chakra nor the Shinobi system.

It was incredible when he thought about it. This new world was filled with endless possibilities and for a curious mind like his, this was a heaven send opportunity. He had many regrets in his past life. His inability to spend time with his family for one, having burdened him with the responsibility of Konoha from a very young age.

He loved the village with all his heart and would still do his best for it if given a chance. But it can be argued that having taken the mantle of Hokage had made him left out in the experiencing many wonderful things that he would've otherwise. It was for this reason that he envied his student Jiraya. The man for all his perverseness, had the right idea to never take the hat. Instead, he continued to travel around the world, which Hiruzen himself never had a chance to.

Even though he missed his family, and had many regrets in his past life, he had moved past it. Especially when he was summoned from the belly of the Shinigami for the fourth ninja war, and he was able to witness the resilience of the Shinobi from his Konoha and other villages. Moreover, Naruto had grown into an exceptional shinobi. He was confident in the ability of his surrogate grandson to watch over Konoha in his absence. He was thus content and grateful for being granted a new life in this world.

His new family was everything that he could've asked for. He had a sister in this life. Mito Freecss was everything he could've asked for as a sister. She was adorable and cutest thing in the world, and he would go to any lengths to make sure that she would never face the darkness of this world. He also had a grandmother who reminded him a lot of his mother. He also seems to have a cousin named Ging Freecss who he had never met but was often mentioned by Mito, usually accompanied by a grumpy complaint.

Apparently, the young man had left ten years before to become a Hunter, whatever that meant and the family had not heard of him ever since. Mito always complained that Ging was an irresponsible crook who abandoned them. Honestly, Hiro had his doubts regarding that statement, but he knew better than to argue with an irate Mito.

To be frank, he couldn't have asked for a better life than this. Having been born as the heir of Sarutobi clan, he had lived a life where huge expectations had been placed on him ever since the moment he was born. Even though he had blown out expectations and became even better Shinobi than anyone could've expected, only he knew the pressure he was under throughout his life. He never had a moment of peace and even in his old age, he was forced to wear the Hokage hat after the attack of nine tails.

In this life however, he was just a kid now. There were no wars, no expectations placed upon him, no hidden threats or assassination attempts in his life. It was peaceful, especially the island where he resided. Whale island was a remote island, still untouched by the filth of the world. The people that lived here were simple and honest, a stark change from the inhabitants of his previous life.

Moreover, he had an entirely new power to play around with this time. Initially, Hiro believed that this resident of this world had no extraordinary powers and had even convinced himself to lead a normal life. However, fate had other plans it seems. In an especially jarring and dreadful fight against a rabid fox bear that was plaguing the village, Hiro awakened an entirely new power system that left him in wonder.

He coined it as life energy as he could feel that it was more apt. It gave him an immense physical boost, with which he was able to defeat the beast easily. It had been two years since he found this wonderful power. Ever since then, his inner student had awakened and he had been experimenting with his powers.

Through numerous trial and error, he was able to find many functions of this life energy. One of the major abilities that he found was Shroud where the life energy in his body was retracted to the surface of his skin like a shroud. Since it was an accident where he awakened his life energy, Hiro found that it was leaking at an exceptionally fast pace. After the adrenaline of the fight subsided, he found his strength weaking continuously. With trial and error and his spiritual energy in play, he was able to compress the escaping life energy like a protecting shroud surrounding him. The loss of energy stopped completely, and he even felt invigorated. It was an easy task for him to then train it to an instinctual level where he never even had to focus on achieving a similar effect.

The second was when he was able to close off all the open energy nodes through which the life energy was being released. He called it Conceal as it granted him an immensely powerful way of removing his presence. Moreover, it also had an extreme restorative effect allowing him to bounce back from many injuries he acquired during training.

Hiro stood up before standing in horse position. He flexed his body as a veritable storm of power exploded out of him. This was the third ability that he found through trial and error which he named as Explode. It granted him an exponential increase in strength and durability. It was purely offensive technique. Initially, he could only hold it for five minutes at most. With over two years of dedicated training, he could now maintain it for half a day with ease. With Explode active, Hiro then proceeded to practice his Taijutsu. He was a blur to naked eyes as he went through complex kata's with the precision of a surgeon. Based on his estimation, if he compared with his previous life, he was mid jonin in strength and speed.

Unfortunately, he really couldn't employ his archive of ninjutsu. Life energy functioned differently than chakra and any attempt to employ his jutsu repository only ended in failure. However, he was not disappointed. The sheer physical enhancements he received eclipsed anything chakra could ever achieve. It was for this reason that his strength increased exponentially with just two years of training under his belt.

After an hour of Taijutsu, Hiro finally took a deep breath as he closed his energy nodes entering Conceal mode. He was barely winded as he had been practicing the same every day for the past two years. Once done, he sat on the edge of the cliff looking at the endless expanse of blue sky contemplating something seriously.

After ten years of living in the Whale Island and growing up with his family, Hiro honestly believed that it was time for him to leave. He had achieved a plateau in his training and without real combat, he honestly didn't think he would improve. Unfortunately, he really didn't know how to bring this topic to his family without hurting them. Especially Mito. Even though she was older than him, Hiro considered him older in their relationship. His decades of experience in his previous life naturally enabled it. Moreover, he doted on her, accepting her every whim. 

Taking a deep breath Hiro calmed himself down. However, it was time for him to go back or Mito would come looking for him.

A bit of focus and his life energy concentrated on his legs. A little push was all that was required before he disappeared from his position leaving behind a small gust in his absence. This was the final ability that he deduced which he called Focus. It was basically focusing life energy on different parts of the body, enhancing its strength exponentially. Moreover, it could also be done to weapons increasing the durability of the said weapon similarly.

A few seconds later, Hiro landed on top of a tree overlooking a small village deep inside the Whale Island. This was his home where his family resided for generations. Disappearing again, Hiro reappeared in front of his home.

Just as he was about to enter, a sudden shiver went down his spine. It was as if he was approaching something extremely dangerous and every part of his body was asking him to escape. His shinobi instincts were screaming at him to simply turn around and disappear. However, his family was inside and no matter what danger he would be in, there was no way he was going to abandon them.

The door opened in a bang as Hiro rushed inside only to suddenly pause in an incredibly awkward manner. Inside the home, there was his thirteen-year-old sister, his grandmother and a newcomer. His sister was shouting at the guest with her face flushed in anger and his grandmother had a bundle in her hand as she looked at the scene with a wry smile on her face.

The newcomer was a young man with an unmistakable aura of independence, confidence, and curiosity. His appearance reflected his free-spirited nature and his passion for exploration.

His face was youthful but with the rugged edge of someone who had already seen more than his fair share of the world, had a slight tanned complexion from spending much time in the wilds of unknown lands. His facial structure was sharp and angular—high cheekbones and a strong jawline that gave him a look of determination and stubbornness. Despite the natural strength in his features, there was a certain softness to his expression, a glimpse of the idealistic young man who sought answers to the world's mysteries.

His eyes were large, bright, and filled with a sense of wonder, still untainted by the many harsh realities of the world. They were a striking shade of brown, with a certain gleam that hinted at both curiosity and intelligence. His gaze often held a mischievous twinkle, as if he had an endless array of plans and schemes up his sleeve. He had the kind of eyes that could both captivate and intimidate in the same breath, constantly scanning the world around him for new possibilities.

A slight stubble often lined his chin, a sign of someone not particularly concerned with upkeep, more interested in the adventure ahead of him than his own appearance. In spite of the dress down he was receiving, the young man sat lousily on the chair without a care in the world.

His build was lean and athletic—his body had the wiry strength of someone who had spent years trekking through difficult terrain, scaling mountains, and surviving in the harshest environments. However, appearance can be deceiving as Hiro's instincts were screaming at him that this young man in front of him was incredibly dangerous. However, he quickly deduced the identity of the guest.

"So, you must be Ging!" said Hiro calmly with his posture relaxed finally.

Ging turned around with his almost boring expression which sharpened slightly when it landed on him. Suddenly, Hiro felt as if his entire secret had been laid bare in front of the young man's eyes. It was incredibly uncomfortable, which only cemented his impression of the young man as someone who was incredibly dangerous.

"Yo!" Ging waved his hand. "You must be Hiro then!" he said.

"Look at me when I am talking you bastard. Who the hell do you think you are? You simply disappeared for ten years and now you come back with a child of all things. And you want us look after your kid so that you can go gallivanting around." screamed Mito at the top of her voice.

Ging turned around with his lazy face and said, "Yep. That sums it up!"

Mito had steam coming out of her head and was about to start another round of shouting when finally grandmother interjected. "That's enough Mito. Go back to your room."

"But grandma!" Mito whined but, in the end, she ran back to her room when she saw the look on grandmother's face before the closing the door with a bang.

"And you, young man! How many times have I told you not to antagonize her." She turned around to chastise Ging who finally had a wry smile on his face as he chuckled.

Grandmother herself shook her head as she said, "Let me go take care of the child. You can come back for dinner!" She then walked away to her room with the child who was wrapped up in a bundle.

Hiro just stood there; a little bit awkwardly unsure of what to do. On the one hand, he was incredibly curious about his cousin who he had never met before. On the other hand, his shinobi instincts were warning him of not approaching the man in front of him.

Before he could decide on his approach, the young man faced him and asked, "Well, since when did you learn to use Nen?"