'No pain, No gain!'
Renjiro clung onto that phrase to enable him to complete his workout.
He already had decided on a workout plan. He would be doing a hundred pushups, pullups and squats. He would also run laps around his yard.
He did not have any way of measuring the distance but by his approximation, one lap around his yard was around a hundred meters so a hundred of such laps would result in ten kilometres (6.21 miles).
Renjiro knew that starting this from the get-go was a tall order. He opted to start with a fraction of the numbers and then gradually increase the reps and sets.
Renjiro took a break since he was spent after the workout. It was now time for his chakra control training.
Early on in the series, the concept of chakra control is introduced through the training exercises. Leaf balancing, Tree Climbing and Water Walking become the foundation for building precise chakra control.
These exercises require shinobi to employ a precise amount of chakra to hold the leaf in place and use their chakra to scale trees without their hands and to tread on the water's surface.
Renjiro concluded that the criteria for a solid foundation in chakra control was having mastery in all three exercises. He was about to begin with the leaf-balancing exercise.
Renjiro had already visited both libraries and already gotten basic information on the exercises.
The deceptively simple yet challenging task focuses on enhancing a ninja's precise control over their chakra. Its objective is to stick a single leaf, usually a dry, fragile leaf, on a specific part of the body, often the forehead or the tip of the nose, using nothing but chakra. The leaf should remain in place without falling.
Easy right?
Wrong.
The troubling part is the mental focus required. Successfully balancing the leaf requires intense concentration and focus. The ninja must channel their chakra with unwavering intent and maintain that concentration to prevent the leaf from falling.
Under the shade of a towering tree, Renjiro sought a moment of stillness.
Seated in the traditional cross-legged position, Renjiro closed his eyes and began to calm the turbulence of his thoughts. All his worries vanished, replaced by a singular focus on the present moment.
With each measured breath, his mind settled into a state of serene clarity. He visualized the turmoil dissipating like ripples on a pond, leaving only the core of his being.
In the palm of his hand, he held a fragile leaf. With a few slow breaths in and out, he channelled his focus onto the leaf, his fingers brushing against its surface with a gentle touch.
Then, with deliberate care, Renjiro raised the leaf to the centre of his forehead. It quivered against his skin. He felt the connection between his chakra and the leaf a subtle dialogue between energy and life.
Renjiro concentrated his chakra on that precise spot, the very centre of his forehead, and he felt the subtle movement of his energy. The chakra flowed, guided by his intent and purpose. Within moments, the leaf, which had once teetered on the precipice of his skin, adhered firmly to his forehead.
The achievement filled him with a sense of satisfaction and accomplishment. He had harnessed his chakra, channelled it and achieved the desired result.
However, Renjiro's elation was short-lived. As he repeated the process again and again, the leaf's adherence became inconsistent.
'It's like I'm getting worse with every try.'
Frustration set in, overshadowing his earlier success. What frustrated Renjiro even more was that he was losing significant amounts of chakra in the process.
'Calm down Etha- No Calm down Renjiro. It's called the leaf concentration exercise. You can't be calm and concentrate if you are frustrated.' Renjiro tried to calm himself down.
The first thing he had read from the books was that chakra control, like life itself, required balance and mastery.
Unfortunately, things did not get better as the only improvement Renjiro saw after an hour was his frustration levels. He was wrestling with the delicate art of chakra control, and it was proving to be a formidable opponent.
'Dammit! What am I doing wrong?' Renjiro racked his brain but he could not find a solution to his problem.
Exhausted and disheartened, Renjiro rose from his spot under the tree and dusted himself off. With a deep sigh, he made his way to Miwa's place. It hurt his ego but he was not dumb enough to realize when he needed help.
Renjiro approached the entrance. As he knocked then pushed open the doors and stepped inside, he was met with Miwa was seated on a tatami mat.
"Renjiro," she acknowledged with a nod,
"How can I help you?"
Renjiro settled opposite Miwa.
"Miwa-sama, I... I've been trying to master chakra control, but it's more challenging than I imagined. I succeeded at first, or I think I did. After repeating the process, I've been losing chakra. I can't seem to achieve it."
Miwa regarded him with a measured, understanding gaze.
"Show me exactly what you were doing." Miwa urged Renjiro
Renjiro obliged and did as he was told. Just like his previous attempts, Renjiro failed. Miwa noticed his frustration.
"It is good that you have taken the first step by seeking help. Chakra control is as much about self-discovery as it is about technique." Miwa paused to let the words sink in.
"Do you know why the exercise is performed on the forehead and not any other part of the body?"
"Is it because it is near to our brains? If we can attain control of the chakra near our brains it will be easier."
"Close Enough. It is because of something called Tenketsu. It can be simplified to a hole where our body releases chakra. There is one on your forehead. If you can control the chakra released from there then your overall chakra control increases."
'Oh! Those are the points that the byakugan reveals to Hyugas. But if people know this why aren't there techniques that help people fully increase the output of these points?'
"So how do it do it?" Renjiro asked.
"First try meditation then just release chakra not from your whole forehead but from that Tenketsu alone."
Renjiro followed her instructions, closing his eyes and breathing in, then out, slowly and deliberately.
"Let go of your frustration," Miwa continued in a soothing tone. "In meditation, you'll find the clarity and mental discipline you seek. Your chakra is a part of you, and you must learn to flow with it, not against it."
It did not take long for Renjiro to form a connection with his chakra. He then focused on his head and tried to release it. It was hard at first, but after a few more attempts Renjiro got a hang of it.
It was akin to consciously choosing to breathe with your mouth instead of your nose. Once you get a hang of it, you could even switch between the two in a heartbeat.
With enough chakra being released a weak grip was established and the leaf finally stuck on Renjiro's forehead.
'That's what I am talking about!'
Renjiro was happy to finally do it. Now he just had to keep this up for as long as he could.
'Was it this easy?'
Renjiro thought the exercise was easy and wondered why many characters struggled with it. That's when he realized the main objective of the exercise.
You had to hold the leaf in position for as long as possible to better your control. It was just like breathing exercises in vocal practice.
The more you exhale and inhale at controlled rates, the more you can hold the sound. In this case, if you regulate the chakra output, your control increases.
But prolonging the time the leaf sticks on your forehead was like continuously exhaling, and that was the ultimate test.
Miwa noticed Renjiro's action and timed him. She was surprised at how long he could concentrate on the exercise.
"More than half a minute. Good work Renjiro. This is a great result for your first try."
"Thanks, Miwa-sama, this was all because you guided me."
"Don't worry, whenever you are stuck I will always try my best to help."
Overall Renjiro was elated since he was an overachiever in his past life, so he was always used to things coming quickly to him with less effort applied.
But things were different here, evidently, as with the leaf balancing exercise. Renjiro did not let this get into his head though. He was painfully aware of how this was just the first step in a long journey ahead.
Renjiro was glad Miwa helped him as he underwent a huge breakthrough. It also helped him warm up a bit towards Miwa. Miwa of course, noticed this and revelled in it.
After having a majority of his chakra-based questions answered by Miwa, Renjiro headed back to his room. The mental Fatigue he had could not allow him to continue with the chakra control techniques or his physical condition.
'What to do next?'
In the past week, Miwa had taken Renjiro around the clan compound and also to major parts of the village like the Hokage monument in the Hokage mountain, and some other tourist destinations.
Of course, the destination where they spent most of their time was the public playground. It seemed that Miwa wanted Renjiro to have a normal childhood and make friends in the village.
It did not quite work out how Miwa wanted, but she still hoped that when the boy would enrol to the academy he would make bonds with other children in the village.
'Let's go and find something to eat.'
Even in his past life, Renjiro had been a terrible cook and transmigrating did not change that. So for his own sake, he would either eat out or at Miwa's place. Renjiro preferred the former since the latter depleted his social battery.
Since he also wanted to take a break before going to the library for research later in the afternoon, eating was the best opportunity he could get.
"Why did I have to come to an earlier timeline in Naruto? The Ramen could really at this time."
Renjiro murmured as he snapped his chopsticks apart. Since Teuchi had yet to his Ichiraku ramen shop, Renjiro had his meal at some restaurant that mainly served grilled meat dishes and other variations.
'Good thing it is only a couple of years till he opens it.' Renjiro consoled himself as he savoured his meal.
The only reason that he did not enjoy the place was that the dishes that they were offering were too heavy for him, especially since he was still training. Other than that, it was still acceptable.
Having nothing else to do, Renjiro decided to head to the clan library. His top priority, besides chakra control exercises and physical conditioning, was to get a basic taijutsu technique and find ways how he could improve his Sharingan.
As Renjiro entered the library, he was met with the hushed reverence that permeated the air. The shelves were meticulously divided into sections, each tailored to a different level of proficiency: Genin, Chunin, Jonin, and other forbidden zones.
He was not even an academy student, at least not yet, so the knowledge he could access was limited. Renjiro's gaze swept across the library, searching for the knowledge that would help him advance his Sharingan.
Unfortunately, all that was waiting for him was disappointment. As what he was searching for remained elusive.
The Uchiha had long held their dojutsu close to their hearts, guarding it from prying eyes and potential enemies. Such invaluable knowledge was not casually written down, for fear that it might fall into the wrong hands.
Instead, the methods and techniques for training the Sharingan were passed down through word of mouth, from mentor to pupil, in the crucible of training and experience.
'This sucks. I was hoping that I could do this on my own, but it seems I have no other option but to rely on Miwa again.'
Renjiro Lamented. He did not like to depend on others. But his current circumstances could not allow him to do as he pleases.
'Hope I do get a Taijutsu Technique. It would greatly help in my workouts.'
Renjiro moved to the Taijutsu section of the library. Most of the information available to him was the basic taijutsu used in the academy and the one used by the clan.
The taijutsu technique was called the Interceptor fist. This was something that Renjiro did not remember from the anime. It only made sense that since they had their own signature ninjutsu and genjutsu they would also have their own signature Taijutsu.
'I remember Sasuke copying Rock Lee's moves I just thought that they used their sharingan to copy their opponent's moves and integrate them into their fighting style.'
After getting the technique, he moved to the ninjutsu section of the library. Most of the jutsus there were E ranked with a majority of them being of fire chakra nature. No surprise.
'Hmm lemme see, the fireball jutsu that Fugaku taught his sons isn't Here. I guess he wouldn't teach them a weak jutsu.'
Renjiro was disappointed that the jutsus present were not up to par. But considering they were E rank, it was expected. He was only looking at the jutsu section due to curiosity.
'But what I can access now is limited. I am sure I will have access to better jutsus.'
Renjiro did not want to start practising Ninjutsu just yet. Renjiro wanted to spend the next three months or more with his current training plan to build a good foundation or, at least, a semblance of it. Plus, it was evident that his chakra control was not at an acceptable level. Yet.
As Renjiro was about to exit the library, his sharp and observant eyes caught a peculiar scene unfolding at the Library Help Desk. A young Uchiha, undoubtedly a genin or an academy student, stood there engaged in conversation with the librarian. In the librarian's outstretched hand, a delicate piece of paper rested, a fragment of parchment that intrigued Renjiro.
This paper, although seemingly ordinary at first glance, exuded an air of intrigue that couldn't escape his keen perception. Renjiro paused for a moment, his Sharingan's perceptive gaze capturing every detail.
The colour of the paper was fascinating. At first glance, it appeared to be pristine ivory. However, upon closer examination, Renjiro detected subtle streaks of light blue woven intricately into the fibres, resembling veins of chakra subtly infused within.
Renjiro couldn't help but recognize it with a sense of certainty. This was no ordinary piece of parchment.
'Is that a chakra paper? It definitely is.'
Renjiro decided to follow the young Uchiha ninja who had requested it. He approached the Library Help Desk and addressed the librarian with a quiet but determined tone.
"Excuse me," he began, "I'd like to request a piece of that paper, please."
"The chakra paper?" The librarian asked.
'I was right.' Renjiro thought as he nodded.
The librarian reached out for a fresh sheet of chakra paper, recognizing Renjiro as another member of the clan despite being taken aback by his crimson hair. She handed it to him, and Renjiro accepted it with a gracious nod of thanks.
However, unlike the young Uchiha he had observed earlier, Renjiro had a different intention.
'I'll use this when I get home,' he decided.
He wanted to ensure that the information regarding his elemental affinity remained confidential, known only to him. At the very least, he wanted to control what he allowed others to know and what he could keep to himself.
Renjiro knew that even such details about him could lead to his demise at the enemy's hands. Imagine if they were only prepared to counter his fire release then he uses water release. It never hurt having another ace up your sleeve.
As Renjiro arrived at his home, he was filled with anticipation. Inside the confines of his room, he set the chakra paper on a small, unassuming table.
'What were the results again? Crumpling up means lightning, getting damp means water, splitting into two means wind, burning up means fire and turning into dirt and crumbling away means earth.'
With a deep breath, Renjiro focused his chakra, allowing it to flow from his being into the paper. Renjiro watched with bated breath as the chakra paper, which had absorbed his chakra, began to respond to his inner energy.
To his surprise, the paper exhibited quite a dramatic transformation. It first, split neatly in half. Then, in a sudden burst of intensity, the paper ignited, the flames consuming it until nothing remained but a pile of fine, delicate ashes.
'What the hell??'
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