บท 7: [07] The First Step
Chapter 07: The First Step
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Finally…. After half a month, Akio's body was optimal for moulding chakra – and right now he was on his way to his father.
His father waited as he entered the room – immediately he noticed the grin on his face.
"I never thought I'd see the day when my son learnt how to use chakra," he said with a nostalgic tone.
At first, he was over the moon that his son wanted to become a shinobi – but clarity soon filled his head… this was his son that wanted to become one. Doubts soon began to fill his head about Akio's mental fortitude. The kid couldn't even speak with his back straight, let alone become a shinobi.
However, time passed and slowly Hagiro realised how wrong he was…. Not just wrong, but his years of judgemental experience were useless. Never did he consider his son had quite the willpower; not even kids much older than him can push through what he can – it filled a hole the previous him had since his wife died.
"So, I just sit down and follow your instructions… then." He walked over to the middle of the room and sat on the mat, waiting for further instructions.
Hagiro waited until he sat crossed-legged and then said, "Close your eyes. Submerge into that focused state, listening to only my voice this time."
Akio closed his eyes and soon entered the same meditative state he was used to… and just like Hagiro said, his voice sounded out.
"Breathe calmly in and out. Feel each and every heartbeat – bring that sound and carry it all throughout your body."
This time his eyes were tightly shut, using more of his concentration as he listened to his heartbeat. Each badump carried out throughout his body, and soon, he could hear the blood travelling through his veins… the blood pulsed, rhythmically flowing to the heartbeat.
Everything felt surreal; the heartbeat… travelling off blood… function of twitch fibres – the feeling of organs being supplemented and replenished. An experience he couldn't get enough of – every time he immersed himself.
This was the meditation of this world; a mystical action that is normalised by people of this world, although Akio, being from another world, saw it from another perspective.
"Now imagine the tenketsu points in your body and feel it…. Feel the chakra: the current that no matter how small, flows through your body. Instinctively you will know what to do as you've read the book.
After a certain amount of time, Akio felt his first tenketsu point – it was in his upper left shoulder and something told him to release it… so he did but nothing happened. So he carried on, realising all the points one by one.
Soon – all the tenketsu points ranging from his upper body to his brain were unlocked by him. Still, nothing happened but Akio carried on opening all of the points around his body except a specific spot – the tenketsu in his navel.
In the middle of his belly flared a mini flame which was closed off by a single tenketsu. Previously, there were tenketsu around it but they had already been opened by Akio. This was the last he had left to open – and as soon as he did, a sudden rush of blue current flew out.
It ran through his chakra system systematically, starting from his lower body, and then spreading up to his brain. Not a single part was left out – all this was done in a matter of minutes.
Everything happened according to what the book said – every action he carried out was textbook, preparing himself beforehand.
Travelling through his body now, was a blue current continuously circulating, but couldn't be seen with the naked eye, as it looked extremely still.
Finally, he opened his eyes and a sudden feeling of energy washed over him.
"I remember my first time. That feeling of constant energy flowing through you; don't worry you'll get used to it." Hagiro watched his awe-stricken son looking around with this newfound power.
"This feeling… it's like I've just gained something I've lost my entire life," Akio muttered in a trance-like state.
Hagiro nodded at this. "Chakra is the essence of a human being – without it, we won't be alive and you've just learnt how to use it."
"Now close your eyes and begin feeling out your chakra. Do whatever you want with it; it's your experience."
To his father's voice, he once again closed his eyes and this time felt out his chakra. He tried speeding up and slowing down the current… but in just trying, he had spent a lot of mental energy. It felt tiring just controlling it, struggling as sweat poured, trying to change the flow.
Akio realised how hard it is to control the flow of chakra without any prior training. Still, he tried his best just to get an idea as he closed and opened some tenketsu points, playing with the current.
Whilst he did this; his father spoke, "You see how the current is too hard to control."
Akio nodded – still focused on his state.
"Closing on a tenketsu point stops the flow of a dozen other points. Opening another can also disrupt the flow, redirecting it toward another direction," Hagiro carried on.
Hagiro was right… As he began to play with the flow; he realised more and more the importance of one tenketsu point. Just one of them could change the way his system worked, messing up the flow of chakra.
After a few minutes, he finally stopped – finishing his two objectives. First, moulding his chakra and the second was getting a feel for it. Now that he had done both, Akio stood up – the new feeling engulfing his senses.
He clenched his fists, curled his toes and took a deep breath – he even waved his slender arms about – surprised by how light he felt.
'This is chakra… a stimulating source of energy for the body and I'm feeling it first hand.'
Kids born in this world would be normalised by this kind of step, as the concept of superpower had been ingrained into them since they were little. On the contrary, Akio came from a world with no sort of magic or supernatural – only technology so having this little power got him more excited than anyone.
The first step had been taken – acquiring the most important asset a shinobi had – their chakra. Without it, they were nothing more than human. Now, Akio could consider himself one step closer to becoming one.
"Now that you have learnt to mould your chakra, next, you'll learn how to control it. I've even got the perfect exercise which I'll pass to you later."
Akio already had an idea of what it was, but for now, he was pretty content with this small accomplishment.
All his hard work was for this, and seeing Hagiros face bloom with pride boosted his ego even more. Even though he knew this was nothing in the grand scale of things, he just wanted to enjoy the moment – something he hadn't had the luxury to do since coming to this world.
He felt a little sentimental as well looking at Hagiro – in his vision, a sudden glimpse of his father appeared… his real father. The same eyes Hagiro looked at him co-one-sided with each other, casting sudden built-up emotions to the surface.
'I wonder how my family is doing… brother – mother – father. I hope you are all well; I know I have let you all down. The only departing gift was paying for my brother's tuition fund; maybe they had collected my assets too – including the money I stole from my girlfriend's father.'
Hagiro stood in front of Akio; he sensed emotions building up, looking at his son's gaze. A droplet fell out of one eye and he smiled, wiping the patch of wetness the trickle caused.
"Haha!" he rejoiced. "It's just your first baby step and getting all happy like this."
To his misunderstanding, he thought Akio was merely crying out of joy but little did he know the sadness behind that gaze. The family he missed… the memories he had suppressed in order to focus on his goal had now come back to him.
Somehow his childhood memories were brought up…..
Because of his newfound ability, the memories of him being a baby ran through his head – his parents' happiness when he first walked came to mind. He was the baby; he was in first person, literally walking as the baby but all this was unnoticed by his father. All the memories ran by in only a few seconds after all.
All these pent-up emotions were soon suppressed as he regained a newfound composure. His face was as calm as a lake right now.
"Father, the chakra control exercise… I want it soon," his tone had gone through quite a change. It sounded more… eerie and strange to Hagiro – like he wasn't talking to his father but knowing his son's ambition he gladly replied.
"It's called the leaf-sticking method. I will hand out a book for you to read."
He carried on…
"Explaining it is simple but since you have only learnt how to handle chakra; you would take a lot of time to do it. So a book, providing instructions will greatly increase your speed."
Speed… This is what he needed right now.
Akios' face was strangely colder than before – a certain kind of desperation bloomed in his eyes. He had just tasted the bottom level of power and immediately he wanted more…
More to survive…
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