MTLNOVEL Chapter 4: Chakra control
Not even five minutes had passed after dinner, and his roommates were already asleep. Yoichi couldn't stop looking at them in amazement that they had fallen asleep so quickly, thinking:
"Did they add some kind of sleeping pills to the dinner? Although, on the other hand, they kept saying during the meal that they were going to bed early so they wouldn't have to wait long for tomorrow's training. Maybe they're just that excited?"
Yoichi sat on his bed and took one of the leaves he had brought back today during his visit to the forest. Staring at it, he thought:
"Leaf Concentration Practice is a basic method for chakra control training. As far as I remember, it involves focusing a certain amount of chakra on the forehead to hold the leaf there without using his hands. If the chakra flow is too weak, the leaf will fall. But if it's too strong, the leaf will be pushed away from the forehead. Now I won't measure how long I can keep the leaf in place because I don't know how long it will take me to succeed."
He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He focused on the flow of chakra in his body, trying to direct its stream to his forehead. Slowly, he placed the leaf against his skin and attempted to "stick" it there using chakra.
The first attempt failed. The leaf barely held on for a moment before falling onto his knees. After two hours of failure, Yoichi thought:
"I thought this would be easier, but there were moments when I almost succeeded. However, I lost concentration at the last second, and the leaf fell. Alright, let's take a break from this and think about our situation."
"Hmm...
If I manage to achieve some progress in chakra control, I'll be able to start practicing nature transformation as well. Although I don't know what affinity I have. If I try each exercise for two weeks, the one with the fastest progress will probably be mine. As far as I remember, there are: Fire, Wind, Lightning, Earth, Water, Yin, and Yang. Only those last two are likely advanced, and I don't know how to train them.
Once I earn some money, I'll buy chakra paper to confirm my affinity. I'm not sure if I'm doing the exercises correctly, so it's better to buy it to make sure if I'm right.
As far as I remember, the method for wind nature involves trying to cut the leaf with chakra. For fire nature, I need to try to burn the leaf by concentrating energy to generate heat. Regarding water nature, I need a cup of water I should put my fingers in the water and use chakra to try to move it. Earth nature requires an attempt to crush a stone with chakra. For lightning nature, I should try to produce small sparks between my fingers."
He glanced at his roommates, who were deeply asleep, thinking:
"I should also go to the library. Maybe I'll find some useful information there that doesn't require me to be a ninja or an academy student. If I don't get books on chakra training or ninjutsu techniques, I can look for information about various plants growing nearby. Perhaps some plants aid chakra regeneration or increase endurance. Even if I don't find such books, at least I'll learn how the library works.
If Hikaru and Kaito stop wanting to train, I can suggest they try finding two or three older guys, a year older than us, who will take the academy entrance exam in ten months. They could invite them to joint training sessions. This way, we'll build relationships, and maybe they'll help us get kunai and shuriken for training once they enter the academy."
He imagined Hikaru and Kaito enthusiastically searching for the best candidates for joint training. If everything went according to plan, it could bring many benefits.
"I also need to check if Kabuto is in our orphanage because, as far as I remember, he should still be in one somewhere. If it turns out he's here, I'll have to avoid him and have minimal contact."
Yoichi took the leaf in his hand and remembered:
"Oh yeah, I also need to look for information on how to become a sensor ninja. If I manage to become one, it will significantly increase my safety. This way, I won't get caught off guard like I did today at lunch. If someone other than Hikaru had approached me intending to kill me, I wouldn't be alive now. Additionally, sensory skills should help me with chakra control."
After a few more attempts, he felt he was almost succeeding. Taking a deep breath, he focused on maintaining an even flow of energy. For the first few seconds, he felt the leaf stayed in place. After a few seconds, the leaf was still stuck to his forehead. Yoichi opened his eyes, and at that moment, the leaf began to fall. Smiling, he looked at the clock, thinking:
"It worked! If I hadn't gotten distracted, I could have held it longer. I'll try a few more times."
Reaching for the leaf, he felt exhaustion creeping in. Yoichi thought:
"I was so focused on succeeding that I didn't notice how tiring this exercise is. I feel like I have about 20% of my chakra left. I'd better go to sleep to rest properly. I'll continue training tomorrow anyway."
With that thought, he lay down comfortably on his bed and fell asleep almost immediately.