8: Short and complicated training

"Meow."

Seiji woke up feeling a weight on his chest. Kay, his furry friend, had woken him up as he did every morning.

Seiji looked at the black cat and smiled.

"Thanks for waking me up, Kay."

Seiji took his time getting ready. A few minutes later, after his morning bath and a change of clothes, he stepped out.

"Good morning, Kurenai, Naruko."

"Good morning, Seiji." (x2)

After exchanging greetings, Seiji sat down next to Naruko, and the three of them ate breakfast together.

Seiji noticed that Naruko was wearing his clothes, and while it didn't bother him personally, it wasn't ideal for a girl. Especially since Seiji's clothes were a bit too big for her due to their size difference.

Kurenai, noticing Seiji's gaze, explained:

"Naruko didn't have any clothes, so after her bath, I borrowed some of yours. Don't worry, after breakfast, I'll take her shopping to get all the clothes she needs."

Seiji nodded, remembering that the whole situation with Naruko's stay had happened too quickly, without any preparation.

"You can let me know if you need money. I have plenty from what my father left."

Kurenai chuckled, shaking her head.

"Don't worry, despite my appearance, I'm a Jōnin. I have enough money from my missions. Besides, I wouldn't feel comfortable taking money from a kid who almost became my stepson."

"Alright..."

Seiji didn't know how to feel. Kurenai's consideration was heavy, especially since she never accepted any kind of payment.

After finishing breakfast, he waited in the living room with Naruko, waiting for Kurenai to finish her "visit" to his parents' altar.

Seiji decided to talk to Naruko, trying to get to know the girl who would be his companion for the next few years.

Naruko was quite shy, answering his questions in a soft voice. Seiji thought she was a very reserved child.

Seiji had noticed that Naruko spoke very fluently with Kurenai, despite the short time they had known each other.

'I guess it's because they're both women.'

Seiji wasn't aware of the real reason why the girl was "shy" around him.

Seiji could only hope that Naruko would trust him over time, and since she constantly clung to him, he had high hopes.

"Seiji, see you later. I'm borrowing your friend."

When Kurenai took Naruko with her, Seiji was left completely alone.

He decided to wait for his "trainer." He went to the back of his house, which had a fairly large yard, specifically designed for training.

A few minutes later, he arrived. It was a silver-haired ANBU.

"Let's get started. Sit in a meditative position."

The ANBU's voice was tired and rather lazy. Seiji assumed it was quite annoying to teach a child, so he quickly obeyed the orders. Partly to make the ANBU's job easier, but also because he was very excited to learn chakra control.

"Close your eyes, focus only on my voice."

Seiji obeyed and waited for the ANBU's instructions.

"First, you need to know what chakra is. In short, it's the energy that flows within your body and is needed to perform jutsus."

"Chakra is the combination of physical energy and spiritual energy from each person."

'A pretty summarized explanation...'

"Breathe slowly, imagine the chakra inside you, and try to feel it."

"It might be a little difficult at first, but..."

Seiji stopped listening to his words. He was completely mesmerized by the warm sensation enveloping his entire body.

"...and when you can feel it, try to imagine it moving through your body..."

*Whoosh.*

An invisible force burst out of Seiji's body, causing a pressure to descend around him. It was a surge of chakra rushing out furiously.

The uncontrolled chakra pushed the ANBU back forcefully.

"Okay, stop!"

The ANBU shouted in slight panic. Seiji, hearing him, stopped. Looking at the mess around him, he opened his eyes in surprise.

Both of them stared at each other in silence, and the ANBU sighed.

"That... was an excess of uncontrolled chakra... You'll need to learn to control your chakra... or you might end up blowing up a room... at best."

Seiji swallowed, a little scared. He was afraid of accidentally destroying his house.

The ANBU, seeing his expression, sighed and tried to reassure him.

"It's fine, you can train and learn to control your chakra. It's just that someone with your chakra reserves will need great control... but in the long run, it'll be beneficial for you."

"I was only supposed to teach you how to 'activate' your chakra... Normally, it takes kids several days. I guess we can move on to the next step."

"Here, try to flow your chakra into this paper. Depending on your elemental affinities, the paper will change."

Seiji looked at the paper in the ANBU's hands, a little nervous as he took it. He knew that, depending on the result, it would determine the path he would take.

Seiji hesitated for a moment and, cautiously, began directing his chakra to his fingertips and then into the paper.

The paper in his hands immediately burst into flames. Then, a stream of water began to flow from it, followed by a strong gust of wind that emanated forcefully. After that, the paper began to wrinkle, splitting into strips. Finally, it crumbled into small grains of sand, as if its original form no longer made sense.

"...." (x2)

*Sigh.*

"You're quite a troublesome kid... A massive amount of chakra and all five elemental affinities... You're going to cause a lot of problems in the coming years..."

'I just wanted to follow my father's legacy... not be a once-in-a-century genius...'

"You're a genius... Oh, and if we add that face of yours... You're going to cause more trouble than your father."

"Sorry, kid, I have to report this to the Hokage. Training ends here."

"Here, I wrote down some instructions for you to train your chakra control... Goodbye."

Seiji took the paper reluctantly, watching as the ANBU prepared to leave.

"Say hi to Kurenai for me. She might be able to help you with your chakra control in the meantime..."

Seiji was left alone in his lonely backyard. A while later, his cat, Kay, approached him, as if trying to comfort him.

'I just wanted to be a normal ninja...'

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If you're enjoying the reading, please leave me a comment. I would also appreciate some power stones.