50. Temple of Fire

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Throughout the Elemental Nations, there are many temples colloquially referred to as Shinobi Temples, but the name itself is misleading because no Shinobi train here, only Monks who have abandoned Chakra.

In the Land of Fire, there is a main temple called the Fire Temple, from which the entire temple culture in the Elemental Nations originates.

For about twenty minutes, Naruto and Kakashi climbed to the top of the mountain via endless stone steps. To ordinary people, the climb would take an hour or longer, but they made it in an above-average time.

When they reached the summit, they saw a surrounding wall and a large gate guarding it, with two strange statues wearing masks, bearing no resemblance to humans at all.

"Should we knock?" Naruto chuckled.

"They likely sensed our arrival, but if no one shows up in a few minutes, go ahead," Kakashi replied, engrossed in his favorite erotic novel. Naruto really wondered how this serious guy could read such things.

Naruto focused his sensory perception on the temple but was surprised when his senses couldn't penetrate beyond the temple gate. He examined it and sensed that the gate itself was sealed with some powerful technique he couldn't fully understand. Probably, no physical attack would destroy it, and it could only be opened with a special technique.

As Kakashi predicted, after a few minutes of waiting, the gate slowly opened, and a man passed through it.

"Welcome, travelers. May I know what famous Kakashi Hatake and the son of the Fourth Hokage are doing here?" the man looked at them with keen eyes and smiled warmly.

Naruto wasn't surprised that the man recognized Kakashi; after all, he was quite famous in all countries. However, he didn't expect someone to recognize him, especially in such a remote place.

"Oh, hi. I'm Namikaze Naruto, and I'd like to train here," Naruto said somewhat awkwardly. He felt strange being under the watchful eye of this man; he didn't expect the Monks to have such a strong sensory perception and easily see through him.

Naruto wondered if he would be able to avoid his gaze if he used the Sleeping Turtle technique. That strange Monk he met in the Leaf Village could easily detect him, so the locals here would probably be able to as well.

"I understand, that's interesting... Come with me, I'll take you to my Senior," the Monk replied, letting them inside.

After crossing the temple walls, Naruto was able to examine it with his sensory perception. The gate could block his senses from the outside, but inside, he could freely explore everything. Once again, he was surprised when he discovered many hidden places where his senses couldn't reach for some reason.

The interior of the temple was much larger than he expected, divided into several sectors where many Monks trained at various stages of their training.

"My name is Tori, and I'm one of the few Monks managing the Outer Part of the Temple. My Senior is Shoka-sen-sama, who commands this part of the Temple and holds power over us," Tori explained slowly, leading them to the residence where his Senior probably stayed. Naruto noticed that he spoke of him with quite a bit of respect, so he decided to be cautious and humble when they approached him.

"I'm Kakashi Hatake, as you already know, and I take care of my Sensei's son, Naruto. Can you tell us more about the Monks here and the training before we get there?"

"I would be happy to, Kakashi-san, but the rules say not to reveal our secrets to anyone not affiliated with us."

"Oh, I understand, sorry," Kakashi didn't seem too bothered by the lack of information; he probably expected it. Like the great Clans, the Monks don't want to reveal their secrets to outsiders.

The three of them passed through the Outer Part of the Temple, where presumably beginner Monks trained, and entered the residential courtyard. Tori led them to the main building, which was designated for managing this part of the Temple.

It was the largest of all the buildings in the nearby area, and they immediately headed to the top floor, where the Senior resided.

As they entered the third floor, Tori knocked on the only door in the corridor and said, "I've brought guests, coming in."

"Welcome," Tori addressed them, asking them to follow him inside.

The room was relatively small and didn't contain anything special; it was quite empty. In the middle, there was a rather old carpet on which a meditating old man sat. Upon their arrival, he opened his brown eyes and looked at them blankly.

Following Tori's example, Kakashi and Naruto bowed as a sign of respect.

Suddenly, feeling a strange sensation in his gut, Naruto looked up at the old man and saw him staring at him.

"Your Chakra Circulatory System is damaged, child. Is that why you came here?" the old man asked.

Naruto felt a bit uncomfortable. He really didn't like it when people examined him with their sensory perception; it was unpleasant.

Returning to his question, what exactly did he mean? Did he think he came here to request healing? Naruto wasn't sure.

Perhaps sensing his thoughts, Tori explained, "The Senior wants to know your desires."

"My desires, huh?" Naruto didn't answer right away, but pondered deeply, yet the answer was relatively simple.

"I want a long life, to experience and go wherever I want," that sentence expressed everything Naruto desired. Power, strength, long life, and freedom.

"I understand, I like that concept. Do you think you can achieve that with a faulty Chakra Circulatory System?" Shoka-sen smiled lightly at him, his eyes narrowed with interest, as if he saw a promising sapling.

"Without Chakra, I wouldn't live. So, no," Naruto replied.

"Do you think Chakra is wonderful because it heals your body?" the old man asked.

Naruto wasn't sure where this conversation was heading. The old man was interrogating him, and Naruto didn't know what answer would satisfy him.

To that question, he would answer 'yes', but one situation in the past made him respond differently. "It's useful, I wouldn't say wonderful. Don't put words in my mouth."

"Oh...?" the old man widened his eyes slightly in curiosity.

"You're really wise, child. Tell me, why do you think that?"

"It's..." Naruto hesitated. Actually, he hadn't told anyone about it, not even Kabuto about his findings.

"It might be nonsense, but I once experimented with Chakra to make it leave my body without using the Chakra Circulatory System. It was a success, but... I lost complete control over it once it left my body, and even after extensive training, nothing changed."

Kakashi glanced at Naruto from the corner of his eye. He hadn't heard about this, and there was something strange about it that piqued his interest.

"There's probably only one correct conclusion to this behavior, otherwise, it can't be explained. Chakra isn't entirely mine," Naruto confessed.

Kakashi widened his eyes in disbelief at this bold statement. Was it true? There should be some other logical explanation for it.

"Haha...! Bravo!" the old man applauded several times, a wide smile appearing on his lips.

"You are absolutely right. Chakra isn't our Energy, we simply borrow it from the Heavens. After our death, Chakra disperses and is absorbed by the Earth and its atmosphere. We are one of the many cogs in the system; the Heavens bestowed Chakra upon us, and we pass it on in several ways. We multiply it during our lives and pass it on to our children, but all of this is aimed at sending it back to the Earth after our death," Shoka-sen explained the hidden truth to them.

"Are you saying that Chakra isn't our tool, but rather, we are its tool?" Kakashi didn't know what to think about it. He wasn't sure if it was true, but he didn't dismiss it either; besides, Monks don't usually lie.

"For ordinary people, this is surreal talk. Humanity has become too accustomed to the luxuries given to us by Chakra, not realizing that it's a curse," Tori added his own opinion.

"Doesn't this somewhat contradict history? Legends say that it was the Sage of the Six Paths who began giving Chakra to humans," Kakashi tried to question it.

"Yes, that's true. However, just as he passed it on to his children, he received it from his mother. And who was she? A woman born directly from the Heavens. If the Heavens didn't want Chakra to multiply on a massive scale, they would have prevented its transmission to life on Earth," Shoka-sen said.

Legends tell much about the Sage of the Six Paths and his brother, who fought their mad mother, but little is known about her. The significant information is that she was the chloroplast of all Chakra and descended from the Heavens.

"Fire burns forests and homes, kills people and animals, causes burns and pain, but it's also a shelter, provides warmth, allows cooking food, and boiling water. It all depends on how it's used. Similarly, with Chakra, unlike fire and other possible examples, it has caused more destruction than anything else. Yet, we still gladly use it; no one has really been punished for its misuse by the Heavens. The conclusion is one: the Heavens allow it."

It was hard for Kakashi to deny that. It was indeed a good example.

"Since the emergence of Chakra, over two thousand years have passed. Ordinary people have more and more of it, and the Earth is becoming stronger after absorbing so much Chakra over thousands of years. A good example is gravitational attraction on Earth; people before the Chakra Era were easily able to jump several meters high, and today it's only possible thanks to Chakra. The first generations of Chakra users could fight without getting tired for many days and weeks, and today, a few minutes of fatigue can be deadly," the old man chuckled lightly.

"If we follow this line of thinking, in a few dozen generations, our descendants will barely be able to stand on their own feet without Chakra," Kakashi didn't know whether to feel amused or saddened by this.

"Oh, actually no, Kakashi-nii-san. The Chakra Circulatory System mutates organisms on Earth, causing them to strengthen. Just look at the human body limit; I researched it once, so I'm somewhat familiar. The strongest people before the Chakra Era were able to reach the maximum level of strength at the level of today's Chunin, and the current limit for us is practically unknown. It's possible that it's at the level of Hashirama Senju, or for ordinary people without a Clan, the level of Kage. Although gravitational attraction will continue to strengthen, we humans and animals mutate with each successive generation, so everything evens out," Naruto explained.

"Is that so? Well, I guess I've gotten rid of my concerns then," Kakashi sighed, but after a moment, he squinted his eyes, thinking intensely.

"I just realized now, how does the Chakra Circulatory System strengthen our bodies? It doesn't make sense," Kakashi inquired. If they were already discussing such topics, it was worth learning something interesting; valuable information is never too much.

"Well, I'm curious too, how do you know such a thing, child?" the old man began examining Naruto again with his sensory perception, sending a shiver down his spine.

Why the hell is he doing this? Naruto couldn't help but curse. He probably checks if he'll lie; Naruto actually does the same to other people, but he didn't dare send his sensory perception to that old Monk. Just like him, the Monk is probably sensitive to sensory perception.

This old man, like the rest of the Monks, probably knows about it. They probably know even more details than Naruto himself. Their 'secret' knowledge is probably greater than that of ordinary people.

"I conducted research, and something didn't sit right with me, instinct told me I was missing something. So, I delved into the details of the Chakra Circulatory System and discovered that it's a parasite. It has similar characteristics to it, but instead of feeding on our bodies, it lives in harmony with it and develops without major side effects. It's like a trade; the organism gives it the appropriate nutrients, and in return, the Chakra Circulatory System develops, mutates our bodies, and produces Chakra," Naruto declared, surprising Kakashi.

"Tsunade-sama knows about it, but we kept it secret from the majority," Naruto immediately added, so as not to mislead him.

"Oh, I see. That would explain everything," Kakashi finally nodded in understanding.