Chapter 6: Extracting Chakra

A few days passed, and Kazuki Haruno felt that although his body was no longer fatigued, the lingering effects hadn't completely disappeared. It seemed that this sensation would fade within a similar time frame.

However, this was all part of life in the Naruto world. While ordinary people here couldn't compare to those with special bloodlines, their bodies were still far superior to those in his previous life. Otherwise, what Kazuki had done might have wrecked his body back then.

No, actually, without the foundation of strong mental power, he likely wouldn't have been able to achieve what he had in this life either. After all, Kazuki knew himself well enough—his willpower wasn't exactly his strong suit.

Over these past few days, nothing notable had happened at school either. Iruka had been leading the class in training and started teaching the basics of chakra.

For Kazuki, this felt like a bit of a waste of time. He had already studied all this on his own, and the training intensity wasn't even close to what he had set for himself.

However, it was just the beginning of the school term, so the teacher was still focused on basic exercises. Perhaps later on, they would be allowed to train more freely.

After finishing his self-study of the materials, Kazuki was now ready to attempt chakra extraction. Since this was his first time, he made sure to pick a time when his mother, Tsunai, was home to watch over him.

Even though chakra extraction wasn't usually dangerous, who could say for sure if something unexpected might happen during his first try?

"Mom, I'm about to start," Kazuki said, sitting cross-legged on his bed. Although there wasn't a required position for chakra extraction, it felt more proper to strike a serious pose with his mother watching.

"Don't worry, I remember that chakra extraction isn't dangerous," Tsunai encouraged him.

"I know." Kazuki nodded. He was just being cautious—what if he fainted?

Then, he began following the instructions in his books, focusing on sensing his bodily energy. He had already tried sensing it before, so it came easily to him now.

The only difference this time was that instead of just sensing it, he would actually extract the chakra. With his mother nearby as a safety net, Kazuki no longer hesitated. He merged his spiritual energy with his physical energy and began extracting chakra.

There were no surprises—Kazuki successfully extracted chakra on his first attempt. He then guided the chakra to his hand, allowing the familiar blue energy to materialize in his palm, causing him to momentarily lose focus.

"You did it on your first try? That's amazing, Kazuki!" Tsunai was also surprised. While chakra extraction wasn't dangerous, that didn't mean it was easy to succeed on the first attempt. Did this mean her son had exceptional talent? Overjoyed by the thought, Tsunai decided to ask her teacher to get Kazuki a special surprise tomorrow—a Shadow Clone jutsu.

"Not too bad," Kazuki said, a little surprised by how smoothly it had gone. It probably had something to do with his strong mental power. Either way, it seemed like he had some talent. The next test would be in learning ninjutsu.

He wondered how much chakra he had compared to others. He felt like he had a decent amount, but without any benchmarks, it was hard to be sure.

As Kazuki was lost in thought, he suddenly felt a pair of hands pinch his cheeks. He looked up to see his mother grinning at him. "You successfully extracted chakra, Kazuki. Shouldn't you be a little happier? Smile!"

Under Tsunai's "persuasion," Kazuki eventually managed a smile, though it was a bit forced. Still, it satisfied his mother. "That's better. You're so young—why do you always have such a serious face?"

Kazuki sighed internally. He wasn't trying to be stern; he was just thinking.

After escaping his mother's playful teasing, Kazuki returned to his room to continue extracting chakra. Even if it wasn't immediately useful, the process of familiarizing himself with extraction was important.

He needed to be able to extract chakra without even thinking about it—to reach the point where it was effortless. But what could he do with the chakra he was extracting now?

He didn't know any jutsu yet, so just wasting it felt wrong. Maybe he could use it to practice control—like walking on trees or walls?

But then he remembered that his mother was probably resting next door. If he fell off the wall and made a loud noise, it might disturb her, so he decided against it.

What about practicing chakra shape and nature transformations?

As for nature transformation, Kazuki didn't even know his chakra nature yet. That left shape transformation.

Rather than focusing on complex shapes, Kazuki decided to start simple. He would try shaping his chakra into a sphere.

He attempted to release chakra from his hands, but as soon as the chakra left his body, it quickly dispersed into the air, out of his control.

Kazuki frowned but didn't give up. After all, no one succeeds on the first try.

He kept extracting and practicing, again and again. Soon, Kazuki's chakra reserves were nearly depleted. He realized that if he fully exerted himself, he could probably extract it all in one go, as his mental strength was exceptionally high.

However, this also showed that his chakra reserves were far from matching his mental strength.

On the bright side, his practice with shape transformation had yielded some results. At least now, when the chakra left his body, he could still feel a slight connection to it, though controlling it was still incredibly difficult.

But that faint connection was a good sign. It meant that he had taken the first step toward mastering chakra control.

With his chakra almost depleted, Kazuki decided to call it a day and rest.

Tomorrow, he had more important matters to attend to, like asking Iruka about his chakra reserves. At the very least, he needed a standard to measure himself against. Kazuki also planned to see if he could get his hands on the Three Basic Jutsu. Based on his current chakra reserves, he believed he was ready to start learning them. If he could prove his abilities, there was a good chance Iruka would agree to teach him.

And if that didn't work, he could always ask his mother for the hand signs and get some tips from Iruka later.

Thinking about his plans for tomorrow, Kazuki drifted off to sleep.

The next day, after school, Kazuki approached Iruka.

"Is there something you need, Kazuki?" Iruka asked, looking a bit curious.

"Iruka-sensei, I've already learned how to extract chakra from the textbooks. Could you help me assess my current chakra level?"

"Hm? You've learned it all on your own already?" Iruka was surprised. As a good teacher, he had a solid understanding of his students, and that included Kazuki's situation.

Kazuki's mother had been a lower-ranked ninja, but she hadn't had the ability to teach him much. This meant Kazuki had studied and completed chakra extraction on his own in just a few days.

Although Iruka wasn't sure why Kazuki wanted to measure his chakra level, he appreciated hard-working students. So, he nodded in agreement.

"Of course, I'd be happy to help."

(End of Chapter)