5 - Basics

Gojo stared intently at the two small saucers in front of him: one contained clay powder, the other was full of water. Sitting across from him, Kanna, as she had mentioned earlier, was about to explain the basic theory of chakra to him. Gojo noted that she wasn't lying the previous day when she talked about the inaccessibility of chakra due to the extreme weakness of his body.

After awakening, the former shaman noticed a radical difference between what was before and what is now. Chakra was no longer "light" and "elusive," but quite the opposite—stable and flowing steadily in a single desired direction, in Gojo's perception, even strong... Relative to his current level, of course. He believed it was now possible to work with it.

The woman, with a probing look at her new student, pointed her index finger at one of the containers with dry clay and then spoke in a lively tone:

"Imagine this as a person's endurance and strength. Their physical abilities in general." After these words, she moved her index finger to the other saucer with water. "And this is your will, mind, aspirations, and intellect."

Gojo perked up, a wide smile appeared on his face, adrenaline surged through his veins, and many thoughts filled his head. He rested his chin on his hand, his eyes wide open, staring straight at the containers.

"These two concepts in your, my, and any other body are expressed in two different energies that, by themselves, are not very effective, but they form chakra when combined together." Kanna continued. "Yin and Yang."

She scooped up a handful of clay powder in her hand, demonstrating it closer to the boy.

"Trying to do something solely with your life force is unlikely to achieve significant success." She made a show of trying to shape the powder, but it immediately crumbled into a useless pile. "The same goes for your spirit."

Kanna filled her palm with water, and it was clear that trying to do anything with it was pointless. As soon as she spread her fingers, the liquid flowed back into the container. She did the same with the powder, but this time she demonstratively turned her hand over, showing the greater "materiality" of Yang. Then, without further explanation, she took the entire bowl of water and poured it directly into the dry clay, which instantly began to absorb the moisture.

"Your thoughts and will can make life force more flexible and accessible to you, and together they form chakra." She explained clearly, pointing to the resulting gray sludge. "It's much easier to give it form and make something worthwhile out of it, and the result will be much more successful."

The resulting clay dough was unreliable, but it served as an excellent example. Gojo listened intently, watching as Kanna skillfully created a spherical lump from the mixture with her fingers. She handed it to the boy, who examined it with interest, visualizing in his mind the future work on chakra control.

"This process of mixing two energies to form chakra occurs without your participation, but it can be accelerated by certain practices and substances, although this may have some consequences." The woman pondered something and frowned slightly. "With such neutral chakra, you can use any techniques except elemental ones. But you don't need the latter, right?"

The question was clearly rhetorical for Kanna; she wasn't particularly interested in Satoru's opinion on the matter. She had no intention of turning him into a shinobi, teaching only the basics. Gojo wanted to roll his eyes in fleeting irritation but restrained himself. For him, it was an insignificant obstacle; once he learned the basics, mastering everything else would be much easier. Everything was just beginning.

"In general, by accelerating the natural flow of chakra in the Chakra Circulatory System, a person can achieve an increase in all their physical capabilities, including overall body strengthening." She continued her lecture, skeptically observing how her interested young student began to roll the clay ball between his fingers, looking at her with a gaze full of curiosity. "Experienced people in this matter use this chakra feature reflexively after any slightest threat, and in some, the chakra flow in the body is accelerated on a permanent basis. With prolonged use of chakra in this way, the muscles and the whole body retain a certain share of this effect, allowing them to surpass ordinary people even without the need to use chakra itself."

"And what is the Chakra Circulatory System?" As soon as Kanna finished this part of her explanations, Satoru asked the question that interested him.

"The Chakra Circulatory System is a network of channels, tension points, and loops in the human body through which chakra flows." She raised a finger, preparing to add: "By the way, it closely resembles the cardiovascular system with minor differences. Just like blood, if the chakra in the body runs out completely or is too low, the person will die."

"And how do you control it?" Glancing at the clay ball still in his hand, Gojo asked another question. "It seems too heavy and unyielding to me."

"There are three hundred and sixty-one nodes in the Chakra Circulatory System, each of which can serve as a valve and pump for chakra. These are the very tension points I told you about. Tenkezu—they are like muscles, and they need to be developed. Not every node can be controlled individually." She smiled. "There are special exercises for this, some of which I will show you. But that will be later."

Satoru's lips, which had already started to form a broad, anticipatory grin, exposing his teeth, suddenly turned into a frown. His gaze became sorrowful and somewhat offended, as if he had been led around by the nose all this time and now maliciously deceived like a fool. He hoped to learn everything he needed right now, but...! It was an extremely unpleasant situation; he thought he would get everything he needed here and now. Although the reason for Kanna's decision was as clear as day—she almost couldn't hide her worry and doubt or didn't even try to.

Gojo could see right on her face that she was sharing this knowledge more out of necessity due to circumstances than a real desire to teach the boy something new. Indeed, the shinobi world is no joke. Chakra users cut and kill each other without hesitation or doubt, and ordinary civilians who happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time suffer no less. Naturally, she didn't want to involve the child in all these bloody confrontations or give him the opportunity to participate in them directly. If it weren't for the unfortunate stone that hit the former owner of this body's head, Kanna wouldn't have taken any steps in this direction.

After all, if Satoru encounters his attacker again, he will be able to defend himself and even teach his assailant a lesson. That's exactly what the woman thought. For street rabble, basic chakra control skills would be enough, and in this case, the boy wouldn't need elemental potential.

"And now I will teach you how to prepare dough, cream, and filling for my special mochi." Kanna smiled warmly and encouragingly when she stood up and clapped her hands in anticipation. "And something else, I think the business needs to expand..."

"What do you mean?" Gojo asked stupidly, blinking his eyes.

"What do you mean 'what do you mean'?" The woman looked genuinely puzzled. "You now live and work here, and when I go to the front, you'll be watching over this place. Your chakra skills will come in handy, student!"

The boy with straw-colored hair just opened his mouth, not knowing what to say. This was another manifestation of her somewhat excessive kindness; for an orphan, it was literally a ticket to a paradise life, but did such tranquility suit someone who held the title of the strongest shaman of modern times? After all, his entire life consisted of challenges, although there were no fewer entertainments. In fact, when he was just ten years old, the bounty on his head exceeded half a billion yen!