Choices

Before he had crossed over, Kanna had never been completely ordinary, but neither had he been particularly exceptional. He had received a normal education, been raised well, and developed a steady temperament. Compared with the shinobi of this world, however, he was nothing remarkable.

The earliest shinobi had carried out menial assassination missions. They were a group forced to operate in the shadows, so their work demanded extraordinary patience: lie in wait, then kill with a single strike. That was what the first shinobi had been.

Modern shinobi, after generations of development, had greatly expanded the variety and number of jutsu. They had also gradually abandoned close-combat equipment such as armor and long weapons, instead developing into a kind of "magic warrior." The very foundation of this style of combat was energy—chakra.

Extracting chakra required a combination of spiritual and physical strength, so shinobi also placed great importance on spiritual cultivation. Buddhism and various cults—such as the Immortality Cult where Hidan lived—had found fertile ground for survival. The teachings of the Fire Temple, the largest temple in the Land of Fire, were based on Buddhism.

Resilience, fearlessness, tolerance, diligence, loyalty, sacrifice—shinobi were taught many ideals, and these ultimately formed their own unique culture and spirit. Of course, judged strictly by these ideals, most shinobi in the Shinobi World fell short. They were little more than thugs with shinobi skills. Shinobi who truly held themselves to those standards were almost nonexistent, and that had much to do with the conditions they lived in.

When even survival was uncertain, striving for progress was obviously premature.

Looking back through history, we could see that far too many people, shinobi included, had been confused about their existence, their worth, and other such things. They joined different factions, died in battle, found clarity in battle, sought to understand themselves, or fell into darkness.

Kanna had a vague sense that all of them were searching for something vital to them, just as some people pursued freedom and others pursued love. Whether he himself would someday become lost in such abstract pursuits, no one could say.

This world was cruel and heartless. As far as he could tell, the Kirigakure he lived in was even colder and more desolate. Death, violence, and bloodshed filled the place, pressing down on Kanna until he could barely breathe. He hated it, but there was nothing he could do.

Sometimes, he asked himself whether he could change anything. He wanted to see this world, this village, and his own family grow warmer. He yearned for the light and rejected battle and death. He wanted to live like an ordinary person, stepping outside to breathe in the scent of flowers, lying back to watch the clouds drift by—lazy, carefree, and at peace.

But no matter how he felt, things had already been set in motion. This world was driving everyone forward, including him. Stop moving, and you fell behind; stop moving, and you lost; stop moving, and you died.

He had to move forward. Though he hated the oppression, he didn't reject the idea of becoming stronger. Supreme strength was a man's romance, and a source of motivation.

Since he had come to this world, and since he couldn't escape its mark, all he could do was accept it, adapt to it, and then decide whether to submit to it or shatter it and change it.

"Keep it up," Kanna murmured to himself.

Extracting chakra wasn't easy for Kanna, but it wasn't too difficult, either. It was a basic lesson for every shinobi, a skill even children could pick up without trouble—the scientific foundation of this world. Even a "fool" like Lee, who couldn't learn ninjutsu at all, could manage it. Kanna could certainly do the same.

He calmed his mind and sat cross-legged. He crossed his hands and formed the "Serpent" hand seal. When his mind and body were completely relaxed, yet not slack, chakra naturally gathered.

Kanna didn't concern himself with the underlying principles or the precise process by which chakra formed. He didn't need to. Only the Sage of Six Paths, the first person to fully analyze chakra, could clearly explain it in words. Everyone else could only discover and use it, not explain it.

The greatest sound was silent; the greatest form was formless. Kanna knew the supreme mysteries of shinobi were hidden within chakra, but he could do nothing about it. All he could do was follow the steps for chakra extraction established by those who came before him, steadily building himself up.

Genin extracted chakra and made their first connection between "jutsu" and "chakra," allowing them to successfully perform various techniques.

Chunin took the next step, learning how to increase or decrease the quantity and quality of chakra used in a jutsu. They began to use ninjutsu flexibly. For instance, when practicing, they might show only a jutsu's form and nature while minimizing its power and chakra cost. In actual combat, they could unleash as much force as they were capable of, sometimes even pushing past their limits to kill their enemies.

Jonin were the highest rank in the shinobi system, and reaching that level represented a qualitative change. They could manipulate chakra's form and alter its quality, acting as they pleased and responding to their every impulse. For example, they could evolve the Rasengan into the Wind Style: Rasenshuriken, or Chidori into Chidori Current. The most outstanding among them could even combine chakra of different natures to develop a kekkei genkai, multiplying their power.

When Naruto first used Summoning Jutsu, he couldn't control the technique, so he forced it to work by pouring in an enormous amount of chakra. He ended up summoning Gamabunta in one go. It was a typical example of a Genin being unable to control his own power. Kanna was at that same level now, simply using a technique for the sake of using it, without understanding it. But that was a stage every shinobi went through. He didn't need to overthink it; he just had to let things progress naturally.

Kanna also noticed something interesting: as he extracted chakra, his physical and mental energy—that is, his spiritual energy—were depleted in tandem. The more he used up, the more chakra he gained. Once Kanna was completely exhausted, his chakra reserves would be full. If he maintained that state without using his chakra, it would gradually replenish his body and brain, sustaining their normal energy consumption. In other words, the total energy in a person's body never changed; only its form did. Physical energy, spiritual energy, and chakra transformed into and supported one another. It was a wondrous, profound process.

Kanna couldn't help thinking of a concept: the conservation of energy.

There were two paths before him. The first was to patiently extract chakra. As his physical and mental energy were repeatedly depleted and replenished, it would be like training them. Over time, his physical and spiritual strength would naturally grow, and the amount of chakra he could extract would increase accordingly. Once he had laid a solid foundation and gained enough experience, he would naturally learn Water Style and the Body Flicker Technique. Water Body Flicker would be within reach, too.

That was simply how things worked. There was no major hurdle between Genin and Chunin; as long as you worked hard, you would eventually grow stronger. Jonin, however, were no longer defined solely by the quantity and quality of their chakra. They needed control and insight. A sudden realization could let them transform like a butterfly emerging from its cocoon. Without that insight, they could remain Chunin for the rest of their lives.

As for Might Duy, Gai's father, Kanna thought he was an exceptional case. No one else had been so lopsided in their training. Was it really so hard to gain basic control over increasing and decreasing chakra? Not at all! It was like solving math problems. At first, you followed the clumsy method your teacher taught you, deriving the answer step by step. Once you had mastered it, you could start cutting corners and use simpler methods. Go a step further, and you could derive your own formula, solving problems with entirely new ideas and methods. The former was the Chunin level; the latter was the Jonin level. Yet Might Duy had remained stuck at the threshold of Chunin, training in Taijutsu all his life, and never even becoming a Chunin. (This was based on the concept, not combat strength. In practice, he was at least as strong as a Chunin with Taijutsu alone, and once he opened the Eight Inner Gates, he became absurdly powerful.)

The first path offered balanced growth and a solid foundation. It was the proper path, the orthodox path.

The second path, on the other hand, meant specializing.

From now on, aside from the required chakra-extraction lessons, he could devote all his time to studying Water Style and the Body Flicker Technique, ignoring everything else. Just as Lee focused solely on Taijutsu, Kanna would practice only those two until he figured out Water Body Flicker.

As for Highland, which could let him use ninjutsu without restriction, Kanna thought it would be better to save it for the Flying Thunder God Technique. That technique was simply too difficult. The Second Hokage had left it behind without forbidding others from learning it, and it wasn't a forbidden technique because it did no harm to the body. Yet even after all these years, only the Fourth Hokage had mastered it completely. A few of his guards had barely reached the threshold; everyone else was nowhere close to learning it.

Since the Flying Thunder God Technique wasn't an S-rank jutsu that required a single explosive burst, its chakra cost should be manageable for someone at Chunin level. Of course, Kanna estimated that at that level, he would probably only be able to use it once or twice. To kill dozens of enemy troops in a single attack like the Fourth Hokage, he would need a terrifying amount of chakra—at least the reserves of an elite Jonin. Even then, it was only possible because the Fourth Hokage had mastered the Flying Thunder God Technique and developed unique techniques of his own, reducing the chakra cost of using it.

"I'll try it first. If I don't give it a shot, I'll never be satisfied."

With that thought, Kanna finally made up his mind. For now, he would study Water Style and the Body Flicker Technique and see how it went. Both his parents were elite Jonin, so he could ask them for guidance and wouldn't have to stumble around blindly on his own.

Maybe he had a decent talent after all. Even as a Genin, Lee's high-speed movement already had a hint of the Body Flicker Technique. Or perhaps every shinobi could learn to channel chakra into their feet and burst into a sprint after mastering the skill of "tree climbing." That was the basic version of the Body Flicker Technique. If they could all do it, then logically, he should be able to as well.

Tree climbing and Water Walking were both exercises that trained and tested a shinobi's chakra control. Once he had mastered them, he should just barely meet the requirements for learning Water Style and Water Body Flicker.