Slaying Others, Slaying Oneself

Waking up, Kanna stretched his limbs in a long, satisfying yawn, got dressed, washed up, and pulled back the curtains.

Whoosh! Sunlight slanted into the room, warming Kanna's heart as countless dust motes danced in the air. Standing by the window and looking out, he could even see the distant blue coastline, where a golden sun leaped into the sky, hanging mid-air and scattering its brilliance.

A rare, beautiful day; a rare, beautiful mood.

With every breath, Kanna felt refreshed, catching a faint, salty scent of the sea. In this time and place, it was truly enchanting.

He leaned his head out of the tower and looked down, the sea of green below helping to ease his fear of heights. Suddenly, a rapid patter of footsteps approached. Curious, Kanna turned his head to see a young ninja, body held horizontally parallel to the ground, running along the side of the tower.

Tree-walking and water-walking—the two fundamental lessons! What he was witnessing was the technique of tree-walking.

"Good morning!"

In his excellent mood, Kanna couldn't help but call out a greeting, then burst into laughter.

The ninja looked slightly startled, then offered a polite smile. Without breaking his stride, he continued along the cylindrical tower, leaped across a ten-meter gap, landed on a bridge, and gradually faded into the distance.

"What a marvelous world," Kanna murmured, watching the direction the ninja had vanished, his fists tightening. "One day, I too will be like that—roaming freely, traveling across mountains and rivers, and seeing the whole world!"

A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step; sharpening the axe does not delay the work of cutting wood. Though Kanna had great ambitions, he still needed to put in more effort.

Calming his heart and spirit, Kanna tidied his clothes, greeted his mother, and ate his breakfast in a leisurely manner. Every word and action exuded a sense of composure that left Morishita Mai feeling deeply gratified.

Afterward, Kanna did some light exercise to loosen his muscles and bones, then sat cross-legged in his room to begin his daily practice of refining chakra.

In his past life, Kanna had heard of "refining essence into qi, and refining qi into spirit." But in this world, "essence" represented the physical body, "spirit" represented mental energy, and "qi" represented chakra. Therefore, it should be "refining essence and spirit into chakra"—perfectly fusing the physical energy from the body's one hundred and thirty trillion cells with the mental energy honed through experience to create the chakra needed for ninjutsu, taijutsu, and genjutsu.

However, for some reason, as he refined his chakra today and fed it back into his body and mind, Kanna felt a lack of flow.

How long does it take to refine chakra? Even for a ninja like Naruto Uzumaki, who possessed massive reserves, it didn't take long. Because one's physical constitution and mental capacity determined the speed of extraction and the total volume of chakra, the process was largely the same for everyone. Within half an hour, Kanna felt a sense of fullness; he knew his chakra had reached its limit and could not be increased further. (Later in the series, Naruto often refined chakra on the spot during battle under the cover of his companions, showing that the time required was minimal.)

"Hmm, it just doesn't feel right." Kanna released his hand seals and muttered to himself, "Logically, refining chakra in the morning when the body and mind are at their peak should be the most efficient. Why do I still feel so stifled?"

Standing up, Kanna began to pace the room, and as he did, he realized the problem.

"It's too small! How can one's heart and mind open up in such a cramped space?"

The environment of Kirigakure was far less open than Konoha. It was filled with treacherous peaks and rushing rivers, leaving very little land for living or farming. Consequently, buildings were mostly tall, cylindrical towers. Kanna's family lived in one such structure, and one could imagine how small the living area was for each person.

While Konoha could allocate a villa-like house to every family, here, it was nothing more than a "snail shell."

Though Kanna was more composed than his peers, he was only twenty years old in his past life. How could he endure the loneliness and refine chakra peacefully in such a confined space?

Kanna made a decision: open the balcony! He would practice on the balcony!

Walking to the window, Kanna unfolded a support frame. A hollowed-out steel plate was lowered, forming a triangular balcony fixed to the tower's surface by six chains, creating a crude platform two meters wide.

These balconies were popular in Kirigakure; they didn't take up space and could serve as jumping-off points for ninjas to commute, just like the one he had seen earlier. Housewives also used them to dry laundry or keep plants.

And now, Kanna was going to sit on this balcony to practice!

Climbing out the window and stepping onto the balcony, Kanna felt a wave of dizziness. It was no wonder—the tower was dozens of meters high. A fall would mean certain death, and Kanna, who hadn't even mastered tree-walking, was naturally afraid.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh. The sea breeze blew, and the chains rattled, making the balcony sway. Kanna frowned.

It's too dangerous! I really can't overcome this fear, Kanna thought silently. But if a blade can cut through flesh, and a sword can slay ghosts and gods, if I cannot even cut through the fear in my own heart, how can I stand at the center of the world? How can I cut down others, or even myself?

There is great terror between life and death. If I cannot overcome this small obstacle before me, how will I ever dare to face swords and blades?

Face the difficulty head-on! Crush everything! Heh, if I want to surpass myself and transcend the present, I must pass this test!

With a single stride, Kanna stepped onto the balcony. Without any safety measures, he sat down openly, hands resting on his knees, not even using hand seals, and began to adjust his heart and mind.

Tap, tap, tap. The sound of the ninja running on the tower echoed, but Kanna remained indifferent, as if he hadn't heard it.

Whoosh, whoosh. The sea breeze howled and the balcony swayed, but Kanna remained as steady as a rock, as firm as Mount Tai.

Boom! Boom! Boom! In the distance, someone was blasting rocks, but Kanna remained unmoved, his heart like still water.

With his heart empty, his mind naturally cleared. As essence and spirit merged, chakra naturally emerged.

Opening his eyes to look down at the entirety of Kirigakure, Kanna felt as if he were sitting above the nine heavens, resting on the clouds. There was no longer a shred of fear in his heart.

Indeed, a normal person sitting on flat ground wouldn't be shaken even by a gale. It is not the body that moves, but the human heart.

In a moment of enlightenment, Kanna finally conquered his fear and conquered himself.

Focusing his senses inward, the chakra, filled with power, flowed through his meridians, circled his entire body, and returned to his pores and brain—endless and wondrous.

This time, the chakra refinement lasted longer than ever before. Kanna felt his chakra surging like a balloon being inflated, stopping only when his mind felt exhausted.

"Phew." Kanna ended his practice, returned the refined chakra to his body, and stood up, feeling refreshed.

He clenched his fists, his knuckles popping. Feeling the true, tangible power within his body, Kanna laughed and leaped back into the room.

Chunin-level chakra was just around the corner!