The Lord Third's Gift

"Oh? Oh, really? Come in, Father," Kanna said quickly, ushering him inside.

The two entered Kanna's room. Kanna Tokiomi didn't rush to speak. He first looked around the bedroom, then pointed to a notebook on the desk. "Did you write these notes?"

It was a black-covered notebook with two large characters on it.

"Guts!" In other words, courage, fighting spirit, and perseverance—a phrase meant to inspire.

"That's right," Kanna replied.

"The meaning is good, though your handwriting could use some work." Kanna Tokiomi nodded and began flipping through the pages.

The notebook recorded Kanna's thoughts from his daily studies and insights into those S-rank ninjutsu, along with his theories about certain techniques and ideas. In Kanna Tokiomi's eyes, some of it seemed a little naive, but for someone Kanna's age, it was already remarkably impressive.

His peers were still learning ninjutsu step by step. How could they compare to Kanna, who had S-rank techniques to study from the moment he began?

"Excellent!" Kanna Tokiomi couldn't help praising him when he came across an insightful passage. He looked at Kanna approvingly. "You really are my son. Impressive! Did you write this yourself?"

"Yes, of course. I just studied the things left behind by those who came before me and worked it out on my own," Kanna replied with a modest smile.

"Very good. It seems I underestimated you." Kanna Tokiomi was in high spirits. He patted the bed, motioning for Kanna to sit. "In that case, I'll teach you a few things."

"You heard about Haku, didn't you? Remember this: to the village, no shinobi is indispensable, not even the Mizukage. That's the Lord Third's view, too. Kirigakure needs reform. Heh, I'm getting ahead of myself."

Kanna smiled faintly but didn't respond.

Kanna Tokiomi continued, "I mentioned what you said about Haku to the Lord Third. He said that for someone your age, with no formal training, having the confidence to stand against Amayuri was remarkable. That's rare praise."

"Thank you, Mizukage," Kanna said at once. His father had been unusually talkative today. It seemed he really was in a good mood.

"Also, I know you asked your mother for advice about chakra control. I can't help you with that, but there's someone who can. He's an expert in that field." Kanna Tokiomi winked at Kanna. "Do you know who?"

"Could it be the Lord Third?" Kanna asked hesitantly.

"Exactly!" Kanna Tokiomi laughed, clapping his hands. "The Lord Third specializes in genjutsu, so he's an expert at controlling chakra. After hearing about your situation, he decided to teach you his secret method."

Kanna was overjoyed, then his expression turned solemn. He bowed respectfully to Kanna Tokiomi.

"Thank you, Father."

If Kanna Tokiomi hadn't asked on his behalf, why would the Lord Third have paid him any mind? Kanna Tokiomi had already mentioned that the Lord Third himself believed no one was indispensable. Only the Mizukage Aide could have had that kind of influence.

That night, father and son talked until two in the morning before finally going to bed. Kanna Tokiomi also recounted the Mizukage's instructions for the secret method, word for word, and made sure Kanna memorized every detail.

The next day, after Kanna had sleepily gotten up and washed, he decided to test the so-called "secret method" of the Third Mizukage.

Based on the information about the Third Mizukage that Kanna Tokiomi had let slip, Kanna had learned a little about him.

The Third Mizukage specialized in genjutsu, a talent that seemed to have been influenced somewhat by the Second. He could also use every Water Style technique recorded in the village's archives, which went without saying. Finally, he was skilled in the Mind's Eye.

To perceive the world with the mind was to possess the Mind's Eye. Of course, it wasn't as miraculous as the legends made it sound; it was a method of detection, a use of genjutsu.

Genjutsu worked by deceiving an enemy's senses and creating false injuries within the illusion. The enemy's brain was then led to believe that the body had been hurt, or even killed, and sent that signal to the body, causing pain, paralysis, or, most terrifyingly, brain death.

In the original story, Sasuke used his Mangekyō Sharingan to cast genjutsu on a Kumogakure jonin, deceiving the man's brain so completely that he collapsed in paralysis. Even though he knew it was genjutsu, he couldn't break free.

That was genjutsu in its offensive form: first sensing the enemy, then invading their mind, and finally altering the electrical signals in their brain. By taking just the first part—"sensing"—one could develop various detection methods. The Lord Third specialized in this kind of "Mind's Eye," which allowed him to observe his surroundings without relying on his physical eyes. That was why he kept his eyes closed most of the time.

What the Lord Third intended to teach Kanna was a unique method of chakra training.

Ordinary people needed to concentrate to mold chakra. But what if they couldn't focus?

In the original story, Jiraiya drew a dot on Naruto's palm and told him to concentrate on it. This was actually a common trick throughout the Shinobi World, a kind of illusion. It was like when you wanted to cross your eyes: bring a finger between your eyes and stare at it, and your eyes would naturally turn inward.

The Lord Third's method was even better. He had you focus your attention inward and imagine your body as a circle. Once chakra was molded, it would naturally circulate within that "circle," then return to the body and begin the next cycle.

In theory, everyone trained their chakra this way in their daily lives: circulating it again and again to gradually strengthen the body. But that only worked while sitting still. It wasn't possible while moving or fighting.

The Lord Third's secret was to strictly follow a particular chakra circulation pattern at first. Over time, the related meridians and acupoints in the body would grow stronger, gradually replacing the body's original major acupoints and meridians to form a new system. This system would help a shinobi circulate chakra at all times, constantly strengthening the body. It could also reduce unnecessary daily expenditure and, to some extent, extend one's lifespan.

The most crucial part was the method of circulating chakra. It showed just how much the Mizukage trusted Kanna Tokiomi—he was even willing to teach his son a secret like this.

Why did a shinobi's corpse contain intelligence? Besides the well-known fact that someone could extract some of a person's memories before their brain died, the most important reason was that a corpse held the secrets of that person's ninjutsu.

As mentioned above, everyone had their own habits, so everyone circulated chakra differently. And when using different techniques, chakra flowed through different meridians and acupoints. Years of training made the relevant muscles stronger; the same was true of meridians and acupoints. By dissecting a corpse, one could see how its body differed from an ordinary person's, then determine which parts chakra had regularly flowed through and use that to uncover the secrets of their techniques.

For example, if someone killed Might Guy and handed his corpse over to an enemy village, an examination would reveal that his forbidden Eight Gates acupoints were far more developed than an ordinary person's. From that, they could deduce that he knew Konohagakure's Eight Inner Gates. Then, by examining his meridians and acupoints, they could determine which parts of the body the Eight Inner Gates required training. If they were lucky, they might even decipher the entire technique.

The Third Mizukage was willing to teach Kanna his secret method. Honestly, Kanna owed him a great deal. Perhaps, from the Mizukage's perspective and with his stature, it wasn't much. But to Kanna, it was tremendously valuable right now. If he ever had the chance, he would repay this kindness.

"Since I can't use the Great Shark Bullet Technique for now, I might as well practice the Lord Third's chakra-circulation method!"

Kanna straightened up and followed the Mizukage's instructions. He joined his hands in a circle below his abdomen, imagined his body as a circle, and used that circle to reflect a larger one, beginning his first chakra cycle.