Asuma looked into Kawaki Aoba's determined eyes and felt deeply gratified. Smiling, he said, "Good. Since you're this determined, we'll begin now.
But you've only just woken up, and your body is still weak. We shouldn't rush things. We'll start with the basics of chakra control and practice gradually. Don't push yourself too hard."
"Mm, Asuma-sensei, I understand. I won't push myself."
Kawaki Aoba nodded and slowly sat up, leaning against the headboard. "Please teach me. I'll study hard."
Asuma smiled and nodded. "All right, then we'll begin now.
Chakra control is the foundation of becoming a ninja. Only by mastering chakra control can you use ninjutsu more effectively and improve your strength.
Chakra is energy extracted from the body's cells."
Asuma watched Kawaki Aoba nod heavily. His tense shoulders relaxed slightly, and his clenched fists slowly loosened. His tone was much gentler than before, though it still carried an unquestionable sternness. "The fact that you've come to understand this is more important than anything else.
Get up. The floor is cold, and we need to properly deal with these things."
Kawaki Aoba sniffled and vigorously wiped the tears from his face with his sleeve. His eyes were still bright red as he braced himself against the ground and slowly got to his feet. His legs remained a little weak, and his voice still carried lingering sobs. "Asuma-sensei, what... what should we do with these things? It took me a long time to gather them all. Some of them, I secretly dug up from the old ruins behind the mountain. I heard those stone statues could strengthen the power of sacrifices, so... so I brought them all back."
Asuma lowered his gaze to the scattered clutter on the floor. The talismans still gave off faint black mist, the herbs were