That evening, Shinsei meditated as usual. Just as he was clearing his mind, a tiny current of qi appeared in his lower dantian.
Shinsei's eyes snapped open. The surprise had come so suddenly. He had thought he would have to be at least eight before he could sense qi. Perhaps people in the two worlds had different constitutions; people in this world matured earlier.
In his previous life, Shinsei had received proper instruction in meditation and studied under a Taoist priest from one of the Taoist schools. Just as he was considering becoming his disciple, he discovered that the priest was always seeking donations from wealthy bosses. This somewhat changed Shinsei's thinking, so he distanced himself from the priest, found books to study on his own, practiced by himself, and discussed things with friends in various chat groups.
Normally, women followed cycles of seven and men cycles of eight. In other words, each stage lasted seven years for women and eight for men. Women reached physical maturity at fourteen, and men at sixteen.
In his previous life, children generally were not taught meditation, because their yang qi was immature, making it less effective, and their temperaments were unsettled.
In this life, Shinsei had only tried it because he was mentally mature and had far too much time on his hands.
Fortunately, he had finally sensed qi at six. Strictly speaking, this qi was written as Qi, though it was commonly written as qi. It was something entirely different from the air one breathed or the air in the sky.
In his previous life, limitations imposed by heaven and earth meant that even highly accomplished cultivators could not use supernatural abilities or spells. But this world had immortals, even if its immortals were not exactly proper ones.
Natural energy probably had hidden depths, too. Naruto had actually developed toad markings when practicing Sage Mode, and Jiraiya's changes were even more obvious. These immortals might need the word "demonic" added before their title; they were no orthodox immortals.
Now that he had cultivated qi, he still had a chance to become an immortal in this world. When the time came, he would see whether the immortals of Naruto were stronger, or whether he, a transmigrated orthodox human immortal, was more powerful.
Of course, it was too early to talk about that. He would have to wait until he was establishing his Macrocosmic Orbit before he could come into contact with natural energy.
He closed his eyes, cleared his thoughts, and continued meditating.
The qi was still too small, stirring restlessly in his dantian. Shinsei left it alone, allowing it to exist naturally there. His school emphasized following nature and strictly cautioned against circulating it recklessly.
Fortunately, once there was a first, there would be a second. He would wait for his body to grow and for it to slowly grow stronger.
"Naruto!!" Umino Iruka gritted his teeth.
Naruto sprang to his feet, rubbed his bleary eyes, then hurriedly wiped away his drool.
"Go stand by the door!"
Naruto could only head toward the door. On the way, he heard Sasuke mutter "idiot," which made him so angry he tried to fight Sasuke on the spot. Then Iruka hit him on the head with a piece of chalk.
Looking at Naruto by the door, Shinsei could not help marveling at the wonders of fate. Naruto was rather mischievous, but he was still fairly kindhearted. He and Sasuke simply could not stand each other.
It had been over a month since school started, and they had already argued and fought several times. Unsurprisingly, Naruto had been thoroughly beaten by Sasuke, even though Shinsei had coached him privately several times.
For now, the Ninja Academy mainly taught academic subjects: language and mathematics, interspersed with Warring States history and a jumble of Will of Fire lessons.
They had also taught chakra extraction, but the teachers here were not as complicated as those in his previous life. Their attitude was generally hands-off, with Iruka being the only particularly responsible one.
Ring, ring.
The bell rang, signaling the end of school.
Iruka gathered his books and left the classroom.
Naruto instantly perked up and went to pack his schoolbag. With both hands in his pockets, Sasuke walked up to Shinsei.
"I want to challenge you."
Uchiha Sasuke was itching for another beating. Shinjō raised his eyebrows. At first, Shinsei had still called him Sasuke in his head, but now he used his nickname instead. Of course, he never said it aloud; translating it from the language of his previous life would lose its flavor.
Ever since Shinsei had beaten Sasuke Uchiha in a class sparring match, Sasuke had practically latched onto him, challenging him every few days. Shinsei never refused. Having a sparring partner was better than practicing alone, even if his opponent's skill was not particularly impressive.
"The usual place." Shinsei nodded in agreement.
Naruto let out an excited whoop. He was always happy to see Sasuke get beaten up.
The usual place was where they had previously encountered Uchiha Itachi. The children in Shinsei's class had already claimed it. Some older children had come to take it from them, but after Shinsei taught them a lesson twice, they tacitly accepted that the place belonged to his group.
A dozen or so little kids marched toward the grove in a sizeable procession.
Konoha's Ninja Academy let out very early, leaving a long stretch of time before dinner. Over the month or so since school began, with Shinsei there, this grove had become his class's regular after-school playground.
The girls played house in the grove, while the boys sparred, fought, and played ninja games in the clearing.
After their parents came to look one after another, they not only refrained from stopping them but were very supportive.
At first, Shinsei only guided their taijutsu training. Later, unable to resist his classmates' invitations, he had a wonderful time playing, too. Don't ask. If anyone asked, it was because his child's body was influencing him, not because he was genuinely childish.
Sasuke and Shinsei took their positions and formed the Seal of Confrontation.
"Go, Sasuke!" Sakura Haruno shouted, hoping Sasuke would hear her and give her a proper look.
"Go, Shinsei!" Ino Yamanaka refused to be outdone.
The girls in their class, and even throughout the school, were now divided into two camps: Sasuke's fans and Shinsei's fans.
Unlike Sasuke's cool good looks, Shinsei's sunny-boy appeal was also very popular, especially with the added bonus of his formidable fighting ability. If he took the exams later and became the top student in their year, that bonus would grow even greater.
Shinsei did not give it much thought. They were still little kids, after all, and the hot female character he had liked in his previous life was not from the younger generation. Princess Tsunade was the best.
Sasuke attacked first, stepping in close and swinging his shuriken back and forth.
Shinsei merely dodged from side to side, at most blocking a critical killing move. This level of combat was still trivial to him. He used it to train his reactions in a fight.
Thump!
He caught Sasuke's kicking right foot and shoved hard. Using the force, Sasuke flipped through the air, braced his right hand against the ground, and slid two meters across the grass. Then he formed hand seals with both hands and opened his mouth.
Snake-Ram-Monkey-Boar-Horse-Tiger.
Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique!
A fireball shot out of Sasuke's mouth, rapidly expanding as it rushed toward Shinsei.
Shinsei did not dare be careless. A ninjutsu like this really could kill someone if it hit.
His hands rapidly formed seals.
Tiger-Snake-Rat-Snake-Tiger.
Water Release: Water Formation Wall!
A massive torrent of water rose from the ground and spiraled outward. But rather than surrounding Shinsei, it enclosed the approaching fireball.
Boom!
The fireball burst apart, striking the encircling wall of swirling water. Vapor rose as the Water Release held the explosion's force firmly in the center.
So he'd learned ninjutsu. And here I thought the rain had stopped and the sky had cleared.
Sasuke collapsed into a sitting position, panting heavily. That ninjutsu had taken a considerable toll on him. He stared at the crater left by the explosion, his face full of frustration. Although he had guessed when he attacked that this ninjutsu would not do much against Shinsei-after all, he only wanted to win, not kill a classmate-he had not expected his opponent to handle it so easily.
Shinsei had not expected Sasuke to have learned Fire Release Ninjutsu, either. Although he himself learned ninjutsu quite quickly, an ordinary ninja often needed months to learn a single technique. And that was only learning it; integrating it proficiently into their own combat system took even longer.
That was why even jonin normally used only a handful of ninjutsu. Against an opponent of the same level, every bit of speed gained in using ninjutsu increased one's chances of survival. If everyone needed forty-four seals for a single Water Release Ninjutsu like Zabuza, it would all be over before they finished. Of course, Zabuza's circumstances were special. Kakashi had shattered his composure, which was why he had used a ninjutsu he was not proficient in.
Their classmates gathered around, cheering. Ino's eyes were practically filled with stars.
Naruto planted his hands on his hips and challenged Sasuke. Sasuke rolled his eyes and did not indulge him.
Not everyone could take advantage of an easy opportunity. Sasuke got up and knocked Naruto down in just a few moves.
"What a drag." Shikamaru sat on the grass, looking at the sky.