The Preliminary Method of Chakra Extraction
Mastering the Essentials of the Three Basic Jutsu
Back in his room, Naruto eagerly opened the books. Simultaneously, Aizen-sensei was observing the contents alongside him.
"Chakra is the energy source of a ninja. The more chakra a ninja possesses, the stronger they might often be."
"The founder of the Will of Fire, the First Hokage, possessed an amount of chakra unimaginable to ordinary people and was once known as the God of Shinobi."
"Subsequently, the Third Hokage emerged. Although his total chakra reserves might not compare to the First Hokage's, the Third Hokage, with his masterful ninjutsu, is revered in the ninja world as The Professor. His true strength is unknown and might even surpass that of the First Hokage."
Aizen read along with Naruto, his frown deepening the more he read. The Third Hokage is that strong? He recalled the old man's aged figure and the chakra he had sensed from him. The Third might be an experienced ninja, but to call him the strongest in the ninja world seemed a bit of an overstatement. If this was all true, and the Third Hokage was a top-tier powerhouse of the entire ninja world, then the strong individuals of this world were rather unimpressive. He couldn't shake the feeling that this book was padded with biased information.
A trace of disappointment flickered within Aizen. His greatest concern was discovering that the ninja world was, in essence, a lower-dimensional world compared to the Shinigami world. This would mean the value of the ninja world would plummet drastically.
Aizen patiently continued to observe.
"An outstanding ninja needs to be proficient in taijutsu, ninjutsu, and genjutsu!"
"Extracting chakra from within the body to use, or to directly enhance the ninja's physical capabilities, is the so-called art of ninjutsu."
"Taijutsu, as the name implies, involves using one's own body to inflict physical attacks on the enemy. Taijutsu generally does not require chakra, so physical conditioning is heavily correlated with the strength of one's taijutsu."
"At the same time, taijutsu training is quite dull, requiring time and perseverance."
"Taijutsu is also divided into two types: one that causes damage such as bone fractures and tears, known as the Strong Fist; the other uses chakra to destroy internal organs and meridian systems, known as the Gentle Fist."
"Finally, there is genjutsu. By casting chakra, one draws the opponent into a constructed illusion, inflicting both physiological and psychological damage."
"Among the three methods of attack, genjutsu requires the most precise chakra control."
"How to extract chakra…"
Naruto was engrossed, soon beginning his first attempt based on the extraction method described in the book.
'The method of using chakra is somewhat similar to Reiatsu. It should be easy to get the hang of. Given Naruto's aptitude with Reiatsu, extracting chakra should be quick,' Aizen nodded to himself. He did not follow the book's instructions to extract chakra himself. No one knew if Reiatsu and chakra could coexist. Only after ensuring it was completely safe and that chakra indeed offered a tangible benefit to his strength would Aizen consider cultivating it.
Naruto sat quietly like this for an entire night. Chakra and Reiatsu shared a similar principle: both existed within the body's pathways, and by calming the mind and focusing, one could perceive and gather them. However, compared to chakra, Reiatsu seemed more cunning, more elusive. Having successfully awakened Reiatsu, the mere extraction of chakra didn't seem so difficult.
After a night, Naruto opened his eyes and slowly exhaled a turbid breath. His eyes were bright and full of vigor, showing no signs of fatigue from staying up all night. A delighted smile spread across his lips.
"Success!" Feeling the strands of chakra flowing within his body, he couldn't help but clench his fists. "One step closer to my goal." He took a deep breath, his eyes filled with joy and anticipation. Reiatsu did not conflict with chakra in any way. Like two friends who kept to their own wells, they intermingled and flowed within Naruto's body, forming two powerful forces.
"Alright! Next up, learning ninjutsu!" Having successfully extracted chakra, Naruto's spirit soared. He felt like he could do anything now.
He opened the second book, Mastering the Essentials of the Three Basic Jutsu.
"The Three Basic Jutsu are the most fundamental and are essential for any ninja to learn."
"To become a powerful ninja, one must build a solid foundation."
"The Three Basic Jutsu consist of the Transformation Jutsu, the Clone Jutsu, and the Substitution Jutsu."
"Transformation Jutsu: Temporarily changes an object or oneself using chakra. Its essence is alteration."
"Clone Jutsu: Creates controllable, illusory duplicates using chakra. Its essence is creation."
"Substitution Jutsu: Uses chakra to transfer an incoming attack to an object, thereby escaping the attack's range. Its essence is transference."
After briefly understanding the Three Basic Jutsu, Naruto began to try using them.
'Let's try the Transformation Jutsu first. I'll transform into Grandpa Hokage,' Naruto thought, his hands attempting to form hand seals. The vast majority of ninjutsu required hand seals to activate. Only some top-tier experts could perform ninjutsu without them. Naruto crudely formed a few hand seal positions based on the book's instructions.
"Transformation Jutsu!"
White smoke billowed, enveloping him. When it dispersed, a bizarrely shaped figure stood where Naruto had been. Its arms and head were misaligned, its facial features contorted.
"Success? Looks like my talent is outstanding!" Naruto looked at the mirror with a joyful expression, which instantly froze.
"No, that's a mistake. Again!"
"Transformation Jutsu!"
"Hiss? Are my hand seals not proficient enough? Transformation Jutsu!"
"This shouldn't be… Let's try the Clone Jutsu!"
"This isn't right at all!"
Ten minutes later, Naruto sat panting on his bed, his eyes filled with frustration. What's going on? Why can't I control such simple ninjutsu? Although ninjutsu training required accumulation over time, Naruto could feel that his internal chakra was very abundant, showing no signs of depletion even after continuously attempting jutsu. The only things he needed to do were form hand seals and control his chakra. But chakra, unlike Reiatsu, felt much harder for him to control, despite it supposedly being more stable. This was an incredibly strange phenomenon.
Naruto took a deep breath, undeterred, and opened the book again, carefully reviewing the information about chakra.
"Solid Foundation: Hand seal speed and accuracy + precise chakra control."
The book didn't provide specific methods for practicing this. However, Naruto had an epiphany. Chakra control training might be similar to Reiatsu control. He could try to adhere chakra to parts of his body and perform specific activities. For example… tree walking, or fine crafts.
No sooner said than done. After lunch, Naruto quickly went to the training grounds and tried to adhere chakra to his feet, then charged towards a tree.
Thud. Unsurprisingly, Naruto fell to the ground.
"Again!" He continued his assault on the tree.
That evening, he returned home covered in bruises, utterly exhausted. Regrettably, he couldn't even stay on the tree trunk for more than a second. The chakra in his body, though plentiful, was like a troop of rampaging monkeys, difficult to grasp, let alone control. Just keeping it from causing chaos was a feat in itself.
After a full day, Naruto was mentally and physically drained. Ninjutsu had brought him an unprecedented sense of frustration, even overshadowing the sense of accomplishment he'd gained from mastering Reiatsu. He washed up haphazardly and collapsed onto his bed, falling into a deep sleep. He hoped that in the sealed space, Aizen-sensei could help him find some answers.
Drip. Drop. The sound of dripping water echoed once more in the pitch-black sealed space. Naruto abruptly awoke.
Only, this time, the air within the sealed space felt extraordinarily cold. On the walls of the space, one could even vaguely discern dark red traces, slowly writhing.