9 Ah Crap, He Broke Through

Since Kokuo was useless, it was time to find someone else to teach her about chakra.

Unfortunately, since she had little control over her chakra, she might end up popping out those damned tails again. If she asked some random people in the street, they might found out about Kokuo and raised some hell.

She still couldn't trust the Inuzuka. While Tsume wasn't particularly hostile to her, their relation was shallow at best. She couldn't rely on her just yet.

Thankfully, yesterday's incident provided her with a solution.

Let's just get Kiba to teach her!

He had been attending the academy for a year or so. Even the biggest idiot would've learned a thing or two after so long, right?

That morning, she intercepted him right before he was about to go out of the house.

"Huh? Teaching you about chakra? No way!"

Unfortunately, getting his cooperation didn't seem to be easy...

"Just ask that monster inside of you."

"I did, but a spirit beast and a human are different by nature..."

"...In short, he's useless."

'Insolent kid! This One shall show you who's the useless one!'

'Ssush, ssush, Venerable One, be patient! Be merciful!'

While she was busy placating the rampaging beast, Kiba nonchalantly turned away.

"Anyway, get off my back. I want to enjoy my rare day off."

"Aaah, wait, please teach me!"

She hastily grabbed his wrist, preventing him from going any further.

Getting irritated with her antics, he tried to push her away, but found out that her grip was so strong, he couldn't even move his caught arm. When he tried to forcefully drag her with him, it also ended up in failure. No matter how much strength he exerted, she still wouldn't budge.

Ah, heck, she had such a small frame, how did she end up being so strong?

"Let go!"

"No! Please teach me!"

"Aaargh! Why does it have to be me in the first place?"

"I can't ask anyone else!"

"Like I care! I'm leaving!"

Kiba had also (accidentally) trained in her cultivation method. Combined with Inuzuka clan's physical talent, his current strength wasn't something to joke at when he was getting serious. By exerting a bit more force than usual, he was slowly getting a bit ahead in their tug of war.

What to do... at this rate, he'd really abandon her...

...

Oh, wait, she got an idea!

"I mean, you've learned about chakra in the academy, right? It's not like you don't know about it because you slept in or skipped out, right...?"

The boy immediately stopped struggling. His heart was getting pierced by invisible arrows.

H-how did she know-

"N-none of your business! Let go!"

"Please, teach me? Surely a genius young master like you can easily do it, can't you?"

Her voice grew softer, as if placating a child.

Kiba failed to notice her tone. He was focusing more on the part where she had called him a 'genius'.

"Heh, let me tell ya, even if you praise me, I won't-"

"It's true! You're strong, brilliant, not to mention extremely talented. Please show this humble one how it should be done!"

"...Heh."

He scratched his nose, feeling embarrassed. However, he was nonetheless really satisfied with her words.

"Fine! Can't be helped! This Great I will show you the way! Come with me!"

He beckoned her to follow as he changed direction toward the outskirt of the village.

"...Woof..."

Witnessing how easy his master got bought out with sweet words, Akamaru let out a disapproving bark....

Kokuo, on the other hand, just squinted at Hikari.

"What is it, Venerable One?"

"...Glib-tongue."

"I got called that a lot. Heheh... this type of person, just by flattering them a bit, we can get a lot of benefit..."

"..."

In its mind, Kokuo noted that it should never take whatever this girl said to heart.

They were all lies. Lies, it say!

---

The place that Kiba had chosen for their training was a clearing not too far from the village border.

According to his explanation, it was quite a popular spot for students of the academy to train in their spare time. On day offs like these, though, it was practically deserted.

"Alright, let's start! Don't waste my time! Listen carefully!"

With a smug look on his face, he began to recite the lines that he'd memorized from his teacher back in the academy.

"There are two types of energy within us, they're called physical energy and spiritual energy. Physical energy comes from our body, while spiritual energy comes from our mind. When we combine both of them, we get 'chakra'."

He pulled out a booklet with a title that reads reads, 'Basic of Ninjutsu'. From the worn-out state of its cover, it seemed that the boy had been reading it for quite a while.

He then proceeded to flip through the pages until he found a simple drawing of a human with lines drawn above it.

"Look, this is called chakra pathway system. Think of it like veins, but instead of blood, it's for our chakra. Our physical and mental energy will converge in these organs called chakra coils, which will be distributed throughout our body by the pathway!"

She stared at the drawing, comparing the pathway to the meridian veins that she knew. There were a few minor differences, but they were essentially the same. How miraculous.

And these chakra-producing organs, weren't they just dantian? The location was also the same, with the most important one located below the abdomen.

'Interesting... instead of gathering energy from the world, these people could produce them within their own bodies?'

Similar concept existed in her old world, but inner qi wasn't something that could be increased with mere training. That was why refining outer qi became fundamental to cultivation.

"Question!" She raised her hand.

"What is it?"

"What do you mean that physical energy comes from our body? From what part exactly does it come from? What about spiritual energy? What kind of training do we have to increase its output?"

"..."

How could he know? They haven't covered that yet in class!

"Excuse me for a moment."

He turned around, using his back to hide the fact that he was madly flipping through the book, trying to find the answer.

"Found it! Uh, I mean, I do know from the start! I'm just confirming it!"

"Yes, yes, of course," she nodded while showing him a sweet, fake smile.

"Physical energy comes from our cells, and to strengthen it we just have to do physical training. Spiritual energy requires us to learn and practice jutsu over and over again to make them more efficient."

Seems straightforward so far. She could understand that.

Now then, how about some firsthand experience?

"Great master, can you show me your chakra? I bet it's really awesome!"

Naturally, Kiba couldn't refuse.

"Haha! Don't get surprised after seeing my power!"

He closed his eyes, trying to get a feel of his chakra. Following his will, the energy began to move in his body, enveloping him in a bluish light.

At the same time, his physique began to change as well. His nails grew longer, forming what looked like a beast's claws, while his canine teeth jutted out to resemble fangs.

"You're transforming!" Hikari exclaimed.

"Ah?"

He opened his eyes to look at his nails-turned-claws. He didn't seem perturbed by his changes, as if it was a daily occurrence.

"It's just our family's specialty. Don't worry about it."

He willed his chakra to settle back down. As the bluish light receded, his features also returned back to normal.

"You see that blue glow just now? That's chakra. You just have to feel them in your body, then will them to come out. Its easy, just like barking!"

"Blue..."

She suddenly remembered that the light coming out of her this entire time was red, not blue!

"That was This One's chakra shared with you," Kokuo answered her confusion before she even had the chance to ask.

"I see... eh, wait, no wonder I couldn't control them!"

Even in her cultivator days, it was common sense that borrowed powers would never work out well. Before she could dream of controlling other people's strength, she had to have one to begin with.

"Venerable One, please let me train my own chakra. You don't need to interfere for now."

"...Fine."

She took a deep breath. Will them to move, huh? That was really vague. Then again, these people already had chakra from birth. Moving them with a single thought would only come as natural for them.

She should start from the very beginning.

Those chakra-producing organs... it would be fine if she thought of them as dantian, right? She remembered the sensation back then when she had first met Kokuo. She definitely had moved her dantian before. The method was still the same.

Perhaps the problem was that she was trying to move 'qi', when she should be moving 'chakra'.

This time, she tried to sense for energy similar to the one that Kiba had showed. When she had caught a glimpse of them, she started to rotate her dantian, willing that energy to circulate throughout her meridian.

...Found them.

She felt the same power as the one given by Kokuo yesterday coursing through her body. However, she could control them this time. She could make them flow faster, or slower, or even going in reverse direction. Her dantian was finally working properly!

Bluish mist exuded out of her body, enveloping her whole, a tell-tale sign that she was really utilizing her chakra.

Now then, how about refining them?

She began to condense the chakra flow within her dantian, trying to form the sea of qi. However, the energy felt imperfect. Something was missing in the equation, creating a bottleneck in the refinement process. It was like squeezing water out of a rock. While she had a feeling that she could produce something if she kept on going, she couldn't tell what would really happen at the end of the road.

Perhaps it just need a bit more time?

Oh well, it was sufficient for now. She just had to increase her capacity in order to breakthrough to Qi Condensation stage. Hopefully she could refine them as well so that she could advance to Foundation Establishment stage...

"Hey, stop using them!" Kiba yelled out with a panicked voice.

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"Your chakra! Stop using them! If you run out, you'll die!"

The instructors in the academy had strictly warned them not to overuse their chakra. Since it was linked with a person's vitality, by the time their chakra had run out, their life would naturally perish as well.

This girl, however, was letting them out without a care in the world!

"It won't run out, I'm just circulating it through my meridian. As long as it's not leaking out, I'll be fine."

"...What?"

That... true, the blue light didn't flicker off like flame, they looked more like a constant glow made by neon lights.

"Why don't you try it as well? It's always good to refine qi from young age."

She poked at his belly with one finger.

"This spot, feel the dant- I mean, the chakra organ in this place. Imagine that you're rotating it in high speed. Don't let your energy flow out from your body, keep them running in closed circuit."

"???"

When in confusion, people would follow whatever suggestion was given to them, regardless of the consequence. The same logic applied here.

Following the girl's instruction, Kiba began to circulate his chakra. At first, they kept on leaking out. However, as time went by, the glow became more subdued, before settling down in a rather stable state.

"Well? How do you feel?"

"I... guh?!"

He suddenly clutched his chest, feeling pain all over his body.

Hot. His body was scorching hot. It was as if a flame was burning within, threatening to turn him into ash.

"Kiba?!"

"Uagh!!"

The pores on his skin opened up simultaneously. Trickles of black, smelly substances poured out from them, soaking through his shirt and pants.

"Eh, wait, don't tell me..."

While she had deeper knowledge about the subject, Kiba had started actual training since one year earlier. In terms of reaching the bottleneck of elementary stage, he could be said to be infinitely closer to the next step compared to the girl who had just trained for three months.

This result was hardly surprising.

His chakra veins widened up in an instant, forcing his chakra organs to pump out more in order to satisfy the demands. The bluish light enveloping him turned more opaque as a result.

Meanwhile, a surge of power coursed throughout his body. His muscles grew denser and more defined, while his senses were heightened to another degree.

The sudden change had exhausted him. His dantian stopped moving, causing the bluish light to disappear. Fainting with his eyes rolling up their socket, the boy fell down like a sack of potato.

"Casting off impurities... a sudden increase of energy capacity... forming a sea of qi..."

Hikari murmured with a frown as deep as the Mariana trench.

That boy... judging from the symptoms, he most likely had crossed the bottleneck and entered qi condensation stage...

"..."

Ah crap, he broke through.