The following day after that moment of enlightenment I approached the exercise with a new mindset.
Instead of treating water like an enemy that needed to be conquered, I thought of it as an extension of myself and didn't force my chakra onto it.
Instead of pushing against the current, I let my chakra become the current, shifting and adapting with every ripple.
And just like that, it clicked. The resistance vanished and the water no longer fought me; it moved with me, as though recognizing me as part of itself.
I stood on the surface, completely stable.
It was still a challenge, of course. Walking was one thing, but prolonged practice was necessary to maintain my balance, but I had finally grasped the core concept.
Tree walking was mechanical. You applied the right amount of chakra and maintained it. Simple input, stable output.
But water?
Water was alive. It was never the same twice. Every second, the surface shifted under me, a ripple here, a small wave there.
Each movement demanded a new adjustment, a recalibration so fine that it bordered on instinct.
I realized that this was what separated precision from mastery.
Precision was control over one's chakra. Mastery was the ability to adapt that control in motion.
Water wasn't an obstacle. It was a medium.
I just had to flow with it.
The next exercise I delved into to refine my chakra control when I wasn't on water was something far more advanced, the Chakra Thread Exercise.
If Leaf Concentration was for Academy students, Tree Walking for Genin, and Water Walking for Chūnin, then Chakra Threads were undeniably in the realm of Jōnin and Kage.
This is because, in this realm of control, it wasn't just about maintaining chakra flow any longer, it was about shaping it, projecting it, and manipulating it with surgical precision.
In simple terms, it meant learning how to externalize one's chakra, pulling it out of the body in a thin, stable line without losing cohesion.
These threads were invisible lifelines, extensions of one's will, capable of carrying incredible precision and sensitivity.
In the series, puppet masters from Sunagakure were famous for using this to pilot their puppets, but I like to believe the principle applied to any advanced shinobi who needed fine chakra manipulation.
The exercise began deceptively simple; extend a thread from your fingertip and attach it to an object, keep it steady, and move it without breaking contact.
Simple, in theory, right? I even had some inner desires on unlocking some form of telekinesis, however when it came down to practice…It was torture.
Maintaining an externalized line of chakra required absolute balance between output, control, and feedback.
Too little chakra, and the thread snapped like a dry twig, too much, and it destabilized, flaring uncontrollably before dissipating.
And every fluctuation in emotion or a flicker of distraction affected its stability.
This made me grounded in my understanding of chakra being a combination of both spiritual and physical energy. And spiritual here did not only refer to mental strength.
No wonder powerups always follow after an intense emotional burst…
Anyways, the threads demanded awareness without effort, control without rigidity.
I came to the conclusion that only those who had mastered their inner calm could maintain multiple threads simultaneously. And even then, the difficulty scaled exponentially.
One thread was a finger exercise. Five threads were an orchestra, and ten? Ten was Art.
I barely began to understand the level Sasori was at to be able to control a hundred puppets without losing any one of them.
Each one required perfect harmony, with the slightest imbalance ruining the entire performance.
He truly is a monster dangerous enough to be a one man army…
That was exactly why I wanted to learn it.
If the Leaf Exercise taught focus, Tree Walking taught balance, and Water Walking taught adaptability, then Chakra Threads were the culmination of all three; the art of mastery itself.
It was a lesson in control, patience, and connection, not just with chakra, but with myself.
With this lesson, I finally concluded that I was right all along to take mediation seriously despite it never being referenced as useful in the anime…
…Well, except for the Sage training Jiraiya and Naruto had to go through.
…
Moving on to other matters, if my training was slow and steady, my business was the opposite.
In two years, I've gone from selling a few storage seals to having a full-fledged operation.
Just like how a person attracts trouble to himself by being a showoff, merchant's networks expanded fast…
…Weird analogy, I know, but in the merchant world, the more services you provide, the more money flows through your hand. It was left to you to do what you want with it.
All within legal codes of course…
Anyways, in doing so, you'll surely attract a certain caste of people.
So with word spreading about the mysterious seal maker who provided quality products on certain request, it was simple for the expected target to hear word of that.
I've started supplying not just storage seals, but minor reinforcement seals for structural support, fire-proofing, and even waterproofing.
Shinobi clients, though fewer, were more lucrative. Some genin and chūnin found my weapon storage seals useful since they were more portable and tailored to personal preferences.
I kept prices competitive but never too cheap. Exclusivity was part of the appeal.
Hina handled most of the logistics, managing interactions with customers while Ishida-san acted as the professional middleman and consultant.
I remember that one time we were setting the tables in the store, Ishida said. "By the way, a few noble families have shown interest in security seals for their estates."
I paused. Now that's new and a little bit shocking.
"Nobles?"
He nods. "Word is spreading. They want enhanced door seals, perimeter alarms, and theft-proof vaults."
I lean back, considering the implications. Expanding into noble clientele means higher profits, but also higher risks.
Nobles in this situation are normal heads of village
I've read enough novels and seen enough kingdom building manhwas in my past life to know that when Nobles are interested in something, they don't just buy, they investigate.
If they trace the source of the seals back to me…
I exhaled lightly, allowing the thought to fade away with it. "I'll think about it. For now, let's keep our current clientele stable."
Ishida-san nodded, respecting my caution.
I haven't visited that topic since. I wasn't on a stable foothold to step into certain marketing conditions yet.
…
Despite the time spent on business and training, I never neglected the Academy. I couldn't afford to.
Graduation was next year, and while I wasn't at the top of my class, I wasn't scraping the bottom either.
My mastery of the three fundamental techniques were already at Max Lvl if I had a system to grade them.
With the Clone Technique, I could now make as many as 10 clones. Although illusory, it was still enough to intimidate some clueless individuals.
I have even managed to replicate Shusui's body flicker and clone combination which I tested on a group of unruly kids who thought they could bully my younger siblings in the park just because they had no parents.
Suffice to say, my transformation technique had a role to play in erasing any traces to my person in case of any reporting of the issue.
With the Transformation Technique, I could become anyone as long as I have a mental image of that person, animal or object.
It's one of those jutsu that looks simple on the surface but hides a nasty amount of complexity underneath.
At its core, it entails chakra molding and projection. You take your chakra, shape it around your body like a second skin, and then force it to imitate the appearance, proportions, and even the texture of something else.
The trick is keeping that illusion stable while moving, talking, or even breathing. One lapse in focus, and the chakra layer ripples, revealing the truth underneath.
That's why children usually fail. They try to change their outer form without understanding that chakra reacts to emotion and intent.
If your mind wavers, your chakra follows and children aren't exactly known for their focus or concentration.
At the peak of this technique, one can even tweak their chakra signature, voice, and scent. That's not part of the standard Academy version, of course, but it's what the true masters of disguise should be able to do.
Unfortunately I haven't been able to attain that level of mastery.
In short, the Transformation Technique isn't about pretending to be someone else. It's about convincing reality itself that you are.
As for my Substitution Technique, as long as I can see or perceive an attack, I was quick enough to substitute before it hits.
All these were my secrets though. Not even Aiko and the rest know how good I am at these techniques, not to mention anyone from the academy.
To them, I wasn't the best in any one subject, but I was consistent across the board.
Sparring was another story.
There were those born fighters, the ones with natural talent, clan training, and bloodline abilities. I wasn't one of them. But I had something they didn't.
Efficiency.
Every movement I made, every jutsu I performed, was stripped of excessive movements. There was no wasted chakra, no unnecessary motion, no sloppy timing.
I hit where it mattered and reacted before a threat fully formed, and that was my edge.
Calculated, precise, and quietly lethal.
Most of my classmates underestimated me because I lacked flashy techniques and that was absolutely fine. Let them. I couldn't be bothered to convince them otherwise if they think I won on a fluke.
Less attention meant fewer problems.
…
As breakfast came to an end and the orphanage slowly came to life, I stepped outside to start my daily routine.
Today was the first day of my 5th year and I wasn't about to miss the classes that will involve ninjutsus.