It had been two weeks since Shin diligently practiced the same training regimen, which included thirty minutes of morning meditation, followed by exercising in the Training Grounds 8 behind the Senju compounds and some "honest peeping" on the genins practicing their jutsus.
In his notebook, Shin had meticulously noted down a few of these jutsus alongside the circumstances involved and hand signs required for their casting.
Thanks to his repeated training and leaf concentration exercises, his chakra pool had grown to some extent, if it was compared to his previous reserves. However, he hadn't yet dared to attempt performing any jutsus.
Currently, he sat in his room, deep in meditation. Strangely enough, he had been feeling unusually at peace lately. Ever since the day he made his resolve at the Training Ground, a sense of ease had enveloped him. His meditation had become smoother, and even his Leaf concentration exercises had extended to forty minutes, granting him more precise control over his chakra. He could now feel his chakra flowing through larger muscle tissues.
'Up a bit, down a bit. Infuse the chakra, let it travel up the spinal cord, reach the leaf, concentrate, rotate, and then back down.'
As Shin concentrated on his chakra, he sensed the presence of something else nearby. A tiny organism seemed to be moving in his vicinity. Disgusted for some unknown reason, he felt his concentration waver. He broke out of his meditation, only to find a large cockroach passing by him.
Five seconds later, the cock roach was crushed beyond belief by a slipper then a pile of 5 books and to ensure his hands remain far away from filthy bugs, he picked up his blanket and pushed it downward on the pile to remove the bug's entire existence. After sitting on the pile for 1 minute, he finally removed the makeshift bug-exterminator equipment, only to discover the bottom of his slippers covered in cockroach juice.
He quickly made his way to the kitchen, grabbed a pair of tongs, and used them to handle the contaminated slipper. With a mission in mind, he went to Hiro and Akiko's room, promptly switching his slippers for Hiro's.
Taking a deep sigh of relief, Shin returned to his room. Finally free from the unsanitary environment, he refocused on his meditation.
However, it wasn't long before a familiar sensation, disrupted his concentration once again. He glanced towards the eastern wall of his room, only to find a grasshopper perched there. Without hesitation, he crushed the bug and repeated the same slipper swap, this time with Kirimoto's slippers.
Fortunately, the other room was empty both times, as the three boys were outside the orphanage, probably in the playground.
Annoyed by the persistent interruptions, Shin couldn't help but wonder, "Why do these pesky bugs keep bothering me? It was so peaceful before."
He resumed his meditation. Determined to find peace, he chanted in a soft voice "Inner peace...Inner peace...Innnnner...Fuck...",
Suddenly, he felt an entire fleet of tiny ants moving in a straight line, emerging from a small hole in a dark corner of the room. Without a second thought, he sprinted to retrieve the slippers he had left in the other room and began smashing every ant in sight until none remained.
'Why do these bugs keep bothering me? Even if they were here before, I didn`t notice them until now. Was it just a coincidence?.' Shin pondered, slightly confused by the situation. Frustrated, he decided to skip meditation altogether and proceeded directly to the leaf concentration exercise.
"What the heck!" He opened his eyes and discovered several bugs in close proximity. Flies congregated in one corner, two small cockroaches lingered near the bathroom, and three clusters of ants occupied an area outside the window.
"Damn you! Damn it all" He shouted hysterically.
This time armed with two slippers, he started firing with a strike/kill ratio of three bugs per strike. After vanquishing all evil, he let out a sigh of relief.
"Every time I start meditating, I end up noticing bugs everywhere. It's like my senses become hyperactive during meditation. I can sense them even when they're a bit away from my body."
A moment of realization washed over him. "So, does this mean that every time I try to meditate, I'll feel bugs crawling all around me?"
'Now I get why they say Ignorance is bliss... literally'
Not in the mood for any more meditation, he got out of his room.
It had been some time since he took some time off and played with his friends in the playground. Hiro and Akiko didn't disturb had let him off due to Shin offering different excuses each time.
'Oh, I am practicing exercises, that big brother Dai assigned me'
'No, Aki, I promise to help out Yumiko with her maths lesson today'
'Oh can't today, I am feeling a bit of pain in my back, I think it is because of all the cleaning that Emi assigned me yesterday.'
Remembering the last excuse, a smile emerged on his face. Hiro was ordered by Akiko to give him a massage to improve his circulation. Hiro ended the massage staring daggers at his face. A chuckle escaped his lips at remembering Hiro`s frowning face.
In a happier mood than before, Shin infused his chakra, focusing on collecting enough energy before directing it towards his finger. However, as the chakra reached his hands, he started feeling intense pain.
"Ah... failed again. I really need to get that Ninja anatomy guide. Every time the chakra travels to my fingertips, it goes out of control,", He thought.
Undeterred, Shin recharged himself, taking some time to get used to the chakra flowing through his hand. With renewed determination, he once again moved the chakra towards his fingertips. The pain returned, but he bore through it, pushing past the discomfort. Finally, he saw a small blue dome forming on the tip of his finger.
'Twenty-seventh time`s the charm', Gasping heavily, he marveled at the unique experience. The blue chakra flickered like a burning flame, yet flowed with the smoothness of water. When he blew upon it, some of the chakra broke off and scattered in the air, adding to the spectacle.
'How exquisite', Shin whispered in awe, fascinated by the strange energy he could access. He played with it, transferring the chakra from one finger to the next, observing as each finger lit up with its own blue glow.
Attempting to rejoin the chakra on one finger alone, Shin pushed his limits but failed, running out of chakra in the process. The chakra on his fingertips scattered in the air, leaving him feeling exhausted from the exercise. He regulated his breathing, allowing his body to recover from the strain.
'Finally a good improvement in my chakra control. I just have to keep doing this training for a few weeks and after I can move it around outside my body more easily, I will start training for the Rasengan'.
'Since it is a Jutsu that doesn't require any change in nature chakra as well as any hand signs, I can learn it on my own without any outside help.' he decided. 'I just have to get a lot of balloons to get started. But where to get them? The orphanage is too poor to celebrate birthdays. I will have to ask either Dai or Emi for it.'
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In a hidden place beneath the bustling village, shadows prospered and flourished, casting an ominous aura. In this gloomy sanctuary, a little boy with an innocent smile sat huddled, engrossed in his drawings. His book lay open before him, and with each stroke of his brush, his face gained new colors, as if reflecting the vibrant hues of his imagination. Despite the darkness that surrounded him, a contented smile adorned his face as he drew.
Unbeknownst to the boy, a figure emerged from the shadows, his presence casting a somber air over the scene. The man approached the young artist, his disabled form lending an eerie grace to his movements. The boy's gaze remained fixed on his drawings, his reluctance to divert his attention evident.
"What are you drawing?" a venerable voice echoed through the dank space.
Startled by the unexpected interruption, the boy hesitated, his hand trembling slightly. "Oh, it's nothing, Sir," he replied softly, his voice tinged with innocence. "I'm just capturing a scene from the garden."
The disabled man drew nearer, his piercing eyes scrutinizing the boy's artwork. Shadows danced across his face, giving him an enigmatic aura.
"Hmm... he possesses some talent in this as well," he muttered under his breath, a glimmer of intrigue in his voice.
"Come, its time for your training".
The boy reluctantly tore his gaze away from his sketch, a flicker of disappointment in his innocent eyes. He obediently rose to his feet, following the man deeper into the shadows.
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Author Note:
Thank you dunkinB, ParadoxMind and DarkApple for your power stones.
If you like the story so far, please review, and comment, and yes please send power stones.
Please share your thoughts in the comments and reviews.
The chapters 1-3 have been revised.