Ren Kameda didn't really think about whether or not he was in some weird dream anymore. Honestly? He tried—hard. But after a few days of sleeping, eating, and just... existing, the whole "this is just a dream" theory started falling apart faster than his last attempt at trying to meditate.
Ren wasn't exactly a fan of this whole "waking up as a five-year-old orphan in the ninja world" thing, but hey, here he was. After trying for days to just wake up and shake this off like some bad hangover, he was left with only one conclusion:
This was real. Ugh.
With a resigned sigh, Ren decided to just go with the flow. Sure, it was weird as hell being stuck in a body that wasn't his, living a life he didn't quite remember—other than the flashes of past trauma, of course—but whatever. Maybe it wasn't so bad. He'd adapt, like he always did.
And adapting was... pretty easy, actually. You'd think a five-year-old would struggle with "getting used to a new life," but Ren? Ren was built different. His previous life—well, he had been through his fair share of tough situations. Sure, no one had tried to turn him into a ninja back in the day, but this wasn't exactly rocket science.
He was, however, going to need to figure out how to use that whole chakra thing.
So, he did what any normal person would do: he meditated. Or, more accurately, he tried to meditate.
It wasn't like he didn't get the idea. It was chakra, right? That whole life energy thing everyone was talking about. The problem? It was stubborn. Like, trying to get a toddler to eat vegetables level of stubborn.
Sitting cross-legged in the middle of the orphanage dorm room, Ren focused—he tried to tap into it. His chakra. The stuff that was supposed to flow through his body and give him the ability to do crazy ninja stuff. But for the life of him, he couldn't quite... feel it. It was there, though. He could sense it somewhere deep down, like when you know you left your phone in the other room, but you're not sure exactly where.
But feeling it? Actually controlling it? Yeah, that was a different story.
Ren wasn't the type to give up easily, though. He'd tried to read up on chakra theory (thank you, random flashbacks of ninja knowledge), but when it came to practice? His body was like, "Nah, we're good."
At least he got better at sitting still. Progress.
Days turned into weeks, and during this time, Ren kept himself busy. He mingled with the other kids at the orphanage, made some half-assed attempts to get stronger, and generally tried not to think about how weird it was that his whole life was basically being rebooted.
He picked up a few exercises—basic stuff, really, just to stay active and not let his body turn into mush. You know, push-ups, sit-ups, whatever. The basics.
But nothing too crazy, since—let's be real—he was still five. If his body could do a full-on headstand, he'd be impressed.
Then came the turning point.
Two weeks into this whole "new life" thing, something finally clicked. And by "clicked," I mean Ren finally managed to unlock his chakra after what felt like a year of mental gymnastics.
It was... a strange feeling, to say the least.
Ren had been sitting in his usual meditation spot when it happened—his mind, his body, everything had aligned in that weird, frustratingly specific way. He could feel the warm hum. That vibration in his chest that told him, Hey, this is it. You're finally figuring it out, kid.
The sensation rushed through him—like flipping a switch on after hours of fumbling in the dark. Suddenly, there was energy. It was subtle at first, like the feeling of walking into a room that had a low, comforting buzz. The feeling of waking up to your alarm on a Saturday morning and realizing you don't actually have to get out of bed.
Ren's eyes shot open, and he couldn't help himself.
"YES!" he yelled, practically tumbling off the floor in excitement.
The room was silent for a moment—except for Ren, who had a huge grin on his face.
"Wait—did I really just—" He froze, eyes wide as the reality set in. He had done it. After two freaking weeks of mental self-sabotage, he had actually unlocked his chakra.
This wasn't just some fun little "I can move a leaf" trick. He could actually feel it in his body, circulating, humming with life. It wasn't massive power, but it was something. It was a beginning.
And damn, it felt good.
Ren couldn't help but chuckle to himself. "Took long enough. Honestly, I should've done this on day one. What was I doing?"
But there was no time to get cocky. Now that he had unlocked it, the real challenge was controlling it. Great. Another learning curve.
He stood up, a new sense of purpose in his step. There was a lot more work to do if he wanted to make something of this life—chakra aside. He had to figure out how to survive here, how to make his way through a world that had already been written out for him in the worst possible way.