The week proceeded at the now familiar pace for Ren: waking up at dawn for the run around the lake, swimming, hand exercises, and finally breakfast. The routine had become so natural that his body moved almost by inertia, leaving his mind free to focus on other matters.
'The leaf exercise,' he recalled as he dried himself after swimming. 'It was the first step for chakra control in the manga. One had to adhere a leaf to the forehead using only the chakra.'
He picked up a fallen leaf from one of the trees near the lake. Sitting in the lotus position, he tried to remember the details.
'First I have to feel the chakra, as Toshir...my father taught me, then I have to try to direct it to a specific point...'
He closed his eyes, searching for that tingling sensation he had felt the day before. It was like trying to grasp water - the more he tried, the more it seemed to elude him.
'No, that won't do. Father said not to force it. Like when I'm floating in the water...'
He relaxed his muscles, letting his awareness gradually expand. Slowly, he began to sense something. It was not his father's powerful and controlled chakra, but a more subtle sensation, like a warm current flowing under his skin.
The crystal at his neck pulsed faintly.
'Interesting,' Ren noted. 'The crystal seems to react when I focus on the chakra. It might be useful as an indicator...'
Over the next few days, Ren alternated his physical workouts with attempts to control the chakra. The leaf continued to fall from his forehead, but each day he managed to hold onto it a little longer.
In the store, between customers, he watched with renewed interest the seals on the display scrolls.
'Some ninja can create seals using only their hands and chakra,' he reflected as he cleaned a display case. 'The Fourth Hokage was famous for this. I wonder if...'
His thoughts were interrupted by the arrival of a customer, but the question remained, along with many others he hoped to ask Tatsumi. Discreetly, of course.
On Thursday, his father found him still awake in the middle of the night, surrounded by papers on which he had drawn various seal patterns.
"Shouldn't you be in bed?" he asked, although his tone was more amused than reproachful.
"I'm studying the basic structure of seals," Ren replied, stifling a yawn. "Each pattern seems to have a specific meaning..."
Takashi observed his son's drawings. "You're really into this fuinjutsu thing, huh?"
Ren nodded. "It's...fascinating. Like there's a language hidden in the lines."
' And then it could make a big difference in the future.'
Friday and Saturday passed in a flash of practice, attempts with the leaf and study of the seals. Finally, Sunday arrived.
The fog was unusually thick that morning as Ren made his way to the appointed meeting point with Tatsumi.
' I wonder what the first day will be like, it almost feels like the first day of school' He stopped in front of an old building at the edge of the village. The door was ajar.
Ren took a deep breath and reached for the doorknob.
"You're late."
Tatsumi's voice rang out from inside, causing him to gasp.
"But sensei, it's still ten minutes before dawn," Ren protested.
"The first lesson of fuinjutsu," the voice seemed to come from every direction, "is that nothing is as it seems."
'WTF?!?!?'
Ren hesitated, his hand still on the handle. Something wasn't quite right...