Elsewhere, at the Hamura training grounds—at the same time Itachi Uchiha stood before his father, Fugaku, in their tense discussion within the Uchiha compound—Ryu sat alone in a meditative state beneath a tree. He grappled with the physical limits of the human body, exploring its boundaries and challenges.
His mind circled back to the chakra management skills he'd conceptualised during his conversation with Akihiro. The idea had sparked two new jutsu concepts: Chakra Engine and its elevated states. But theory was one thing. Implementation was another entirely.
In the field of technology, theories and simulations often took years to translate into reality due to technological limitations. But Ryu had an advantage—his Mind Palace, his Overclocking, and his willingness to experiment on himself.
Maintaining chakra in an active state for longer periods wasn't particularly difficult for him. He just needed to maintain constant focus on his chakra flow. Not complicated, but not exactly simple either. The real challenge lay in significantly increasing the flow rate of chakra circulation beyond the normal level.
"Let's try," Ryu thought.
He cycled his chakra, feeling it move through his pathways like a flowing river. The sensation was familiar, almost meditative—but this was still the normal active state. It wasn't going to cut it.
With his high level of perception, Ryu sensed deeper into his chakra network. He identified all the gates—the [Eight Gates], which are specific points that acted as limiters on the body's chakra system.: [Gate of Opening], [Gate of Healing], [Gate of Life], [Gate of Pain], [Gate of Limit], [Gate of View], [Gate of Wonder], and [Gate of Death].
"I could try to open them," he mused.
His extensive medical knowledge provided him with a distinct advantage.
The [Gate of Opening] was located in the brain's left hemisphere. The [Gate of Healing] was located in the brain's right hemisphere.
His physical conditioning was high enough that the first gate shouldn't pose much trouble. Concentrating, Ryu directed his attention to his brain's left hemisphere. Chakra surged, pressure built, and then—release.
Ryu tried to open the gate. It did not open immediately; Ryu had to focus hard, and when it opened, his chakra reserves swelled—larger, more vigorous, the flow accelerating through his pathways like a river breaking through a dam's barrier.
Encouraged by the success, Ryu moved to the second gate—the [Gate of Healing]—without hesitation. Pressure mounted again, resistance fought back, and he pushed harder. Pain flared briefly—then the gate gave way.
Chakra flooded his system, the increase noticeable and intoxicating.
He turned his attention to the third gate, the [Gate of Life], located on the spinal cord. He concentrated, applying the same mental pressure, but this time the gate wouldn't budge. He pushed harder.
Nothing.
He tried again, straining—still nothing.
Ryu released the gates, letting them close naturally. His body sagged slightly, pain radiating through his muscles and chakra pathways.
"So painful… and hard," he muttered, wiping sweat from his brow.
"The first two gates were easy to control because they're in my brain—I have direct neural access. But the third gate is beyond me. Someone average won't be able to get past the third or even second gate unless they train like a maniac and dedicate all their time to physical endurance."
"I may have many tricks up my sleeve, but physically I am weaker than Rock Lee without that taijutsu. I was lucky to be given the opportunity to learn [Senju Taijutsu] and smart to focus on Fuinjutsu first. Without them I might have died that day. I need something more than just those two and simpler ninjutsu."
He reflected on what he'd learned. The gates acted like dams or limiters on the chakra circulatory system. Opening them allowed more chakra to flow, but at great physical cost.
"But what if I keep the amount the same and just increase the flow rate?" Ryu wondered.
Flow rate wasn't something that naturally increased without external influence. The natural rhythm of the body was what determined it. He remembered Naruto's fight against Neji during the Chunin Exams—how the Nine-Tails had flooded chakra into Naruto's body and stirred up the flow into a tornado.
"How do I increase it without a massive surge in chakra that I don't have? It's not like there's a chakra organ like the heart where I can just increase the pumping force."
An idea sparked. He already knew how to rotate chakra. He raised his hand and said, "[Rasengan]."
A swirling sphere of blue chakra formed in his palm, rotating with compressed, concentrated force. Ryu examined it, his analytical mind dissecting the rotation pattern.
"The [Rasengan]'s ultimate form isn't the [Rasenshuriken]. It's [Uzuhiko]—which taps into the rotation of planetary chakra and influences the body of anyone hit by it."
He hadn't developed the [Rasengan] to that level yet, but he understood the principle. For now, though, he needed something simpler—something that could influence his internal chakra flow without being solid or attack-based.
"Rotation creates force. Force creates movement. Movement creates flow. What if I use it as a rotating core?"
He placed one hand over his heart. "The heart pumps blood. But there's no chakra heart that pumps chakra through the network. The flow is passive and distributed. Unless I create one—a central pump, a rotating core that influences the entire system."
"This could go wrong in many ways," Ryu acknowledged, a wry smile tugging at his lips. "Creating a rotating sphere of chakra inside my heart. If this goes wrong, I'm dead in seconds. [Super Healing] won't save me from an exploded heart."
He paused, considering backing out. The rational part of his mind screamed at him to stop.
But he'd died once before. Fear of death had lost its grip on him long ago.
"Besides," he thought with dark humour, "if I die, at least it'll be from my own stupidity and not someone else's."
"But still, I better activate [Super Healing] in advance," Ryu decided.
He directed his awareness inward, channelling his [Temporary Enhance] into his [Minor Healing], pushing it into overdrive.
- [Super Healing] activated
Ryu then shifted his perception to his heart. Carefully, meticulously, he formed a miniature [Rasengan] inside the organ. This wasn't a standard [Rasengan]—it was the smallest possible version he could create, no bigger than a small coin. The chakra density was reduced to the absolute minimum, barely enough to maintain rotation. The rotation speed was equally diminished, spinning just fast enough to create the effect he needed without tearing his heart apart.
It was a delicate balance—enough power to influence his chakra flow effectively, but not enough to risk catastrophic internal damage.
The micro-[Rasengan] spun slowly within his heart, rotating at a gentle pace. Ryu waited, observing the effects through his heightened perception.
The chakra throughout his body began to shift. The flow accelerated, syncing with the revolution of the micro-[Rasengan]. His pathways warmed, the circulation intensifying.
He nodded in satisfaction. It was working.
Ryu stood, testing his body. He picked up a stone from the ground and crushed it effortlessly in his fist.
"Higher power."
He knew his own strength. He could crush that stone without enhanced chakra flow, but now it felt effortless—instinctive.
Ryu dashed across the training arena, reaching the far end in a blur before stopping abruptly.
"Higher speed and reflexes…and probably higher brain activity. For me, it's barely noticeable."
Ryu formed a [Rasengan] in his palm. The sphere formed noticeably faster than usual.
"It must be because the flow in my body is already elevated. Let me try a simpler jutsu," Ryu reasoned.
He performed a basic earth jutsu. Again, it activated quicker than normal.
"Faster jutsu activation."
The benefits were substantial, though more modest than opening the [Eight Gates] in terms of power. The micro-[Rasengan]'s minimal chakra density and slow rotation speed meant the performance increases were on the lower end of the spectrum. But the proof of concept was established. With refinement—higher density, faster rotation, better control—the technique could rival even the [Eight Gates] at higher rotations.
Ryu maintained the elevated state. He performed a series of tests—strength, speed, jutsu activation, and sensory perception. Each metric showed improvement, though not dramatic.
- Data recorded and analysed
- Strength output: +8%
- Speed output: +7%
- Jutsu formation speed: +9%
- Chakra pathway stress: +21%
The micro-[Rasengan] in his heart flickered, then dispersed after one minutes of rotation. The elevated chakra flow gradually reverted to its normal state.
Then the backlash hit.
Pain exploded through his body. His muscles screamed. His chakra network felt raw, as if every pathway had been scoured with sandpaper but then his healing kicked in. He staggered, gasping for breath.
"Pain and fatigue. Significant drawbacks similar to [Eight Gates]," Ryu noted through gritted teeth.
He turned his perception inward, analysing the damage.
- Analysing physical condition
- Microtears detected in chakra pathways
- Muscle strain moderate
- Recommendation: Gradual adaptation required
For a long moment, Ryu simply sat there, letting the pain wash over him in waves. His hands trembled slightly—not from fear, but from the adrenaline crash that always followed pushing his limits.
"I expected that much," he admitted to himself. "And this was the weakest version possible."
The technique worked. That was what mattered. Ryu deduced that three prerequisites were necessary to safely utilise this technique: a tough body, finer chakra control, and mastery over the [Rasengan].
"This technique... it's still too dangerous for them," Ryu thought, massaging his aching chest. "They don't have my healing factor. They don't have my constitution. If any of them tried this now, they'd tear their chakra network apart."
"I need to perfect the technique first. Make it safe, optimised, and reproducible. And until that day comes, I need to condition their bodies. More chakra control exercises, extended circulation drills, and gradual pathway strengthening."
Within his Mind Palace, a translucent screen materialised, displaying the technique specifications in clean, organised text:
Technique Name: [Chakra Engine]
Status: Theoretical—Requires extensive personal testing
Rank: Unknown—Further exploration needed for accurate assessment
Prerequisites: Excellent chakra control, enhanced stamina, high focus
Description: Perpetual chakra circulation maintaining a battle-ready state at all times, even during normal routine.
Benefits: Possible long-term benefits include higher chakra control, higher-grade chakra network, and increased chakra capacity (needs more testing to confirm).
Technique Name: [Gears] of the Chakra Engine
Status: Prototype—Successful proof of concept
Rank: Unknown—Further exploration needed for accurate assessment
Power Level Assessment: Currently far below [Eight Gates] activation due to minimal [Rasengan] density and rotation speed. Potential for significant scaling with refinement. Safer and more sustainable than gate techniques.
Prerequisites:[Chakra Engine] mastery, reinforced chakra pathways, [Rasengan] mastery, enhanced physical constitution
Description: Elevated chakra cycle rates for temporary power amplification using an internal micro-[Rasengan] as a rotational catalyst. Higher gears are theoretically possible with increased density and rotation speed.
Current Limitation: One-minute duration at minimal configuration before natural destabilisation. Higher configurations are projected for better durations with proportional power and risk increases.
Benefits: Higher power, speed, and reflexes; probable elevated cognitive ability; reduced ninjutsu activation time. With extended training, the body may itself learn to circulate chakra at a higher flow rate without the micro-[Rasengan] catalyst (more testing needed to confirm).
Ryu smiled at the overview of his new creation. The potential for enhancing his abilities through this new technique was exciting, and he couldn't wait to begin testing its limits and perfecting this new jutsu.
A/N:
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