The first step was to sense the chakra within his own body.
Amamiya Rei recalled the martial arts dramas he had watched in his previous life. Following the postures of those characters, he sat cross‑legged, rested his hands lightly on his knees, closed his eyes, and listened carefully to the sound of his heartbeat as his restless thoughts gradually stilled.
In the instant when the noise in his ears and the chaos in his mind faded away, Rei felt a mysterious power flowing quietly through his body.
This power glimmered with a faint blue light. In Rei's own words, it felt gentle and non‑irritating — obedient and willing to be guided at his will.
After patiently and methodically mastering this unfamiliar power known as chakra, Rei moved on to his second step.
The second step was to sense the chakra of others.
Rei was uncertain whether this was the correct order, but he decided to arrange it this way himself.
Just follow your instincts.
Rei imagined the chakra in his body transforming into countless tiny hooks, spreading outward in every direction.
As the chakra dispersed, his consciousness seemed to float free from his body, rising slowly into the air.
Higher and higher...
Even with his eyes closed, he could perceive the situation within a radius of nearly a hundred miles.
To say he "saw" it would not be accurate — it was more like he "felt" it.
Yet within this vast range, he could not sense the presence of any other chakra.
This implied one thing: there were no ninjas nearby. He was most likely living outside the boundaries of any ninja village.
That was the first piece of information he managed to gather.
Opening his eyes, Rei frowned slightly and rubbed his chin in thought. When his perception had just reached the foot of the mountain, it felt as though it struck an invisible wall of air — unable to extend any farther.
Why is that?
Moreover, when he forcibly pushed his perception outward, darkness overtook his mind, and his limbs grew weak and sore, as if withering away.
Startled, Rei immediately withdrew his chakra perception. Only then did he realize that the chakra in his body had been significantly depleted. When he stopped using it, his strength slowly began to return.
Was his chakra capacity simply too low?
Rei thought seriously. The fundamental solution, he realized, was straightforward: He needed to eat more meat.
While waiting for his chakra to recover, Rei began summarizing the experience of his first perception attempt.
It wasn't especially difficult — but neither was it simple.
After all, he was still a novice, and it had taken him far too long to sense anything just now. If it had been a faster ninja, by the time Rei sensed the opponent's chakra, the enemy would already be standing in front of him.
Summary: He was still far too unskilled.
Conclusion: He needed far more practice — only constant training would lead to mastery.
Once his chakra had mostly recovered, Rei turned his focus toward basic Wood Release.
When it came to Wood Release, the most vivid image in Rei's mind was Hashirama Senju's Thousand‑Armed Buddha technique...but surely Black Zetsu could not manifest such a grand technique? That was why the system had classified Black Zetsu's Wood Release as only basic.
Still, since Rei already possessed the foundation of Wood Release, then as long as he worked hard to raise his chakra reserves enough, could he one day achieve the same overwhelming effects as Hashirama himself?
Shaking himself free from his fantasy, Rei returned to reality. For now, the most important thing was to master elementary Wood Release.
The Thousand‑Armed Buddha was far beyond his reach.
But how was he supposed to practice?
Rei had some general ideas about chakra perception, but when it came to Wood Release ninjutsu, he was utterly clueless.
Vines, wood, trees, thorns...
That was all he could think of.
He decided to start simply — try coaxing a vine to grow.
Rei channeled chakra through his body and fixed his gaze on the ground in the courtyard.
Grow...
Grow quickly...
Bang!
All the strength in Rei's body drained away in an instant.
Blinking in shock, he stared at the towering tree that had suddenly burst from the ground.
It had grown, yes — but not into what he had intended.
Rei steadied his emotions and resolved to try again.
Compared to sitting in a classroom preparing for exams in his previous life, this was far more exciting. Recalling the moment the tree had sprouted, Rei realized his mistake: he had released too much chakra at once, causing the intended vine to erupt into a full‑grown tree.
Rei raised his hand toward the already broken window.
In an instant, he activated the chakra within his body.
Bang!
The shattered window frame splintered even further.
Just as Rei attempted to stand, his vision went black and he collapsed back onto the floor.
Shaking his head, he saw only spinning stars.
Wow... feels like I just saw my great‑grandmother.
He now recognized this sensation — the result of overusing chakra.
Wood Release indeed consumed a tremendous amount of chakra.
Rei lay flat on the floor, letting his body recover so he wouldn't accidentally push himself to death.
When the stars finally faded from his vision, he slowly stood and walked toward the window.
The entire broken frame had fallen outside onto the ground, shattered to pieces. A single wooden thorn protruded through the window and was embedded three inches deep into the trunk of the newly grown tree.
Rei pulled the thorn free; its tip was harder than steel.
"Not bad."
Encouraging himself, Rei returned indoors and continued his training.
Before he knew it, dawn had arrived and the sun was about to rise.
Rei hurriedly used Wood Release to seal the window, then collapsed onto the wooden bed to sleep.
Nighttime activity, daytime rest — this was the routine of a ghost.
After a full day's satisfying rest, Amamiya Rei awoke at dusk.
He practiced his abilities for a while longer, and only after the sun had fully set did he retract the vines that sealed the window.
Stepping out of the yard, Rei descended toward the base of the mountain.
Tonight, he would collect information.
He followed the same path as the previous night, heading toward the cluster of lights he had spotted at the foot of the mountain.
But upon arrival, he froze.
This was not a quiet village at all.
It was a bustling commercial street, most of it taken up by entertainment and pleasure houses — what might elsewhere be called a red-light district. No wonder the lights had been so bright from the mountainside last night. What kind of village stayed awake and fully lit through the night?
As night fell, Rei's ghostly body became unusually energized.
He understood why. He had transformed from a human into a demon— and what demon did not thrive in darkness?
Even as a human, Rei had loved staying up late.
Now he had a perfect excuse to indulge in sleepless nights without guilt.
Wide‑eyed with curiosity, Rei wandered the street like a country bumpkin visiting a grand capital for the first time.
Ancient-style buildings lined both sides of the street, each adorned with lanterns hanging from their eaves, illuminating the night as though it were daytime. Shouts, laughter, and lively chatter filled the air without pause.
Moving through the crowd, Rei found his gaze involuntarily drawn to the beautiful women passing by.
Of course, it wasn't lust that pulled his attention — it was hunger.
Meat.
Suppressing his desire, Rei forced his eyes away from the fair‑skinned women and toward the food stalls that lined the roadside.
Warabimochi, delicate Japanese confections, crispy tempura, simmering oden...
These foods, which once would have tempted Rei beyond measure, now seemed no different from roadside weeds or flowers.
"..."
Who would have thought such a day would come for him?
Though cold rain seemed to fall endlessly in his heart, his face remained impassive.
To wear such a bizarre expression on such a face felt wasteful; he resolved to master his expressions, keeping them perfectly composed at all times.
He reminded himself silently: he, Amamiya Rei, was a baby-faced wolf.
No one could read his emotions from his expression.
Of course, Rei could sense the gazes cast upon him from all directions, some blatant, some subtle.
The feminine form of Muzan's body was undeniably beautiful.
Even Rei himself couldn't help but admire it.
And naturally, he couldn't stop others from looking either.
What could he do — kill everyone on the street?
The very thought surfaced for only an instant before Rei immediately dispelled it.
He had become Muzan — Muzan had not become him.
He was not a villain.
However, Rei never imagined that the kind of scene common in novels and dramas would actually happen to him in real life.
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