The village where Fin was born or rather, reborn was called Freshleaf. It was not a majestic hidden ninja village like the fictional tales he remembered from his previous life. Freshleaf was a settlement dependent on farming and fishing, situated by the mysterious Aethelgard Forest and flanked by the great river known as the Summoner's River.
Its background was humble: Freshleaf was the starting point for Genin (rookie ninjas) who were not yet affiliated with any major Clan in this world. Children here were taught the basics of ninjutsu by retired veterans or stranded ninjas, hoping they would grow strong enough to travel to the nearest large Ninja City to seek Clan affiliation and achieve fame. Freshleaf was the lowest rung on the ninja hierarchy.
Here, every child knew about Chakra, the spiritual energy that flowed through all nature and enabled ninjas to perform jutsu. Fin, with his adult mind, quickly grasped the basic concept: controlling Chakra was like controlling the flow of water within the body. He knew that his chosen skill, Summoning Ninjutsu, was one of the rarest and most powerful branches of ninjutsu, but also the most costly and difficult to access.
The Self-Taught Struggle by the River
Since the age of five, Fin began escaping to the banks of the Summoner's River every morning, away from the rice fields where his parents worked. The river water was icy cold, but it also held a denser concentration of Chakra, making it ideal for training.
Fin's first hurdle was the Absence of a Master and Resources.
Fin had no jutsu scrolls, no guidebooks, and no veteran ninja willing to train a farmer's child. He only had the theoretical knowledge from his memories and a fierce determination. He tried to mimic the complex hand signs he had seen the older Genin practice eleven hand combinations that had to be executed in the precise order and with perfect focus to activate the Summoning Jutsu.
Every day was a torment.
He would sit on a large rock by the river, trying to focus his Chakra. Instead of feeling the controlled flow of water described by the village ninjas, Fin only experienced intense nausea and headaches.
"Focus, Fin! It's just energy!" he whispered to himself, his face flushing with strain.
After weeks, he finally managed to feel the flow of Chakra. It felt like a faint pulse, like a second heartbeat, but soon after, the energy would dissipate. He only succeeded in gathering a small amount of energy in his palm.
When he attempted to form the hand signs while maintaining his Chakra focus his first attempt at Summoning Ninjutsu the results were utterly pathetic:
Week 1: A small puff of smoke that smelled of sulfur.
Week 3: A tiny puff of blue smoke that only produced a miniature frog, no bigger than his thumb, which immediately hopped away.
Month 2: His Chakra energy was frequently unstable. Instead of summoning a creature, the energy would reverse, giving him a smallelectric shock that made his hair stand on end.
One afternoon, after hours of fruitless practice, Fin lay exhausted on the grass, staring at the sky. Frustration brought him close to tears not a child's tantrum, but the deep disappointment of an adult man who failed to achieve a simple goal.
("The special does not come through gifts. It comes through price, young one.")
Fin instantly sat bolt upright. There was no one around. It was a clear, echoing whisper, as if the wind itself had spoken.
("This world is not easy fiction. The power of a Summoner requires a bond. To forge a bond, you must be ready to give more than you receive.")
Fin looked around frantically. On the rock where he usually sat, there was now an ancient, glowing mark that had not been there before. It was a faint carving of a circle, divided into three sections, each containing a different symbol.
"What... what is this?" Fin murmured, his body trembling.
The whisper, which he was convinced was the voice of an ancient entity from the same dimension as Goddess Siska, ceased. Fin knew one thing: the status board and the choice had only been the entrance. The true struggle to become the Supreme Summoner Ninja began the moment he found this sign. This was no longer just self-taught training. This was a hidden quest.
Fin stared at the carving, then towards the Aethelgard Forest, which looked increasingly darker. His exhausted face was now replaced by an expression of renewed determination. He had no master, but now, he had a mystery. And he would solve it.