When Masaru woke again the next morning, he almost expected to wake up to his cat licking his face again, his loyal alarm, but then he remembered that he was no longer in his world, but one filled with danger around every corner.
Masaru sighed as he climed from his bed, rubbing his eyes. "...Maybe I should get a cat again."
He dearly missed his family, and he missed his cat just as much. That little mischevious fuck had kept him going all through college, as well as his brother's death, so it'd help his mental state if he were to find a pet.
Throwing his thoughts aside, Masaru washed himself and walked from his room to see a pile of books and scrolls set neatly by the door. He also noticed that someone had taken the liberty of relieving him of his trash bags. He made a mental note to thank them later.
There was a note sitting atop the pile which he read carefully before setting down. "Hmm...Kosuke Maruboshi, huh? Where do I remember that name?"
He tried, but nothing came to mind, so he tabled the thought before picking up the first of four red scrolls. Breaking the paper seal, he realized that these were jutsu scrolls. Well, the first was technically chakra theory, but the others were the Transformation Jutsu, Clone Jutsu, and Substitution Jutsu.
Deciding it was good to start with the basics, Masaru started with chakra theory.
Chakra was a special energy that existed in every thing. It fuels life, and allows shinobi to do strange and powerful things.
The scroll started with the human body. Humans, as well as all living beings, had chakra pathways in their body. They were spiritual in nature, so a physical strike couldn't damage them, however chakra could. At the basic level, even civilians passivly create and channel chakra. This is the body's process of continuing life and continued existence.
Masaru procesed that for a moment before moving on.
Chakra was activly created through mixing two energies: Physical and spiritual. As infered, one was made from the state of the body, and the other the mind.
A shiniobi gathers these energies and mixes them to use jutsu or otherwise. The scroll advised that all shinobi should find it rather easy to feel and control these two, and an easy way to start is meditation.
Masaru sighed, but set the scroll down and put his hands in his lap. He drew in a deep breath and closed his eyes, searching his body for anything strange.
The house was quiet. There wasn't as much as a sound that peirced the silence, though the windows were open to help the lingering smell within.
It wasn't very long before Masaru found two wells of energy in his body. One was in his head, which felt cool and refreshing, but the other was in his core, a well of heat and warmpth.
He imagined pulling those energies and they shivered for a moment before slowly streatching to meet in his chest. Real heat bloomed in his chest as Masaru felt real chakra for the first time. A sweatdrop appeared on his forehead as he focused, keeping the energy in place in his chest.
He took a deep breath, a smile growing on his face as he slowly shifted the chakra back and forth, feeling out the pathways in his body. It felt amazing, like nothing he'd ever felt before.
Masaru took a moment to enjoy himself before he focused again. Dispersing the chakra, he felt it seperate and return to their respectful spaces. Looking up at the clock, he saw that it was nearing 10:00, and he knew his teacher was to arrive at lunch.
He set his sights on practacing making chakra and dispersing it for an hour to familiarize himself with the process for the next hour, then read and try the Hidden Leaf Kata before Maruboshi arrived.
---
Masaru had worked up a good sweat when the doorbell rang. Taking his eyes from the scroll, he walked to the door and opened it to reveal an old man.
Kosuke Maruboshi was a tall man, by Masaru's estimate at least six feet tall. The man wore slightly customized shinobi gear, a mesh chainmale shirt and unders with a green kimono on top. He posessed a sword on his back as well as what looked like a fishing rod, though it seemed he left his wok at home today.
The man had a prostetic right leg, which was lined with fuinjutsu seemingly to help him better control it. He had a kind smile on his face, and seemed slightly surprised that Masaru was sweating.
Suddenly, Masaru came to his senses and bowed respectfully, opening the door to allow him inside. "I'm sorry, I was lost in thought. Please, come in."
Maruboshi nodded calmly, smiling at Masaru as he took a step in. "It's a pleasure to meet you young Masaru. Genzo told me of your situation and hoped I'd be able to help you."
He was about to take a step, but Masaru cleared his throat. Amuzed, he stopped and looked back to Masaru, who pointed at his shoes. "Please wear these house shoes for the time being, I just cleaned."
Maruboshi let out a soft chuckle, complying with the kid's wishes before stepping in.
Masaru looked studied the man, doing his best to gauge his personality. He seemed nice, but you never knew with shinobi.
Maruboshi stopped in the middle of the room and gestured for Masaru to sit with him. "I see you've been practacing the Hidden Leaf Kata, how does it feel?" He probed.
Masaru took a moment to consider his words before responding. "It feels...good. I'm a complete amature, and just figuring it out, but it's coming to me easier than I thought it would."
Maruboshi took his words with a grain of salt but set them aside for later. "How do you feel? Are you in pain anywhere?"
"No. Actually it feels good to be up and moving. I don't know what all I was doing before, but it feels good to get my blood pumping."
Maruboshi smiled at his words, remembering how he was when he was young. "That is a good mindset to have."
|AN| I'm working on getting peoper accent marks on my laptop, so I'll try and come back to update Genzo's name later.
He took a breath, then continued. "I must tell you now, that it is unlikely that you will pass, Masaru. I will only take the time to teach you if you commit to this. I am an old man, and I much prefer to spend my time at home or in the wilderness surrounded by nature. So take your time before you answer this- Are you prepared to put effort into your training?"
"Yes." Masaru didn't need time to consider his answer, because he had no choice in the matter. If he didn't pass the academy's exam, he wouldn't become a shinobi, wouldn't gain the strength to protect himself, and would surely die in the coming future.
If he had to work himself to the bone, he'd do it. If he had to spend sleepless nights slaving away over a scroll, he'd do it. And if he had to spend all day being bashed in the face by an old man, he would do everything in his power to learn from it.
Masaru's eyes gained a life thay didn't posses before, suddenly burning with a fire from within. "Please teach me."
Maruboshi studied him for a long while, his smile never leaving his face, before he stood. "Be at training ground 52 at five AM for training. Bring a set of spare clothes."
The man turned back to the boy with a different smile on his lips, which sent a shiver down Masaru's spine. "I look forward to out time together, young Masaru."
Suddenly, Masaru was considering training on his own.