It had been a week since I got kicked in the face and landed in the infirmary.
Six days since I woke up again after draining every last drop of my chakra.
Yeah. Turns out overdrawing chakra knocks you out cold. Who knew.
Iruka-sensei hadn't been happy about it, but at least I got a whole week off from classes. Silver linings.
My chakra had already fully recovered by the next morning, which is weird cause I remember Kakashi using walking sticks for days.
Unfortunately, I immediately exhausted it again, testing my cheat.
It was totally worth it. I woke up fully recovered every time, although quite hungry.
After countless tests—and way too much fainting—I'd more or less figured out how it worked.
I could upgrade most things—in theory.
In practice, I didn't have enough chakra to upgrade most things, so all my testing had been done on paper shuriken.
Why not just upgrade paper directly?
I tried.
Upgrading plain paper only improved its quality. There was no Attack stat; it just got a bit smoother and sturdier.
But once I folded it into a shuriken?
That's when the scary stat of attack: 1 appeared.
So far, with my limited chakra, I'd only managed to accumulate several +5 paper shuriken.
[Paper Shuriken]+5
Attack: 1
Additional Attack: 5
Upgrade Requirement: 6 Chakra Points
There wasn't a visible improvement in the shuriken's quality.
The shuriken still looked like it had been folded by a twelve-year-old, with irregular edges and a shape that was not quite right.
But it felt solid in my hand, and when I threw it, it actually cut through the air like a real shuriken.
Still, a total attack of six was barely comparable to a wooden training shuriken. I didn't have one to test it against, so I couldn't be sure yet.
Even paper shuriken weren't cheap to upgrade. A +5 upgrade cost five chakra points, which was all I had.
You might think that's pathetic, but last week, I'd only had three.
My chakra reserves had nearly doubled in a single week.
That… shouldn't be possible, right?
I'd spent a long time thinking about it, and after nearly wrecking my brain, I had a theory.
Chakra is formed by the union of physical energy and spiritual energy—vitality and spirit—mind and body.
Physical energy increases as you train your body, as you grow up or as soon as your dealer hooks you up with the Hashirama juice.
You can also increase spiritual energy by practising ninjutsu, gaining knowledge or new experiences, but it is usually the harder of the two to improve.
Each time I upgrade an object, it not only costs me chakra but also leaves me mentally exhausted.
And doing that repeatedly is a very effective spiritual training that's super easy, barely an inconvenience.
A stronger spirit means more spiritual energy. More spiritual energy means more chakra. Well, provided you have a strong enough body.
I should've been happy.
Instead, it just made me want to cry.
'I'm a reincarnator, so what's up with this weak ass spirit?'
Pathetic.
Still… things were different now.
I finally had enough chakra to make a single clone.
So yeah—there was light at the end of the tunnel after all.
Full of energy, I reached the Academy gates—
—and immediately got grabbed from behind.
"Yooo, Takumi! You're finally back!"
Kuro slung an arm around my neck like we were lifelong brothers.
"Everyone thought you were too embarrassed to show your face again," he continued cheerfully.
"But I knew you'd come back. It's not like you had much of a reputation even before you got kicked in the face."
A vein popped on my forehead.
'I am going to punch this kid.'
I resisted the overwhelming urge and shoved his arm off my shoulder, striding toward class.
"Oi, Takumi, wait for me!" Kuro shouted from behind, but I didn't slow down.
Unfortunately, I didn't get far uninterrupted.
"Takumi."
Iruka-sensei intercepted me in the hallway and gently guided me toward his office.
"How are you feeling?" he asked.
"I'm fine now, sensei."
Iruka really was a good man. Always worried about his students.
'May the Sage of Six Paths guide your soul gently into the afterlife.'
"That's good," Iruka said, nodding. "But don't push yourself too hard. Not everyone is meant to be a ninja."
"…Sensei?"
'What the hell, Iruka?'
'I take it back. I hope you get stuck in the Shinigami's stomach fighting Danzo forever.'
"Don't misunderstand me," Iruka continued seriously. "I think you should consider dropping out and learning a civilian trade. I know a craftsman—Tsubaki-san. He's my neighbour."
'Don't take it the wrong way? Why don't you try taking it up the wrong way?'
"Sensei," I said firmly. "I won't quit."
Iruka sighed. "I admire your determination, Takumi. But you're not suited for this. You struggle with theory, taijutsu, shurikenjutsu, and you don't quite have enough chakra for ninjutsu."
He hesitated.
"There are only a few months left before graduation. At this rate… even Naruto has better odds than you."
"…Am I really that bad?"
Hearing it out loud hurt more than I expected.
"You overdrew your chakra and were bedridden for a week," Iruka said gently. "I don't want you hurting yourself again. Being a craftsman is just as important to the village as being a ninja."
'Damn you, Iruka. I hope Mizuki stabs you with a giant shuriken and you're forced to retire.'
'I'll see then if you become a carpenter or not.'
"Sensei," I said. "That was an accident. I've improved a lot since then."
I raised my hands to form the seals.
Ram. Snake. Tiger
"No—Takumi, wait—"
"Clone Jutsu!"
Smoke burst outward.
A perfect copy of me stood in the room.
It looked slightly weak if you inspected it closely, but otherwise—
Perfect.
Iruka stared.
"Takumi…"
"Do you still think I'm no good, sensei?" I asked, unable to hide my smug grin.
'That felt good.'
Finally, after a whole morning of humiliation, I could regain some dignity.
The bell rang, breaking the silence.
Iruka smiled. "Takumi, I'm impressed."
"Really, sensei?"
"Really, you've improved a lot, I take my words back."
"It's alright, Iruka sensei, I forgive you," I said, grinning. I saw Iruka's brow twitch and decided not to push it too far.
"Yes, it was my bad. Let's go to class."
I had to give it to him.
He wasn't the kind of man who couldn't admit when he was wrong.
'Maybe I'll save you from Mizuki's giant shuriken.'
'Maybe.'
"Hey, Iruka-sensei, if you're really impressed, how about you treat me to Ichiraku Ramen later?"
"Let's not get ahead of ourselves," Iruka said, knocking my head lightly with his fist. "Maybe if you pass the final exam."
"Ouch. That hurt, sensei. I swear I'll make your wallet hurt just as much one day," I said, rubbing my head.
"I'm looking forward to it," Iruka said with that silly smile of his.
What a weirdo.
-To be Continued...
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