Chapter 2: Reflection of the Stagnant Lake and the First Acceptance
For three days following that exhausted morning in the infirmary, our character could not attend the academy. His body had not yet recovered from the shock caused by that single chain link. His muscles ached as if pierced by thousands of needles due to the intense flow of chakra that had surged through him. However, on the morning of the fourth day, as the cool mist of Konoha brushed against his window, he found an anonymous note on his desk: "Come to Training Ground 3 before sunrise. — Iruka."
When he reached the grounds, he found Iruka-Sensei waiting with an old, worn-out scroll in his hand. Neither Naruto nor the other noisy children from the class were around. There was only the rustle of the forest and the morning chill...
"I'm glad you came," Iruka said, his voice more serious than usual but soft. "What I saw during that incident with Takeo... was not strength. It was a scream caused by your pain. If we don't settle this energy into a riverbed, it will one day tear you apart from the inside."
The boy bowed his head, his hands still trembling slightly in his hoodie pockets. "I just... want it to stop, Sensei. Sometimes I feel like my shadow moves independently of me."
Iruka sat cross-legged on the grass and patted the empty spot beside him. "I'm not going to teach you hand signs or how to hurl fireballs. Today, we are only going to learn how to breathe. This scroll describes an ancient meditation discipline: Sui-ei no Jutsu (Reflection of the Stagnant Lake)."
The young boy sat across from his teacher and closed his eyes. Following Iruka's command, he tried to regulate his breathing. But the moment he closed his eyes, that familiar darkness was there again. The pitch-black lake in the depths of his mind was churning like a sea caught in a storm. A black silhouette rising from the water stared back at him.
"Look at that lake in your mind," Iruka's voice said, sounding as if it were coming from far away. "Do not try to stop it. If you row against a current, you will only get tired. You must learn to swim with the flow. That black energy... that is you. As long as you fear it, it will flee from you and hurt you. Greet it."
The boy took a deep breath. He began to "look" toward that dark, turbulent lake in his mind. In the past, he would have been terrified looking into those waters, but this time, he waited, holding onto the confidence in Iruka's voice. At that moment, he felt a tiny coldness sliding inside his cardigan. Nen-Hebi, that tiny snake in smoke form, had wrapped itself around his arm in the physical world, but the boy could feel it in his mind as well. The little snake began to glide calmly on the surface of the dark water in his mind.
"Good," Iruka whispered. "Now, let that energy flow through the chakra pathways in your body. Do not pool it in one place; just let it flow."
Suddenly, a warmth spread through the boy's body. That intense chakra (Nen) that used to hurt him began to glide through his veins like soft velvet this time. The trembling in his hands slowed down like a pendulum and finally stopped completely. One second, two seconds... Minutes passed, and for the first time, our character felt a total silence within his body.
Right then, without him realizing it, smoke rose from his shadow. But this time, the smoke did not emerge like a wild explosion; it came out gently like a cloud of mist. The smoke condensed in the air, and the first black chain link formed. This time, however, the chain was not rusty or broken; it gleamed like smooth, pitch-black metal. It swayed gently in the air, following the rhythm of a song.
Iruka stared at his student, his eyes wide with shock. He was stunned. This young first-grade boy had unknowingly opened the door to a high-level stage like "chakra materialization." Moreover, he was doing it without using any hand signs, purely through the raw power of his intent.
"I did it..." the boy murmured without opening his eyes. "Sensei... it doesn't hurt anymore."
"Yes," Iruka said, his voice trembling with pride and a hint of concern. "Because you are no longer fighting it. You have accepted it."
When the boy opened his eyes, he saw that black chain floating in front of him. He reached out and touched it. The chain was ice cold, but it wasn't a chilling coldness; it was a refreshing coolness. At that moment, he realized his power was not just a tool of destruction, but a loyal protector.
However, this peaceful moment did not last long. A voice echoed at the entrance of the training ground: "How did you do that?"
It was Sasuke Uchiha. He stood there with his usual distant and arrogant posture, but his eyes were locked onto that black chain floating in the air. As an Uchiha, Sasuke knew the rules of the shinobi world: Chakra turned into elements or was added to physical strength. But this... this was direct "matter."
"Is this a bloodline limit?" Sasuke asked, stepping forward. A competitive ambition gleamed in his gaze. "Iruka-Sensei, why are you giving him private lessons? I am here too."
Iruka stood up and straightened his vest. "This isn't a lesson, Sasuke. It's just a... search for balance. Every shinobi's path is different."
The young boy stood up. At that moment, the chain turned into smoke and returned to his shadow. When he looked at Sasuke, he was no longer that same cowardly boy. The redness of the Nen-Gan had faded, but there was a new spark of self-confidence in his eyes.
"It's okay, Sasuke," the boy said, his voice no longer trembling. "Maybe one day, we can train together."
Sasuke gave a slight huff and turned to leave, but only one question remained in his mind: That black chain... could the Sharingan copy it?
When he went to the academy that day, Naruto and Shikamaru greeted him as usual with plans for ramen. But the boy knew he was at a turning point. He had tamed the first link. Yet, in the depths of that lake in his mind, he could still feel the presence of the other links waiting to stir. The road to the seven chains had only just taken its first step.