Naruto: The Ultimate Shinobi

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'Kaito'

The boy's name, or at least his name in this new life, was Kaito. He was an orphan whose parents had been killed in the Kyuubi attack four years ago. Now, at just twelve years old, he was living alone in a state-allotted home, surviving on an allowance provided by the village. In the Leaf Village, orphans who enrolled in the shinobi academy were required to leave the orphanage by the age of ten and fend for themselves.

From the journal he had found lying around, Kaito learned that he had been living alone for about two years. While the village provided enough money to cover rent and basic utilities, there was barely anything left for proper food. As a result, he had been surviving primarily on instant ramen cups, lacking any real nutrition in his diet.

Academically, Kaito had struggled at the shinobi academy, doing just enough to scrape by. His test scores often hovered just one percent above the failing grade, and he had developed a reputation among his peers for being lackluster in both effort and skills. Now that it was summer break, Kaito had two months before the next semester began—and this time, he would have to graduate. This break was his chance to train and improve himself, or risk falling behind completely.

Closing the book, Kaito sighed, placing the journal on the bed. "Well, at least I know who I am now," he muttered, placing his hands on his hips. If his parents had died four years ago, that would mean he was living eight years before the anime's timeline began. Naruto had been twelve when he originally graduated, so the math checked out.

That gave him eight years...eight long years to grow ridiculously strong and prepare himself for the disaster to come. The road wouldn't be easy, but he was determined to not just survive...but, thrive.

The first step on that journey? Learning how to control Chakra.

Walking over to the withered plant, he grabbed a leaf from the pot. "Leaf training exercise," he murmured. It was one of the most basic Chakra training methods to help improve chakra control, but there was one underlying issue...he didn't know how to use Chakra.

Placing the leaf carefully on the table, he crossed his legs and settled into a meditative position. Closing his eyes, he focused deeply, trying to detect the faintest trace of energy within himself. Minutes turned into hours, but there was nothing—no spark, no sensation, just an empty void.

Frustration began to creep in, but he pushed it aside. He adjusted his posture, took another deep breath, and focused harder, trying to envision streams of energy coursing through his body.

Still, nothing. It was as if the Chakra he had was locked away, completely out of his reach. Or maybe he didn't have Chakra at all?

That would be a major issue. If he didn't have Chakra, he might as well give up right now—what kind of shinobi could exist without it?

But, since he'd been enrolled in the Ninja Academy, it stood to reason that he had to possess at least some Chakra. After all, it was a basic requirement. If he didn't meet it, he'd have been placed in the Civilian Academy instead. Still, the thought left him scratching his head, completely stumped.

His gaze wandered around the apartment until it fell on a bag tucked away in the closet. He walked over, grabbing the bag, and brought it to the living room. Opening it up, he found several scrolls inside. Pulling out a blue one, he carefully placed it on the table, unraveled it.

This was a scroll provided by the Village, explaining the whole concept behind Chakra and what it could be used for. These scrolls were essentially the world's textbooks. However, reading the information on this particular scroll was frustratingly unhelpful; it covered things he already knew and didn't provide any actually information on how to actually access Chakra.

Scratching his chin, he grabbed another scroll. This one explained Ninjutsu and how Chakra played a vital role in it. Again, it was nothing new to him, and it didn't help solve his current problem.

But then his eyes landed on some fine print. "Chakra can be accessed through stressful situations..." he muttered. That caught his attention. It explained a lot, especially about the Uchiha. If he remembered correctly, whenever an Uchiha experienced intense emotions...anger, grief, or even profound love—their Chakra would react in a way, that their Chakra was surging through their tenketsu points with greater intensity. Which in return allowed them to access the Sharingan.

However, he wasn't an Uchiha, but the concept still made sense. Since Chakra was accessed through a combination of physical and mental strength, increasing one or the other would naturally result in a greater reserve of Chakra. Even in moments of rage or pain, the body releases hormones that boost muscle strength and power—in this case, those hormones amplify Chakra.

If anything, it reminded him of the Eight Gates. By unlocking each gate, a shinobi could achieve extraordinary power, though at great physical cost. And it's not like he had learn the Eight Gates, either.

But another question tugged at his mind: how was he supposed to access Chakra? He wasn't particularly close to anyone, nor was he particularly mad about anything. 

Then his eyes widened, and an idea clicked in his mind. "Cold water," he muttered, slamming his palms together. He scrambled off the floor and headed straight for the bathroom. Stripping down completely, he hopped into the shower without hesitation.

Luckily, the building he lived in was as rundown as it got. It was designed for the less fortunate—civilians, orphans, and struggling genin. Hot water wasn't an option here. If he ever wanted warm water, he'd have to boil it himself.

He twisted the faucet, and the shower sputtered to life. A jet of icy cold water poured out, crashing onto the top of his head like a wake-up call.

Kaito thought of cold water because it has unique effects on the human body, creating the perfect conditions for accessing and controlling chakra. When cold water touches the skin, it triggers vasoconstriction, tightening blood vessels and conserving body heat.

At the same time, the heart works harder to maintain circulation, boosting oxygen and nutrient delivery throughout the body. This energizes the body and enhances the ability to sense and control chakra pathways. Additionally, cold water activates the sympathetic nervous system, releasing adrenaline and increased focus, which strengthens the connection to inner energy.

Kaito sat cross-legged in the cold bathtub, closing his eyes to focus. His breaths came quick and shallow at first, as the icy water seemed to pierce his skin like needles. He shivered uncontrollably, but he forced himself to take slow, deep breaths, trying to block out the freezing cold and clear his mind. All his thoughts narrowed to one goal...Sensing his chakra.

Time dragged on, and the only thing Kaito could feel was the numbing chill pressing against him from all directions. Frustration bubbled inside him as he struggled to find even a hint of what he was looking for. He clenched his fists but quickly released them, exhaling slowly to calm himself. "Stay patient," he thought. 

Eventually, he noticed something...an almost unnoticeable flicker of warmth deep in his gut. It was faint, like the first glow of a match in the dark, but it was there. Kaito latched onto the feeling, ignoring the cold as he focused all his attention on that tiny spark.

The warmth began to grow, spreading outward like a slow-burning fire. He concentrated, guiding the sensation carefully through his body. First, it moved up to his chest, then out to his arms and legs. Finally, the heat reached his fingers and toes, filling him completely. The icy water around him no longer seemed to matter—it was as if the warmth from inside had created a shield against the cold.

For the first time, Kaito felt connected to his chakra, the energy flowing freely through him. A small smile broke across his face as he realized he had found what he'd been searching for.

He focused intently, doing his best to memorize the sensation and build upon it. After a minute of just sensing his chakra, he quickly dashed out of the bathtub.

He shivered as he lay on the floor, the cold biting into his skin. Either he was sensing his chakra, or he was getting frostbite. Shaking, he got up from the floor, dried himself off, put on his clothes, and wrapped himself in a blanket as he continued to shiver uncontrollably.

"Alright," he muttered. Now he knew how to sense his chakra. The next challenge was learning to control it.

After warming himself up a bit, he returned to the table with the withered leaves. Picking up a leaf, he placed it on his forehead, holding it down with his finger. Closing his eyes, he focused on the sensation he had felt earlier, trying to tap into his chakra.Chakra flowed within him like an intricate underground reservoir, flowing through tunnels throughout his body. He couldn't see it, but he could feel it, pulsing and flowing just beneath his skin, waiting for him to draw it out.Each tenketsu—the hundreds of chakra points within his body—served as a valve, delicate yet precise, capable of regulating the flow of this internal energy.

Kaito began to visualize his chakra as water held back by a series of intricate locks on a dam. When the locks were closed, the water remained contained, calm, and still. But with a slight turn of each valve, the water could be released in controlled streams, feeding into rivers of power that coursed through his body. The more valves he opened, the greater the torrent, transforming a gentle trickle into a flood.

But he had to be careful. If he released too much at once, the energy could spin out of control, tearing through his pathways like a river overflowing during a storm. On the other hand, if he didn't open the valves enough, the flow would just trickle out, too weak to make any difference. Learning to use chakra wasn't just about opening valves—it was about finding the right balance...the perfect ratio.

As Kaito sat, focusing on his inner reservoir, he imagined the sound of rushing water, the cool sensation of a stream trickling through his veins. He could feel the valves of his tenketsu, like tiny faucets, responding to his will. 

Adjusting the imaginary faucet on his forehead, he tried to control the flow of water (Chakra). But as he turned it, the water burst forth uncontrollably, causing the leaf on his forehead to crumble and fall apart, even pushing his hand away in the process.He clenched his teeth in frustration but refused to give up. He then grabbed another leaf and placed it firmly on his forehead. This time, he turned the faucet more cautiously, attempting to let the chakra trickle through. Yet again, the water rushed out in a flood, bursting the fragile leaf until it withered to nothing.

Letting out a frustrated sigh, he grabbed yet another leaf and resumed the process.The hours dragged on as he tried over and over, each attempt ending in failure. Despite that, he continued until he got it right even if it took him all day.

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