I had decided to call my magic book 'The Chakra Encyclopedia'.
While reading it last night, I had learned an interesting fact: once the chakra was 'unblocked', the body of its holder changed radically.
The chakra was passively involved in the growth and development of the individual so that he or she would become stronger at a faster rate and be able to perform feats that were impossible for the average person.
For example, a child who unlocked his chakra was faster and more enduring than a child who never unlocked his chakra, although not actively using it.
A child with an unblocked chakra was more likely to jump from the second floor and come out without a scratch than a child with no chakra who would surely break his ankle.
The chakra passively enhanced the individual's body until it reached the "limits" of human capabilities.
Therefore, the physical training my father had concocted for me was fine for a civilian, but totally obsolete for a budding ninja.
That's why I decided to multiply it by three from now on.
My father focused only on the endurance aspect, since I was young, and then asked me to review the katas and try to use my Alters as much as possible.
I had thought that running four kilometers at the age of three was a feat, but it was nothing for a child with chakra.
I needed to increase the frequency and intensity of these exercises to make the most of my youth and time.
As for exercises that targeted specific muscles, the Chakra Encyclopedia said I wasn't ready.
I also had the idea that my ages were like muscles and that only by using them regularly and "emptying" their inner pool would I manage to grow them to their maximum.
It was the same with my chakra: I was going to start working on controlling it and emptying the pool daily so that it would grow over time.
Having a low amount of chakra when it was my cheat code for not dying was the stupidest thing that could happen to me.
Since my chakra control was not yet up to par, the encyclopedia had restricted my access to Genjutsu, Ninjutsu, and Fuinjutsu. The book's estimate was that at my rate of progress, the first levels of each would not be unlocked for another three months.
However, I still had Bukijutsu, and the first level - throwing and holding kunais - was open to me. I also had access to a number of 'Ninja Survival Skills', ranging from starting a forest fire to skinning an animal to learning how to cover my tracks.
On top of all that, I still had to sleep thirteen hours a day.
I stopped writing for a second, pencil resting just above my paper.
Draft 1:
7:30am - Wake up and breakfast
8:00am - Warm up
8:15am/9:00am - Endurance 1 9:00am/9:30am - Chakra Control 9:30am/10:15am - Endurance 2
10:15am/10:40am- Snack and Break
10:40am/11:25am- Endurance 3
11:25am/12:00- Chakra Control 2
12:00pm/14:30 - Lunch and nap
2:30pm/3:30 -Katas
3:30pm/4:30 - Knife throwing with the stole Kunais
4:30pm/5:30- Exhaustion of Alters
5:30pm/6:45- Survival Skills
6:45pm/8:00- Shower/Meal
8:00pm/8:30 - Chakra control 3
I didn't have anything else to compare this to, so I didn't know if I was getting too much or not enough out of the schedule.
From my point of view it wasn't too bad, but I would have to put it into practice to see what it was like.
I heard someone walking down the hall.
I turned off the bedside lamp, put the pencil in the drawer and hid the folded paper in my trousers. The paper scratched my thigh a little, but it was better than Rei - or worse, Enji - stumbling over it and asking me for explanations.
*
Everything went well until I reached the 'Endurance 3' stage.
It was almost eleven o'clock, I was sweating like never before and it was impossible for me to take another step without panting like a rutting animal.
I had been running for twenty minutes and I had not even been able to complete the first lap.
I took out my paper to make some changes.
9:30/10:15 a.m.-Endurance 2 → 9:30/10:00 a.m.-Fast run
10:40/11:25 am - Endurance 3 → 10:40/11:15 am - Endurance 2
I'd have to reschedule everything, but I'll deal with that later. I put the paper in my pocket and jogged off into the woods.
I plopped down on a rock and pulled leaves from a bush before making a pile to my right. I set the timer on my watch and started.
It was easy to feel my chakra humming under my skin, as I had never had one Before.
But getting it to circulate through my body - and sticking a leaf on my forehead at the same time - was another matter.
I could only get my chakra to flow properly to my forehead one out of ten times, and I had to get it there fast enough to keep the flow going and the leaf attached.
At the end of the time limit, I wiped my sweaty forehead with my soaked shirt. It didn't look like it, but controlling chakra was even harder than running around like a headless chicken.
I refuse to walk around like a poor person who can't afford to waste water.
A shower was necessary.
*
The only good news of this day was that I ate lunch alone. Rei ate one day with me and one day with the other sociopath, and I hadn't seen a single hair of the useless boy and girl duo for a long time.
I don't know what they were told when they asked where I was. But I think Enji tried not to 'pressure' me by keeping me a little apart from the others.
Not that I minded, since at least I wasn't going to get questioned.
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The food was good, but I was starving. The chef looked surprised when I asked for more, but kindly served me seconds.
“Todoroki-sama, wait !”
I froze. Did he see what I had just done?
He rummaged in the refrigerator before giving me a glass box.
Inside were a bunch of sliced fruit and a chocolate bar.
I looked up at the old man who smiled at me.
“For your 'trip' this afternoon”
I took the box and went to the master bedroom for my usual naptime. I locked the door after I came in and made sure that the door leading to my room was locked as well.
I even took the time to check under the bed and in the adjoining bathroom to ensure that nobody mentally unstable was hidden there.
Once satisfied, I collapsed on the bed and set the clock to one hour and twenty-five minutes. I barely heard Enji come in and then leave.
The afternoon went better.
Practicing the katas was a bit boring, but since Enji had hammered into me that I had to practice each move a thousand times before moving on to the next step (combat training), I didn't have much choice.
I switched between trying to do the kata combination as efficiently as possible and trying to do it as slowly as possible without losing my balance.
After only an hour of training I already had the feeling that I was getting better.
Then came the kunais throw session.
Or, to be more precise, knives.
I managed to grab five from the same kitchen set. They were so sharp that touching their edges cut me.
That's probably why they were hidden in a dark closet and always packed in their box. At least no one would worry about them disappearing.
I followed the encyclopedia's method to the letter, but I was unable to hit the tree trunk that served as my target.
The way I held the knives was fine, but I tended to lose my form when I made the motion to throw them.
I didn't mind that they weren't real kunais: sure, the weight distribution and aerodynamics were different, but I was sure that if you gave Kakashi a knife and said "throw", he would hit the bull's-eye every time - so no excuses.
Exhausting my Quirks proved to be at least as difficult as chakra control, but at least I didn't have to stick a stupid leaf on my face.
Learning the "survival skills" of the ninja was what I enjoyed the most about the day, even before the katas.
I wondered if it wasn't because in the past I was used to having everything done for me all the time, and now I was a bit of a Robinson Crusoe in training.
I will never need to know how to start a fire without a lighter, but I found it interesting to learn.
I then changed the order between 'Chakra Control 3' and 'Shower/Meal' at 8pm. I refused to take a third shower due to excessive sweating.
After that, I took a couple of minutes to rearrange the schedule for my upcoming days.
Draft 2:
7:30am - Wake up and breakfast
8:00am - Warm up
8:15/9:00am - Endurance 1
9:00/9:30am - Chakra Control
9:30/10:00am - Fast Run
10:00/10:30- Snack + training hand signs
10:30/11:05- Endurance 2
11h05/11:40- Chakra check 2
11h40/2:10- Lunch and nap
2h10PM/3h10 -Katas
3h10/4h10- Kunais
4h10/5h10- Alters' exhaustion
5:10/6:25-Survival skills
6:25/6:55-Chakra Check 3
6:55/8:10-Shower/Meal
8:10/8:40-Free time
I looked at the timetable, pleased.
Aside from fixing the schedule and adding the hand sign training for jutsus, I hadn't changed much. My idea was to keep the same schedule for the next three months and change it when the encyclopedia unlocked the next levels for ninjutsu and the rest.
The idea of training the hand signs came to me like an epiphany, but I was quite happy with it: In the long run, I wanted to make the signs so fast that the naked eye couldn't see it, or perhaps even eliminate them.
I also thought it was silly to waste time on my first jutsus, because my hands would be too clumsy to get used to both signs and chakra kneading at the same time.
And I was really bored this morning during this "break" where I didn't even bring a book to keep me occupied.
I put my knives and planner in the glass box and hid them in the hollow of a large oak tree.
I was on my way away, hands in pockets, when I heard a voice.
I froze.
My feet hovered an inch above a pile of crunching leaves.
Touya.
My breath caught in my throat. My fingers tightened around the pencil still in my hand. I looked down at the lead. Would this be enough?
“Sho-sho ?”
His voice came from the edge of the forest, on my diagonal. There were trees with low branches and bushes between us.
At this distance I couldn't see him.
But neither could he.
With my eyes fixed on the lush foliage that separated us, I walked back.
“I know you're there, come on”
The sun was setting behind the house. I wondered if someone would come and get me before Touya killed me.
“I promise I won't hurt you, okay ? I just want to talk, so please-”
A twig snapped under my shoe.
I bit my lips until they bled. My heart was beating so fast, I could feel it pulsing in my throat.
“Sho-sho ?”
His voice was closer. My back hit the oak.
I thrust my arm into the hole, my palm scraping the bark in my haste. My hand closed on the box.
It slipped off my fingers.
“I know I shouldn't have done it, okay ? But it was just an accident”
The leaves crumpled under his soles.
“I didn't mean to do it, Sho”
I wiped my sweaty palm on my shirt before shoving it back in the trunk.
“I was just a little mad at you, but I know I shouldn't have done what I did”
My fingers clutched the box as if my life depended on it.
“We all get mad at times”
I widened my eyes.
A patch of white hair appeared under a branch. His head was turned away. He hadn't seen me yet.
“Daddy gets angry sometimes, too”
I threw myself to the ground, making myself as small as possible. The box was wedged between my elbow and chest. Wet dirt and leaves got into my shirt.
He kept moving forward.
“He's a little angry with me right now”
I rolled over and took cover behind the tree.
“Could you tell him that I came ? That I apologized ?”
My fingers were shaking so much that I couldn't get the lid off.
It was like being in the bathtub when I didn't have the strength to pull the plug, when my muscles were too sore to keep resisting, when my throat was begging me to let the water in for relief.
I slapped myself to come to my senses.
The thump echoed through the silent forest.
I heard him turn. He was walking towards me.
“Shoto ?”
I tore off the lid. My fingers closed on the handle of a shiny knife. He stopped.
His dark silhouette was barely distinguishable from the tree he was three-quarters hidden behind.
His hair was like pure, unchanging snow.
His clear eyes were wide open, filled with all the hypocritical innocence that children hide behind in order to commit atrocities.
He was on the other side of my tree, less than half a meter from me.
I spun on my ankles, knife clenched in my quivering hands. Blood pounded against my temples.
His mouth opened.
"Shoto ?"
And it's crouched, terrified, hidden behind a bush and a knife that's never been used in my hands, that I had the coldest realization of my existence.
If it was between him and me, I would do everything in my power to make it him.
Gradually, my hands stopped shaking.
I waited.
He continued to search the forest.
The more I watched him try to flush me out, the stronger my resolve became.
First, I'll hit his leg to stop him from running.
A cold breeze rose.
Then I will hit his chest so he can never hurt me again.
He raised his hand to keep his hair from flying into his face.
He waited.
And then he walked away.
I stayed crouched, eyes wide, until I could no longer hear the sound of his squeaky soles.
Then I counted to a thousand.
There were only shadows in the forest. A whole bunch of dark and threatening figures that looked like men.
But Touya didn't return.
I put the box with of knives back into the trunk.
But this time, I kept one.