Chapter 6: One YearOne Year of Refinement
After the incident with the poachers, I began to approach my Nen training with new focus and purpose. I'd achieved Sequence 8 and tested my ability against armed opponents and a Nen user. Now, I needed to stop thinking of these as isolated techniques and start thinking of them as a complete system.
Father's advice about the foundations had stayed with me. The four fundamental Nen techniquesâ€"Ten, Zetsu, Ren, and Hatsuâ€"formed the basis for all advanced Nen users. My Error Pathway abilities were my Hatsu, but they existed within the framework of these four fundamentals. If I wanted true mastery, I needed to perfect all of them.
**Ten: The Protective Aura**
The first month was dedicated to mastering Ten. This technique involved maintaining a constant flow of Nen around my body to prevent aura leakage and create a protective barrier.
I'd been using Ten passively for monthsâ€"my natural circulation automatically created some protection. But maintaining a *perfect* Ten, one that was both efficient and impenetrable, was different.
I began by practicing stationary Ten, sitting by the stream for hours, maintaining my aura in a perfect shell around my body. The first day, I could maintain it for approximately twenty minutes before exhaustion forced me to stop.
By the end of the first week, I could maintain it for two hours.
By the end of the first month, I could maintain a perfect Ten indefinitely, only stopping when I consciously chose to rather than due to energy depletion. The protective shell became second nature, something that required no conscious thought.
Father observed my progress and offered guidance. "Most Nen users struggle with Ten because they think of it as something they do," he explained. "They try to maintain perfect control constantly. But true mastery of Ten means making it automatic. It should be as natural as breathing."
By the end of the third month, my Ten was so refined that I could maintain a perfect aura shield while simultaneously performing complex tasks. I could steal objects, fight, run, and conduct combat scenarios all while maintaining a flawless Ten that prevented any aura leakage.
The benefit was clear: in a real combat situation, an opponent couldn't sense my power output or predict my movements based on my aura fluctuations.
**Zetsu: The Suppression**
Month two was dedicated to understanding Zetsuâ€"the complete suppression of aura output.
This was the inverse of Ten. Where Ten was about perfect circulation and protection, Zetsu was about stopping Nen circulation entirely and becoming invisible to other Nen users' perception.
The first time I attempted Zetsu, I made a critical mistake. I simply tried to stop my Nen from flowing, creating an abrupt, obvious absence of aura that was itself detectable to sensitive observers. It was like trying to hide by standing completely still in the middle of a roomâ€"the absence of movement became conspicuous.
"Zetsu is not about stopping," Father explained when I reported my difficulty. "It's about harmonizing. Your aura shouldn't disappear abruptly. It should blend into the natural Nen of the world, becoming indistinguishable from background energy."
With that understanding, my approach changed. Instead of trying to suppress my Nen, I attempted to match it to the Nen signature of my surroundings. In the forest, I tried to match the wild Nen of plants and animals. In the village, I tried to match the household Nen of residences.
By the end of month two, I could enter a state of Zetsu for approximately one hour at a time. During that hour, I was effectively invisible to Nen perception, indistinguishable from the background energy of my environment.
The applications were profound. I could scout without being noticed. I could approach opponents without warning. I could rest without fear of detection.
But there was a cost. While in Zetsu, I couldn't use my Nen offensively. I was completely vulnerable to physical attack. It was a choice between stealth and power.
**Ren: The Magnification**
Month three focused on Renâ€"the technique of releasing and magnifying my aura to increase power output.
This was where most Nen users struggled the least, as the temptation to simply flood an area with power was strong and immediately gratifying. But true mastery of Ren wasn't about outputâ€"it was about precision and control.
I learned to amplify my aura in specific patterns. I could flood my arms with Nen to increase striking power. I could concentrate my aura in my legs for speed. I could direct my aura outward in waves of force.
The breakthrough came when I realized that Ren and Hatsu were not separate techniques. By using Ren to magnify my aura while simultaneously using my Error Pathway's stealing ability, I could amplify the effectiveness of my thefts.
When I stole an object with enhanced Ren flowing through me, the theft became more powerful. I could steal objects that previously would have been impossible to claim. I could steal concepts with more force, making them harder to recover.
By the end of month three, I could maintain a magnified aura state for approximately thirty minutes at full power, or indefinitely at partial power magnification.
The second quarter of the year was dedicated to integrating all four techniques into a cohesive system.
**Four Nen States**
I developed what I privately called the "Four Nen States"â€"different configurations for different situations.
*State One: Perfect Ten*
Maximum protection, no power leakage, automatic aura cycling. This was my default state for daily life and training. It was efficient, safe, and required minimal conscious thought.
*State Two: Zetsu Integration*
A combination of Ten and Zetsu where I maintained enough aura for basic defensive capabilities while suppressing my presence enough that casual Nen users couldn't detect me. Not true Zetsu, but a hybrid state.
*State Three: Ren Magnification*
Full aura output channeled for specific purposeâ€"combat, speed, or stealing amplification. This made me detectable but dramatically increased my effectiveness.
*State Four: Hatsu Concentration*
A state where I focused all my Nen on my Error Pathway abilities, allowing me to perform more complex thefts or more powerful stealing actions. This left my body more vulnerable but maximized my Hatsu effectiveness.
**Practical Applications**
During months four through six, I conducted dozens of practical experiments combining these techniques with my Error Pathway abilities.
I practiced stealing while in Ren state, discovering that the amplified aura allowed me to steal objects from greater distances (nearly a kilometer at maximum output) and steal more abstract concepts with clearer effect.
I practiced using Ten while stealing, learning that I could maintain a perfect aura shield while simultaneously executing complex theft operations.
I tested Zetsu integration, finding that I could enter shallow Zetsu state and maintain it while using limited stealing ability, creating a combination of stealth and power that was useful for reconnaissance.
One particular experiment proved invaluable: I learned to "layer" my Nen techniques. By maintaining a perfect Ten while using Ren magnification only in localized areas of my body, I could achieve a hybrid state where I had both defensive protection and offensive capability simultaneously.
During the seventh month, I decided to test my refined Nen techniques in a real combat scenario.
I sought out another wild beast in the deep forestâ€"a large wolf with Nen capability.
The combat was illuminating. I used Zetsu integration to approach without being detected. I used perfect Ten to protect myself from the wolf's initial attacks. I used Ren magnification to amplify my stealing ability, making it impossible for the wolf to resist my Nen. I used Hatsu concentration to steal the wolf's hunting instinct, leaving it confused and unable to fight effectively.
The entire encounter lasted less than five minutes. The wolf retreated, unable to understand why its predatory instincts had been stolen from it. No blood was shed. No injury occurred.
The contrast with my fight against the bear was striking. Then, I had been desperate and struggling. Now, I was controlled and efficient.
During months eight and nine, I practiced the same refined techniques repeatedly, testing them against different scenarios and opponents. I challenged myself to accomplish tasks using specific Nen states.
One challenge: complete a combat scenario using only Zetsu integration and minimal Ren output.
Another: steal twelve objects from a kilometer away using only perfect Ten and Hatsu concentration, without any Ren magnification.
Each challenge forced me to understand the boundaries and capabilities of each technique more deeply.
The final quarter of the year focused entirely on my Hatsuâ€"my Error Pathway Sequence 8 ability.
I realized that I'd been thinking of my Hatsu as static. The stealing ability remained the same at Sequence 8, but the *way* I used it could continue to evolve and improve indefinitely.
At the one-year mark since arriving in this world, I took time to assess my progress.
I had been in the Kurta village for approximately two years total. One year and four months remained before the Phantom Troupe's arrival.
My power had increased not dramatically in raw output, but significantly in versatility and precision. Where I'd been powerful but somewhat crude a year ago, I was now powerful and elegant.
If I encountered Vex again (if she had somehow survived, which she hadn't), the fight would be over before it started. I would use Zetsu to approach, then Hatsu to completely suppress her ability before she could even activate it.
Against the Phantom Troupe members, I estimated my chances had improved to roughly 45-55 against most of them, with the most powerful members still having advantage.
But I only had one year and four months left.
As the year of refinement ended, I began contemplating the next stage: advancement to Sequence 7.
Based on my understanding of the Error Pathway, Sequence 7 would be called the "Cryptologist"â€"someone who could steal not just objects or concepts, but information, secrets, and truth itself.
But I wasn't ready yet. Sequence 8 integration needed to be even more complete. I needed to stop thinking of the techniques as separate skills and start thinking of them as expressions of a single unified whole.