Chapter 14: Expert-Level Chakra Control!
That shy, gentle voice was so soft that Izumo almost didn't hear it.
"Of course you can." Izumo's fingers unconsciously brushed the spot at his waist where he had held her earlier, as if a trace of warmth still lingered there. "Training together also helps you find more of your own flaws, and… having someone to practice with makes it a lot less boring." He paused for a moment, then added, "Tomorrow after school, here again?"
Kurenai nodded eagerly, the corners of her lips lifting without her realizing it, revealing a faint pair of dimples. "Okay! I'll be here on time tomorrow!"
The light of dusk fell across her curved eyes, coloring her smile with an even softer warmth.
She looked at Izumo, her heart still beating fast, but this time it wasn't from embarrassment. It was because a small, hidden sense of hope had begun to grow in her chest.
"Then I'll head home now." Kurenai waved. When she turned around, her steps felt lighter, her long black hair tracing a graceful arc behind her.
When she reached the edge of the bushes, she couldn't help but glance back one more time. At that exact moment, her gaze met Izumo's. Her cheeks immediately heated up, and she hurried her pace, breaking into a light run as she disappeared.
Izumo stayed where he was, watching her retreating figure, the corner of his mouth unconsciously lifting into a faint smile.
He cleared his throat softly, pressed down the strange feeling in his chest, and turned his attention back to the tree trunk. But behind his eyes, there was now a hint of anticipation—tomorrow's training would probably feel different.
From that day on, every afternoon after school, Kurenai would pretend to part ways with Izumo, only to quietly make her way to the training spot and practice with him.
Before long, Izumo's chakra control training entered a new stage—walking on water.
He chose a small river outside the village as his training ground. The water was clear, the current gentle, perfect for practice.
Kurenai continued training her tree climbing along the riverbank, occasionally stopping to watch Izumo try to stand on the surface of the water.
Walking on water was far more difficult than climbing trees. The surface of the water had no fixed point of support, so it required a steady, continuous flow of chakra to keep the body balanced.
At first, Izumo failed dozens of times in a row. Sometimes his chakra fluctuated and caused his body to sink, and other times he lost his balance and fell straight into the river.
"It's okay, take it slow." Kurenai handed him a towel, her voice filled with encouragement. "You're already so good at tree climbing. You'll definitely be able to walk on water too."
Izumo dried himself off and nodded with a smile.
He knew that the key to walking on water was keeping his chakra output stable and balancing his body's strength against the surface of the water.
He returned to the riverbank, took a deep breath, then evenly channeled chakra into both of his feet and carefully stepped onto the water.
This time, he didn't rush to move. First, he felt the interaction between his chakra and the water's surface, adjusting his breathing rhythm to keep the chakra flow steady.
The water beneath his feet rippled slightly, but his body didn't sink.
"Finally stable!" Kurenai couldn't help but exclaim softly.
Izumo slowly lifted one foot and took a step forward.
Even though his body still swayed a little, he managed to move several steps across the surface of the water.
"That's amazing!"
But at that moment, his chakra suddenly fluctuated. Izumo's body immediately sank, and the river water rose up to his knees.
He didn't give up. He went back to the riverbank and tried again.
Once, twice, three times…
After every failure, he would turn it into experience, then adjust the rhythm of his chakra output.
"I did it!"
Izumo stood firmly on the surface of the water. At the point where the soles of his feet met the river, a faint blue glow appeared—traces of chakra spread evenly beneath him.
When he slowly lifted his right foot, the water surface only dipped half an inch, without a single splash.
When his left foot followed, his entire body moved as if he were walking on solid ground. Even the hem of his clothes held a steady curve, not swaying from any shift in his center of gravity.
Izumo lowered his head and looked at the water beneath his feet. A pale blue panel slowly opened in front of him. The text [Chakra Control: Beginner (99/100)] flickered faintly, then in the next second changed into [Chakra Control: Expert (1/1000)].
A warm current spread through his entire body along his chakra pathways. Unlike the boost to Basic Taijutsu, which strengthened his body, this change leaned more toward "perception" and "control."
He could clearly feel every stream of chakra within his body, even distinguishing the subtle ratio between spiritual energy and physical energy as they merged.
When the soles of his feet touched the water's surface, the interaction between chakra and the water molecules seemed to play out in slow motion inside his mind.
He could accurately judge how much chakra he needed to release to balance his body weight, and how to adjust it to deal with the small ripples in the current.
"So this is the difference between Beginner level and Expert level?" Izumo couldn't help but raise his hand, gathering chakra at his fingertips.
When he was still at the Beginner stage, the chakra at his fingertips always looked like an unorganized mist. No matter how hard he tried to control it, some energy would always leak out.
But now, the chakra condensed into a smooth, perfectly round blue sphere, like polished glass. Not a single trace of energy escaped. He could even change its shape at will with just a thought.
From a sphere to a thin sheet, from a sheet to a fine thread. Every transformation was precise down to the smallest detail, as if chakra had become an extension of his own body, no longer an energy he had to consciously control.
Kurenai, standing on the riverbank, saw everything clearly. Her eyes were filled with admiration. "Kamizuki-kun, your chakra… it really feels like it's completely changed."
Izumo smiled and walked back to the riverbank. The glowing sphere of chakra at his fingertip didn't disappear. Instead, it slowly lowered and touched a dry leaf.
To her surprise, the leaf didn't sink under the pressure of the chakra. On the contrary, it was lifted by the glowing sphere, floating gently in the air.
"Back when I was training tree climbing, I had to consciously count how much chakra I released—not too much, not too little—just to stick to the trunk. When I walked on water, I had to focus with everything I had. The moment I lost concentration, I'd sink."
He paused. The glowing chakra sphere at his fingertip faded away.
"But now, I don't need to count anymore. When I walk on water, my body instinctively adjusts the chakra output based on the feedback from the surface. It feels like breathing—natural."
Kurenai looked thoughtful. "So chakra control training is about turning it into a bodily instinct?"
"More or less like that."
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