Chương 15: Chakra Goes Brrr

Ten minutes of rest, then thirty kids including me were asked to move to an empty training room. It was huge, with wide windows that let the morning sun pour in, and the breeze from outside brought in just enough fresh air to keep the place from feeling like a box. It was surprisingly peaceful. I stood near the corner, stretching out a bit while going over my performance in the earlier physical exercises. I figured my chakra control had to be solid for my age.

I'd spent a decent chunk of time augmenting my body, and thanks to the chakra circulation routine I've been hammering into myself, my endurance was way above average. By the time I graduate, I might be ready for some higher-level ninjutsu. Not bad at all. But all of that is pretty much meaningless until I figure out what my chakra nature is. That'll tell me what direction to take and how far I can go. I sighed. Again. I've been doing that a lot today.

Stuck to my side like some overly dramatic shadow was the Nara girl. Still hadn't shaken her. A little ways off, the Uchiha kid was glaring at me like I kicked his clan's sacred scrolls into a fire. Meanwhile, the Yamanaka girl was floating around the room, mingling with other kids and flashing that polished, perfect smile that made her seem like she was about to sell me life insurance. The atmosphere in the room was calm, but heavy. Everyone here knew exactly where they were. This was it. the advanced class.

The kids who had already proven themselves one way or another. Most of them were clan kids, of course. And just like before, I stuck out. The lone black duck in a room full of flashy peacocks. I chuckled under my breath. I was actually kind of excited to see what was coming next. Then the door opened. And something walked in. No. Someone. But calling him "something" still felt more accurate. This guy was huge. Not just tall, wide. Built like a tree trunk someone ripped out of the ground and taught how to punch.

Shoulders broad enough to make his silhouette look rectangular, arms thick like they were carved from stone, and a neck that looked like it had its own workout routine. The man was tall enough to tower over grown adults. His skin was rough and weathered, like someone who's spent his life outside of safety, and his entire presence screamed "veteran." A thick scar cut down from the top of his left brow, sliced past his eye, and stopped just before his cheekbone. It didn't look like it hurt.

Honestly, it looked like he could take another and still walk it off. If anything, it added to the intensity of his appearance. This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there. His hair was dark, laced with a few silver strands, and his gaze? Intense. Not just sharp, intense in that way where it felt like he was reading your mind and judging your soul at the same time. One glance from him could make you want to apologize even if you hadn't done anything wrong.

Then he spoke.

"I am Senju Daiken." I blinked.

"He speaks," I muttered to myself. His voice was rough, low, and sounded like it had been sharpened by years of barking orders and chewing gravel. I couldn't stop myself from thinking, maybe I should stop the chakra circulation thing. I really don't wanna end up looking like a steel tree powered by war crimes. He didn't wait for a response or bother with pleasantries. He just started walking, slow, deliberate steps. stopping briefly in front of each student.

He didn't say anything, but I got this gut feeling he was sensing us. Like he had a chakra field and was reading us one by one. I'm no sensor yet, but my instincts are usually on point. Every kid he stood in front of went stiff. Some shrank back slightly, others tried to stand taller. He didn't look impressed. Maybe mildly satisfied. Every once in a while, he paused longer. Gave a subtle nod. I even saw him smile once. an actual full half-smile, which I didn't think a guy with that many scars was capable of.

It happened when he stood in front of another Senju kid. Then he came to the last four of us. The Yamanaka girl. The Uchiha boy. The Nara shrimp. And me. He started with her.

"Very refined. You're a Yamanaka, yeah? I can tell." Then he stepped to the Uchiha.

"Ah. An Uchiha. Strong flow, nice and steady." Then to the Nara girl.

"This one's got precision. Nara, right? Must've inherited that control." He wasn't just reading their clothes or the clan emblems. Clan kids had unique chakra signatures. Their control, their flow. it all came from strict structured training, and it made them easier to identify while they were still young. Then he stood in front of me. He stopped. Looked me over. Took in my stance, my build, my face. There was a flicker of something in his expression. A bit of curiosity. Maybe even respect.

Then he focused his chakra outward. And I watched his eyes widen. He stepped back. Not much. Just a fraction. A little shift in his foot, a barely noticeable recoil but it was enough. Enough for me to see. Enough for him to feel it. My chakra had hit him. Dense. Heavy. Alive. Like a coiled spring, silent and loaded, just waiting to be triggered. And worse. It was stable. It didn't lash out or flare up. It just sat there, perfectly still and ready. That's what threw him.

No kid my age was supposed to have chakra like that. Not even the most elite prodigies from the oldest clans. He took a breath, straightened his stance, and smoothed his face back into something unreadable. But I could tell his thoughts were running wild. This isn't just strong chakra, he was thinking. This kid's got a core like a reservoir. Controlled. Refined. No leakage. No fluctuations. Who the hell is this brat? Which gave me the impression that I over did my chakra exercise and chakra control level as well.

That my level exceeded even beyond the clan kids. I sighed "I didn't have a way to compare so I ended up overdoing it" Then he finally spoke.

"What's your name? Do you have any blood relation to the Senju clan?" I met his stare and smiled.

"I don't think so. I'm an orphan. My name is Noa."