Time passed, and as months went by the man's worries of dementia faded away. If anything, his mind was getting stronger. He could now process and reflect on things far better than before.
Gone was the constant exhaustion and fog that often plagued his infant mind. He could also crawl around now and see things in clear vivid color and detail.
He was glad to get to this stage. The man never realized that human babies were basically blind for the first few months. Not being able to move made him feel even more helpless.
Luckily, the people that belonged to the male and female voices at his birth were both gentle and kind. The man started to think about these people as his mother and father, as that was who he assumed they were. His mother is very attentive. He rarely had to cry to be fed, changed, or moved around during his early stages, and his father would often come in and hold him.
His father was a strong, olive-skinned man who dressed like an old-fashioned Japanese farmer. The style of clothes was loose plain robes with sandals and a straw wide-brimmed hat.
His mother wore a kimono. She had a small elegant figure with smooth tanned skin, that was lighter than his father's. Neither looked Asian, which was strange, but what really surprised him was the fact that his mother had purple hair. It was long and beautiful, showing no signs of bleach or dye.
After a while, he started to come to terms that it was indeed genetics.
His hair was also strange. It was completely black like his father's except for two random strips of purple the same color as his mother's. His mother liked to swirl the colored pieces whenever she held him in front of the mirror. The baby had a feeling that the color made the woman happy. His body, to his great relief, was male, like in his previous life, so the hair sections were a small piece of similarity between them that made his mother fuss over it giggly.
His eyes, however, were a different matter. It was hard to catch, but as time went on, a hint of worry and concern would appear on his mother's face whenever she looked at them. His father was more obvious about it and would sit him down and examine his eyes intently at times.
The former man became curious and a bit worried about this behavior. Was something wrong with his eyes? Once he was able to crawl, he decided to crawl into his parent's bedroom and stare into their full-length mirror to see his eyes for himself. He was only five months old the last time he saw them. At the time, he didn't notice anything wrong. Looking at his eyes now though all he could do was stare in shock.
His eyes had two different colors in them. The center of each iris was ringed bright red and the outer part was ringed bright purple. Before it was a brown muddy mixture of the two. The former man knew it took a while for the true color of a baby's eyes to develop, but this was definitely unusual. At least it was unusual for genetics on earth, and if his parent's behavior was any indication, it was unusual here as well.
But what was the big deal? Why worry? If anything, his parents should be fascinated. He was fascinated. He could see just fine, and the outer rings of his eyes matched the purple highlights in his hair perfectly. He thought it looked kind of cool.
He crawled back to the living room and sat down by his toys. What kind of world did he get reincarnated into? This was a question the man found himself asking the air more and more. Weird colored features and old fashion eastern styles aside, something about this place felt different.
The energy level was higher. He could feel it vibrate within his very being. Both his parents had their own unique energy. The closer they got, the stronger he could feel them. Plants and animals also had an energy signature. It was like the energy level of nature was turned up to 100, being so strong it was almost tangible.
The toddler decided to meditate to try to figure out more. In his former life, he had learned many different techniques of meditation to connect to the planet's energy and to find truths about himself. He wasn't a hippie in all aspects, but his wife often called him one.
Closing his eyes he focused on the energy within him. It was weird to feel things so clear and plain. On earth, it took deep concentration and focus to get to the point of being able to feel even a hint of spiritual chakra points and energy nodes. Here, he could actually see a vision of energy, it was so strong.
His body had a main core of energy. It was centered in his stomach, and energy flowed out from this point to many different veins and channels. The largest veins and channels flowed down his arms and to his fingertips. Focusing further he felt that there were also a great number of small intricate energy paths that led up to his eyes, more so than any other organ.
His brow furrowed. Why were there so many in that particular area? Every other organ had only one or two paths. His eyes however had five channels each, the channels curling around each eye like claws. Something about it seemed familiar, but he couldn't quite place it.
Then he remembered. It looked a lot like something he saw in an anime once. In a show called Naruto. It looked like the chakra channels that would bulge around the eyes of the Hyuga Clan when they used the Byakugan.
The veins around their eyes looked very similar to the energy channels he was seeing right now…
He broke out of meditation. Did this mean that he had a Dojutsu like the Byakugan? Was that why his eyes looked so strange? It seemed silly to even consider the possibility. The concepts in Naruto were fiction. The show wasn't based on science or reality.
But didn't he already believe in life energy? It was why he was so drawn to meditation and nature in his previous world. Hadn't he already come to the conclusion that it was a lot stronger here? That it was almost tangible...
His eyes darted to his mother as she came into the room. Come to think of it, the old fashion Japanese style, non-Asian features, and bright colored hair all fit into something you would see in the Naruto universe. Could it be possible that he was actually in the world of Naruto?
"Kioshi, are you alright?" his mother asked, looking at him in concern. He must have looked a bit pale. He knew his thoughts were ridiculous, but now that he made the connection, he couldn't get it out of his mind. Okay, maybe this world had elements similar to Naruto, but there was no way this was Naruto. That story came from someone's imagination. It didn't actually exist.
His mother still looked concerned, so he gave her a small smile to show that he was okay. The young toddler was still too small to form words, but he understood her easily enough. If not, he could always deduce things by her expression. He then glanced away and began to play again with his toys.
Playing with toys was a common pastime for the reincarnated soul. His parents treated him like a normal toddler, so the former man tried his best to act like one. He didn't know if deceiving them was right, but there wasn't much he could do in this body, and he'd rather not be examined more than he already was. He felt guilty when he nursed, or his mother changed in front of him, but what else could do? He didn't exactly have the ability to clearly communicate that he had the mind of a 34-year-old man. And if he did convince them, then what? Would his parents see him as a demon possessing their child? Would they stop loving him?
He shook his head. No. He would keep his past secret. He had to get more information on his situation first.
Getting more information was slow going. So far, the only people he had interacted with were his parents. Wherever they were, it was secluded. Thick forest, flowers, meadow grass, and a barn and garden were the only things that he could see when taken outside. He got the feeling that they were far away from civilization.
His parents weren't normal carefree farmers. His father was graceful and intimidating in a way that didn't fit his simple clothing, and his mother always examined the area before she took him outside. It was like they were hiding from something.
The former man had a feeling that his parents appreciated his calm and quiet nature. It drew less attention.
Kioshi meant "Silent" in English. This was the name his parents decided to give him. They would often call him "silent one" in endearment simply due to the fact he hardly ever made a sound. The toddler knew that most babies would cry or mumble to themselves on occasion, but he couldn't bring himself to do it. Back in his old world, he had never participated in random chatter. He preferred listening over talking and would only speak when he felt it was necessary. This behavior carried on into this world.
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Many months passed, and Kioshi was now two years old. The young boy kept up his meditation and experimented with moving energy around in his body. He realized that with practice he could take energy from one area in his body, and direct it to someplace different. As he grew older, he also noticed that his energy core was becoming larger and denser and that his main vein channels growing and stabilizing into stronger, thicker streams. Smaller channels started to sprout from these main streams and moved out to the surface of his skin, spreading out like spider webs, interconnecting to one another. Others branched out into his muscles or fused into and wrapped around his bones.
These smaller channels, unlike the main ones, did not automatically fill with energy. It was only because of the faint energy signature that came from the energy molecules which lined them, that he knew they were there.
Curious, he picked a main energy channel and tried to direct energy into one of the small vacant ones branching from it. He pushed only the smallest amount, not knowing what the result would be.
He was rewarded by seeing a faint blue flash of light appear and then fizzled out along his arm. The energy seemed to have traveled across and out of his arm simultaneously. A large grin spread across his face. He had managed to bring what he felt inside to the outside into visible form!
His grin quickly faded when he noticed how quiet it was. His mother had stopped humming in the kitchen. The small boy looked up and saw that his mother was standing in the doorway, staring at him, eyes wide in shock. "Kioshi…did you just do something?" She asked.
Kioshi blinked. Should he tell her the truth? Others in this world might have this ability. If so, then he could use some guidance. Even if he was unique, he couldn't keep it a secret forever. There was so much to learn and discover. Now that his energy experiments were visible, they would be a lot harder to hide.
He did the technique again in answer. His mother flinch slightly on seeing it and stayed silent for almost a minute afterward. Finally, she bit her lip and sighed. "I'm going to need to tell you father about this." She said, sounding weary. "You are far too young to be able to do that. And how do you even know how?! You have never seen it done before. It takes a great deal of focus and concentration!"
Her voice was now flustered. Kioshi assumed she was speaking out her inner frustrations and not actually asking. He couldn't answer her anyway. His mother picked him off the floor and looked at him sternly. "Don't do that again until I say to okay? It's dangerous, and I don't want you to get hurt."
Kioshi looked away from the imploring eyes, neither agreeing nor disagreeing to the request. There was no way he was going to stop his experiments for any long length of time.
At least his mother didn't seem frighted by what he could do. She was only freaking out because of his age, not at the energy's existence. That meant that he was not alone in the ability.
Later that night, his father returned from outside, and his parents had a private conversation after he had been put to bed. Kioshi couldn't make out what was being said through the door from his crib, but their whispers were harsh and a bit heated at times.
The next morning his father was the one to get him up. "Kioshi, you are going to come with me today." He said bluntly, lifting him into his arms.
Kioshi had a feeling of foreboding, as his father carried him out of the house and towards the barn. This was the first time his father had ever done such a thing. When they entered the straw-filled area, the donkey and a cow looked up at the newcomers. Kioshi stared back, and then looked around at all the other animals and tools curiously. He wondered what his father had planned here.
They headed to an empty stall in the far corner and stopped by a long metal trough. "Kioshi, what I'm about to show you is a family secret. It is something that you should never tell anyone. Do you understand?"
Kioshi nodded, confused but also curious.
His father smiled and then sat down in the trough, bringing Kioshi with him and shifting him on his lap. Kioshi found this even more strange. He watched intently as his olive-skinned father flipped up a metal hatch to the side and pressed in a code. Pressing enter, the floor opened up and the trough sunk into the ground, causing Kioshi to grab onto his father's legs in surprise.
Once they were past the level of the floor, the floor closed above them and they were swallowed in darkness.
Bright lights then turned on, brightly illuminating a large underground bunker. The trough continued to descend, the room being a large dome that had a ceiling more than 20 feet high. When the trough reached the ground, his father got out and pressed another button, causing the trough to go down into the floor and to be covered with a metal slab.
"Kioshi, do you know what a Samurai is?" His father asked once the grinding of the mechanical mechanisms stopped and silence permeated the room.
The question caused Kioshi to tear his wondering eyes away from examining the place and look at the person holding him. He shook his head in answer. Kioshi had heard the Japanese word before on earth, but he didn't know what the word would mean here. He had figured out long ago that his parents spoke Japanese, but not everything correlated with the culture.
"Samurai are people who can do many amazing things." His father said. "They were once great warriors with honor and pride. They protected those who needed to be protected, and used their power to bring peace and harmony to the world. A true Samurai is deeply connected to energy and life."
Kioshi looked at his father in wonder. Energy and life? Power? This was something he was interested in.
His father sighed and set Kioshi down. The boy's bare little toes curled against the cool concrete as the large man crouched down in front of him. "The Samurai aren't all that they used to be." he continued solemnly. "Many have become weak, and others now use their power to destroy things and hurt others. I used to be a part of it, but I left."
His father looked sad at this and continued. "Your mother left her people for much of the same reasons. Her people are called Shinobi. Shinobi are dangerous and bloodthirsty and care little about others. Their focus is mainly on power and money. They use energy much like the Samurai can. This energy is called Chakra. It is what came out of your arm yesterday. Do you remember that?"
Kioshi nodded.
"Well, I want you to do what you did in front of mother. Okay?"
Kioshi nodded again, a bit nervous. Did this mean that his father was going to teach him about Chakra? He didn't want to mess this up. He really wanted to learn more. Focusing his mind, he felt the energy inside him and pushed it out. This time the action felt almost automatic.
His father smiled after the blue glow had faded on his arm. "That's very impressive. Not very many people can do that at your age."
Kioshi bit his lip, remembering that his mother had said the same thing. He couldn't help but think that he had cheated. He had 34+2 years of life experience. Technically that made him 36.
Still…His new body did have limitations. It was the same as any other toddler. He allowed himself to smile at the praise. There might be something to be proud of.
"Kioshi, would you like to learn how to do more things with Chakra?" his father asked hesitantly.
Kioshi nodded enthusiastically.
His father closed his eyes if wishing for a different answer "Okay… I'm not sure how to explain it…" His eyes opened, and he studied him. "But I know you are an intelligent boy…"
Kioshi's heart beat a bit faster at the scrutinizing gaze. He knew his father saw him as a genius, but at times like these, he worried that the man would see the truth.
His father sat down and crossed his legs in a meditative pose. "Sit down Kioshi, and listen carefully."
Kioshi nodded and sat down across from the large man
His father then began explaining. "Chakra can take many forms," he said. "What you made come out of your arm just now is called pure chakra. It is your chakra's natural state. With manipulation, you can transform pure chakra into many different things."
"Your chakra is located in the center of your core, and chakra channels branch off from this core to every part of your body.
"Samurai and Shinobi use Chakra to enhance their body and weapons. Chakra can also be used as a long-range weapon.
"Seals are usually required to perform techniques. Shinobi, in general, have more knowledge in hand seals, and Samurai have more knowledge in written seals. When learning a technique, seals are usually required to help guide your chakra into the right patterns for proper transformation. With great skill, it is possible to perform complex techniques without seals, but not many can."
Seeing that his son was grasping what he said, the man continued.
" For now, I think it is best to start you on basic body enhancement. Basic enhancement does not require seals. It involves simply pushing pure chakra into different parts of your body to improve your speed, stamina, strength, and durability. Almost all Ninja and Samurai know how to do this. It is one of the easiest things to learn."
Kioshi nodded, eager to get started. For the next hour, his father had him practice pushing chakra from his core into different muscles. As he did so, his father congratulated him.
After an hour, Kioshi was exhausted. His chakra reserve was a quarter of its normal size, and his head drooped. His father laughed and picked him up, saying that they were done for the day.
Kioshi fell asleep in his arms.
