Chapter 2
Ikari Kai felt himself relax as he took a small sip of tea on the veranda of his new/old home.
Now that his perspective expanded so much, he could only marvel at the world around him.
There was a vibrancy to his surroundings that neither of his two sets of new/old memories had.
Kai decided that the existence of Nature Chakra was the only possible reason.
It was as such thought bloomed in his mind that he once again marveled at his circumstances.
His life as Ikari Kai was short, only ten years, but it was a happy one, he decided.
He had two loving parents in Ikari Genzo and Sakamoto Rin.
Ikari Genzo, his father, was a retired Samurai instructor of the Fire Court that taught him the basics of chakra, Swordsmanship, archery and calligraphy.
Sakamoto Rin, his mother, was a lesser noble who taught him etiquette, how to play Shogi and Go, to paint and basic economics.
Kai's parents were an older couple when they had him, already in their forties when he was born, who decided to fully retire to the countryside once the pregnancy was discovered.
Kai's childhood, even with the somewhat heavy emphasis in his education, was a carefree one, where his time was spent enjoying spending time either going hunting in the woods with his father or reading novels with his mother.
Beyond anything else, Kai was happy to have had them as his parents.
Kai was in no way embarrassed that he wept.
Furinji Hayato's memories were the culprit.
But anyone that had his new perspective would also weep.
Toilet paper and flush toilets existed.
Only someone with memories of a time where such things were not yet invented would understand how life changing it was when they became a thing.
Furinji Hayato's memories let Kai know how weird the society he -now- lived in was.
So many things that came from technological advancement that were commonplace in modern society could be found, but many others were absent.
Steam technology was a thing, but in no part of Kai's education was even a mention of oil.
And without oil, many things simply did not exist.
For example, there were no plastics in his house, even if he had a toothbrush with a handle made out of bamboo and bristles made of a weird type of rubber.
Just the fact that he had electricity in the outskirts of a small town in a Feudal country was weird.
Not that he would ever actually complain from having such amenities in this world, but Kai felt that he was justified in considering all of this weird.
Ikari Kai knew that the only reason that he did not go crazy was due to how capable the Company was.
Considering only his body, Kai felt that he would probably go crazy due to how different his different experiences were.
As M***, he had a below average body, with some natural kinks due to normal living, such as a couple of broken/cracked bones in his youth, a few scars that gave him a tight skin feeling due to an accident, a constant pain from a botched root canal operation and the need for glasses.
Furinji Hayato had a body that was simply impossible, capable of towing around cars and even tanks as if they were pebbles, superior senses that were bordering on the supernatural and the capability of going days without eating or sleeping with no diminished capacity.
As Ikari Kai, he had a young body with a basic acess to Chakra that gave him an awareness to energy coursing through his body, strengthening his body naturally.
Ikari Kai now knew, intimately, how far he had to go, and how low he could have been.
It was simply a new feeling altogether.
Not that he was complaining, oh no, but this disconnection with his body was perfect for giving someone a psychotic break.
The only way Kai knew to internalize this new perspective was to train.
Kai's memories of training with his father Genzo were basic, very basic, and his memories as M*** was of going to the gym and simply using the equipment there at the instructors direction, not all that helpful, really.
But Furinji Hayato's memories gave him a lot to mull over.
After years (centuries, really) of learning and trying different things, Hayato devised a set routine that gave him the best results and also enhanced his control over his body.
So that is what Kai used.
Thirty minutes of 'light' work out later, Kai found himself sprawling on the ground taking big gulps of air and completely drenched in sweat.
He had a long way to go yet.
The next day Kai pondered on Chakra.
His memories of his life as M*** gave the perspective of simply not having any access to any kind of supernatural energy, which gave Kai a new appreciation to what he now had.
His memories of Furinji Hayato, on the other hand, gave him knowledge and experience on Ki.
Ki, different from Chakra, had many interpretations, due to being somehow more of an spiritual energy than physical, but was expressed mainly in two different ways.
Internal and External. Aggressive and Defensive. Active and Passive. Dou and Sei.
Of course, Furinji Hayato went beyond such simple things and reached the realm of Ga, or Self, where one who reached such a realm could express their Ki however they wanted, with no detriments to oneself.
Chakra, on the other hand, molded one's spiritual AND physical energies, giving it a heavier and more diverse expression, but also somehow shallower.
It was this dichotomy between Ki and Chakra that confused Kai.
He felt that Chakra was more physically powerful, but it had lesser impact on one's spirit.
Something to ponder o later.
It was after spending a couple of hours meditating to familiarizing himself again with his Chakra that Kai felt that he had a newfound control of Chakra that was simply beyond what could be expected.
Chakra seemed both simpler and more difficult to utilize than Ki.
Kai was aware of his Chakra in an intimate way that was simply beyond words, he felt that he could move it anyway he wanted to.
But Kai knew that things such as Elemental Chakra were a thing, and the information from the manga based on this world could lead someone to think that elemental transformation as a easy thing to achieve with the right instruction, but Kai felt that it should be an intensively profound and intimate thing,
Shaking his head, Kai discarded such thoughts for the moment.
"Baby steps, Kai, Baby steps. Don't run before you can walk" He said to himself.
Looking at the tree on his yard, he felt that the Tree Climbing exercise would be an easy for him to start on.
Five minutes later, Kai looked down from the highest tree branch that could support his weight.
Frowning, he wondered if he should be happy or not.
After trying different ways of connecting his Chakra to the tree's bark he could now walk up and down the tree as if it was solid ground, if he ignored the strain of supporting his weight on his ankles alone.
If nothing else it was an amazing full body training exercise.
Tapping his pencil on the paper in front of him, Kai pondered his finances.
The savings from his parents would allow him to live in comfort for four or five years, or maybe six if he was frugal.
Being ten years old Kai could become independent in this feudal society, but it did not mean that it would have been easy for him.
If he wanted to make a living he would need an education in a profession, something hard to gain without a mentor.
Not that Kai worried much about it.
His physical prowess would allow him to be an accomplished hunter easily, his FHM (Furinji Hayato's Memories) gave him enough knowledge that animal pelts were desired no matter the age.
He also could use his FHM to become an expert in woodcarving, an excellent smith, a painter, a carpenter, a stoneworker and even a chef.
So Kai wondered what his goals for the future should be.
Not that he was in a hurry.
But one thing was certain, his capabilities as a Martial Artist and his training in Chakra were something of a priority for him.
No way would Kai become just another mob character in a world where people could destroy mountains willy nilly if they train enough.
That's what Kai did with his time going forward.
He trained his body, adapting the knowledge form his FHM to his new body, meditated on and experimented with Chakra, and started a small side business as a hunter, supplementing his meals with the meat and selling the pelts to the local tanner, and an even smaller business as a small woodcarver, making small wood statues for small changing, selling them to the weekly caravan from the closest city.
As the days, then weeks, then months passed, Kai's body became stronger and stronger, and his Chakra capacity became greater and greater.
It was a year later that Kai felt experienced enough with Chakra to try reinventing the Rasengan, something that took him ten days, even without access to balloons or rubber balls to facilitate the training.
It was as he looked at the somewhat shining spinning ball of Chakra in his hand that Kai wondered how strong he was compared to the locals.
His father Genzo had already retired for a couple of years before Kai was born, and even then, from his own accounting, he was never a truly powerful samurai.
Kai's memories of his father's physical capabilities were, when compared to his FHM, not even at the level of a low level Apprentice, even if it was close.
Kai's current abilities put him at the High Apprentice level, which he had nothing to compare to in this world.
Well, he was only eleven years old now, so he had time yet.
AN: I have seen many Naruto fics where authors introduce either a new energy or simply mash it together with their own interpretation of Chakra. I have my own take on comparing Ki and Chakra, and what it means for Kai to have experience with both shall be my secret.
Hehe, i also have not yet revealed in which point of the timeline Kai was born yet.
Any guesses?
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