A month
In the quiet solitude of the library, a month of relentless research had passed. As the pages of scrolls, books, and other writings turned, my understanding of chakras, jutsu, and seals deepened. The foundation for the "Chakra Absorption Fusion Technique" and "Shadow Veil Technique" began to take shape in my mind
The dusty corners of the library became my sanctuary. The next phase of my plan unfolded as I delved into practical experimentation. I had learned the intricate hand signs that were needed to make a jutsu come alive. Now I just needed a safe space to beta test both my jutsu's. Yes, I had come across a page in a book that told the instructions of a simple Yin-type jutsu, and I was ready to test my Shadow Veil technique. If I could do it without absorbing a Nara Clan member's chakra, then so be it.
I read the last page of a book, wrote my last notes, and stood up from my chair. I left the books on the table and walked away from the library.
As I left the library, I started thinking. "Will there be a large open space that I can be sure I'm not being watched in, where I can test my jutsu's?" Konoha is such a huge village, surely there must be at least one place like that. But then there is another problem: what if it has been found and occupied, or it's known about? Surely I couldn't sense an ANBU spying on me?" I thought as I walked around the village, heading towards the forest.
As I thought more about the ideal place for training, I noticed that I was already in the entrance of a forest, but not just any ordinary forest; it was the forest of death.
'The forest where was the second part of the chunin exam, a perfect place for me to test and train. The only problem is that the snake bii can find me, and then of course the animals. If I go in, I may die.' I thought as I walked towards the forest, which had a gate keeping civilians away, but I had a chance to climb up. If I were to fall off the gate, I would surely die.
"Shit, it's just a wall. There is no other way to climb it up than tree-walking." I thought as I turned around and started walking away.
'When I go there, I'll need to be in a disguise anyway. If the snake bites and sees me, she'll go whine about me to the Hokage.' I thought as I started wondering off to another forest.
As I veered away from the imposing gates of the Forest of Death, my thoughts buzzed with the need for a secure testing ground. Maybe another forest on the outskirts of Konoha?
The air grew thick with the scent of nature as I ventured deeper into the woods. I moved with cautious steps, mindful of every danger that a forest might host. I looked at the beautiful nature as I searched for an ideal training spot, a place secluded enough to hone my jutsus without drawing unwanted attention.
After a while, a clearing bathed in dappled sunlight emerged, seeming untouched by the hustle of the village. This could be the canvas for my experiments.
In this serene clearing, surrounded by the whispers of leaves and the song of birds, I felt a sense of anticipation I hadn't felt before in my new life. It was the perfect spot to put my newfound knowledge to the test. I was almost enthusiastic about testing what I had learned and making it work.
The serene clearing beckoned me to begin my experiments. Determination etched across my face, I initiated the hand seals for the "Chakra Absorption Fusion Technique." The air around me shimmered with anticipation as I attempted to perform the intricate dance of chakra manipulation. I knew I didn't have enough chakra control, but trying was better than not trying at all.
The initial moments were promising, but as I attempted to absorb and fuse chakra, an unexpected surge overwhelmed me. It was as if I had unleashed a torrent of untamed energy, and my body struggled to contain it. Gasping for breath, I realized I had underestimated the chakra control required for this jutsu.
I couldn't breathe; I collapsed to my knees. The overwhelming surge of chakra tightened its grip around my chest. Panic gripped me as my vision blurred, and the world around me distorted into a chaotic whirlwind of colors.
"No, I can't die like this! Such a miserable and useless death!" I thought, desperation fueling my attempts to regain control. Gasping for air that eluded me, I focused on the basics, trying to steady my erratic breaths. Each attempt felt like grasping at fleeting shadows; the air slipped through my fingers.
In that moment of struggle, a memory surfaced, a meditation technique I had encountered in one of the scrolls during my month-long research. With sheer willpower, I steadied my mind and harnessed the remnants of my dwindling chakra.
Closing my eyes, I delved into a mental sanctuary. Imagining a tranquil lake, I visualized each chaotic wave of chakra settling into calm ripples. In this mental haven, I sought calmness, trying to create a pocket of serenity amidst the storm within.
As the suffocating feeling in my chest slowly disappeared, I focused on the rhythmic inhales and exhales, eventually being able to breathe normally again.
As the world around me regained clarity, I saw my battered body lying on the forest floor. "I definitely learned something from this experience; there should always be a delicate balance between wielding power and maintaining control." I thought as I stood up from where I had been lying.
'I will improve my chakra control before trying this again, but before that I should try the Shadow Veil Technique.' I thought as I sat down beside the nearest tree.
'It seems to be getting dark, so I should leave soon. I'll still test the shadow veil technique today though. I thought as I knew that testing the Shadow Veil Technique today was essential for my sleep. Leaning against a tree, I focused on preparing myself for the upcoming experiment. The sun dipped below the horizon, casting long shadows across the clearing.
I have had enough time to prepare,
I Intitiated the hand seals I had decided to use for the Shadow Veil Technique, feeling the familiar dance of chakra within me. This time, my approach was cautious, mindful of the lessons learned from the previous attempt.
As I wove through the intricate hand seals, the shadows responded, creating a cloak of darkness around me. A subtle thrill coursed through my veins as I sensed the merger of Yin Release chakra with the essence of shadows.
With a deep breath, I stepped into the darkness, becoming one with the shadows. The sensation was surreal, a blend of anticipation and mystery. I moved through the clearing, testing the boundaries of the technique.
Until I yelled a blood-curdling scream, feeling surreal pain enveloping every limb of my body, I jumped out of the shadows and fell to the ground in pain. I took off my pants to see that both my legs had turned pitch black.
'If not used correctly, this is what the shadow veil technique does' I thought in pain and panic as I saw the pitch black darkness spreading even more in my body.
I tried to resist it with everything I had, but the inky darkness persisted, threatening to engulf my entire being. Every attempt to control it felt like grasping at elusive shadows. I could feel the relentless pain intensifying, a consequence of my failed experimentation with the Shadow Veil Technique.
In the midst of this chaotic struggle, an idea came to mind: instead of directly opposing the encroaching darkness, what if I embraced it in a different way?
"It would be a gamble," I said, unsure if I wanted to do it or not. "What other choice do I have?" I thought in desperation and tried something. With a profound mental shift, I sought to harmonize my chakra with the shadowy energy, rather than resisting it. It was a risky gamble; I attempted to redirect the ominous force rather than suppress it.
Closing my eyes, I delved into a meditative state, envisioning the beautiful and endless dance of my chakra and the encroaching darkness. The pain persisted, but a subtle shift occurred. The pitch-black tendrils, once hostile, seemed to respond to this novel approach.
As I maintained this delicate balance, the pain gradually faded away. The darkness, now a coiled force within me, no longer sought to consume. Instead, it became a symbiotic extension of my own chakra. I had reached a state of enlightenment.
In that moment of newfound mastery, a resonant voice echoed throughout the open space of the forest. "Impressive, mortal. You have dared to dance with Erebus, the eternal shadow."
I stood up, who is that, have I been found out, what does he mean by saying "mortal"? I thought as I looked around me, as I looked behind me, I fell to the ground again, "What are you!?" I yelled as I saw a roughly 2-meter-tall man with only a silhouette of a pitch-black figure.
His ethereal form, draped in cosmic shadows, greeted me with an ancient presence. The encounter left me breathless.
The silhouette pointed at me. "You, child, are the first one to meet me in a decamillennium. You are the first one in hundreds of thousands of years to actually visit the shadow realm." He said, pointing at me.
I looked at him. "Why do you want from me?" I asked as calmly as I could. I had already accepted my fate. This being might kill me.
"What do I want from you? You were the one to visit the shadow realm. Although there is something I want from you, I want you to become my partner."
"What? What do you mean by partner?" I said, I was even more curious about what he meant.
"We will make a kind of pact. You see: this is not my real body. Nobody else but you can see me. Nor do I have any physical power in the real world right now. But with a pact, either of us can summon each other. That would make you able to summon me. The pact also has many other benefits." The pitch-black silhouette said as I listened.
"I have a couple of questions for you, Erebus. Firstly, what are the other benefits? Secondly, how can you be sure that you aren't trying to deceive me? And thirdly, why are you trying to partner up with a four-year-old?" I asked the last question with a suspicious expression.
"I will explain all these things, firstly the benefits. There are a couple of benefits only for you, a couple of benefits only for me, and a couple of benefits for us both. Your benefits are the following: being able to summon me, getting much more control over your yin nature, and getting almost full control over the shadows." Erebus started listing my benefits.
"Then there are my benefits. I will be able to escape the shadows by your summoning. I will be able to see and hear through you. For that, I will need your mental permission. Though. Lastly, I will be able to talk to the nine-tailed fox inside of you." Erebus told me about his benefits and revealed his knowledge of the fox.
A stoic expression had returned to my face, and it didn't change by the shock Erebus expected. "I knew all along that a being like you would be able to sense the fox. If you think I'm surprised by this knowledge, I've been aware of the fox's existence since forever." I addressed the primordial being.
The pitch-black being's face seemed to be a little shocked by my confession, but the shock seemed to fade in seconds. "HA HA HA, you are an interesting child. Now I know for sure I didn't make a mistake in offering partnership" it said while staring at my stoic face.
I didn't say anything, so he just continued. "It seems like you would like me to continue telling you the benefits, no?" It asked before continuing.
"For the benefit of both of us, either of us will be able to summon the other wherever they are, With a ritual we will be able to merge into one body, That has many times stronger techniques and physical attributes than normal.
That's all I've heard from other beings. Though consider, that I haven't made a pact, the last time I saw another living being was hundreds of thousands of years ago, when leaving the shadows and visiting the Shadow Realm was a normality for shadow-based clans. I never thought I'd be sealed in shadows and people wouldn't visit the Shadow Realm anymore."
Hearing this, I didn't know how to feel. 'It's a unique opportunity, even if everything he said isn't true. But the next question is the most important one.' I thought before speaking.
"It seems like a good deal, but the second question I asked is probably the most important one." I said, crossing my arms.
Erebus' laughter echoed eerily as he received two mythical-looking scrolls from the shadows.
"Ah, I respect that my inquisitive companion, not taking everything at face value even at that of a young age. For proof, I present to you gifts from the depths of shadows." He said while holding two ancient scrolls in his cosmic grasp.
He extended the first scroll towards me. Its surface was adorned with symbols that seemed to dance in the setting sun. "Behold, a map of concealed knowledge: an atlas of forgotten chambers and ancient secrets. This, my dear soon-to-be partner, is a guide to the hidden realms of sealing. Learn the seals that are in this scroll, and you'll unravel the mysteries that have eluded even the most cunning minds."
As I accepted the first scroll, Erebus's shadowy form shifted with anticipation. "But that's not all," he whispered, the shadows around him whispering conspiracies. In a mischievous tone, he presented the second scroll, whose markings were more arcane than those of the first. "This, my curious partner, is the scroll with the instructions to your very own shadowy legacy."
Erebus's dark laughter resonated as he began explaining, "Contained within are the ancient arts and rituals to forge a shadow-infused Kekkei Genkai. Craft it with care, and you can change your DNA and genes with shadows. Before you shall wield shadows like a maestro conducts an orchestra. Embrace your eccentricity, for within the shadows lies the canvas of unique and useful options for power." He finished his explanation and handed me the second scroll
"These will be useful, but that makes me even more curious. How do you know I'll make the deal with you? How do you know I won't just run off with these scrolls?" I asked the pitch-black figure as it started laughing.
"HAHHAHHA, do you think I would just give you two of the strongest scrolls in today's world? Of course not, if you were to run away with them, I would just make them disappear, I constructed them from shadows after all." Erebus explained while still chuckling to himself.
"That explains it, but let's move on to the last question before I decide whether I accept your deal or not. Why are you trusting a four-year-old so much?" I asked the last question.
Erebus's laughter echoed through the clearing once again as he responded, "HAHAHAHA, my young companion. Age is but a number in the vast tapestry of existence. I trust you because I sense a hunger for power within you that transcends the limitations of your physical form. You are not an ordinary 4-year-old; you harbor a darkness and ambition that aligns with my essence. Besides, it amuses me to see the potential for chaos and mastery dwelling within such a small vessel... Beside that, I feel like this isn't the first life you have lived." Erebus's voice turned from silly to serious as he said the last part.
'What, how does he know?!?!' I thought in wonder as I let my stoic mask slip for a second without noticing, but it was enough for Erebus to realize that he was right.
"How did you know?" he asked, and I nodded dumbly.
"You see, as you jumped into the shadows, I could feel something I had never felt before. The thing I had never felt before was your chakra, now I have sensed chakra before but not like your's. At first your chakra seemed normal, but when I looked at it a little closer, I sensed something. I sensed three different kinds of chakra, one the chakra you gained when you were born here, two the kyuubi's chakra, and three a weak chakra that's only job was to keep a person alive. You couldn't use it or anything, it was an automatic function that kept you alive. Normally you wouldn't have it, but I guess your soul AND chakra were reincarnated into the same life" Erebus explained his reasoning, while an interesting question came to my mind.
"Okay, I guess that's a believable story. I admit I'm a reincarnation." Erebus looked satisfied hearing my confession, but I continued, "but if I basically have two of my own chakra, which one keeps me alive and can't be used, does that mean I can't die of chakra exhaustion?" I asked the pitch-black being
"That's an interesting question, partner. But I'm not too sure. I've never met anyone like you before. I guess you can't die of chakra exhaustion unless you get a chakra-eating virus or something like that."
"Alright, I guess I'll accept your deal then" I said as I held out my hand to the pitch-black being named Erebus. Erebus just grinned and held out his own.