The walk from the Academy wasn't long, but it gave me time to think. I had finally extracted chakra, which meant my cheat could now be put to full use.
I stepped inside, locked the gate, and let the silence of the empty house settle over me.
No noise. No distractions.
Time to figure out what perfect chakra control could actually do.
I sat cross-legged in the living room and closed my eyes.
Chakra.
That low thrum beneath the skin — it was still there. Like a heartbeat I'd just now learned to hear.
I reached for it again. This time with intention.
It responded.
Slowly, carefully, I drew it up from my gut to my chest, through my arms, into my fingertips.
Smooth flow. Zero resistance. It was like running water through a perfectly tuned pipe system.
I tried forming threads — small strands of chakra, thinner than a hair. One between each finger. Then wrapped around my palm. Then between both hands.
They held.
I spun them. Twisted them. Formed a small web of control between my palms.
'Okay, that's not normal.'
Even most chūnin couldn't do this without losing shape or tension. Hell, most jōnin couldn't thread chakra this finely without seals or external tools.
But here I was — a fresh six-year-old Academy student, controlling it like a puppeteer.
So yeah.
Perfect chakra control wasn't just marketing. It was broken. Not flashy — but terrifyingly efficient.
I kept at it. Formed different structures, changed the flow speed, split one thread into three, merged them back. Tried coating my fingertips in a film-thin chakra layer, like gloves.
It all held.
I let go after an hour. Could've gone longer, but no point burning myself out this early.
Instead, I leaned back and started thinking long-term.
Chakra control was my only advantage. So I had to build everything around it.
As for what perfect chakra control could potentially do?
Genjutsu made the most sense. It relied heavily on precision and timing, not raw power. Perfect chakra control meant my illusions would hit clean, go undetected longer, and breaking them would be harder.
Depending on how far I took it, I could potentially surpass Itachi and Shisui in genjutsu.
Then there's medical ninjutsu. The level of control needed for cell-level healing or chakra scalpel techniques wasn't easy to achieve — but I could probably get there relatively easily.
If I had more chakra, maybe I could surpass Tsunade entirely.
Though honestly, learning medical jutsu might just be a good way to get closer to her.
Then there was physical enhancement. Basic chakra reinforcement was known, but it was mostly brute-forced — dump chakra into the limbs, pray it doesn't rupture anything. I could refine that. Layer it. Spread it evenly across muscle groups.
There's also chakra-enhanced senses. Most could do it. Maybe I could do it better.
Eventually, I'd get there.
But for now, I needed to start somewhere.
Basic chakra-enhanced strength seemed like a good idea.
Day two at the Academy.
Same building. Same classroom. Same teacher. Same air of kids pretending they were already ninja.
I was back in my seat by the window. A few extra glances my way today. Nothing major. Just a little more awareness.
Then it started.
"Hey, Inaba!"
I turned.
Jiraiya was walking over. Grinning. Loud as usual.
The current Jiraiya was not the future toad sage — not yet, anyway. He was just one of the other civilian kids, like me. No clan name. No prodigy rumors. Just another body in the room yesterday — except now, he wasn't satisfied with that.
"You somehow extracted chakra before anyone," he said, not even trying to hide the edge in his tone. "How about a little match? Friendly spar."
Ah. There it is.
Ego bruised.
He wanted to reassert himself. Probably thought that he would be the most noticeable civilian — until I showed up and casually outpaced him.
Jiraiya was flamboyant by nature, so challenging and defeating me would be a good way to gain attention.
I stood. "Sure."
We were out back in one of the open yards. Just dirt and sunlight. No audience at first — then the whispers started. A few kids trickled in. Then more. Eventually, even a few clan brats wandered over to watch the "civilian fight."
Haneda-sensei didn't interfere. Just crossed his arms and stood at a distance. Ninja academy welcomed fights. We were here to become killers, not scholars.
Jiraiya looked confident. Loose stance. Showy energy.
I didn't posture. Not like I knew how to anyway.
I just let a light layer of chakra settle into my limbs — not to punch holes in walls, just to move sharper. Hit a little harder. Flow more efficiently.
He charged first.
Fast, but raw.
I placed my chakra-enhanced arm in front of his punch, blocking it. Chakra acts a bit like armor too, since I felt no pain.
He attacked again. Swing. Step. Kick — all countered.
I ducked under the punch, moved inside, and tapped his chest hard enough to make him stumble.
Again, he came at me.
And again, I blocked it.
I wasn't an expert in fighting, but I sure did know how to throw a punch — and with chakra in the picture, I could throw better punches.
So I did just that. Swung a punch.
He copied me in blocking it —
Sadly, he hadn't extracted chakra yet, and was thrown off by the hit, landing over a meter away.
He grunted. Sat up, annoyed. Rubbing his arms, which were numb.
I offered a hand. "Not bad."
He took it. "Tch… you're strong."
I shrugged. "Not strong. Just smarter."
He blinked. "Are you calling me an idiot?"
"No."
The crowd started to murmur, but it wasn't rowdy. Just impressed.
Then someone else walked up.
"You fight good."
Tsunade.
Standing just outside the ring of kids. Watching like she'd been there the whole time.
Her arms were crossed. Casual, but observant. She looked me up and down, then tilted her head slightly.
"You're the one who extracted chakra first yesterday, right?"
"Yeah," I replied.
"Was that chakra enhancement?" she asked, curiously.
"Yup, just added some chakra to increase strength and defense." I explained casually.
"You don't act like the others."
"Because I'm not trying to act?" I said, putting on a confused face.
That earned me a brief laugh from her. "Good answer."
She stepped forward a little. "Inaba, was it?"
I nodded. "Yup… And you're the girl with minions always orbiting around."
She laughed. "They'll get bored eventually."
"Or you will."
She smirked. "Maybe. Anyway… nice fight. See you later then."
And then she walked off, just like that. Left her little entourage confused and trailing behind her.
I sat back down on the bench.
'Well… that went better than expected.'
No forced drama. No unnecessary rivalry. Just one good fight, and now all three Sannin had their eye on me.
And most importantly — that fight gave me ideas.
That small boost from chakra? It worked quite well.
It wasn't just cosmetic. It made a real difference.
'Physical enhancement is viable. Even without monstrous chakra pools.'
Fine control meant I could use 10% of the chakra others needed to get the same boost — or better. I just had to learn where and how to apply it.
Eyes. Ears. Muscles. Tendons. Bones. Nerves.
I could map this whole body, then start working on it…
Maybe learning Medical Jutsu is the way to go.
By the end of the second day, one thing was clear:
I didn't need to chase the spotlight.
If I played it right…
It would come to me.