"Kid, breathe deeper now and try to sense my chakra flowing through your body." Ogashi's calm voice echoed softly through the cavern, his words carried by the faint hum of water droplets gently falling from the high stone ceiling.
Kaoru sat cross-legged in the center of the chamber, his breathing steady, his muscles relaxed. His entire focus was locked inward, every fragment of his attention drawn toward the chakra circulating through his body.
He could easily sense Ogashi's chakra flowing inside his newly formed pathways, but what he struggled to detect was the subtle pulse of the old Leviathan's chakra outside of those channels, flowing just beneath the skin, hiding itself.
'He said the easiest way to increase my chakra reserves is by creating a reservoir, like Tsunade and Sakura,' Kaoru recalled, forcing his mind to stay sharp. 'But unlike them, I'll be using a different method, the one better suited for my body. Leviathans' approach… my approach.'
"All I can do for you is mark the place where you need to create the storage for your chakra," Ogashi's voice dropped even softer, barely louder than the quiet breath of the cavern air. "If I forcefully shape it for you, it might speed things up at first, but your growth will slow afterward. You must build it yourself, layer by layer."
'I know that already. That's why I'm not asking for shortcuts,' Kaoru thought, his lips pressing into a thin line. 'But first, I need to sense where his chakra is flowing, without using Suijingan. That's the part I can't seem to grasp yet.'
The challenge gnawed at him. He was reliant on his Suijingan to sense even the faintest disturbances in water and chakra alike. But now, Ogashi had disabled that option, forcing him to train without it, to sharpen instincts that couldn't lean on his eyes. And Kaoru understood why. If he couldn't sense his own chakra this way, how could he hope to maintain the storage and continuously feed it?
Then, an idea came to him.
Kaoru exhaled deeply and flared his chakra, flooding his entire body with a dense surge of energy. Every inch of his skin, every organ, every cell was wrapped in the thick current of his own chakra, like a second skin layered beneath his flesh. He locked his attention on the sensation, searching for Ogashi's distinct presence within the swirling mass.
But once again, nothing. Only the familiar hum of his own energy. No trace of Ogashi.
"Kid…" The old Leviathan shook his head, his tone both scolding and disappointed. "What exactly were you thinking? How would flooding yourself like that help? Even if you sensed me like this, what would you learn from it? What would it teach you?"
Kaoru groaned, frustrated, but tried not to let his annoyance boil over. "Grandpa Ogashi, why don't you just tell me how to do it?" he grumbled. "I'm not asking for you to walk me through it, just give me the starting point."
"I was able to sense you back in the settlement," Kaoru continued, his irritation slipping out. "Why can't I sense your chakra now?"
Ogashi smiled and slapped the back of Kaoru's head lightly with his tentacle. "Because back then you relied on Suijingan, Kurara. That's why. And I always made it easy for you, on purpose. Now I'm making it difficult."
Kaoru clenched his teeth, that familiar sense of frustration growing inside him again. The part that annoyed him most wasn't that he was failing, but having absolutely no leads. He hated it when he could not figure out a way to achieve his goal, it made him feel helpless.
But after a long moment of silence, Kaoru drew a breath, forcing himself to calm.
'Alright… brute force doesn't work. Flaring my chakra won't work. If the whole point is to build the storage so that my body feeds it naturally, then rather than drowning my body in chakra, I should isolate a tiny portion and guide it carefully.'
This time, his chakra remained calm - no waves, no surges. Kaoru shaped a single fine strand of chakra, thinner than a hair, and began guiding it gently through his abdomen, where he thought the storage would eventually form. He followed the pathway slowly, like threading a needle through invisible fabric.
Ogashi's mouth curved slightly as he watched Kaoru's breathing slow, the strain on his face fading into focused calm.
'He's starting to grasp it. I thought it would take him several days before he made it this far.' the old Leviathan thought, satisfaction warming his chest. 'He still has a long way to go, but he is up to a great start…'
…
"Can't I rest a little?" Kaoru grumbled as Iseki practically dragged him forward by the collar, giving him no room to argue.
"Kaoru," Iseki began in his usual theatrical voice, his free hand stroking his long beard with flair. "You strike the blade while the metal is still hot!" The old Leviathan's tone carried the weight of some ancient wisdom, though Kaoru strongly suspected he was just enjoying himself.
'I'd love to see a banter between him and Maru,' Kaoru thought, barely able to contain his amusement. A small chuckle slipped out, earning him a sharp side-eye glare from Iseki, who clearly didn't appreciate being laughed at mid-wisdom.
Seeing that look, Kaoru's shoulders slumped in surrender. 'Now I've completely lost my chances of getting a rest,' he resigned himself, head dropping forward like a scolded child as he followed behind the old Leviathan's steady pace.
They walked across the stone path until they reached the tiny chamber inside the cavern Iseki had prepared.
"What are we doing today, Grandpa Iseki? Some cool jutsus you want to teach me?" he asked hopefully, his voice bright with anticipation.
But Iseki, as always, remained unmoved by Kaoru's attempts to fish for flashy techniques. His face remained perfectly calm, with only the faintest twitch of amusement at the corner of his lips. He simply stood, ignoring Kaoru's hopeful tone entirely.
"We will begin by improving your chakra control and refining your sensory ability." He lifted one finger into the air with emphasis, as though making a grand declaration.
Kaoru exhaled, trying to hide his disappointment. 'Figures. No fun techniques again.'
"Activate your eyes," Iseki ordered calmly.
Without further hesitation, Kaoru let his chakra surge toward his eyes, his Suijingan igniting with a radiant cyan glow, its distinctive patterns swirling faintly beneath his eyelids. Instantly, the world around him became sharper, richer in detail. Every droplet of moisture in the air, every faint ripple of energy, became visible as if the entire room had been draped in flowing threads of liquid light.
Then, something caught Kaoru's attention. There was a perfectly formed, translucent figure of an octopus made entirely out of concentrated chakra above Iseki's raised finger.
"What?!" Kaoru blinked, his Suijingan focusing instinctively. "How did you do that?" His voice was filled with genuine awe, unable to comprehend what he was witnessing.
Iseki chuckled softly, clearly pleased with Kaoru's reaction. "That, child, is something humans cannot do. Or at least," he added with a sly smile, "I have yet to meet a human capable of it."
Kaoru couldn't take his eyes off the floating octopus. He knew that it was possible to give chakra a simpler shape like Raikage's hell stab, but forming an octopus was on a completely different level.
The old Leviathan let the octopus linger for a moment longer before snapping his fingers. The construct instantly dissolved, the chakra dispersing into faint glowing wisps before vanishing entirely.
"This, Kaoru, is what true mastery of chakra control allows you to accomplish." Iseki's voice softened slightly as he added, "And if you listen carefully, I'll teach you how to begin walking that path."
Kaoru did not respond right away. He simply gave a short, firm nod, waiting for Iseki to continue his explanation without interrupting.
"From now on," Iseki resumed in his usual wise-man-training-genius tone, "each time I form a chakra figure, I need you to sense it. At first, you may rely on your Suijingan, it will assist you in perceiving the chakra flow and form. But that will only be the first step. Eventually, you must reach a point where you can sense and perceive these shapes without depending on your eyes, using only your raw chakra sensitivity."
As he spoke, Iseki raised his hand again, this time forming a Leviathan. The creature's delicate tentacles and giant frame felt oddly detailed, likely Iseki's way of showing just how proud he was of his race and identity.
"The ability to sense without using your eyes is crucial for every step you will take in this training," Iseki continued, his tone dipping slightly as though he wanted Kaoru to fully absorb the weight of what lay ahead. "Without mastering this, your control will remain limited, and the progress we seek would stop right here."
Kaoru listened closely. Iseki's explanation was so thorough, so detailed, that it left no room for further questions.
So, without hesitation, he adjusted his posture, crossing his legs neatly beneath him just like how Iseki had instructed.
It was still only afternoon, yet Kaoru already felt his energy fading. The exhaustion was starting to settle deep into his muscles, but despite the growing fatigue, a faint grin lingered on his face. He was more than willing to push himself further. After all, this was the kind of training he had come to the Leviathans for - the very reason he had agreed to stay and endure all the grueling exercises day after day.
And hopefully, when it was over, he would have at least a fraction of the strength he had been chasing for so long.
…
From the moment Kaoru had arrived in the cavern created by Leviathans just for his sake, Ogashi and Iseki had been taking turns training him. Sometimes the sessions were led by one, sometimes both, depending on which area required focus. Chakra control, yin-yang balance, sensory mastery, or working on his chakra reserves - everything was being woven together piece by piece.
They had promised him this stage of training would take only six months.
However, that promise would be the first and the last time the old Leviathans ever lied to Kaoru.
**
A/N -
This chapter turned out a bit shorter than I wanted. I had no electricity today (and won't have any until tomorrow morning because the storm took out the power lines), and my phone's already dying.
P.S. Iseki's training method of sensing chakra forms is obviously a ripoff from HxH. I've been missing the manga so much that it just kept creeping into my head, so I figured I'd share it with you xD
Have a pleasant day! <3
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