The next morning, Konoha was already awake before the sun had fully broken over the horizon. The streets were filled with the mixed sounds of rebuilding — the creak of carts carrying timber, the rhythmic thud of mallets on nails, and the chatter of merchants setting up their stalls. The speed of construction showed the efficiency of a ninja village, with superhumans working, the speed was was not at all comparable to the normal world. All the rubble had been cleared and the buldings were almost back to their original .In the distance, a few shinobi bounded across rooftops, their silhouettes briefly cutting through the dawn light like swift shadows.
Enji had woken up early, a habit ingrained in him from both of his lives. While in his morning run, he observed the village and its rapid restoration. The people, even the civilians were truly resilient, they had bounced back from the tragedy or likely they were forced to bounce back as they had no choice. Life had to continue.
After his morning run, Enji found himself back at his home compound, slightly warmed up and not at all winded, he marvelled at his own stamina.No seven year old from his old life could accomplish what he had done , this hammered and reinforced the fact into his brain that this world and its inhabitants were truly superhuman.
His home still bore the scars of the Kyūbi's rampage — a cracked wall, a broken roof tile or two — but it was standing, and that was enough. He had swept the debris from the entryway last night before curling up in his old futon. Sleep had been light; his mind, unlike his child-sized body, was already too disciplined to drift into heavy slumber.
As he was engrossed in his thoughts, he heard a slight thud near his compound gate bringing him out of his musings. He turned around to find Yasu Sarutobi standing there, a calm but expectant expression on his face.
"You're alert, good" Yasu said, glancing briefly over Enji's posture. His eyes narrowed slightly — assessing, weighing and there was a slight smile that he restrained in a flash.
He said " Rising early and going for a morning run,it's a nice habit to have, now that you have warmed up, we can start with physical training, from today onwards call me sensei"
" Yes sensei"
Yasu nodded once. "Good. Today we start. I want to see what's in you before we decide how to shape it."
They made their way to the small training yard behind the compound. The space was simple — a packed dirt ground, a weathered target post for kunai practice, and a worn wooden dummy for taijutsu drills.They were used by his mother when she trained.Enji was not allowed to train with ninja tools as his mother had said it was dangerous and he was not ready yet.
Yasu began without ceremony. "Before you can walk the path of a shinobi, you need to awaken your chakra. Sit."
Enji obeyed, crossing his legs and settling into a meditative posture. His small frame still felt strange — the legs shorter, the arms lighter — but his mind was steady. He was a bit excited and eager. Even though he was an adult mentally,the prospect of awakening and using chakra, the thing that could make him a superhuman, excited him.He forcibly suppressed his excitement and returned to complete focus.
"Close your eyes," Yasu instructed. "Focus on your breath. Draw it deep into your stomach. Imagine the air carrying energy through you. Feel for the warmth at your center — your coil. Don't force it; let it rise."
Enji had read and heard descriptions of chakra awakening in this world before, but experiencing it himself was different. He let his breath fall into a rhythm — slow inhale, measured exhale. The sensation began as a faint warmth just below his navel, like an ember buried in ash. He concentrated, feeding it with each breath until the ember flared slightly, sending tingling warmth from his stomach to his body and finally through his limbs.
The moment he caught it, he knew that it's was chakra. The warmth surged into a steady pulse, flowing along pathways he could now feel as clearly as the chakra coils in his arms.
His eyes opened, sharp with awareness.
Yasu's brow lifted slightly. "That was quick. Most children take hours the first time."
"I'm… good at focusing," Enji replied, deliberately modest.
Yasu didn't press, but his gaze lingered — the way a veteran shinobi's instincts noticed something unusual. He felt the chakra in Enji's s body was abundant, like clan geniuses, but the chakra felt docile, in control and not flaring.
' A genius' he thought, but his expression remained the same.
A genius who has not grown up or fulfilled his potential was of no use.
"Good," Yasu said finally. "Now that you can access your chakra, we'll start with basics.
You have already read about chakra control exercises. Now we will start with leaf control exercises "
He passed a small leaf to Enji and told him to stick it to his forehead.
Enji recalled what he knew, ' chakra is used to stick the leaf to the forehead, too little and it does not stick,too much and the leaf flies off.'
He tried with various amount of chakra, before finally sticking the leaf to his forehead.
He took a bit time to accomplish this as he had no idea the amount of chakra needed for the leaf.
He felt that his chakra was very docile and easier to control,unlike what was mentioned in the books.
He inferred that it was likely due to his adult soul,which was stronger as well as more calm and focused, unlike children who were excited and restless upon awakening their chakra.
Yasu observed Enji's every movement, every reaction and how he had effortlessly controlled the amount of chakra supplied to the leaf once he found the right amount needed.
' Excellent chakra controll, even before training. His training plan should be revised. He can take more' he noted.
He tossed a small pouch to Enji. It landed lightly in his hands, the faint metallic clink unmistakable. The distraction caused his leaf to fly off from his forehead.
Yasu told him to stick his leaf on his forehead at all times during the training.
Enji found it difficult to multitask,but gradually he got used to the leaf sticking to his head and his body subconsciously adjusted and controlled the chakra for the leaf control excersice.
Enji opened the tossed pouch to find a dozen shuriken, the edges duller than combat-grade steel but still dangerous enough for a careless grip.
"Shurikenjutsu first," Yasu said, moving to stand beside the practice post. "Distance, grip, and release. I don't care if you hit the target today — I only care if you throw it correctly."
Enji tested the weight of the shuriken in his hand. He was using this type of tool for the first time in both his lives, but he adapted quickly. His first few throws landed with soft thuds in the dirt short of the target. Yasu corrected his stance, adjusted his elbow, and had him repeat it.
After a dozen throws, three found the outer edge of the target. Not perfect, but enough to make Yasu's lips twitch with the barest of approval.
Next came taijutsu fundamentals. Yasu demonstrated the Sarutobi clan's basic guard stance — low, stable, with hands positioned to allow both offense and defense. They went through footwork drills first, moving forward, backward, and side to side in measured steps. Then came simple strikes — open-hand chops, straight punches, knee lifts — all slow at first, then faster. Enji found it be similar to a mix of martial arts from his previous life.
Enji's body wasn't strong yet, but it was responsive. His mind cataloged each motion,His near perfect memory had noted the perfect postures and the techniques. His smaller body lacked the reach and power of the strikes ,but he was agile, his small body could move like a squirrel and strike unexpectedly from the enemy's blind spots.
The strength speed and reach would come to him as he grows up.
Yasu thought 'His strength is greater than one would expect from his scrawny body. Taijutsu training must be a priority'
Finally, Yasu led him into physical training — push-ups, squats, and laps around the yard. Enji was pushing his limits; the body of a child, even one recently enhanced by survival, still had its limits. But Enji didn't stop, with chakra, recovery would be faster,and this was not his previous normal world,the easiest way to get stronger was train hard and exhaust yourselves, your body, your chakra, and once it recovers you will see the increments.
When they finally paused, sweat streaked Enji's face and his breaths came short.
"Exhaust your chakra and once it recovers, your chakra reserves will increase. Similarly train your body till you are exhausted,and once it recovers you will see the changes.
But don't go overboard. I'm warning you chakra exhaustion can lead to your death. Training your body till exhaustion without proper recovery can leave behind hidden injuries. Keep this in mind"
Seeing Enji not utter a single word of complaint and seeing his desire for more training, yasu warned.
"Yes sensei" Enji complied. He knew the risks.He was just engrossed in the feeling of his body getting stronger. He had never before experienced his body strengthen within a day, this was truly a world of superhumans.He supressed his excitement and returned to focus.
"You've got discipline," Yasu said simply. "Discipline and focus will carry you further than talent without them.Now you will rest, have your lunch and continue the same training session in the evening, I will be there to supervise and correct any mistakes, but only for today.
From tomorrow onwards you will train by yourself. I will test your every 7 days and once I feel your progress is satisfactory, we will move onto the next phase"
Enji thanked him seriously, he was truly grateful.
He knew how to train from his memories, but having a teacher would help him avoid many detours.
Yasu's face softened, he passed a water bottle to Enji while thinking ' The child is diligent, focused and grateful, truly a good seed for nuturing'
Enji drank, the cool water easing the dryness in his throat. Inside, he was already mapping out tomorrow's routine.
This was only the beginning.
Yasu, feeling happy and satisfied that he got a good student and not a spoilt clan kid ,took him for lunch.
As the day progressed, the training continued.
Enji's body was dead tired by the time he crawled into the futon, but his mind felt refreshed.
He slowly drifted into sleep as he dreamt of a day where he could walk anywhere without fearing anyone or anything.
Enji had taken his first step on the road to power.
This would be the start of a legend.