The morning sun cast long shadows across the Temple of Fire's training courtyard as Carl returned with a wooden chest carried by two of his guards.
Five hundred million ryō.
The donation had been Chiriku's price—though the monk would never have called it that. Carl had understood the subtext immediately during their conversation the previous day. The Temple of Fire's finances were strained. The incident with Sora's chakra rampage years ago had damaged not only the monks but also the Sealed Iron Wall itself, draining the temple's accumulated wealth to fund repairs and medical treatment.
A prince offering to become a disciple was unusual. A prince offering five hundred million ryō in "incense money" alongside his discipleship was impossible to refuse.
Money opens doors, Carl thought as he watched the guards set down the chest. Even in a world of ninjas.
The apprenticeship ceremony was brief—a formal acknowledgment before the temple's main altar, witnessed by senior monks, sealed with incense and prayer. Carl performed each ritual gesture with careful precision, aware that every movement was being evaluated.
Then the real work began.
---
The practice hall in the temple's rear courtyard was austere: wooden floors worn smooth by generations of training, paper screens filtering the morning light, a single scroll rack against one wall. Chiriku knelt on a cushion with a teaching scroll spread before him.
"Your Highness, we will begin—"
"Shishō," Carl interrupted, using the formal term for master. "Since I have formally become your disciple, there's no need for titles. Please, call me Chuan."
He'd chosen the character from his assigned name—Yuan Chuan—as his informal address. Simple. Easy to remember. And it created distance from the identity of "the prince," which would only complicate his training.
Chiriku's expression softened slightly. "Very well, Chuan. Then let me explain the fundamentals of chakra extraction, and the unique properties of our temple's Sennin Gift."
Carl straightened his posture, giving his full attention.
"Chakra," Chiriku began, "is the foundation of all ninjutsu, taijutsu enhancement, and genjutsu. It is created by combining the physical energy of the body's cells with the spiritual energy of the mind. The 130 trillion cells in your body each contain energy—learning to draw that energy out and merge it with your spirit is the first step."
Carl nodded. This aligned with what he'd read and remembered from his fragmentary manga knowledge.
"However, the Sennin Gift of our temple is different from ordinary chakra." Chiriku's voice carried a note of pride. "When we extract chakra, we also draw in a very small amount of natural energy from the world around us. This natural energy is incorporated into the mixture, creating what we call sennin chakra."
Natural energy. Carl's mind immediately made connections. Like Sage Mode, but a passive, diluted version.
"Because of this natural energy component," Chiriku continued, "our sennin chakra has properties that ordinary chakra lacks. It nourishes the body over time, gradually strengthening physical capabilities. This is why the monks of our temple excel at taijutsu—our chakra itself improves our bodies with every use."
"Are there drawbacks?" Carl asked.
Chiriku paused, a flicker of discomfort crossing his features.
"The extraction process is... slower," he admitted. "Because we must balance three energies instead of two, the rate at which we can refine chakra is reduced compared to ordinary methods. For most shinobi, this tradeoff would be unacceptable—they need to refine chakra quickly during combat, and they can improve their bodies through other means."
That explains why the Temple of Fire has never produced a Kage-level fighter, Carl realized. Slower chakra refinement means smaller reserves, fewer techniques per battle, longer recovery times. In a world where combat can be decided in seconds, that's a significant handicap.
But for Carl's purposes, the tradeoff was acceptable—even advantageous.
He wasn't planning to fight extended ninja battles. He was here to learn fundamentals, to awaken his chakra system, to build a foundation that would enhance his capabilities back in the Marvel Universe. The passive physical enhancement of sennin chakra might prove more valuable than raw refinement speed.
And there was another consideration: If sennin chakra already incorporates natural energy, it might create useful synergies with Sage Mode techniques—or with Orochimaru's curse seal, if I ever encounter that.
"I understand, Shishō," Carl said. "Please teach me the Sennin Gift extraction method."
---
That evening, alone in his private quarters, Carl began his first attempt at chakra extraction.
The room was simple—a futon, a low desk, a single window overlooking the mountain forest. Unlike the other disciples who slept in communal dormitories, his status as a prince afforded him private accommodations. Carl had sent Jinai and the servants back to the capital; he hadn't come here to be attended.
That decision seemed to please Chiriku, Carl noted. Good. The more seriously he takes me as a student, the more he'll teach.
He settled into a cross-legged position and closed his eyes.
Physical energy from the body's cells. Spiritual energy from the mind. Natural energy from the environment. Three forces, balanced and merged.
According to Chiriku, most beginners took one to two weeks just to sense these energies, let alone combine them. The process required patience, self-awareness, and precise internal control.
Carl smiled slightly in the darkness.
Patience, I have. Self-awareness—two lifetimes of experience. And precise control...
In his previous life, he'd spent years as an underground fighter. Not the flashy kind who relied on natural talent and aggression, but the calculating kind who survived through technical mastery. He'd learned to control his breathing, his heartbeat, every muscle fiber in his body. Without that control, he would have died in a cage long before the System ever found him.
He turned that control inward now.
Physical energy first.
He focused on his body—not as a whole, but as a collection of systems. Muscles. Organs. Bones. Blood. The cells that comprised them, each one a tiny furnace of biological energy.
The enhanced Naruto-world physique made this easier than expected. His cells were denser, more numerous, practically thrumming with vitality. Where an ordinary person might struggle to sense their own internal energy, Carl could feel his body like a network of interconnected power sources.
There.
He isolated that physical energy, holding it in his awareness.
Now spiritual energy.
This was more abstract, but Carl had advantages here too. Two lifetimes of accumulated experience. Years of life-or-death combat that had forged his will into something unbreakable. Memories layered upon memories, creating a density of consciousness that most twenty-year-olds couldn't match.
He found his spiritual energy coiled at the center of his being—not in any physical location, but in the space where self existed. It felt like compressed potential, like a spring waiting to release.
And natural energy.
This was the tricky part. Natural energy came from outside—from the air, the earth, the living things around him. Sage Mode practitioners spent years learning to sense it, and even longer learning to absorb it safely.
But the Sennin Gift didn't require mastery of natural energy. It only required a touch—the smallest amount, blended into the mixture to create the characteristic golden chakra of the temple.
Carl extended his awareness beyond his body, into the room around him. The wooden walls. The mountain air. The ancient trees outside his window. The temple itself, steeped in centuries of accumulated spiritual presence.
There.
A whisper of something other. Something vast and patient, like an ocean glimpsed through a keyhole.
He didn't try to draw it in. Instead, he opened himself slightly—just a crack—and let the natural energy flow toward him in the smallest possible quantity.
Now. Combine.
Physical energy. Spiritual energy. Natural energy.
Three rivers flowing toward a single point.
For a moment, there was resistance—like gears that didn't quite mesh. Then something clicked, and the energies merged.
Golden light flickered behind Carl's closed eyelids.
He opened his eyes and looked down at his hands.
A faint golden luminescence emanated from his palms—barely visible, but unmistakably present. The characteristic glow of sennin chakra.
That took about ten seconds, Carl noted clinically. Slower than ordinary chakra extraction would be, according to Chiriku. But I doubt "normal" beginners manage it in less than a week.
The System, predictably, had something to say:
┌─ SYSTEM ──────────────────────────────┐
│ CHAKRA NETWORK: UNLOCKED │
│ │
│ Sennin Chakra successfully extracted │
│ │
│ Current Reserves: 2% of maximum │
│ Refinement Rate: 0.3% per hour │
│ (Reduced due to Sennin method) │
│ │
│ Elemental Affinities: │
│ • Fire ████████████████████ 100% │
│ • Water ████████████████████ 100% │
│ • Earth ████████████████████ 100% │
│ • Lightning ████████████████████ 100% │
│ • Wind ████████████████████ 100% │
│ │
│ Note: Five-element affinity is │
│ extremely rare. Maximize potential │
│ through diverse technique acquisition.
└────────────────────────────────────────┘
Five perfect affinities, Carl thought, studying the display. That's the Advanced completion reward paying dividends.
In the Naruto world, most ninjas had one or two elemental affinities—natural talents that made certain types of jutsu easier to learn and more powerful to use. Having all five meant Carl could theoretically master any elemental technique without handicap.
Of course, theoretical potential means nothing without actual techniques. That's what the next three months are for.
He let the chakra dissipate and settled in to sleep.
Tomorrow, the real training began.
---
"Chuan, chakra extraction using the Sennin method is more difficult than normal methods. You'll need patience. After your attempt last night, if you have questions or difficulties, please share them—I'll provide guidance."
Chiriku's voice was gentle, almost paternal. He clearly expected his new disciple to be frustrated, confused, possibly on the verge of giving up.
"Our goal for the next two weeks is simply to achieve your first successful extraction. Only then can we proceed to—"
"Shishō," Carl interrupted quietly. "I've already extracted chakra."
Silence.
Chiriku's expression shifted through several phases: confusion, disbelief, concern that his disciple was lying to save face.
"Chuan... there's no need to feel pressured. Taking several months to first extract chakra is completely normal. Many talented shinobi—"
Carl didn't argue. Instead, he raised his right hand and concentrated.
The golden glow of sennin chakra bloomed from his palm.
Chiriku's mouth opened, but no sound emerged. He stared at Carl's hand like a man watching the impossible occur—which, from his perspective, it was.
Yesterday, this young man had no chakra at all, Chiriku's expression seemed to say. Not a trace. And now...
"I practiced last night," Carl said simply. "The method you taught was very clear."
What he didn't say: My physical energy is off the charts because this body's cells have doubled since I arrived. My spiritual energy is amplified by two lifetimes of experience. And my control over my own body has been honed through years of combat.
For Carl, extracting chakra hadn't been a challenge.
It had been inevitable.
Chiriku slowly closed his mouth. Something shifted in his eyes—reassessment, perhaps. Or the beginning of genuine interest.
"I see," he said finally. "Your talent... is remarkable. If you had begun training as a child..."
He trailed off, but Carl understood the implication. You might have become a truly powerful shinobi. What a waste that you're starting at twenty.
Carl let him think that. It wasn't exactly wrong.
"Since you've successfully extracted chakra," Chiriku continued, his tone becoming more businesslike, "we can skip ahead. Today, we'll learn the foundation of all ninjutsu: hand seals."
He demonstrated a gesture—both hands pressed together, index fingers extended and touching, other fingers interlocked.
"There are twelve basic hand seals, each corresponding to an animal of the zodiac. Most ninjutsu require sequences of these seals to activate. The seals serve two purposes: they help the user focus their chakra, and they shape that chakra into specific forms."
"The first seal is Ne—the Rat."
He showed the gesture clearly.
Carl studied it for exactly two seconds, then replicated it perfectly.
Chiriku examined his student's hands, searching for flaws in the finger positioning or wrist angle. He found none.
"...Correct," he said, a note of surprise creeping into his voice. "The Rat seal is relatively simple. Let's proceed to Ushi—the Ox."
He demonstrated the second seal.
Carl copied it flawlessly.
The third seal. The fourth. The fifth.
Each time, Carl needed only a single glance to reproduce the gesture with textbook precision. His fingers moved with the fluid control of someone who had spent decades mastering their body—which, in a sense, he had.
By the time they reached the twelfth seal—Inoshishi, the Boar—Chiriku had stopped showing surprise. His expression had settled into something more complex: respect, perhaps, mixed with growing curiosity.
"You have perfect muscle memory," he observed. "And exceptional fine motor control. These are not skills that come from a sheltered life in a prince's mansion."
It wasn't a question, but it demanded an answer.
Carl met his master's eyes evenly.
"I've trained my body for years," he said. "In private. The prince who never left his mansion... perhaps he had reasons to stay hidden while he prepared."
A half-truth. The original Yuan Chuan had indeed been a recluse—but from indifference, not secret training. Carl was borrowing that reputation to explain abilities the real prince never possessed.
Chiriku studied him for a long moment.
"I see," he said finally. "Then I will not insult you by proceeding slowly. If your talent is genuine, we will move at the pace you can handle."
"Thank you, Shishō."
"Don't thank me yet." A hint of something sharp entered Chiriku's voice—not cruelty, but intensity. "Tomorrow, we begin actual ninjutsu training. And I will not be gentle."
Carl smiled slightly.
Good.
He had three months to absorb everything this temple could teach him. Every day mattered. Every hour.
Somewhere in another universe—frozen in a single moment of time—Wanda slept peacefully, trusting that her husband would be there when she woke.
Carl intended to keep that trust.
Whatever it took.
---
[END CHAPTER 3]
---
Vocabulary Used:
- Shishō (師匠) - Master/Teacher
- Sennin (仙人) - Sage/Hermit (used for "Sennin Gift" = Sennin no Sainō)
- Ne, Ushi, etc. - Japanese zodiac animal names for hand seals
- Ryō - Naruto world currency
---
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