Following the chakra capacity test, there had been a quiet tension in the air. A kind of buzz that hadn't previously been there. Whispers accompanied Kagerō wherever he went now. Not quite loud enough to hear. But quite loud enough to be noticed.
Manju had spoken loudly once the discs were removed.
"Next test," he said, holding a flat leaf between two fingers. "Leaf-sticking. Keep it on your forehead with chakra for three minutes."
The kids seemed overjoyed. Although young, all these children had been prepared since a young age to become shinobi. Even in civilian families, children with potential would be scouted through simple tests and encouraged to train and bring glory to their name through war merits. Hence, most of them had prepared enough to know this exercise.
"Easy, right? Lose it, and you begin again."
Some kids grumbled. One stumbled over their words asking if it was graded. Manju disregarded them.
Kagerō didn't need instructions. He'd done this hundreds of times. On paper, on clothes, even on cups when no one was looking.
He took his leaf and found his spot. There were no mats, no shelter, just the wide yard under a gray sky and the soft hiss of wind against the factory walls.
He sat cross-legged. Held the leaf to his forehead. Inhaled.
And let his chakra flow.
It was smooth now. Natural. Like turning a page or lighting a candle. He left the chakra nestled under the leaf; level and firm, a still stream that was neither too much nor too little. Just enough.
The wind picked up halfway through. Someone sneezed behind him. A leaf blew onto the ground.
Kagerō didn't shift. But he compensated.
Easy. As if he were breathing using a second set of lungs. He adjusted the angle of chakra ever so slightly to resist the change in wind pressure. The leaf did not even waver.
And then, with no reason whatsoever but curiosity, he drew two more leaves out of the pile at his elbow.
He laid one on each hand.
'Let's try this.'
One on the forehead. Two on the palms. Different skin, different pressure points and different muscle tensions.
He held them.
Thirty seconds.
A minute.
Two.
All three leaves remained.
At the three-minute mark, when Manju blew the whistle, Kagerō gently let them fall into his lap.
He glanced up. One of the instructors by the clipboard was scowling at him as if he'd sprouted an extra head.
"Three?" one of them growled.
"Is he… experimenting?" whispered another.
Manju didn't say anything. Just made a note.
The others had finished around him. Rei sat stiff, sweat dripping down his temple, but his leaf remained. His control was good, but obviously took effort.
Yuni had bungled at the beginning, her leaf dropping off twice, but on the third try, she did something strange. She remained still but pulled her foot under her, and slowly, consciously, channeled chakra through her toes.
She smiled when the leaf finally adhered. "Told you dancing teaches balance," she said to no one in general.
Dazuro did not bat an eye the whole time. His leaf was stuck there like glue. The quiet was so tense like he'd petrified himself.
Manju applauded once. "Not bad. We'll see who can sustain it."
Then, as nonchalantly as ever, he gestured to the other side of the yard. "Next test station. Move."
Kagerō joined the others.
And just as he was about to leave, he stooped down and picked a fresh leaf from the ground.
He wasn't finished testing yet.
The queue went at a slow pace around the next station, broad ceramic stepping stones placed along a raised rail. Dull and pale at initial observation, but when Manju placed one foot upon one, it glowed steadily blue under the sandal.
"Those are chakra tiles," he explained, moving back. "Charge chakra through the soles of your feet as you walk. If your control is good, the tiles glow evenly. If it's not… you'll find out."
Some children giggled nervously.
Others looked down at their feet as if they'd forgotten they had them.
Kagerō stood in wait silently. Fists behind his back, fingers tapping gently to the rhythm. He had never set foot on these tiles, yet chakra through the feet? That made sense.
Rei tried it first. He strode like one attempting to march through the sand. Firm strides with heavy shots of chakra. The first several tiles ignited with a brilliant, near-white light. But the light soon began to struggle, flickered, returned in a burst, then weakened.
"Hn," Manju snorted, unfazed.
Rei scowled but didn't protest.
Yuni was up next. She stood with a dancer's stance, light and elegant. Her initial steps were good, every tile shining like a firefly. But in the middle, her shine disappeared. Her foot slipped, and she staggered with a small gasp before regaining her balance.
She still smiled at the finish. "That was fun."
Dazuro was next.
He stumbled out onto the pathway as if he didn't care. But tiles glowed continuously under him.
Thump. Thump. Thump
Silent and uniform. As if he were marching to a step only he knew.
Manju cocked his eyebrows. 'This brat..who is he?'
Kagerō came forward.
The tiles were chilly under his feet, even over his scuffed sandals.
Breathe.
Letting chakra accumulate downward, through his legs and into the soles of his feet, he started walking.
No stutter. No flash. The tiles illuminated below each step with a soft, consistent color. Calm and clear.
Like a lake reflecting a peaceful sky.
Kagerō had reached the halfway point and slowed for a moment. On purpose.
Then, with a curious cock of his head, he tweaked his output just a little and proceeded to walk.
The light grew stronger, but not better. It cost more effort. He could feel the drain on his reserves. It was wasteful. Less… elegant.
He tucked that away.
In the end, Manju was observing him intently.
"That one is using this chakra reactive field like his training grounds." one teacher whispered to his side.
Kagerō didn't grin. But he bowed his head graciously and moved aside for the next child.
Behind him, Rei was biting his lip.
Yuni tussled her hair to the side and whispered, "Show-off."
Dazuro nodded only once as if he'd been taking notes as well.
Manju checked the clipboard. "Last control test coming up. Ten minutes break. Don't waste it."
Kagerō sat on a stone slab and tucked his legs under him.
He learned something new today.
Too much chakra wasn't strength.
It was just noise.
Following the chakra tiles, they were taken to a quieter part of the testing ground, a room with mats unrolled across the floor and low benches heaped with jars of thick, dark ink.
Manju motioned for them to sit.
"Next one's voluntary," he replied, his tone flat. "Most don't try it. No penalty if you succeed. No benefit either."
The kids shifted uncomfortably.
"Chakra Coil Visualization," he went on. "Ink gets drawn on your core points. You flow chakra. If you're careless, the ink pools or drips. If you're effective… it charts the routes your chakra follows."
Rei snorted under his breath. "What's the use of this one?
"Knowing your own body," Manju replied quietly. "It makes a difference."
Kagerō already knew he would take it.
He moved forward as the instructors indicated, tugging up the plain cloth tunic they all wore. The ink was cold when the brush drew upon his stomach. A swirled pattern above his navel, then lines down his arms and legs, along the collarbones and spine. It smelled faintly metallic, like wet steel and old paper.
"Start," the instructor instructed.
Kagerō shut his eyes.
Breathed in. Out.
Chakra stirred.
He pushed it slowly, evenly, over the tenketsu around his navel and out, up his body, branching along arms, towards fingertips. Down his legs, curving through calves and toes. A moment later, he felt the ink react, cool filaments pulling across his skin as they traced the hidden rivers beneath.
He continued.
He sensed resistance around his left shoulder. It was hard to penetrate.
Same around his right ankle.
That's new, he thought, redistributing pressure. He hadn't paid attention there at all in meditation. Too superficial, too readily overlooked.
The ink got there anyway. Eventually.
When he opened his eyes, the instructors were already packing in tighter.
The ink had flowed evenly. Beautifully, even. Delicate, defined branches curled down his limbs like meticulous brushwork. Even some capillary lines at his wrists and elbows had darkened.
"Not just immaculate flow," one teacher grumbled. "He's consciously controlled his chakra."
Another leaned forward, peering. "See the lateral coil marks. Did you notice that on the last child?"
"No, that's more control than they're trained to have."
Kagerō overheard it all but said nothing.
He was already marking the skipped areas. The shoulder. The ankle. The meditation tomorrow would be there.
Rei was up next. His ink filled quickly but mainly on his chest and belly. It just grazed his elbows. The instructors nodded. Strong, but in a small area.
Yuni shifted while they painted her. Her arms shone with ink following circulation, but her legs were weak. Her concentration was obviously upper-body. Dancer's training, perhaps.
Dazuro remained absolutely still during his turn. The ink crept forward slowly, painfully so, but eventually, all four limbs were stamped. A flawless map, inscribed with precision.
Manju said little. He examined the patterns, granted each a grunt of approval, then bellowed:
"Clean up and grab some lunch. Take the rest of the day off."
Kagerō scrubbed the ink from his skin with a damp rag.
The marks were erased.
But the pathways remained noted in his mind.