Year of Establishment: Third Year of Konoha's Founding
Month: January
Kenichi Sato's Age: 6 years and 9 months
With the start of the new year, Konoha entered a period of winter stillness. The trees were bare, the roads damp with light rain, and the village quieter than usual. But Kenichi's heart knew no stillness.
The official holiday that preceded the second academic year had begun, lasting a full two months. For most children, it was a time to rest, play, or spend time with family. But for him, it was a rare window of time... a golden opportunity.
On the first day of the break, he wrote in his notebook:
> "Goal of this phase: complete fusion between the Six Powers and foot chakra, refine Rankyaku, review fundamentals of the Body Replacement Technique, and create new exercises to mask physical changes."
He called this phase "Days of Isolation." It wasn't just physical isolation—it was mental too. No communication with academy classmates, no gatherings, no daily complaints. Just him, his body, his mind, and the system he followed with discipline.
He woke up every day at 4:00 a.m., as usual. The cold was harsh on his small body, but his spirit drew strength from thirty years lived in a ruthless world.
Each training session began with calm breathing exercises, followed by low-intensity physical warm-ups. Then came the practical application.
—
His first priority was Rankyaku—the sharp air kick. At first, he could only stir the air without actually slicing it. But he began to understand that the secret wasn't brute strength, but rather speed, precision, and concentrated chakra.
He experimented with different leg angles, various heights, and used controlled chakra to manage the shape and force of the burst. He documented every observation, even the smallest detail, in his notebook with precise, neat handwriting.
After two weeks, he managed to unleash his first clean kick, cutting the grass a meter ahead without dispersing. It was a silent moment—but he smiled when he saw the leaf split calmly in two.
> "Energy isn't wasted—it's focused." he wrote in his notebook.
—
Alongside Rankyaku, he began developing a new form of the Body Replacement Technique, blending Geppo with instantaneous chakra-assisted jumps. His goal wasn't just escape—it was true disappearance.
His idea was to teleport instantly between two points using chakra pressure in the feet, synchronized with precise breathing. It was like playing a delicate instrument—any misstep in timing ruined the harmony.
He kept experimenting until he found the right balance between foot chakra and upper body control, allowing him to shift positions without leaving a visible trace.
One day, he jumped from a rooftop edge to the ground and returned in an instant to his original spot. Even the birds didn't notice his movement.
> "True substitution isn't an optical trick… it's surpassing expectation."
—
Despite his intense focus, he didn't neglect his body. He knew that the physical changes caused by the Six Powers could lead to unbalanced muscle development. So he designed new physical routines that masked visible changes, focusing on relaxing prominent muscles and distributing effort evenly across tissue to avoid sudden shifts in appearance.
He retrained his breathing techniques, this time combining them with basic taijutsu movements he had learned at the academy, crafting a rhythm that blended strength with serenity.
> "A ninja with hidden strength must also cast a light shadow."
—
One morning, during a deep breathing exercise, his mother entered the room and found him frozen in an unusual pose—like a statue.
She laughed and said, "You train more than the grown-up ninja!"
He replied with a smile, "I'm just trying to be stronger than I was yesterday."
She never once suspected that her child hid behind his eyes an entire world of knowledge and plans.
In the evening, he helped her prepare food, trying to act normal, to laugh when she joked, to listen to her simple stories. That too was part of his training—maintaining the mask.
—
At the end of the first month, on one early morning as Kenichi practiced Rankyaku with unusual discipline, he released a sharp kick that drew a clean line into the wooden wall across from him.
Then he heard a faint sound—movement on the roof.
He looked up quickly, catching a glimpse of a figure moving away silently without pause, leaving no trace.
He wasn't sure, but something about the way that shadow moved… its brief presence… made him think of only one name:
"Tobirama Senju?"
Maybe he wasn't watching. Maybe he was just passing by… but Kenichi felt as if an unspoken test had begun.
—
The next day, he wrote in his notebook:
> "If he saw me… I'll be in his thoughts. If he ignored me, perhaps he's testing my patience. Either way… I'm drawing the eyes of the great."
End of Chapter Six.