Chương 5: BUG？

Watching his parents leave, Dongye Zhen sat silently on his bed, sensing the extracted chakra slowly dissipating. Chakra wasn't like the "internal power" or "mana" from his previous life's stories; it couldn't be stored indefinitely. Once extracted, if it wasn't used, it would gradually bleed back into the body. Unless, of course, one used a specialized method to accumulate it—like Tsunade's Strength of a Hundred Seal.

Zhen waited until the chakra had completely vanished before immediately forming the Ram seal again to continue extraction. This was the essence of chakra cultivation. Because chakra was "extract-to-use" energy, shinobi would typically prepare it right before a fight. The problem, however, was that your enemies wouldn't just stand there and wait for you to finish your "loading bar." Shinobi weren't chivalrous heroes; they didn't care about honor or waiting for a fair duel.

Being a shinobi was a profession of efficiency. Completing the mission was the primary goal, and for that, any means were acceptable—sneak attacks, poisoning, kidnapping loved ones—that was all basic operating procedure. If you spent time extracting chakra in front of an enemy, their only choice would be to send you to the afterlife immediately. With a shinobi's speed, that split second was enough for them to kill you nine different ways.

To have any real combat effectiveness, a shinobi had to train chakra extraction until it became a bodily instinct. The standard for this "instinct" was being able to balance physical and spiritual energy without conscious effort or hand seals—extracting chakra at a mere thought. At the pinnacle of mastery, the body could even synthesize a small amount of chakra automatically during downtime.

The purpose of the Yin Seal (Strength of a Hundred) was to collect and compress this naturally synthesized, overflowing chakra, allowing for an explosive release during battle. It effectively gave the user a massive second mana bar, providing a natural advantage and even eternal youth. Rumor had it that was exactly what Tsunade did—a woman in her fifties who spent every day looking like she was anywhere between ten and thirty.

During his second extraction, Zhen found that with the experience of a successful attempt, the process was much easier. He no longer had to meticulously balance the ratio of the two energies. His body seemed to have developed a memory, gradually solidifying the synthesis pathway. The speed increased slightly, though he still needed the Ram seal for assistance. Perfect. This will be my nightly homework until it becomes pure instinct. Once the chakra dissipated again, Zhen began his third extraction.

After repeating this cycle several times, he checked the clock and ended his training; it was nearly bedtime. Since his reincarnation, his schedule had become extremely disciplined. He slept on time to give his body ample recovery, ensuring no fatigue carried over to the next day. He also woke up precisely on time to exercise, never allowing himself the luxury of sleeping in. Stepping into the living room, he found his parents had already turned in. Several empty sake bottles sat on the table.

Both were young adults in their early twenties; usually, after a long separation, they'd be engaged in some "invigorating physical activity," but the master bedroom was silent. It seemed the couple had been a bit too happy about their son being a genius and accidentally overindulged. Now, they were dead to the world. Being a shinobi was a profession that required constant vigilance, which was why alcohol was one of the "Three Inhibitions."

For them to let loose like this suggested that, beyond their joy, they truly viewed their home as a safe harbor. Humans are a species prone to extremes, and shinobi wielding immense power are even more so. Most of the masterminds behind the scenes in this world turned into psychopaths because they lost a brother, a goddess, or a best friend. A happy family was the ultimate cure for that madness. Unfortunately, that was the one thing most shinobi lacked.

Zhen quietly cleared the empty bottles and snacks from the table, did a quick cleaning of the house, and prepared for bed. Back in his room, seeing he still had a little time, he sat on the edge of the bed and practiced his hand seal speed. Currently, he wasn't sure what his future combat style would be. He didn't know if he was better suited for Ninjutsu, Taijutsu, or Genjutsu, but regardless, "grinding" hand seal speed was never a mistake.

When his self-imposed bedtime arrived, Zhen performed one last chakra extraction. Once he felt his cells beginning to tire while his body hummed with power, he lay down to sleep, letting the chakra dissipate naturally. The biological clock he'd cultivated over the years allowed him to drift off the moment his head hit the pillow. But tonight, something went wrong. He quickly realized he was still conscious—abnormally so. His senses felt sharper than ever. Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve.

Read this novel on Royal Road. This shouldn't be happening. He had a happy family and a fulfilling daily life; he wasn't suffering from any mental exhaustion or "internal friction" that would cause insomnia. Was he too excited about his first successful extraction? Or was it caused by the dissipating chakra? Since he couldn't sleep, Zhen decided to head to the study to look up more chakra theory, hoping for an answer. But he quickly discovered he couldn't move. His body felt as if it were pinned to the bed.

The sensation was familiar; he'd experienced it in his previous life before the college entrance exams. Back then, there were nights where he could see clearly, but his perspective was fixed, his body was paralyzed, and a sense of uncontrollable dread would wash over him. It had terrified him until he learned it was just sleep paralysis, commonly known as "ghost pressing," often caused by high stress in teenagers. Knowing the cause meant there was nothing to fear.

Zhen even found himself observing the ceiling of his bedroom with interest. Then he realized he was wrong. This was not the sleep paralysis from his previous life. His body was indeed fixed—he couldn't even move his eyes—but his perspective could rotate. He could look wherever he wanted, at will, like a fixed camera with a 360-degree gimbal. And then he "saw" his own body sleeping soundly on the bed. Currently, he seemed to be hovering directly above himself. What is this? An out-of-body experience? Stay calm.

Zhen analyzed the situation. This was the Naruto world; unlike his previous life, souls were real and visible. He knew of several instances. Beyond the dead in the Pure Land who could be brought back via Reanimation, Orochimaru would eventually start carving up his own soul, and Dan Katō used to let his soul fly out to kill people. Even Shadow Clones were a division of consciousness. But those involved free movement. He was currently stuck—able to see, but not to move.

He ran through all the intel he had, but nothing quite matched his situation. So, he began to observe the world through this new perspective, trying to find the cause. That's when he noticed the difference. The world was the same, the environment was the same... but the air was saturated with an omnipresent, thin mist. This was something he could never see or feel through his physical eyes. Under this special vision, the mist moved in ribbon-like currents, like rivers flowing freely between heaven and earth.

They were pale white, red, green, purple, blue—an array of colors. What are these? Zhen tried to move them with his mind and found he could slightly nudge them. He tried to "bait" the most abundant color—the red mist. As soon as a wisp of red touched his consciousness, a wave of sheer, unadulterated madness and violence rushed in. Danger! Danger! He instinctively severed the connection and expelled the red mist. So I can manually drive it out? Then there's nothing to fear.

He tried the other colors and found them all dangerous; unlike the red's aggressive invasion, the others seemed to want to "assimilate" him. Only the white was different. The white mist seemed to be trying to decompose him, but its power was weak, making the process so slow it was tolerable. Zhen noticed that after the white mist tangled with his consciousness, it flowed down into his sleeping body. He watched calmly. His body showed no ill effects.

His consciousness, hovering above, seemed to have become a filter, resisting the white mist's decomposition and funneling the "filtered" energy into his flesh. As he filtered, Zhen pondered. What exactly was this mist? He went through every piece of Naruto lore he knew. There was only one answer: Natural Energy. But are there really that many types of natural energy? The original story never mentioned this. Is this my "Cheat"? As a reincarnator, Zhen had naturally hoped for a "Gold Finger."

After all, cheating was legal in this world and wouldn't get your account banned. Bloodline cheats aside, late-game Admin Hagoromo literally descended to give his reincarnated sons "God Mode." He gave them bloodlines, then his sons' reincarnated chakra, then instant resurrection, and then Six Paths Yin-Yang power. He gave them everything until he had nothing left to give. It was practically shameless. Zhen was just a commoner.

No Sage eyes, no Sage body, and no one had stuffed a giant pet inside him to act as a space heater. For a while, he had tried calling out for a "System," a "Status Window," or a "Deep Blue" panel before bed, but there was never any response. So he had turned to relentless self-discipline, trying to grow strong through sheer effort. He had even planned that if his body truly lacked talent, he'd go find Might Dai, call him "Godfather," and learn the Eight Inner Gates to trade his lifespan for power.

As for Orochimaru... the man was too creepy. Ordinary people couldn't handle him; you'd just end up as lab waste. He hadn't expected his "Cheat" to arrive today. Did this mean he didn't have to work hard anymore? I worked hard before the cheat, and if I still work hard after the cheat, didn't the cheat come for nothing? No. Zhen felt that, if anything, he needed to work even harder now. Just then, Zhen felt his consciousness starting to strain. If he continued, he might fade away and become part of the white mist.

He immediately severed the connection, like a cad disappearing after getting what he wanted. His consciousness felt a wave of exhaustion and, with a single thought, plunged back into the body on the bed, falling into a deep, heavy sleep. It seemed this "Cheat" wasn't easy to use. One slip-up and he could turn himself into a vegetable. Natural energy was great, but you couldn't overindulge. Eat too much, and you'd "ascend to heaven" a bit too literally