The sun hung high in the late summer sky, the city's usual hum softened by the gentle sea breeze as we settled on the sand, away from the clamour of other children.
Bakugo sprawled nearby, arms crossed, eyes half-lidded in a mix of boredom and sceptical curiosity.
Midoriya sat attentively beside me, face flushed with anticipation and nerves.
I turned to him, voice steady and low, cutting through the distant crash of waves.
"Midoriya, there's something you need to understand first. Chakra isn't magic or a sudden burst of power. It's energy—life energy—that flows through all living things. If you want to use it, you first have to feel it."
Midoriya's eyes brightened despite the heat. "I'm ready. Teach me."
I glanced over at Bakugo, who smirked, leaning forward with casual arrogance.
"Honestly, it sounds like a useless party trick compared to my explosions. But if you wanna waste time training that, suit yourself."
Nagato: "Alright. The first step is simple, but it takes patience. Chakra flows through your body like a river. You have to sense that flow, steady and subtle. If you've ever felt your heartbeat or focused on your breathing, you've touched the edge of it."
Midoriya nodded, settling into a cross-legged position on the warm sand. I mirrored him, palms resting loosely on knees.
Nagato: "Close your eyes. Breathe slowly. In… two… three… out… two… three… Don't rush it. Don't try to force anything."
Bakugo, never one for sitting quietly, threw a pebble into the surf, watching it skip twice before sinking.
"This is dumb. You really gonna sit there all day trying to feel invisible energy? I could blow a building up and call it a day."
Nagato: "The power to sense what others cannot is stronger than any explosion, Bakugo. Patience is a weapon. Now, focus."
Midoriya closed his eyes tighter, breathing even deeper. Time dragged as the sun tracked overhead and the sea whispered secrets in rhythm with their slow, steady breaths.
Minutes passed.
Midoriya: "Am I… supposed to feel something? Like what?" His voice wavered and was almost about to cry.
Nagato: "Imagine a thin thread running through your body from the soles of your feet to the top of your head—subtle, calming. It's Chakra. It might feel like warmth, tingling, or just a quiet presence inside. Don't strain to find it; instead, let your senses relax around it."
Bakugo couldn't resist.
"So, what, you invisible spiderwebs or something? Bet if I tried this, I'd just fall asleep."
Midoriya shot him a glare that made Bakugo snicker.
Midoriya: "I'm going to try until I can feel it. I don't care how long it takes."
The afternoon heat made sweat bead on their foreheads, but perseverance kept them rooted. I watched both boys in turn—Midoriya's determination, Bakugo's simmering impatience, and the quiet curiosity beneath.
Chakra detection was no light skill, but a slumbering force waiting to be coaxed awake.
Hours passed.
The beach colours shifted to deep golds and purples as evening began to curl over the horizon. Neither Midoriya nor Bakugo had spoken much in the later afternoon except for occasional comments that ranged from Bakugo's sharp jokes—
"I swear, thinking too hard will turn your brain into mush, Deku. You've got about five seconds before that happens."
—to Midoriya's hopeful murmurs:
"Maybe I felt it that time… or maybe it's just the wind."
I smiled at their growing bond—rivalry wrapped in friendship, stubbornness mixed with dreams. Bakugo might joke, but deep down, even he recognized the weight of the moment.
As twilight deepened and the city lights blinked alive, I finally began to sense something subtle stirring within Midoriya. The faintest ripple of energy, a pulse syncing with his breath.
Nagato: "You felt it just now, Midoriya. That was chakra."
A gasp escaped Midoriya's lips. Bakugo blinked in surprise, an expression momentarily stripped raw.
Midoriya: "I really did? I… I felt it?"
Bakugo: "Son of a—guess Deku's not so useless after all. You really got some hidden power,."
Midoriya grinned wide, cheeks flushed with awe and excitement.
"Thank you, Nagato. I won't waste this chance!"
Bakugo elbowed him lightly, a rare camaraderie sparkling between them.
"Just don't get cocky about it. You're still behind me."
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The days began with Nagato teaching Midoriya the basics of chakra sensing.
Each morning, they found quiet corners of the playground, patches of sun-warmed grass, or the cozy refuge of Nagato's balcony.
The air was thick with summer heat, cicadas buzzing steadily in the background, but the boys' focus was sharper than the glaring sun.
Bakugo hovered nearby, arms crossed, smirking with a mixture of boredom and skepticism.
Midoriya flushed but squared his shoulders, enthusiasm undimmed.
Nagato smiled quietly, appreciating the fierce determination in his friend's gaze.
" Chakra sensing isn't about strength or speed. Think of it like listening to your own heartbeat or feeling warmth when you're calm. At first, it'll be just a subtle tingle, a lightness in your fingertips. You have to be patient and open your senses."
Midoriya nodded-
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The summer heat had mellowed into something almost gentle by the time Nagato called Midoriya and Bakugo out for the day's training.
It was early—dew still clung to the grass, and the cicadas had only just started their chorus. In these quiet mornings, the edges of the world felt a little softer, as if the city itself wanted to hold its breath while something remarkable unfolded.
They'd been at it for months now. Every awkward "maybe" from Midoriya—every hopeful, stammered, "I think I felt it!"—had slowly solidified into real progress. The day a couple of sunsets ago, when Midoriya truly sensed his chakra and Bakugo's usual sneer faltered in genuine shock, marked a turning point.
Now, Nagato pressed forward, shifting from the mystical into the practical.
——
After a few warm-ups, the three boys gathered beneath the broad-leaved elm tree behind Nagato's apartment. Sunlight dappled the ground, the air fragrant with cut grass and traces of summer's last flowers.
Nagato sat cross-legged, motioning for the others to do the same. "Let's recap," he said, tone gentle as ever.
"Chakra is life-force, deeper than quirks. It moves through us, and now, Midoriya, you know what it feels like."
Midoriya nodded, a blush creeping up his neck in pride and nerves.
"I do, Nagato! It was… like my body humming, or hearing another heartbeat under my own." He spoke in near-reverence.
"But it's so faint…like it wants to disappear."
Bakugo eyed the two, arms folded, trying to look unimpressed.
"Great, you're humming. Still can't lift a rock with your brain, Deku. When's the cool part start?"
Nagato smirked. "That's what today is for." He swept his gaze across both friends.
"Feeling chakra is the first step. After that, you have to learn to control and harness it. It's like learning to walk before you run."
He picked up a small pebble and placed it before them. "Watch." Focusing, Nagato extended his hand, willing chakra through his fingertips. The pebble shivered, then teetered upright before quietly toppling over. "
That's the earliest application: channelling just enough energy to affect the world, even in small ways."
Both Bakugo/Midoriya stunned-
"Oi Oi , you said those with quirk can't use chakra. Why can you use it?!" - Bakugo.
Nagato pointed towards his eye and said - "I'm Built different."
"Tch, Show-off bastard"
Nagato smiled.
[Reason : Nagato had long realized that his existence straddled two distinct energies: the quirk power that defined this world and the ancient, subtle chakra that his Rinnegan allowed him to sense and, to a limited degree, wield.
His Rinnegan wasn't just a passive eye; it actively severed quirk energy's influence within him, granting him a unique connection to chakra—something invisible and dormant in most people, especially those with quirks.
The secret lay in the intricate mastery of his Preta Path, a Rinnegan ability that allowed him to absorb and manipulate various forms of energy.
He had learned to take this ability a step further, creating a duplicate of himself—not a full clone but a spectral lookalike—an ethereal vessel dedicated solely to absorbing excess energy.
This "Preta clone" acted as an energy siphon, feeding on quirk energy or ambient forces, reducing their disruptive effects around him.
But Nagato's true innovation was internal and profound.
Deep within his body, near the heart, he cultivated a separate "chakra chamber"—an internal network shielded by a precise, nearly impenetrable barrier.
This sanctuary was carved out within his energy system to store preserved chakra, physically and metaphysically isolated from quirk energy and its chaotic nature.
Quirk energy could not penetrate this barrier. This separation was critical, allowing chakra to remain pure and potent, untouched by the overwhelming quirk saturation in his world.
This complex internal network functioned like a hidden garden, enabling Nagato to draw on chakra reserves when needed while maintaining a fragile balance.
The chakra chamber fed subtle currents through his body whenever he activated his Rinnegan's power, supporting his enhanced perception and the partial use of his Rinnegan's paths without the usual quirk energy interference.
It was this separation that made his abilities incomparable and allowed him to exist as a bridge between two worlds, mastering forces unseen and undreamt of by those around him.
Through patient practice, Nagato refined this technique—balancing energy absorption through his Preta Path clone and channelling clean, stored chakra from his internal sanctuary to perform feats impossible for quirks alone.
As a consequence, he could maintain stamina and control in ways others could not, silently setting the stage for powers that would eventually surpass both quirk and chakra alone.]
Midoriya stared, wide-eyed. "How did you know where to send it?"
"It's practice," Nagato replied. "You have to imagine your chakra as water in a pipe—if you push too hard, it bursts out everywhere. Too gentle, nothing happens. Try putting your attention into your palm instead of just thinking about your whole body. See if you can make your hand feel noticeably warm before you even try to act on something else."
Bakugo snorted, but his eyes lingered on Nagato's every movement.
For the next hour, Nagato watched as Midoriya struggled to focus his chakra, sweat beading on his brow; Bakugo, pretending not to care, went so far as to "accidentally" try the exercise himself.
Several pebbles wobbled (From Midoriya's side) , none leaped, but Nagato grinned.
"You're making progress."
——
Eventually, when attention flagged and stomachs growled, Nagato signalled a break. They sprawled on the grass, sharing snacks.
Midoriya marvelled at the faint pulse he could now summon at will. "I really can control it a little," he breathed. "It's like…my limbs listen better."
Bakugo threw an energy bar at him.
"Don't get cocky. It's nothing if your body gives out. You wanna keep up, you better get some muscle, too."
Nagato nodded. "He's right," he said, and Bakugo beamed in triumph.
"With your frame, even the best chakra control won't help if you can't run or jump without getting winded. So, from now on we'll add basic strength training—sit-ups, running, even stretching. And eat well. If Inko-san offers you a second helping, say yes."
Bakugo puffed up. "I'll have you both doing sprints around the park by the end of the week! No slacking, Deku!"
Midoriya groaned, but Nagato laughed, "And Bakugo, you're joining too. Think of it as teamwork."
Bakugo sputtered, but couldn't hide his grin. "Fine—so you two slowpokes can keep up."
——
Days passed in a blend of practice and laughter, frustration and incremental success.
When rain shut them indoors, Nagato taught breathing and focus exercises beside steaming mugs of tea, while Bakugo and Midoriya tried not to out-sulk each other.
Bakugo's jokes ("Careful, Deku, don't strain yourself sensing the couch!") became a fixture, as did Midoriya's lists and scribbled notes: everything from "how chakra feels today" to drawings of possible chakra-based moves.
The truth was, all three grew stronger—not just Midoriya's skill or Bakugo's stamina, but the bond between them.
They discovered that the gentlest victories—a pebble shifted, a sprint completed without collapsing, an afternoon spent laughing over spilled lemonade—built something harder and brighter than mere power.
——
Late one afternoon, after nearly thirty minutes of quiet, determined practice, Midoriya's voice rang out, trembling with pride: "Nagato—I think I moved it!" He held up his palm, sweat-slick and shaking, the faintest shimmer of dust whirling atop the surface.
Bakugo whooped, slamming him on the back. "You finally did it, you nerd!"
Nagato's eyes shone, reflecting pride and quiet relief.
"You did, Midoriya. That's chakra harnessed. The rest is just practice and patience."
The sun dipped beneath the rooftops, painting the sky a tender gold.