Ren tried to focus really hard on the flow of chakra within him, just as Shinji had instructed. He could feel it like a whisper of warmth beneath his skin. But holding onto it, spreading it evenly through his body? That was another matter entirely.
He could make his hands glow, that came pretty easily, but trying to do it through his whole body seemed to be a harder task.
After only a few seconds, his focus wavered. The chakra flickered, uneven, pooling in his legs before fading entirely. He gritted his teeth and glanced at Shinji, who was watching him, and tried again.
Meanwhile, Shinji also attempted it. He sat perfectly still on the opposite side, his breathing slow and measured as he tried to circulate the chakra through his whole body. `Just like in those cultivation novels` he thought.
He tried to find a rhythm with his breathing, inhaling for three seconds, holding, then exhaling for two. He maintained this pace for a little while before attempting to flare up his chakra. He focused intensely, pushing the energy outward, and for a brief moment, he glowed, but he then lost his concentration and stopped glowing. "Again." he said out loud and tried to concentrate as hard as he could. He focused on his breathing for a couple seconds and then pushed his chakra outward.
Hana, who had been silently observing the boys, gaped in surprise, a reaction that broke Ren's concentration. He shot her an annoyed look before following her gaze.
And there was Shinji, bathed in a soft, flickering light that clung to him like the stars on a dark night. Unlike Ren's unstable flickers, Shinji's glow pulsed steadily with each breath, inhale, hold, exhale, like a slow, soft heartbeat.
Ren closed his eyes and clenched his fists, frustration bubbling in his chest. He could feel the chakra, but every time he tried to spread it beyond his hands, it sputtered out like a dying flame. His fingers twitched, the faint glow at his fingertips flaring and fading in uneven pulses.
Why is this so damn hard?
He cracked an eye open, glancing at Shinji for some hint, some trick he wasn't getting.
Ren's nails bit into his palms as he squeezed his eyes shut again. The frustration was a living thing in his chest now, hot and writhing. He could feel the chakra there, so close, yet it slipped through his grasp like water every time he tried to push it trough his whole body.
"focus" Shinji had said. Like it was that simple.
Ren forced his breathing to match that of Shinji, inhale, hold, exhale. The rhythm felt unnatural. His lungs where anoyed with the way he was breathing. But he kept at it, imagining the chakra as a wave spreading from his core.
For half a second, something flickered. A warmth in his chest, a tingling in his ribs but then it was gone again.
His eyes flew open. "Dammit!" The curse tore out of him before he could stop it, echoing too loud in the quiet clearing.
Across from him, Shinji's glow had faded, his concentration broken by Ren's outburst. "That went easier than expected," he murmured. Though this was his first real attempt, the results had been surprisingly good. He wasn't entirely certain this was the proper technique, but he vaguely remembered observing Konoha genin practicing something similar during their training. It had to be a valid method.
Now, however, he faced a different challenge.
How was he supposed to guide Ren and Hana? He had a rough idea of how things should work and had memorized a few training methods and jutsu, but these were currently out of their league. First, they needed to build their stamina, survival in battle often came down to endurance. Then, their chakra control had to be perfected. None of them seemed to possess vast reserves, so efficiency would be crucial.
But the real problem was Hana.
She couldn't manifest her chakra externally. He knew she had chakra, everyone has it, but he had no idea how to help her make it visible. That was the hurdle he hadn't anticipated. He figured she would probably figure it out by herself eventually, but what if she didn't?
"Shinji, what should I do?" Hana said. She had just been staring at the boys doing their thing, she knew she couldn't do what they were doing but was she just supposed to just stand there and do nothing?
Hana's voice cut through the evening air sharper than a knife through butter. Shinji turned to see her standing stiffly, arms crossed tight over her chest. The fading light made the lines of frustration around her mouth look deeper than usual.
"You're not just standing there," he said, wiping sweat from his brow. "You're observing. That's step one."
Ren snorted. "Step one of what? Being a statue?"
Hana's glare could have melted steel. Shinji shot Ren a warning look before crouching to trace a circle in the dirt. "You know how when you're playing a new game for the first time you first watch how the other kids play it?"
Hana's eyes flicked between the crude drawing and Shinji's face. "So I'm supposed to... what? watch you guys meditate?"
"Close enough." Shinji stood, brushing dirt from his knees. "Sit. Breathe. Don't try to force anything yet. Just pay attention to what you see when we channel chakra."
"The most important thing for you right now is to feel your chakra and making it glow"