Shiratori suddenly opened his eyes.
The pitch-black room was illuminated by moonlight. A wooden-lattice patterned ceiling came into view.
System!
System!
Are you dead?!
He shouted at the system in his mind.
[Query detected: Status check]
[No anomalies detected.]
"..."
He gave the system a moment to process.
"Why does Sukuna have more presence than me?"
Wasn't he the host of the cursed spirit system?
Sukuna looked more like the main character!
[Analysis: Sukuna manifestation correlates with host emotional intensity]
[Sukuna activation: Independent of host control]
[Host development: Currently 15% of potential capacity]
"..."
He closed his eyes.
---
Shiratori slept until early the next morning. He was woken up by Yahiko's voice.
He opened his eyes to find Yahiko on the opposite bed suddenly jumping up. His head almost hit the ceiling.
"Did I wake you?"
Yahiko scratched the back of his head awkwardly as he looked at him sitting up in bed.
Shiratori shook his head.
"Hehe!"
In the next second, he pounced onto Shiratori's bed. His eyes wide open, his face full of excitement. "Did you hear? Jiraiya-sensei is going to teach us ninjutsu! That's awesome!"
He jumped up and down in excitement, agile like a monkey in the forest.
After breakfast came the part he had been looking forward to.
Shiratori and the others followed Jiraiya out of the wooden house. They came to a rocky beach some distance away from the sea.
Jiraiya stood opposite them, arms crossed, and spoke seriously, "Today, we'll start by learning the basics of ninjutsu, chakra!"
"Chakra?"
Konan looked at Jiraiya curiously.
Yahiko immediately jumped up, "I know! I know! I've heard the ninjas talk about it! They often say they're running low on chakra!"
Jiraiya nodded, then asked, "So, do you want to know what chakra really is?"
Shiratori had to pretend to be curious just like Yahiko and the others.
After drawing enough suspense, Jiraiya finally explained with a smile, "Chakra is formed by combining two types of energy that exist within everyone, physical energy and spiritual energy."
That kind of explanation was hard for a group of kids to understand. Just from the confused looks on Yahiko and Konan's faces, he could tell.
He cleared his throat and tried a different approach, "Think of it like this, you know how you get tired when you run around a lot? That's your physical energy being used up. And you know how you feel drained when you're really worried or scared? That's your spiritual energy."
"Physical energy comes from your body, your muscles, your stamina, how strong and healthy you are. Spiritual energy comes from your mind and experiences."
He looked at them to make sure they were following.
"Now, normally these two energies stay separate. But ninjas learn how to blend them together inside their bodies. When you mix physical and spiritual energy in equal amounts, you create chakra."
Yahiko raised his hand excitedly. "So chakra is like... mixing two ingredients to make something new?"
"Exactly!" Jiraiya smiled. "And once you have chakra, you can shape it and control it using hand seals to perform ninjutsu techniques. So, if you want to learn ninjutsu, the first step is learning how to mold your chakra."
As soon as Jiraiya finished speaking, Yahiko couldn't wait to ask:
"Jiraiya-sensei, how do we mold chakra?"
"Everyone has spiritual and physical energy. The trick is learning how to bring them together and blend them properly."
"What happens if you don't blend the two energies properly?" Shiratori asked.
Jiraiya nodded approvingly. "Good question. If the balance is off, too much physical energy or too much spiritual energy, you can't form stable chakra. Everyone has the potential, but not everyone can become a ninja because molding chakra takes practice and control."
"Today, let's start practicing how to mold your chakra!"
Under the eager eyes of the children, Jiraiya sat down cross-legged.
"The first step to molding chakra, focus and concentration."
He raised a finger.
"Focus?"
Yahiko widened his eyes, leaning forward with interest.
Jiraiya explained, "Molding chakra requires you to look inward and feel the energies within yourself. You need to concentrate deeply, sense your physical and spiritual energy, then carefully bring them together."
"This isn't easy! You need to quiet your mind completely and focus entirely on what's happening inside your body. Feel for those two different types of energy, then slowly guide them to combine."
Yahiko immediately copied Jiraiya and sat cross-legged, closing his eyes tightly:
"Focus and concentrate, huh? I can totally do it! I'll definitely be able to mold chakra!"
He kept repeating motivational phrases to himself.
Jiraiya: "..."
Shiratori, Nagato, and Konan also sat cross-legged one after another and slowly closed their eyes.
With vision gone, their hearing became especially sharp.
The sound of waves and the rustling of grass in the wind echoed in Shiratori's ears. He slowly focused his mind, trying to sense the energies within himself.
All distracting thoughts were pushed away.
Then suddenly, a notification appeared in his mind.
[Chakra molding attempt detected]
[Analyzing energy signature]
"..."
Shiratori tried to maintain his concentration. I'm trying to mold chakra here.
[Host physiology: Jujutsu Kaisen specification]
"..."
He took a deep breath, trying to maintain focus.
What does that mean?
[Clarification: Host body modeled after Okkotsu Yuta]
"..."
Shiratori continued trying anyway. He didn't know how much time had passed.
Voices from Jiraiya and Nagato reached his ears.
"Did you succeed in molding it?"
"Yeah."
"You're the first to succeed."
"..."
Shiratori focused his thoughts again.
More time passed.
"Konan, great job!"
"You're the second one after Nagato to successfully mold chakra!"
"..."
His heart felt heavy with frustration. He could sense the spiritual and physical energies Jiraiya spoke of, both were incredibly powerful. That was both encouraging and discouraging. Because both energies were so strong, he couldn't manage to blend them properly at all! It was like trying to mix oil and water.
"Awesome!"
"I did it!"
"Jiraiya-sensei!"
"Huh? Nagato! Konan! You guys did it too?"
"Amazing!"
"But why hasn't he succeeded yet?"
"Shh!"
"Let's not disturb him!"
"..."
Shiratori was exhausted, physically and mentally. Everyone else could mold chakra, so why couldn't he?
[Energy analysis complete]
[Recommendation: Stop chakra molding]
"..."
He mentally processed this information.
So I can't use chakra at all?
[Chakra compatibility: INCOMPATIBLE]
Why didn't you tell me this earlier?
[Information provided upon first chakra molding attempt]
[Previous queries: Insufficient for analysis]
"..."
I think you're designed to make my life difficult.
[System function: Information provision only]
[Emotional support: Not included in specifications]
Thrown into the world of Naruto, but without chakra?
Shiratori couldn't bring himself to open his eyes, hoping it was just an illusion. But the system's steady stream of notifications continued in his mind.
He couldn't even lie to himself anymore. He couldn't bear to look at Yahiko and the others.
[Host physiology not optimized for chakra manipulation]
"Shut up."
The words squeezed out between Shiratori Rin's clenched teeth, but he swallowed them back. The next second, the notification rang in his head again.
[Host physiology not optimized for chakra manipulation]
Shut up.
His heart felt like it was about to explode.
[Heart rate elevated: 180 BPM]
[Stress indicators: CRITICAL]
[Recommend: Deep breathing exercises]
"..."
Shiratori could never win against a system that was inherently... well, like a system.
Compared to the system, he now felt like a clueless newbie.
Damn.
He questioned the system, How am I supposed to survive in this dangerous world without chakra? Tell me!
He felt like breaking down.
He had been thrown into the Naruto world, was already halfway through building relationships... only for the system to tell him he had no chakra?
Come on, how could he accept that!
That's like getting everything ready, setting the mood, grabbing tissues, fully prepared, and then pulling down your pants only to discover… you don't even have a weenie down there.
Actually, that analogy might even be too kind.
[Query: Survival strategy without chakra]
[Response: Possible.]
"..."
Who wouldn't be stressed in this situation?
[Stress mitigation: Focus on available resources]
"..."
He withered inside.
His soul was crushed.
He already considered himself to have a good temper. The fact that he didn't immediately rage at the system meant he was probably the most patient person in the world.
[Alternative: Cursed Energy]
[Destructive potential: Equivalent to chakra-based techniques]
Shiratori was barely comforted.
It was not like he had a choice.
What was he going to do otherwise, just give up?
"..."
He really felt like fate was against him.
Was this the kind of trial every protagonist had to endure?
How much cursed energy do I have?
Alright, fine.
Shiratori took a deep breath to adjust his mentality.
[Cursed energy composition: Two-part system]
[Personal reserves: Maximum 10,000,000 units]
[Cursed spirit energy: Unlimited expansion potential]
[Total capacity: Functionally unlimited]
Shiratori understood. The total cursed energy of this body, Yuta's body, maxed out at 10 million, but whenever he summoned a cursed spirit, the energy that spirit carried would merge into his own body... Which meant, in essence, his cursed energy was unlimited.
Suddenly, a thought flashed rapidly through his mind.
He froze.
Then immediately told the system to pull up his personal stats.
---
[...]
Copy (Current Progress: 36.002%): Ninjutsu replication up to A-rank
Available Technique Templates:
- Nanami Kento: Ratio Technique (Active)
- Inumaki Toge: Cursed Speech (Locked)
- Gojo Satoru: Six Eyes (Locked)
- Gojo Satoru: Limitless (Locked)
- Gojo Satoru: Hollow Purple (Locked)
- Gojo Satoru: Domain Expansion (Locked)
- Geto Suguru: Cursed Spirit Manipulation (Locked)
- Fushiguro Toji: Heavenly Restriction (Locked)
…[Expand for additional options]
---
Shiratori immediately analyzed the key information.
Can replicate ninjutsu up to A-rank?
That meant, he could still use ninjutsu.
Only, his ninjutsu wouldn't be powered by chakra, but by cursed energy. And the destructive effects would be just as good.
He finally let out a huge sigh of relief. Now he was truly reassured. Not only that, he had already activated Kento's Ratio Technique.
Why was that technique activated?
He hadn't figured that part out yet.
He could only attribute it to Rika's upgrade, and the activation of Sukuna.
To activate more "copy techniques," he would need to further develop Rika, Sukuna, and awaken more cursed spirits.
Now that he had a somewhat satisfying answer, he finally opened his eyes. Before he could even clearly see the people in front of him, he heard cheering.
"You did it!"
"That's awesome!"
"I knew you could do it!"
Shiratori hadn't said a word yet, but Yahiko and Konan were already celebrating, overwhelmed with excitement.
Jiraiya and Nagato also wore smiles on their faces.
"..."
He felt he had to speak up and interrupt them.
The next moment, Yahiko and the others heard his voice.
"I... I don't seem to have chakra."
Jiraiya: "..."
Nagato: "..."
Yahiko: "..."
Konan: "..."
"…Are you kidding?"
Yahiko couldn't believe it.
"How could you not have chakra?"
He looked toward Jiraiya for confirmation.
Jiraiya looked at Shiratori in confusion and stroked his chin. "Hmm… There are indeed people who are born without chakra."
According to legend, the Sage of Six Paths passed on chakra to humanity, and it gradually spread, eventually leading to the founding of the shinobi.
But outside the shinobi system, much of the world's population never received chakra, and so their descendants were also born without it.
"Then… what should we do?" Yahiko asked Jiraiya, worried.
Jiraiya stared directly at Shiratori.
What surprised him was, he didn't see disappointment or anxiety on the boy's face.
"You can't learn ninjutsu."
Being told this directly by Jiraiya, Shiratori remained unfazed. Only he knew the truth, that he could learn ninjutsu.
He just wouldn't say it. He wanted Jiraiya to discover it himself, to give him a little "surprise."
Inside, he wore a subtle smile.
Jiraiya looked at him and said reassuringly, "But that doesn't mean you can't protect yourself!"
"From now on, I'll teach you taijutsu!"
Taijutsu?
The moment Jiraiya mentioned it, Shiratori thought of Fushiguro Toji.
God, how he wanted Heavenly Restriction!
To figure out how to activate copy techniques, he'd need to earn more emotion points and keep running experiments.