Chapter 5: Crystallized Chakra and the Power Core

Naruto closed his eyes, beginning to sense the torrent of energy surging within him. He imagined himself as a shoreline, with that energy as the tide, ebbing and flowing gently in time with his breath.

This was a meditation technique he had learned in the other world, a method he had studied there. Originally, it had simply served to help battle engineers like himself clear their minds and adjust their states of being. Early on, when Naruto practiced meditation, he had discovered a peculiar kind of energy dormant inside him. But at that time, with the world embroiled in constant warfare and himself too busy, he had no time to delve into the nature of this energy.

Only after encountering the Nine-Tails did Naruto realize that the “rent” the fox paid him was the very same energy he had sensed before. Though he did not know its name, he recalled an explanation from his previous life: his instructor had told him that, according to the religious scholars who developed meditation, life energy would rotate during meditation, forming small wheels or nodes within the body. These nodes had a name, given by those scholars. Following this custom, Naruto called the energy within himself “chakra.”

He now felt chakra coursing through his body in a distinct pattern, synchronized with his heartbeat and his breath. “So this is chakra? The energy the Nine-Tailed Fox gave me—is this chakra as well?”

Naruto tried to guide the chakra into his hand, using both his will and his mastery over mechanical spirit energy. Faint blue light shimmered in his palm.

He soon noticed that the energy seemed to possess subtly different properties. First, it was as if it were split into two sides, like a sheet of paper. The warmer, more fiery side, under Naruto’s direction, flowed toward his fingertips. There, the skin split open without warning, shedding layers of dead skin, and a new, tender layer emerged.

Meanwhile, the cooler, calmer side flowed to his eyes. A tingling sensation followed, and Naruto realized his vision had sharpened—he could now spot hidden flaws within metal with his naked eye. At the same time, his thoughts became swifter, his logic steady and clear.

Looking in the mirror, Naruto saw a faint golden glow radiating from his eyes.

“Interesting,” he murmured. “So the yang aspect of chakra enhances the body, and the yin aspect sharpens the mind?”

Had Hiruzen Sarutobi witnessed this, he might have been utterly dumbfounded. In his eyes, Naruto was already a prodigy—self-taught in the use of chakra, and, astonishingly, innately capable of wielding both yang and yin release! He would scarcely comprehend how Naruto had mastered yin release at all.

The fact that the Uzumaki clan possessed yang chakra was understandable enough. But where had Naruto acquired yin chakra?

Naruto, however, had no interest in pondering such questions. He immediately threw himself into studying chakra.

He discovered a strange quality: when mixed with mechanical spirit energy, chakra could form a special kind of chakra crystal. If he could perfect the properties of these crystals, he would never again worry about powering his steam machinery!

He spent the entire day immersed in research. Only as the sun set did Naruto finally succeed in synthesizing a chakra crystal up to his standards.

He found the process was intricate and demanding. He had to channel pure chakra into a container sturdy enough to withstand the pressure, then, with precise inputs and stirring of mechanical spirit energy, solidify the mixture into a crystal within the vessel. The operation required utmost precision; a single misstep would cause the process to fail, and leaking chakra could create chaos. If not for the special properties of mechanical spirit energy, which could contain the energy within a certain range, his room would have been a disaster area by now.

After countless failures and adjustments, he finally succeeded. The chakra crystal glimmered with pale blue light in his palm. Its energy density, he realized, was dozens of times greater than the fossil fuels he’d once used.

The successful creation of the chakra crystal meant his dream of a universal mechanical hand power system now had a brand-new possibility.

Seizing the moment before night fell, Naruto eagerly integrated the crystal into the system.

“It works!” he exclaimed, as the moon rose. He lifted a metal sphere, the size of a baseball, high above his head, speaking to himself in excitement. This was the power core of his universal mechanical hand. Its purpose needed no elaborate explanation—it would drive the hand’s precise functions and could be manipulated at will.

What’s more, with chakra crystals as its energy source instead of fossil fuels, the device was better than ever. Where once it burned high-density fuel and was as large as a basketball, Naruto’s refinements had reduced its size to fit easily in an adult’s fist.

“Let’s test it!” Naruto snapped his fingers, channeling mechanical spirit energy through the core. Dust and iron filings around him streamed together as though drawn by an invisible current.

Moonlight spilled across the minuscule particles, bending the light around them. In an instant, Naruto’s figure vanished from sight. Another snap, and the particles cascaded to the ground like liquid mercury, revealing him once more.

“Excellent! Optical camouflage test successful! Power core functioning perfectly!” Naruto was elated. His stomach grumbled at just the right moment, and he decided to go out and celebrate with a meal.

He headed to Ichiraku Ramen, and after a hearty meal served enthusiastically by the hand-pulling uncle, Naruto strolled through the village to digest.

Approaching the edge of Konoha’s walls, his senses picked up several armed figures moving hurriedly. Instantly, he activated the power core and optical camouflage, slipping into a nearby alley.

A moment later, a large contingent appeared. Naruto recognized the headbands they wore as those he’d seen on his assailants the day before. According to the white-haired Anbu operative, these belonged to the Cloud ninja.

The Village Hidden in the Clouds, in the Land of Lightning—Naruto had heard its reputation from other villagers. It was famed as a stronghold of martial prowess. Rumor had it the village was led jointly by the Raikage and the jinchuriki of the Eight-Tails—a dual leadership of two fearsome figures, both said to be fierce and cunning. Whether that was true, Naruto could not say, but that was the intelligence he’d gathered.

At the front of the group, a Cloud ninja was carrying a small, unconscious figure over his shoulder as they hurried along. Behind him, several others, clad in the attire of the Hidden Cloud, were cautiously transporting what looked to be a heavy bundle. The bundle trembled slightly, emitting faint cries for help.

“We’re at the rendezvous point. Send the signal immediately.” The group halted at the mouth of the alley where Naruto hid. A peculiar, rhythmic insect-like chirring sounded out.

But no matter how often the signal was repeated, there was no response.

“It seems the receiving team has met with misfortune. Move to plan B at once,” the leader ordered coldly.

“So that’s why those people attacked indiscriminately—they were the reception team meant for you,” came a cool, detached voice. “All these underhanded tricks, just to get you out.”

“Who’s there?” The Cloud ninja, startled by the sudden voice, instantly fell into battle formation.