“All right. Whether you’ve already succeeded in refining chakra or not, everyone stop for now. This afternoon, we’re starting a new lesson.”
On the afternoon of the second day, everyone returned from their break.
The children who had yet to refine chakra were preparing to continue practicing when Iruka clapped his hands and interrupted them.
Even Naruto, who normally collapsed onto his desk the moment he saw one, could not help perking up slightly.
Meditation.
Iruka wrote the word on the blackboard.
“I know those of you who haven’t refined chakra yet are anxious. But the more anxious you are, the harder it becomes to succeed.”
“And this is where meditation becomes useful.”
“Meditation means emptying your mind and restoring your mental energy.”
“It not only helps with chakra refinement, but can also improve the quality of your chakra. It’s said that this course was personally established by the First Hokage before the Ninja Academy even existed, and later formally implemented by the Second Hokage.”
“It is a very important subject, so I hope everyone takes it seriously. Those of you who still haven’t refined chakra should pay particular attention, because this may determine how quickly you succeed.”
Iruka spoke at length from the front of the classroom.
Naruto’s interest immediately rose.
That was right.
Meditation existed in the Naruto world.
But clearly, most of Konoha’s ninja did not take it particularly seriously.
Even Jiraiya the Toad Sage had treated meditation as little more than a way to keep Naruto occupied rather than something deserving serious attention.
Because in their eyes, meditation was simply meditation.
At most, it strengthened one’s mental energy.
But Naruto saw things differently.
In his view, the primary purpose of meditation had never been merely to strengthen mental energy.
Increasing mental energy was only a byproduct.
The true purpose of meditation should be to enter a state of meditative absorption!
And as far as Naruto was concerned, entering such a state was fundamentally no different from sensing Natural Energy while practicing senjutsu.
In fact, Naruto felt that the so-called requirement of remaining perfectly still while learning to sense Natural Energy was not even as profound as true meditative absorption.
Beyond meditative absorption were even higher states such as constant absorption, perpetual absorption, Sitting in Oblivion, and Manifesting the Sacred—extraordinary realms that transcended the mundane.
If Naruto’s theory was correct…
Then without question, meditation was absolutely the most important and useful course taught at the Ninja Academy.
The Three Basic Techniques?
Theory?
Intelligence analysis?
Compared with meditation, all of them were garbage.
Of course, something as esoteric as meditation often carried an element of it works if you believe in it, and fails if you don’t.
So if Naruto intended to make this his primary path, he would first have to devote himself to it wholeheartedly.
Regardless, this lesson was extremely important.
Naruto immediately straightened his back and began listening with complete seriousness.
“Naruto, you think this lesson is that important?” Shikamaru asked when he noticed Naruto’s attitude.
Naruto continued listening attentively without allowing Shikamaru’s question to distract him in the slightest.
“Meditation only strengthens mental energy by a limited amount. Aside from helping people who have difficulty refining chakra, it really isn’t that important,” Shikamaru said, repeating both his own opinion and his father’s view of meditation.
“I think it’s important,” Naruto replied.
He offered no explanation, merely emphasized his opinion.
Seeing this, Shikamaru said nothing more.
Because the Nara Clan did not place much importance on meditation either, what the Academy taught was no different from what his father had already taught him.
Naruto himself had never formally learned meditation before.
However, having read plenty of wuxia novels in his previous life, he possessed his own unique understanding of the subject.
And the longer he listened to Iruka, the more crude he found the Academy’s meditation method.
Fortunately, Iruka at least explained the basic framework clearly.
Naruto, who came from the modern world, had never been the type to blindly follow established rules.
As long as he understood the framework, it did not matter if the rest was crude.
He could refine it himself.
Visualization was an excellent way to fill in the gaps.
It was like polishing, carving, and refining a rough piece of stone.
And the meditation framework Iruka taught could perfectly contain such a method.
As for what he should visualize…
That made Naruto frown slightly.
He really could not think of anything suitable right away.
After all, Naruto had merely been an ordinary wage worker in his previous life.
Visualizing something grandiose like the sun or the solar system certainly sounded impressive, but those were things suited to people whose hearts encompassed heaven and earth.
Naruto considered himself an ordinary person.
Pretend to be too impressive and lightning might strike you down.
So Naruto thought it would be better to choose something more suitable for himself.
After all, by the time he reached his teens, he would have to face bullying from the strongest figures in the shinobi world.
He would even have to confront Six Paths-level beings and the progenitor of chakra herself.
Better to play things safe.
If he showed off too much and ruined everything, he would only have himself to blame.
“That concludes the meditation method.”
Iruka clapped his hands.
“Now, everyone, focus and begin meditating. Those who have already refined chakra must participate as well. This benefits you too.”
“As I said earlier, meditation doesn’t merely increase the efficiency of chakra refinement. It can also improve the quality of the chakra you refine.”
“So even you so-called geniuses who’ve already refined chakra aren’t allowed to sleep.”
“Everyone meditates together.”
“Yes…”
The children responded with miserable, reluctant groans.
I’ve decided.
It’s you—grass carp!
Naruto had finally chosen what he would visualize.
Something he knew incredibly well.
Something that had been one of his main foods for the past three years.
Grass carp!
Naruto then began meditating according to Iruka’s instructions.
Although he was starting from the method Iruka had taught, Naruto’s own understanding of meditation actually exceeded Iruka’s.
As mentioned before, meditation had another prerequisite.
It worked if one believed.
It failed if one did not.
Therefore, once Naruto began meditating, he also began deliberately constructing his own belief in meditation.
In truth, this concept had been present in the framework Iruka explained.
It was merely brushed aside because Iruka did not consider it particularly important.
But to Naruto, it was crucial.
So Naruto continuously reinforced that brief transitional phrase in his mind.
Imagine yourself suspended in empty space.
Tell yourself not to think about anything.
Empty your mind.
Clear away all distracting thoughts.
Then allow a comfortable, relaxed sensation to spread throughout your entire body…
The key phrase was—
A comfortable, relaxed sensation spreads throughout the entire body…
Naruto repeated it again and again, reinforcing it and hypnotizing himself into genuinely believing in the sensation.
Chakra was an exceptionally unusual form of energy.
It was created from the combination of mental energy and cellular energy.
And so, as Naruto continuously reinforced and hypnotized himself with that belief, something unexpected happened.
As time passed, he truly began to feel a comfortable, relaxed sensation spreading throughout his body…
And this was precisely the moment to introduce visualization.
The comfortable, weightless sensation filled his entire body.
He imagined himself as a fish, swimming freely through an empty void that felt like water.
In an instant, the outline of a grass carp gradually took shape.
It became clearer and clearer.
Then it began swishing its tail.
Like a real grass carp, it swam freely and without restraint through the water-like void.
And that watery emptiness gradually began flowing like a gentle current, washing away dust and cleansing his heart and mind.
In that instant, Naruto truly became like a fish—
Free.
Unrestrained.
Forgetful of self.
And completely absorbed in meditation.