Putting aside the scrolls, Kuroichi started pacing around the little hideout, thinking of what he should be doing next.
The last bit of sunlight came through the exit, making Kuroichi aware that he had been reading scrolls for almost the whole day. He'd have to really come up with something now, especially because his stomach was already grumbling.
'I didn't even notice I was this hungry… I was way too absorbed in the scrolls.'
Going through his memories again and looking at all the information available to him, he came up with a plan.
From what he could remember, he knew that he is in the Land of Forests, far away from any big cities or hotspots where a lot of people were to gather.
A small town is somewhere a few kilometers away, making it an option to get food perhaps.
'No this is too risky right now, I need to stay low-key. Who knows if the people of that town are already aware of what happened here or not. At least I didn't hear anything the whole day..'
The only other option on how to get food was the forest.
He neither had any experience hunting, nor any experience gathering wild berries, mushrooms or anything else. He'd be lucky to identify a few things at all.
'Where am I even going to sleep? I need to find a way to make a shelter plus I also need to figure out stuff like daily necessities..'
Kuroichi quickly made a mental list of things he definitely needed, like a change of clothes, a pot to cook things in, a good knife, a good bottle of water etc. etc.
Nodding to himself, he was sure that he got everything. He decided to collect all these things first thing come morning.
'I'll leave this place in the morning, for now I can try to do the chakra meditation exercise mentioned in one of the scrolls, plus I also need to figure out how to use the storage scroll my previous father left here before I leave tomorrow.'
The chakra meditation exercise was a basic exercise to get more familiar with ones own chakra. During this exercise the chakra flow was concentrated upon, making it possible to regulate it's flow, eventually exploring more of chakra's intricacies.
Sitting down cross-legged on the floor, Kuroichi steadied his breathing and deeply focused on his chakra flow. At first, it was faint, a distant warmth, like a flickering ember buried beneath his skin. But as he focused, the sensation grew, spreading through his limbs in gentle waves. It wasn't just warmth, it was movement, like an invisible current flowing through his body.
'This energy had always been in this body, but this is the first time I've truly felt it.. it truly is astonishing.'
It was power, his power, and his desire to develop and build on it just grew and grew.
The next morning
Kuroichi laid out an empty scroll, unfurling it across the wooden floor as his fingers traced the sealing formula he had painstakingly learned last night before going to sleep. He didn't actually learn to make it himself, of course, he just learned how to use it.
Letting chakra gather in his hand and fingers, then inputting the chakra at specific points on the scroll, made him able to seal and unseal non-living things. This scroll didn't have much space inside itself, but it was easily enough for his essentials.
With precision he gathered everything he needed, and one by one put everything on the sealing formula, activating the sealing formation each time with a hand-seal each.
With a quiet Puff the supplies vanished, their weight now bound within the symbols.
Rolling the scroll tightly and securing it on his back, he took one last glance at the place where he spent his first years. Memories of the time spent with 'his' father came to his mind, scenes where everything seemed so much easier and lighter, no extra memories and no dead father. That was simply how life was though.
The vast forest loomed ahead, vast and indifferent, it's towering tree tops creating twisting shadows on the forest floor. Kuroichi moved cautiously, remembering his 'father' instilling in him lessons to be careful. You never really know what could be lurking behind a big tree.
With every step, the weight of his predicament began pressing down on Kuroichi more and more. He had left home, but now what? There was no plan, only the certainty that he couldn't turn back. The thought gnawed at him almost as much as the hunger twisting in his stomach. He hadn't eaten in over a day, and the dull ache was becoming impossible to ignore.
His mind raced, trying to recall anything useful about survival. He scanned his surroundings, searching for something, anything really, that could serve as food. Were there edible plants? Could he trap or hunt something? The uncertainty frustrated him. In the stories, the mc's always seemed prepared for anything. But now, standing alone in the wilderness with no idea where and how to begin, he felt the weight of his inexperience.
His instincts made him keep moving, staying still would only have made him weaker. He continued walking, listening to the rustling leaves, the distant chirping of birds, and the occasional snap of a branch.
There had to be something here, something he could eat. The hunger was no longer just an inconvenience, it was a problem, one he needed to solve before nightfall. Tightening his grip on the scroll at his waist, he exhaled slowly.
'If I can't even find food… how am I supposed to survive out here?' he thought to himself.
Trudging through the underbrush, Kuroichi's movements became more and more sluggish as time moved on. He exhaled sharply. 'This isn't working!' he thought to himself. If he just kept walking without a plan, he'd collapse before he got any food. He needed a different, smarter approach. An ambush.
Finding a small clearing, he crouched low and took off the scroll from his back. With almost practiced movements, he carefully brushed against specific sealing marks on the scroll and pushed a little chakra inside. With a puff of smoke, a sharp knife appeared, it's metal cool against his palm.
He tested its weight, then took a few steps back and hurled it toward a nearby tree.
Thud
The blade struck solidly, slightly off-center but still deep enough to be lethal if aimed right. Not perfect, but good enough.
He settled into position, pressing himself against the undergrowth, his body as still as he could be. Minutes stretched on. His breath slowed. Every rustle of leaves and every shift in the wind sharpened his focus.
Then he noticed movement. A rabbit. Small, quick, unaware of the predator watching from within the brush.
Kuroichi's grip on the knife tightened, his knuckles turning white. As he inhaled and exhaled, he relaxed. He inhaled again, aimed the knife carefully, and threw it. The blade cut through the air.. and missed, striking the ground a little ways off from where the rabbit was.
Kuroichi cursed under his breath and quickly retrieved his knife. Next time he'd definetly not miss he told himself.
As the next rabbit was in sight, he adjusted his aim and threw again. Another miss.
Minutes turned into what felt like agonizing hours as he repeated the process, each failure gnawing at his patience. His fingers were tense, his breathing heavy, his mind clouded with exhaustion and frustration.
Finally, after what felt like an eternity, a lucky throw grazed it's target. The rabbit bolted, but its movements were unsteady. A thin trail of crimson stained the ground, letting Kuroichi follow his target without any issue.
Kuroichi followed quickly, his heartbeat beating full of anticipation. He found the rabbit collapsed in the grass, it's body still. The wound wasn't deep, but it had been enough. Enough to end the hunt he told himself.
He stared at it for a long moment, letting the weight of his success sink in. It wasn't clean and it certainly wasn't graceful. But it was food.
He made a few quick incisions on the rabbit, letting it hang freely as the rest of it's blood was flowing out. He skinned enough animals with his father; from here on out he knew what to do.
'Now I still need to find a good place to set down "camp" and spend the night.'
Looking up Kuroichi noticed that there was only a bit of sunlight left, so he made it a priority to find shelter first.
His eyes scanned the area, searching for anything that could offer some form of protection like a fallen tree or a rocky overhang or something. Eventually he found a small clearing near the base of a large tree, its roots creating a natural dip in the earth.
He gathered sturdy branches, jamming them into the soil to form a basic frame. He layered them with thinner sticks and draped over a makeshift covering, strips of cloth from his scroll and large leaves he had torn from the nearby brush. It wasn't much, but it would keep the wind and perhaps a bit of rain off his back.
'This will do.' He thought to himself.
Next, he turned his attention to fire. He had never started one from scratch by himself before, but he had seen it done often enough by his father.
He piled up dry twigs and leaves, added a bit of wood cuttings as a starter and then struck the knife against a stone, trying to create sparks. It took multiple attempts, his hands growing numb from the repetition, but finally a flicker of fire caught on the kindling. He fed the flames carefully, watching as they grew into a steady fire, the warmth immediately easing the tension in his muscles.
The rabbit came next. With clumsy but determined hands, he skinned it, skewering the meat onto a stick before holding it over the flames. The scent of roasting flesh filled the air, and his stomach tightened in anticipation. He hadn't eaten in over a day, right now, this was the most important thing in the world. When it was finally cooked, he tore into it without hesitation. It was rough, slightly burnt in places, but it was food.
With his hunger sated and the fire crackling beside him, exhaustion finally took hold. He crawled into his makeshift shelter, the forest sounds a distant hum as his eyelids grew heavy. He had left home, survived his first night, and found food. It wasn't much, but it was a start.
Tomorrow, the real struggle would begin.
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