It had been a week since Kagami became part of Mikay and Zack's family. The city, with its towering stone walls, cobblestone streets, and glowing mana-mps, still felt strange. There were no shinobi, no chakra networks, and certainly no Hokage Monument.

  But the people here could control magic—power drawn not from inner chakra pathways but from something they called mana. It flowed through everything: the air, the earth, the body. It was as natural to them as chakra was to a shinobi.

  Kagami watched intently every time Mikay or Zack used their abilities.

  When Mikay summoned jets of water without seals…

  When Zack reinforced his bde with fmes using only his will…

  Kagami's Sharingan itched to activate, to copy, to analyze. But his body—so small, so soft—refused his commands.

  One morning, in the quiet training yard behind the inn, Kagami sat cross-legged and concentrated.

  He held his hands out, mimicking Mikay’s water casting form.

  “Suiton: Suidan no Jutsu,” he whispered.

  Nothing happened. Not even a droplet.

  He tried again, copying Zack’s stance when he used his fme ssh.

  “Fire Style: Fme Bde!”

  Still nothing. Only a puff of breath and a tumble forward from the unbanced pose.

  “Damn this body,” he muttered, rubbing his head.

  He didn’t notice Mikay watching from the wooden porch.

  She smiled gently, walked over, and sat beside him on the grass.

  “You look interested in magic, Kagami,” she said, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear.

  Kagami looked up at her with a frown. “You don’t need hand seals to use it?”

  “Hand what?” she blinked.

  He sighed. “Nothing.”

  Mikay tapped her chest lightly. “To use magic, you don’t need fancy movements. What you need is to learn how to feel and control the mana in your body.”

  “Mana…” Kagami whispered. The word tasted foreign, but familiar.

  He fell into a monologue in his mind:

  “So that’s the energy source they use… not chakra… but mana? But why does it feel simir to natural energy…? No… not quite. It's… purer. And more chaotic.”

  Mikay pced her hand on his back gently. “Let me help you feel it.”

  She closed her eyes and concentrated. A warm wave of energy traveled from her palm into Kagami’s body. It wasn't invasive—it was comforting, like a breeze carrying water across skin.

  “Feel that?”

  Kagami gasped. “That’s… mana?”

  “Yes,” she smiled. “Now try to find that same feeling inside yourself.”

  Kagami closed his eyes. At first, all he could feel was the throbbing of his chakra—hot, coiled, familiar. But beneath it, buried deeper… was something else. A cold ripple. Subtle. Elusive.

  He tried to reach it—and was immediately overwhelmed. A surge ran up his spine and knocked the air out of his lungs.

  “Gah!”

  “Easy,” Mikay said, catching him as he almost toppled over. “You can’t force it. Mana responds best to harmony. It’s not like fire that obeys the strong—it’s like water. It flows better when you listen.”

  Kagami blinked. “But how do you channel it?”

  Mikay turned and cupped her hands. A small sphere of water hovered above her palms.

  “You focus your mind, your breath… your intention. Your body becomes the conduit. Watch.”

  She handed him a smooth, blue mana crystal—a training aid for beginners.

  “Hold this. Close your eyes. And just breathe.”

  Kagami did as instructed.

  “Inhale,” Mikay whispered. “Let the air travel through your chest, to your arms, to your fingertips. And exhale. Feel the mana ride your breath.”

  At first, nothing happened. Kagami grit his teeth, used to more direct methods. In Konoha, chakra was trained with harsh discipline, constant movement, pushing one’s body to the limit.

  But this… this felt almost peaceful.

  After several minutes, the crystal in his hand shimmered faintly.

  “Ah!” Mikay smiled. “There it is!”

  Kagami opened his eyes in awe. The crystal was glowing—a faint blue light pulsing like a heartbeat.

  “I did it?” he asked, still unsure.

  “Your mana just responded to your body,” she said proudly. “That’s the first step.”

  Kagami looked at his tiny hands. 'It's nothing compared to chakra molding… but it's something.'

  ---

  That Night…

  In his room, Kagami sat on the bed, practicing again. The crystal glowed weakly in his hand. It felt alive.

  He whispered to himself, “I can’t use chakra yet, not in this form… but maybe, just maybe, if I master this mana…”

  He smiled.

  “Then I’ll make this world my new training ground.”

  ---