33 Chapter 33: Master Panda

The furry red and black creature looked at Shin with a raised eyebrow and spoke with indifference, "Aren't you supposed to be some sort of prodigy? Let's see how you fare against me!" The small panda jumped towards Shin, using his feet to drag the bamboo from the ground and toss it up towards his hands in a single motion.

Shin jumped back to dodge a downwards strike that stopped a mere inch away from the ground before the panda ran forward, trying to stab Shin who summoned a kunai from his wrist guard and tried to slice the bamboo.

*Thk*

The kunai and the bamboo connected but the knife couldn't even leave a scratch before the panda pulled it back and tried to swipe Shin's legs. Shin jumped and threw the kunai at the panda simply caught it an inch awayfrom his head while sirking, "Children shouldn't play with knives, you might cut yourself." the panda mocked as he tossed it back with such force that Shin barely had enough time to move his head before the knife struck the tree behind him and embedded itself up to the hilt.

Shin sweated a bit as he realized the strength behind that throw was far greater then he had imagined. Shin summoned a spare thin sword from his storage, he didn't think he would be fighting such a battle and had come unprepared, the only weapons he had were the ones he had stored in his storage seal on his wrist guard.

Shin looked around to see if there were any hidden bystanders but the Panda took it as an insult, "Do not take your eyes off your opponent boy!" the panda rushed at Shin and swiped at his head, Shin back stepped and started to block the attacks with his sword. He could feel the speed of the panda's attacks increasing every second until he couldn't keep up until the panda suddenly used his tail to swipe at his feet, tripping him.

Shin fell down but rolled back as he saw the bamboo coming right at him. Shin rolled back and used the motion to jump back and up onto a tree. The panda shook his head in disappointment, "Why do you keep trying to run away? A true warrior doesn't run!"

Shin simply closed his eyes for half a second and when he opened them, they had become red with three tomoe circling to to stop. The panda was taken aback for a moment, "Hoh… are you finally taking this seriously. Not that it would make much of a difference." Shin stared at the panda until the panda felt a shift inside him that made him surprised, "Those are not normal eyes, you are trying to cast an illusion!" 

Shin was taken aback, not only had his genjutsu attempt failed but also the panda seemed completely unaffected. 'Assal, did you get something?'

[Name: ???

Age: 34

Level: 50 (+60)

Title: ???

Notice: Target's high level of life force results in a very high resistance against genjutsu.

Notice: Inter-dimensional energy detected. Target is not a resident of this world.]

Shin was very surprised at the results, with the addition of his new eyes, Shin was now level 70(+50) and yet this panda was completely playing with him.

"Are you done with your thoughts? I don't have all night you know." spoke the panda in a bored tone. Shin gritted his teeth as he got ready to attack, Shin channeled lightning style chakra to his sword as it started to crackle and the lightning up the clearing. The panda showed a look of slight appreciation at the move.

Shin sprang towards the panda with incredible speed, his sword cutting through the air while promising unbridled destruction. The panda on the other hand seemed calm as a lake, he discarded his bamboo shoot and took a simple fighting stance with his palms forward, not that different from the Hyuga stance. Just as Shin came within range, he swung the sword at the Panda who moved in instead of dodging and struck out a palm before Shin could react.

Shin was hit right in the gut and launched towards the surrounding trees, smacking into a tree so hard that it cracked due to the force. Shin slid down the tree and onto his knees, heaving and coughing as Pineapple ran towards him and "Meow T~T" in worry before hissing at the panda.

"Don't worry, I didn't even hit him that hard." the panda nonchalantly replied to the cat's threats. Shin caught his breath and spoke with difficulty, "H-How did you hit me? I didn't feel the impact of your palm, only the force… just what was that technique?"

The panda looked back at him before leaving, "If you want to know, then come back tomorrow."

Shin sat down at the spot while he recovered from the hit, 'Interdimensional energy huh… Assal, was that what he used to hit me? I couldn't even see it with my sharingan.'

[The palm strike was enhanced with Life force energy.

The interdimensional energy detected was minute, probably a result of his travel here.]

'But he doesn't seem strong enough to travel through dimensions, how did he get here?'

[It was most likely involuntary.]

'Huh… Well, I guess I can ask him tomorrow, ugh!' Shin groaned as he woke up and Pineapple meowed in worry  while looking up at him, "You lousy cat, did you want to see me get beat?" Shin scolded the cat as she hung her head and dropped her ears low while meowing. In the end Shin couldn't ignore the cuteness and simply forgave her.

When the next night arrived, Shin followed Pineapple and he saw the same red panda from yesterday, sitting in the middle of the same clearing while having his eyes closed. As Shin got closer he realized that the panda was actually wearing what appeared to be a gray robe.

"You are here." the panda spoke as he opened his eyes and got up. Shin looked at the panda and spoke curiously, "Yesterday was a test right? What exactly is your purpose here?"

The panda looked at Shin and sighed, "I am not from these lands… It was an accident that brought me here. For many months I have tried to find my way back but… I am now convinced that there is no way back. So I decided to stay and that was when I found Ananas. She often talked about you and how you and I became curious. I wanted to see if you were worthy to inherit my legacy in this foreign place."

Shin nodded, "So I passed?" he inquired to which the panda chuckled, "Oh not at all, but I suppose I can teach you a few tricks."

Shin smiled, there was no way he was letting go of this opportunity to learn such powerful techniques so he decided to play his trump card, "You say you are from a foreign place but, you're not even from this world are you?" The panda was shocked as he heard Shin's words, "How did you know?"

Shin gave the panda an evil smile that sent shivers down his spine, "How about a deal, you teach me everything you know and I'll try to find a way back to your world. Deal?" The panda was shocked at the boy's declaration but the seeds of hope had already been planted inside his heart. He didn't know why but he could feel something from this boy before him, something that told him that he might just be able to return home.

The next day, when the night arrived, Shin snuck out once more and met with the Panda whose name was apparently Lao.

Shin sat in the middle of the clearing as Lao slowly circled around him, "Chi is the energy of the universe. You can find it in anything and everything; from all animals to the various trees, from the smallest grain of sand to the tallest mountains, it is in the air around us and the earth below us. Chi is the most pure form of energy and to harness this energy is to become one with the universe itself!"

Shin listened to Lao's lecture as he tried to feel the energy around him but he simply didn't know what to look for. He had tried to use the sharingan but it was simply ill-equipped to see Chi. "To understand the universe, one must first understand oneself. You must seek the answers within you." Lao continued before coming to a stop behind Shin and putting his hands on his back.

Shin started to feel a warm and powerful energy as it flowed into his body and started to circulate. As Shin concentrated on this energy, he eventually felt a similar secondary energy as it started to resonate with this foreign energy until it withdrew and Shin was left in a trance like state.

Lao observed Shin and was astonished to say the least, 'His ability to perceive Chi is simply extraordinary! True his skill with harnessing this "Chakra" might have come in handy but to awaken his chi in mere minutes is simply unheard of!'

Shin had convinced Lao that time was of the essence and after 3 months the interdimensional energy that remained on him would disappear and the panda would be permanently stuck here. This had caused the Panda to use an alternate method of awakening chi.

The traditional method requires self-discovery, a high mastery of martial arts and some very long hours of meditation. This alternative skipped the 1st and 3rd condition and since Shin already satisfied the 2nd, Lao decided to use this method to awaken his Chi. This method required a master of Chi to send his own powerful life force into the student's body and slowly influence the innate Chi that existed within the student. The student would then meditate on that feeling, hoping to gain control of his own lifeforce.

This alternate method was no doubt faster but it still required weeks if not months, so Shin being able to grasp it in the very first sitting was an unprecedented surprise for Lao as he had never heard of such a thing. There had been cases of someone unlocking powerful innate chi but that was due to self actualization and not from any alternate method.

'Perhaps it was fate that brought me here, this little one's fate.' Lao pondered as he looked at Shin seated in the middle of the clearing, serene as a lake and still as a stone.

Shin meditated for a while, his rhythmic breaths filling the clearing with a serene atmosphere which lasted until the sky started to brighten and light filled the world. Lao woke him from his trance-like state and sent him back home while he too disappeared.

When Shin got home he checked his status with a smile, 'That's just great!'

 [Name: The Overlord of Chaos (Shin Hirano)

Level: 70(+50)(+1)

Title: Chunin of Konoha

Age: 11

Stats:

Strength: 56

Vitality: 50

Agility: 62

Sense: 75

Chakra: 90

Control: 87

...…

Chi: 12

Chi Control: 8]

[Notice: A new energy has been unlocked, the levels will be marked separately]