20 pills per equipment, 20%*5=100% (+665 init).

To answer OP questions, CN has more functions: sage tool gives more stats (as you can see in one of the lasts Amber's videos), chakra mastery (the one that gives you % elemental dmg / rez) is supposed to give additional init for pos 1, red init rune for 8 gates, myoboku leafs (a 3rd myoboku map).

Probably i had missed something.