Failure, failure... undeniable failure.
Try after try, Chiba still could not extract physical energy from his cells. Though with each attempt, that feeling of being separated by a veil grew fainter and fainter, it never truly disappeared.
After trying for another day, Chiba still failed to extract physical energy.
However, he was neither disappointed nor dejected. Beneath his expressionless face, his heart was practically cheering with joy.
Yes, cheering with joy.
There had been no progress with Chakra, but the weakness, soreness, and numbness in his legs had become increasingly pronounced. With his own efforts, his big toe had begun moving more and more often. Although he still could not fully sense his toe, his intention—his desire to move it—was reaching his foot, as shown by the movement of his toe.
No matter what, this was certainly cause for delight.
The greatest problem that had been troubling him was now slowly improving.
That was right, his greatest problem was getting better! In truth, the lack of sensation in his feet was his biggest concern right now, not Chakra.
As long as his legs could walk, he could return to the village even without Chakra. Of course, compared to when he had Chakra, he would need to be far more careful without it, and escaping danger would become more difficult.
But if his legs could run, he could still make it back to the village.
As long as he could return to the village, he could use its medical equipment to investigate why he was unable to study Chakra. There were even many trustworthy doctors with considerable medical expertise in the village who could discuss and research it with him.
Sometimes, one person's strength was limited, especially in academia. Chiba's medical skill had reached the level of "Creation Rebirth," but that