Qi Deviation

After Uchiha Aozora used the Body Flicker Technique to leave the two of them's sight, he ran home at a normal speed.

With no one around, there was no need to keep showing off.

After all, no matter how much Chakra he had, he could not use the Body Flicker Technique for long periods.

Thinking of the stunned looks on his two companions' faces, Aozora felt thoroughly delighted.

After returning to the Uchiha Clan Compound, Aozora slowed to a stop as well.

This was the Clan Compound, after all. Running across rooftops and walls would get his legs broken.

After taking a few steps, Aozora noticed a large group of Uchiha women carrying vegetable baskets gathered ahead.

Just as he was about to go around them, words like "Clan Compound," "relocation," and "compensation" reached his ears.

Aozora's interest was immediately piqued, and he walked over.

The Relocation Plan had already been finalized and was now posted on the Clan Grounds Notice Board.

The clan's shinobi had tacitly accepted the relocation after the Clan Meeting, but Aozora wanted to know what the ordinary Clan Members thought.

"What? The village wants us to relocate?"

"Why? We're living perfectly well here. If we move to the Naka River side, it'll take us an extra half hour just to go shopping."

"It's not for nothing; there's compensation! Not only will the village build us houses by the Minami River, but they've also promised compensation worth twice the price of our homes!"

"..."

The women gathered around the notice board came from various households. Though somewhat resistant to the Relocation Plan, they were overjoyed by the village's generous compensation.

"They're really willing to spend that much. Even I'm tempted!"

Uchiha Aozora moved around to the front and glanced over the notice.

To ease the Uchiha Clan's resentment toward relocation, the village had decided to build houses for the Uchiha at the new site before having them relocate.

They could move in with their bags, making it extremely convenient.

In addition, the village promised to issue generous compensation to the Uchiha. As long as they agreed to relocate, the village and the Konoha Military Police Force would jointly measure their land and compensate them at twice the price of nearby homes.

Uchiha Aozora quietly calculated the approximate amount of compensation.

The house and courtyard cover around three hundred square meters. Nearby homes probably cost nine thousand ryō per square meter. Does that mean I can get 2.7 million ryō in compensation?

This payment for my life is quite substantial!

With Shisui gone, won't this money be mine to handle?

At the thought, Aozora could not help smiling.

Though he knew relocation was a bad thing, the compensation was truly tempting.

Compensation of 2.7 million was an astronomical figure for an ordinary Konoha family. Even within the Uchiha Clan, few could easily refuse such a massive sum.

Of course, other Uchiha families might not have courtyards as large as Aozora's, but the Uchiha generally lived one family to a residence. Even the smallest estates would surely cover more than one hundred and fifty square meters, bringing compensation of over one million.

With such generous compensation, Aozora believed that the vast majority of ordinary Clan Members would be tempted.

"But can Konoha afford such a huge sum now?"

"Each family gets over a million, and the Uchiha Clan has two or three hundred households."

Uchiha Aozora merely shook his head and put the matter out of his mind.

Before the Clan Meeting, he had believed that by gathering the clan's strength, they could prevent the tragedy of their extermination.

But after Uchiha Fugaku immobilized him, he understood that in the Shinobi World, a bigger fist was ultimately what mattered.

Thus, he no longer opposed relocating the Clan Compound.

No matter what happened, Konoha and the Uchiha were bound to fall out.

If agreeing to relocate the Clan Compound would earn him more than two million in compensation, then he had no objections at all.

He truly needed money, and more than two million was enough to buy Chakra Conductive Metal.

After returning home, Uchiha Aozora kept thinking about the matter, to the point that he failed while continuing to convert his Chakra into Fire Release Chakra.

The out-of-control Fire Release Chakra was like a wild horse unbridled, rampaging through his meridians.

Left with no choice, Aozora circulated the Chakra in his dantian to chase and intercept it.

Only after a long while did Aozora bring the Fire Release Chakra back under control, but by then his meridians were already covered in injuries.

Focusing inward, he discovered that the meridians throughout his body looked as if boiling water had scalded them. Some places had even blistered.

What is this? Did I really suffer Qi Deviation?

I can't keep cultivating "Qi Fire"! If I continue purifying my Chakra, then the next time it loses control, it won't just be a minor injury. I might even set myself on fire.

There's something wrong with my cultivation method. The three fires of essence, Qi, and spirit should not be cultivated separately. Without a powerful physique, how could I withstand the scorching of true fire?

After giving it some thought, Uchiha Aozora understood where the problem lay.

It's time to train my body!

How should I do that? Should I use Merit Water Droplets to improve "True Fire of Samadhi"?

The moment the thought arose, Uchiha Aozora rejected it.

"True Fire of Samadhi" probably doesn't include a body-tempering method. Otherwise, "Qi Fire" would have included a Qi cultivation method.

He repeatedly reviewed the knowledge he possessed, as well as the Divine Abilities granted by the Heavenly Book, only to discover that aside from "Guidance and Qi Cultivation," he did not have a single skill related to body tempering.

Shaking his head speechlessly, Uchiha Aozora pulled out the wooden box where he kept his Ninjutsu Scrolls.

After quickly flipping through them, he found that aside from three swordsmanship techniques that slightly involved taijutsu, there were no other taijutsu scrolls at all.

"Twenty-three scrolls, and not one teaches body training?"

"Don't they know the body is the foundation of everything? No wonder the Uchiha Coup failed!"

Annoyed, Aozora could not help grumbling a few times.

In the end, he merely sighed, locked the box, and put it back where it belonged.

"Konoha taijutsu is nothing more than the Steel Fist Style and the Gentle Fist Style."

"The Gentle Fist Style is out of the question. The Hyuga and the Uchiha are like fire and water; it would already be good if they did not start fighting on sight."

"The Steel Fist Style... the Eight Inner Gates!"

At the thought of the Eight Inner Gates, Uchiha Aozora grew excited as well.

It was not the Eight Inner Gates themselves that excited him. He had no desire to learn that Secret Technique that burned away life force.

What excited him was Might Guy's body-tempering secret technique.

What ordinary people saw was the glory of Might Guy opening the Eight Inner Gates, but Uchiha Aozora knew just how powerful a physique was required to open them.

In fact, even without opening the Eight Inner Gates, the later Might Guy could be called an elite Jōnin through taijutsu alone.

Uchiha Aozora believed that the Might Family surely possessed its own unique body-tempering techniques.

Perseverance and hard work might have been essential to Might Duy and Might Guy's success, but they were certainly not the only factors.

Without a good, scientific method, training at the intensity shown in the manga might not be something even the Uzumaki Clan's bodies could endure.

Looks like I'll have to cozy up to Guy. Fortunately, hot-blooded youths are easy to fool.

Uchiha Aozora could instantly think of a hundred ways to befriend Guy.

Hmm, overly complicated methods might not work on Guy. Then I'll use the not-acquainted-without-a-fight method!

I'll find an opportunity to fight him, then shake hands and make peace. After that, I'll suggest training with him, and it'll be OK.

Having figured out how to strengthen his physique, Uchiha Aozora sat cross-legged, focused his mind, and entered his Sea of Consciousness.

Though Merit Droplets were useless for strengthening his physique, Uchiha Aozora did not want to keep storing the Little Water Droplets on the Heavenly Book.

He knew that money was only useful once spent, and Merit Droplets were the same.