Chakra Extraction

Wasn't everything that had just happened the best proof?

His name was Uzumaki Menma, not Naruto Uzumaki.

He was a red-haired, gray-eyed little boy, not the blond-haired, blue-eyed child from the Original Work.

Before this, he had truly been worried that he would not be able to enter the Ninja Academy at the proper age. If he could not even take the first step toward becoming a ninja, that would be utterly miserable.

Therefore, upon hearing Sarutobi Hiruzen's words,

the joy on Menma's face genuinely came from the bottom of his heart.

Naturally, Sarutobi Hiruzen had no idea what Menma was thinking. Seeing only Menma's happy smile, the Third Hokage's own smile grew even warmer. He thought he had drawn closer to Menma again and earned even more of the boy's gratitude.

"Of course. You are already old enough, but before you can enter the Ninja Academy, there is one small test. You can only enroll after you pass it."

Sarutobi Hiruzen said with a smile.

"Huh? What test is it, Grandpa Third? I'll definitely pass it!"

Menma said confidently.

"Hehe, Chakra extraction. Little Menma, you should know that for a ninja, the most important first step is learning to master Chakra extraction. Only once you have mastered it can you enter the Ninja Academy."

Sarutobi Hiruzen gently patted Menma's little head again, then took out a Scroll from his robe and placed it on the table with a smile.

"Chakra extraction?"

As Menma looked at the Scroll on the table,

the light in his eyes grew ever brighter.

This was what he had wanted most over the past five years.

Now that he could finally obtain it, Menma truly could not hide his excitement. It was written plainly all over his face.

"Yes, don't worry, Grandpa Third. I'll definitely achieve it before enrollment next year."

Menma patted his little chest and spoke with great confidence.

"Mm, Grandpa believes in little Menma too."

Sarutobi Hiruzen leaned forward slightly and looked at Menma with an encouraging expression.

Build their bond from childhood.

Then strengthen their connection step by step.

Sarutobi Hiruzen believed that in the future, this child would surely become his staunchest supporter and unquestionably inherit the Will of Fire he taught.

First Hokage, Second Hokage, rest assured. I will protect Konoha well. And Fourth Hokage, I will take good care of Naruto and Menma as well.

Sarutobi Hiruzen thought silently to himself.

A Hokage's time was precious.

Even on New Year's Eve, Sarutobi Hiruzen could not afford to be idle.

Still, he stayed with Menma for a while longer, only leaving when dusk arrived.

Menma maintained a very happy appearance from beginning to end.

Only after Sarutobi Hiruzen had left did the smile on his face slowly fade.

The Ninja Academy? I've finally waited for this moment!

Menma gently clenched the Scroll in his palm and silently rearranged his future training plans.

Chakra!

The official explanation was that it was the product created by perfectly combining Physical Energy and Mental Energy extracted from the human body's 130 trillion Cells.

Of course, the Original Work contained contradictory explanations.

Some said it was an ability humans had possessed from the beginning, and that the Sage of Six Paths had merely taught them the corresponding extraction method.

Others said it was the result of the Sage of Six Paths distributing his own Chakra for humanity to use. In that case, Chakra ultimately originated from Otsutsuki Kaguya and the Chakra Fruit.

Which one was the truth?

Humanity no longer had any way of knowing.

But that did not seem particularly important.

After all, humanity had already mastered the method of extracting Chakra: extracting Physical Energy and Mental Energy from one's own Cells and perfectly combining them to produce Chakra.

The difference was that only a small portion of humanity could accomplish this.

The vast majority of humans could not extract Chakra.

Even among the Five Great Shinobi Villages, this was the case. Before Ninja Academy enrollment every year, a large number of commoners were screened out. If you could not even extract Chakra, how could you become a ninja!?

As for those born into shinobi clans, there was no issue of being rejected by the Ninja Academy. Before entering the academy, they had already begun extracting Chakra within their own clans. Ordinary people who could not extract it would not even go to the Ninja Academy to Hit a wall.

For Menma, this problem was even more nonexistent.

The bloodline of the Uzumaki Clan.

The Nine-Tails Jinchuriki.

If he could not extract Chakra, wouldn't that be a joke!?

Although the Nine-Tails Chakra interfered with him,

making Menma's Chakra extraction less smooth and stable, after a full day of effort,

"So this is Chakra!?"

On the morning of January 1st, Konoha Year 54,

Menma finally succeeded in extracting his own Chakra for the first time.

The moment he felt that unique power,

delight immediately appeared on Menma's face.

Even if it was only a wisp of Chakra!

Menma could feel that his "strength" far exceeded what it had been before.

Of course, this was merely the beginning!

Although, without external assistance or any special factors, every ninja's maximum Chakra capacity was determined from the start,

that did not mean that the moment you learned to extract Chakra, your total Chakra reserves would immediately reach their limit.

You still needed to work hard afterward

to bring your total Chakra reserves to their maximum.

Where was the key?

It lay in Physical Energy and Mental Energy.

The harder one worked, the faster one could reach that limit.

With the bloodline of the Uzumaki Clan, he had been born with tremendous vitality, so there was no need to worry about Physical Energy.

It was the tempering of his mind that had to become the focus of his future efforts.

Not to mention that he still had the Nine-Tails Chakra within him as his greatest trump card.

I've finally taken my first firm step! Now I need to pick up the pace.

Menma slowly exhaled a breath of stale air and clenched his Hands slightly. The look in his Pupils also became somewhat sharper at that moment.

His plans began to change.

Over the following period,

Menma devoted all his time to steadily extracting and controlling Chakra. He did not need to reach any particularly high level; at the very least, he needed to be able to use it in a basic way.

For Menma,

time was of the essence!

It was already January of Konoha Year 54.

There were only six years left until the Original Work's story began!

He had to gain at least the bare minimum ability to protect himself during those six years. He could not spend those most crucial six years as leisurely as Naruto had in the Original Work.