Kosuke stared suspiciously at Izuna's ingratiating smile, unable to believe him.
This guy definitely wanted to use this chance to spend time with his sister!
When Izuna mentioned that they could ask Kosuke about anything they did not understand regarding Chakra training, Minako's previously hunched neck instantly snapped upright.
That's right! How had she not thought of asking Little Kosuke?
Little Kosuke usually loved researching this stuff. Mom had once casually mentioned that when he was three months old, he had already started scribbling and drawing on the ground.
Izuna was amazing! Hehe~~
Feeling Minako's admiring gaze, Izuna's guilty expression vanished at once. He straightened up and nodded fiercely at Kosuke, whose face was full of disbelief.
That's right! I came here to ask you questions. As for exchanging insights on Chakra refinement with Mina along the way, that was training!
Training! Do you understand?
A little brat like you, only three years old, probably wouldn't understand.
Having witnessed Izuna's entire change in expression, Kosuke turned back in confusion, wanting to see what his sister was doing.
Just then, Madara, standing handsomely atop the wall, heard what Izuna said and performed the Body Technique: Body Flicker he had painstakingly trained in for years for the first time in Kosuke's courtyard.
In the blink of an eye, Uchiha Madara vanished from the top of the wall.
He appeared before the courtyard table like a ghost, the hem of his clothes still trailing afterimages from his high-speed movement.
Madara folded his arms, tilted his head slightly, and looked at the composed Kosuke with surprise and suspicion.
"Yo~ Body Technique: Body Flicker. The king of pretenders, truly—pfft! Sorry, force of habit. The finest leader among his peers really does have a unique way of getting off a wall."
Just as Madara's lips were about to curl into a smile, Kosuke spoke again.
"But next time, please use the front gate. My gate opens plenty wide, thank you."
After saying that, Kosuke stood up, pulled his sister over to the table, and had her sit down.
Then he returned to his own seat.
Madara, whose smile had only formed halfway, froze in place, the corner of his eye twitching furiously.
Seeing his older brother's awkward state, Izuna helplessly stood up and pressed him down into a seat at the table.
"Little Kosuke, do you know how to quickly increase the amount of Chakra?"
Madara's already unnatural expression froze on his face, and the faint blush on his ears had yet to fade.
Hearing Izuna speak again, he swiftly suppressed his unusual feelings, straightened his back, and unconsciously pressed his palms tightly against his thighs.
"Rapidly refine Chakra? With a body as frail as yours, you still want to refine it quickly? Are you tired of being so young and having such a long life ahead of you?"
Kosuke frowned tightly and turned to look at his sister beside him, only to see that her face was likewise filled with longing for Chakra.
When their eyes met, he saw the exact same expression in her eyes that Izuna had worn, and his heart skipped a beat.
In an instant, his heart sank, his thoughts tangling into a mess—the nearly obsessive desire was no different from the Uchiha in his memories from his past life.
Why did every one of them want instant results the moment they learned how to refine Chakra?
They had barely learned to crawl, yet they already wanted to stand up and run?
At that thought, Kosuke's gaze sharpened, and a trace of doubt arose in his heart. Wasn't staying alive good enough? Why was everyone always thinking about nonsense? Was it because they lived in an era of war, where children had been taught from a young age that they had to become strong as soon as possible?
But not everyone could be freaks like the later Uchiha Shisui and Uchiha Itachi...
Although they were all Uchiha, without Kishimoto's favor, how could they soar to greatness?
His gaze happened to fall on Izuna at the side.
"You're the lucky one. Kishimoto has taken such good care of you."
At that thought, Kosuke gently shook his head, wanting to cast away all those stray thoughts.
Die?
When the meaning behind Kosuke's words reached Madara's ears, he narrowed his eyes slightly. A faint aura radiated from him, like a young beast poised to pounce.
Just then, Kosuke's voice rang out across the courtyard again.
"Big sis, don't learn from this fool. You can't over-refine Chakra. If things go wrong, it could leave lasting damage at best—and cost you your life at worst."
"It's that serious?"
Upon hearing Kosuke's words, all three of their pupils contracted sharply.
They stared in shock at Kosuke as he spoke so frankly.
"Little brother, could it really be like that?"
Seeing that his sister still held onto a sliver of hope, Kosuke continued, "Let's put aside the question of how to rapidly refine Chakra for now. First, tell me, how is Chakra extracted?"
Watching Kosuke remain so calm and collected, Madara could not help but mutter to himself inwardly.
Could it really be as this little brat said? Could Chakra not be over-refined?
"Chakra is extracted by fusing the energy within the body's cells with Mental Energy."
"Cellular Energy and Mental Energy?"
Kosuke's gaze swept across the three people before him, and he saw them all nod slowly.
That was right. The clan's Chakra refinement method did explain it that way.
"Then have you ever thought about where Cellular Energy and Mental Energy come from?"
"I know. First, food is converted—the nutrients in food are turned into energy inside the body, and that energy is normally stored in the cells. Second, cellular metabolism—the energy comes from the biological energy generated through the activities of human cells."
"Mental Energy comes from the mind, willpower, experience, knowledge, emotions, and so on."
Hearing Izuna's answer, Madara nodded in satisfaction.
"Oh, really? Cellular Energy comes from cellular metabolism. Like the strength generated through muscle training, it is essentially biological energy released when cells break down nutrients." Kosuke looked around at the three confused faces and tapped the table lightly with his fingertips. "Mental Energy is hidden in consciousness. For example, the focus you have when wielding a kunai, or the will to survive in desperate circumstances—both can condense into energy."
Seeing Madara frown in thought and Izuna bite his lip as if wanting to ask something, he switched to a simpler analogy. "Those two forms of energy first satisfy the body's daily consumption. Think of them as water in a bowl—the body is the bowl. Only after the bowl is full can you scoop out what is left to refine Chakra."
"But your bowls are still growing." He bent a finger and rubbed his temple. "Once you enter adolescence, your meridians will widen, the power in your bloodline will begin to awaken, and your body's energy demands will double."
At that, Kosuke's tone suddenly darkened. His gaze nailed itself to their faces like a blade. "If you forcibly scoop water from the bowl then, the bowl will crack. Understand?"
Izuna's pupils shrank sharply. "Like that person in the village?"
Kosuke's gaze fell on Izuna's trembling fingertips as he said gravely, "He overconsumed his body's energy and drew away the nutrients that should have gone toward bone development." His fingers unconsciously traced across the tabletop. "Remember this: Chakra is a blade, but the hand holding it must first be strong enough."
"If there isn't enough water, then just add more?"
Kosuke looked at his sister Mina as though he could not stand her failure to understand, until she sheepishly withdrew that hopeful gaze.
"Big sis, that's not how it works. Chakra needs Cellular Energy and Mental Energy to fuse in a certain proportion, right?" Without waiting for anyone to respond, he continued, "If you want to rapidly increase your Chakra, you need to increase both forms of energy at the same time. But Mental Energy is not as easy to deal with as Cellular Energy."
Seeing the meaning in Mina's eyes, Kosuke immediately said irritably, "Don't start talking to me about Soldier Pills. Those are strategic supplies, not something you can rely on for everyday training!"
Kosuke did not want to keep discussing the headache-inducing topic of "Chakra composition." Instead, he asked Madara, "You've been refining Chakra for two years. Do you have any suggestions on increasing your own Mental Energy?"
"Increasing my own Mental Energy?" Caught off guard by Kosuke's sudden question, Madara fell into brief thought.
Then, half doubtful, he voiced his guess.
"Meditation? Thinking? Training..."
"Stop!" Kosuke's lips twitched. He looked at Madara blandly and asked in a puzzled tone, "So that's how you've spent the past two years? You never tried asking the strong people in the clan?"
"Asking the strong people in the clan?"
At Kosuke's question, the three of them looked at one another, suddenly feeling rather embarrassed.
Before you continue