Chakra

As it turned out, Higashino Jiro's little test for his son was utterly pointless.

After the meal, Higashino Makoto took the keys and, without bothering to rummage through the house, walked straight to the study and over to the pillar beside the bookshelf.

He dragged a stool over, climbed up, and knocked along the pillar from top to bottom. Then he lifted a decorative wooden panel on the wall, revealing an old, lockless storage box inside.

Using the key to open it, he found not only documents and money but also several scrolls.

Higashino Makoto turned to look at his father, who had followed him.

Higashino Jiro was a bit surprised. "How did you know it was here? When did you sneak a peek?"

"No, Father, I don't have a hobby of spying on others' secrets."

"Then how did you find it? I designed this when I was renovating the house—back when your mother and I weren't even married, and you weren't born yet."

"I've paid attention to this apartment building. The load-bearing pillar between the kitchen and the study is unnecessary."

"That's it?"

"I've been to Uncle Kuroda's general store on the first floor before. In the same spot, there's no load-bearing pillar."

"Hahaha, was the flaw that obvious? I thought I'd designed it perfectly." Higashino Jiro rubbed the back of his head awkwardly. "My sense of accomplishment—gone again."

Higashino Makoto: "..."

It's not perfect at all. That pillar being here is clearly wrong. Do you have any basic knowledge of architecture?

Higashino Jiro reached in and took out the smallest scroll. "This is it. Put everything back the way it was, and let's go to your room."

"Yes, Father." Higashino Makoto didn't ask about the other scrolls. He knew they were likely the ninjutsu accumulated by the Higashino family over generations.

To those big clan ninjas, these might be trivial, but for a civilian family trying to grow and thrive, this was the most important legacy.

In Konoha, the Hokage faction naturally suppressed large ninja clans and supported civilian ninjas due to power dynamics, but civilian ninjas also dreamed of turning their families into a clan.

At the end of the day, civilians were both dissatisfied with and envious of ninja clans.

This was true in every ninja village—or rather, everywhere in the world.

Higashino Jiro didn't take back the key from his son, meaning he now had access to it—after all, if his parents had no more children, he would be the sole heir of the Higashino family.

In the bedroom, Higashino Jiro handed the scroll to Higashino Makoto. "Read it through first. Ask me if there's anything you don't understand."

"Yes, Father."

He opened the scroll and studied it carefully, while Higashino Jiro waited patiently nearby.

The chakra extraction technique wasn't complicated; the scroll mostly contained precautions and some small tips for beginners.

Thanks to his adult soul and two years of extensive reading, Higashino Makoto's reading speed and comprehension were top-notch. He finished quickly.

"Anything you don't understand?"

"No."

"Good, then give it a try. Remember what I told you before—after every workout, focus your mind and sense the subtle changes in your body?"

"I remember!"

"That's good. Don't rush. Keep your thoughts concentrated, not scattered. It might take a while—a few hours, maybe a few days. I believe you'll succeed."

Higashino Makoto recalled the subtle bodily changes he'd sensed after each workout. He sat cross-legged on the bed, formed the Ram seal with his hands, followed the extraction method, closed his eyes, and emptied his mind.

He gathered his spirit, maintained focus, and cast aside any worry of failure. A tangible mental energy descended from his head, enveloping his entire body, using spiritual energy to sense the physical energy within his cells.

With a year of sensing experience and the descriptions of physical energy in the chakra extraction technique, Higashino Makoto soon made a small discovery. He immediately tried to mobilize it with his spiritual power.

Following the method in the technique, he roughly estimated the abundance of this physical energy, then matched it with an equal amount of spiritual energy to mix.

Energy inside the body was invisible and unquantifiable, only approachable through spiritual sensing.

The first mix failed.

Higashino Makoto calmly observed the reaction to the failure. The muscles at the mixing point seemed to twitch.

The scroll's notes explained this was a sign of excess physical energy—the two couldn't balance.

He added a bit more spiritual energy. The second mix failed, but he barely felt any movement in the flesh at the mixing point.

He added a tiny bit more spiritual energy. This time, the two energies seemed to find a perfect match, quickly embracing and intertwining into one.

As this mixed energy emerged, it rapidly traveled through the chakra pathways, eventually gathering at the whirlpool-like network in his lower abdomen.

That wasn't the dantian from his past life's novels or Chinese medicine. The human body structure in the ninja world differed from his previous life, using a chakra network—there was no concept of a dantian.

Higashino Jiro watched his son sit cross-legged on the bed with closed eyes, smiling slightly to himself. This is the crucial first step to becoming a ninja. Let's see if you have enough patience.

After a few seconds, he quietly slipped out of the room.

But before he reached the door, he heard a voice behind him.

"Father, I think I've successfully extracted chakra."

Higashino Jiro spun around, eyes wide. "What? That fast? Are you sure?"

"I'm sure!"

"Don't stop. Keep extracting. The first time is crucial—continue until you feel your body starting to tire."

Higashino Makoto said nothing more and followed the method he'd just learned to extract chakra. Waves of Body Energy and Mental Energy drawn from throughout his body mixed together, and a steady stream of energy flowed into his lower abdomen.

Soon, he felt a faint fatigue spreading through his body. He immediately released the Unfinished Seal and stopped the extraction.

Based on the Chakra Theory he'd read in books, continuing further wouldn't be extraction anymore—it would be squeezing. Unless fighting to the death, that wasn't recommended.

Over-squeezing shortened your lifespan. Squeezing to the limit meant total cell failure and instant death.

Seeing Makoto finish his hand seal, Higashino Jiro dashed over in a single bound, pressed his hand against his son's abdomen, and connected their chakra.

Soon, he broke into a delighted laugh. "To succeed so quickly on your first extraction, and with such a good Chakra Amount—you're a true Genius, my son. You have the makings of a Hokage!"

"I feel like you're cursing me."

Higashino Jiro had no idea what the Emperor Meme meant and immediately denied it. "How could I be? I'm telling the truth."

Makoto didn't want his father to keep planting flags, so he changed the subject out of curiosity. "Father, how long did your first extraction take?"

"Well... that's not important!" A flash of embarrassment crossed Jiro's face before he turned toward the door and called out, "Megumi, are you done cleaning? Bring a Chakra Test Paper over."

"Success already?" Higashino Megumi was surprised as she entered. She'd been hoping to see her son's perpetually expressionless, precocious face show some rare impatience.

Ideally, she'd wanted him to stew for three to five days, then she could lecture him with the air of someone who'd been through it all, reminding him that his mother was still his mother.

But the expectation ended before it even began.

Jiro didn't answer her. He took the test paper and handed it to Makoto. "Channel your chakra into it."

Taking the paper, Makoto infused it with chakra. Soon, the small sheet split in two from the middle. One half stayed in his hand, soaking wet. The other half crumbled into small pieces, falling like snowflakes onto the bedsheet.

"Megumi, see that? He's born with three natures."

"Oh my, combining your Wind and Earth Release with my Water Release—no wonder he's our child, inheriting the best of both of us."

Most ninja were born with only one nature. Making other natures manifest required long training, which wasn't easy—measured in years.

If it were simple, there wouldn't be so few multi-nature ninja in the Shinobi World.

Starting with three natures undoubtedly saved a lot of growth time.

Of course, more natures didn't mean greater strength. A ninja's power came from a combination of Chakra Amount, tactical skill, combat talent, and other factors.

But having multiple natures from birth gave a ninja more tactical options and made it harder for opponents to counter them with jutsu.

That's why most single-nature ninja eventually developed other natures when they had time.

Except for that overpowered freak who just made spiraling balls.

"What a happy day. Come on, Megumi, have a few drinks with me." Jiro pulled his wife toward the door, then seemed to remember he still had a son. He turned back. "Makoto, you know what to do after chakra extraction, right?"

"Yes, Father."

"Good. Keep working hard. Don't overdo it, and get some rest early. A strong, healthy body is the foundation of everything."