Refining Chakra

After three days of theoretical study, Kiyokatsu Sarutobi finally began teaching the students the Chakra Refining Technique. Of course, many children from Ninja Clans had already learned their clans' exclusive Chakra Refining Techniques, and many had already refined Chakra.

Chakra was a combination of spiritual energy and physical energy. Using special refining methods, it could be extracted and stored within the body, then released through hand seals and other means when needed.

Depending on the individual, the difficulty of refining Chakra varied, and so did the maximum amount of Chakra one could extract. Clans like the Senju Clan and Uzumaki Clan were born with abundant Innate Chakra Quantity. Many of their members, at their peak, were known as Chadoonra.

As one aged and the body developed, one's maximum Chakra Amount would also increase. Naturally, as one grew old and the body declined, Chakra Amount would decrease as well.

After learning the Chakra Refining Technique, as long as one could refine that first wisp of Chakra and break through that bottleneck, the level of Chakra Amount afterward would depend entirely on one's innate physical conditions.

Jiogan finally refined his first wisp of Chakra on the seventh day. That speed ranked among the best in the class; many children from Ninja Clans could not match it.

However, Chakra Amount determined the upper limit of a ninja's rank. Although Jiogan had successfully extracted Chakra, his Chakra Amount was utterly ordinary. Yes—commoner-level ordinary.

Jiogan felt somewhat helpless. As a commoner, he not only lacked a Sage Bloodline, but did not even possess Ninja Clan blood. His Chakra level was probably about the same as his father Takoyakiwan's. That meant the upper limit of his ninja rank was only Chunin level.

There's nothing I can do. That's just my talent. I'm not meant to be the protagonist. Even if I came to the Ninja World to experience life, I can just indulge my ninja fantasies. Though Jiogan comforted himself like that, his tightly furrowed brows still revealed his unwillingness.

Having come to the Ninja World for one life, could he only be an obscure, unnoticed nobody? How could he, a Blue Star Transmigrator, possibly accept that?

There were many ways to change one's aptitude, and no one could predict the future. A blazing spark had already ignited in Jiogan's heart. Someday, a gust of wind would come and set that spark ablaze.

Training the body could increase one's Chakra Amount to a certain extent. Now, whenever Jiogan returned home from school, he trained at home every day. But he did not go as far as Might Duy and Might Guy. After all, he had neither the training method for the Eight Inner Gates nor the corresponding medicinal treatment formulas. Training like that would only cripple him.

Might Duy was a year older than Jiogan and was his upperclassman. Jiogan had seen him several times at school. A bowl cut, thick eyebrows, and a green bodysuit—such a combination was extremely eye-catching on one person. But Jiogan had never greeted him. As someone familiar with the Hokage storyline, Jiogan knew that the Might Duy father and son merely lacked talent for Ninjutsu; their Taijutsu skill tree was completely maxed out. Few in all of Konoha could compare to them. Might Duy had kicked the Seven Ninja Swordsmen down to three men, while Might Guy had even been judged by Madara as someone with no equal in Taijutsu.

I should arrange a chance encounter with Might Duy. Even if my Taijutsu talent is ordinary too, if I can really learn to open the First Gate and Second Gate, it should at least improve my chances of survival. Jiogan thought. The Ninja World was far from peaceful now. Counting the days, it would only be a few years before Second Hokage Tobirama Senju attended a meeting with the Raikage and was ambushed. After that, the conflicts of the Ninja World would be laid bare, with clashes occurring constantly until the Second Great Ninja War fully erupted.

Unlike him, Kurama Feiyun had excellent Chakra talent, and her Chakra Amount was much greater than Jiogan's. If she could train to her peak, becoming a Jonin would not be a problem.

Perhaps because he was a transmigrator, although his body's talent was mediocre, Jiogan's spiritual energy was very strong, and his soul gave him a great advantage. Perhaps I can develop in the direction of a Sensor Ninja. It's just that Sensor Ninja training is controlled by Ninja Clans and the village, so I can't access it for now. Jiogan thought. Sensor Ninjas were highly sought after in the Ninja World, even rarer than medical ninjas. They were people all forces prioritized protecting—and, naturally, the people Hostile Forces prioritized assassinating and beheading.

I still don't know what my Ninjutsu talent is like. I've only just refined Chakra and haven't started learning the Three Body Techniques yet. My Chakra Amount still isn't enough to practice the Ninjutsu Scroll Father left behind, but I can practice my hand seal proficiency in advance. Hand seal speed can let me seize the initiative in battle. Jiogan pondered.

Battles between powerful ninjas involved extremely fast hand seals, sometimes requiring only a few seals. Some freaks could even form seals with one hand. At the First Hokage Hashirama Senju's level, he only had to clap his hands together and whatever he called for would come. But that level was beyond his reach for now. He had to proceed step by step. After all, he had no Golden Finger; he was not some overpowered cheat.

Thus, Jiogan studied theory at school during the day, then trained his body and practiced hand seal proficiency at night. His foundation steadily grew firmer.

Half a semester passed, and the school finally welcomed Winter Break. The vacation lasted two months.

"See you next semester, Jiogan-kun!"

"Jiogan, let's go dig out bird eggs in the woods outside the village during the break!"

"Jiogan, I'm going to buy fruit from your family's Fruit Shop. You have to give me a discount!"

Jiogan smiled and replied to them one by one. Over the past half-semester, Jiogan had also made many good friends. Though they were all just kids, they were classmates after all, and they would fight side by side on the battlefield in the future. Jiogan had successfully integrated into the kids' circle.

"Jiogan-kun, do you have any plans for the break?"

A pleasant voice reached him. Jiogan's eyes lit up as he looked at its owner. "Feiyun, I've made myself a training plan. I'm going to train with upperclassman Might Duy."

Over the half-semester, through several chance encounters deliberately arranged by Jiogan, he had successfully hooked up with—cough, cough, no, no—become friends with Might Duy. He was now one of Might Duy's few friends, and Might Duy had taken the initiative to invite Jiogan to train in Youth with him during the break.

"Is that so?" Kurama Feiyun's mood sank a little after hearing that. "My clan has also arranged for me to train within the clan. I won't be able to see Jiogan-kun for two months."

"Don't be sad, Feiyun. My family's Fruit Shop offers delivery service. From now on, I'll personally deliver any fruit ordered by the Kurama Clan. Then we'll be able to meet!"

"Really? That's wonderful!" Kurama Feiyun visibly brightened, and her beautiful eyes curved into crescents.

"Feiyun, you need to train hard in your clan too. We both have to become stronger!"

"Mm, I'll definitely work hard, Jiogan-kun. Let's do our best together!"

"Let's do it!"

With that cry, Jiogan's first semester came to an end. Soon, he would welcome the baptism of the Youth Storm!