Refining Chakra

The sky over Konoha in Year 36 was as bright as ever, though many people had probably already lost the chance to see it.

In a courtyard in one corner of the Uchiha Clan Grounds stood a boy with a head of black hair. His little face still held some childishness, but his handsome, heroic features were already clear.

His determined gaze fixed on a target in the distance. He took off running like a wild horse that had broken free.

Perhaps his legs were too short; he wasn't actually running very fast. He planted a foot against a nearby tree and leaped up.

At the peak of his jump, suspended in the air and just about to fall, he made his move and began throwing Kunai.

"Whoosh, whoosh!"

The Kunai in his hands flew in every direction like a scattering of flower petals. As if fate had arranged it, they kept clashing in midair in a seemingly miraculous display.

"Clink, clink!" The crisp sounds rang out. Everything was so harmonious.

"Whew."

He landed steadily on the ground.

He turned to look at the target hidden behind a rock.

"MMP!"

The target was completely untouched.

"Kaede, what are you doing?"

With bandages still wrapped around his hand and a cane in his grasp, Uchiha Mingye watched his son's performance with a head full of questions.

"Ah~ Father, shouldn't you be resting?"

He had only been imitating Itachi's Kunai-throwing technique. It was no big deal that he'd failed—after all, he hadn't awakened his Sharingan yet, and he was still pretty terrible. He might as well treat it as a way to entertain himself.

But his father's sudden appearance left him feeling incredibly awkward. This looked just like Jiraiya's [All Shuriken Throw Technique], making him a total brat. It didn't fit the image he'd always maintained.

"The house was too stuffy, so I came out for a walk. I'm curious who taught you to throw Kunai like that. Your brilliant and mighty father certainly never taught you such a foolish technique."

Seizing the opportunity, Mingye began criticizing his son.

The main reason was that his son, Kaede, was simply too well-behaved. It made him happy, but it also made him feel that, as a father, he...

Well! It seemed... he wasn't much use.

So, after returning injured, he'd taken up his daily routine of finding fault.

"My brilliant and mighty father, you've never taught me anything, have you?"

He spoke listlessly, his words brimming with disdain.

"Father, I'm already four years old. Shouldn't you teach me something? The kids next door have already started practicing Hand Seals and refining Chakra."

As children of the Uchiha Clan, one of Konoha's prestigious clans, they were taught proper manners from a young age. Around the age of four, they began learning about being a ninja.

At the very least, they would be taught Taijutsu and trained to strengthen their bodies.

But his parents...

They cared a little too much.

"Have you really turned four without me noticing? Time flies!"

Mingye stared absentmindedly at Kaede, who stood straight and neat in his freshly tidied clothes. He realized his son really had grown up.

Was he going to have to send him onto the battlefield with his own hands?

"Kaede, being a ninja isn't exactly a good career."

He paused.

"But it's time I taught you something. What should it be...? Let's start with this."

He seemed not to have fully come back to himself, muttering as he spoke.

Often, they had no choice. They were Uchiha, members of a clan cursed by fate.

Mingye looked at Kaede, who was gazing back at him with bright, eager eyes. He smiled gently and brushed a hand over his son's forehead.

"Do you know what the foundation of being a ninja is?"

"Father, I think it's Chakra. Only those who have Chakra can learn Ninjutsu. Once you master powerful Ninjutsu, you can be called a ninja."

Looking at Kaede's hopeful expression, Mingye remembered himself as a child, gazing at his own father just like this and begging to become a ninja. But he would never see his father again.

"You're not entirely right, but I'll still teach you how to refine Chakra. You're still young, though, so you'll have to limit how long you practice. Otherwise, you could damage your body. Understand?"

Was that a yes?

Kaede was a little stunned. His father was unusually easygoing today!

He'd asked so many times over the past year, and his father had never agreed. He'd even considered sneaking over to the Uchiha relatives next door to learn from them.

He couldn't believe his father had agreed just like that...

"Do I need Mother's permission?"

He asked tentatively.

After all, his father was a devoted husband and father who loved his wife and son. Teaching him such dangerous ninja techniques without Xiang's permission might get him beaten up...

"Do you even want to learn or not?"

Mingye's sore spot had been hit. He bared his teeth and pretended to be angry.

"I do... I do..."

He nodded quickly.

Only a fool would refuse to learn. Besides, if anything happened, his gentle mother definitely wouldn't take it out on him.

As for his father getting scolded...

Kaede: "I didn't see anything. Ah~ another lovely day."

He'd just close his eyes and pretend he couldn't see. Perfect! Hehe.

"Kaede, you've reached the age when you must shoulder the responsibility of the clan. As a member of the Uchiha Clan and the son of me, Uchiha Mingye, becoming a ninja and protecting the clan is your birthright.

"Even though your mother has done a good job of protecting you, you still have to grow up eventually. You can't escape the destiny that awaits you. Unless..."

"Unless what?"

Seeing his father look at him with an unprecedentedly stern expression, he asked nervously.

"Unless you don't have the talent to become a ninja. Then you could live an ordinary life, as your mother wants. But I'm sure you wouldn't be willing to do that."

In Mingye's eyes, Kaede had known for a long time how to avoid Xiang's notice and secretly train his body, working out Taijutsu on his own. A boy who worked so hard could never be content with an ordinary life.

"You've always known, haven't you, Father?"

He'd never thought he could keep his secret training hidden from his father, who had Jonin-level strength. That was impossible. Even his gentle mother might have known.

Mingye smiled at his son.

"Come, I'll teach you how to refine Chakra."

He sat cross-legged on the ground and pointed to the space beside him, motioning for Kaede to sit down.

"A ninja's Chakra is a force created by combining physical energy gathered from the body's 130 trillion cells with spiritual energy drawn from the soul.

"It's the basic energy used for Ninjutsu, Taijutsu, and Genjutsu. Refining Chakra for the first time is a little tricky, so watch me do it first."

Mingye began demonstrating how to refine Chakra from the body. Sitting cross-legged, he straightened his chest, closed his eyes in concentration, and formed Hand Seals in front of him.

Suddenly, a strange ball of energy, transparent with a faint blue tint, appeared in Mingye's hand. He held it up for Kaede to see.

"This is the initial Chakra refined from a ninja's body. Then, by understanding a little about nature transformation, you can begin to change Chakra's nature."

As he spoke, the initial transparent, pale-blue Chakra in Mingye's hand turned into a ball of red fire.

"Most of us in the Uchiha Clan have a Fire Release affinity, so we can transform our Chakra into Fire Release Chakra. To gain other Chakra natures, you have to develop them through training."

With a smile on his lips, he watched Kaede stare at the ball of fire in his hand. Mingye seemed to see himself as a child, watching his own father demonstrate.

"Oh, right. Chakra has five natures: fire, wind, lightning, earth, and water. Once you've refined Chakra, you can test your nature."

As he spoke, he took a small square sheet of white paper from the pouch he carried.

He carried Chakra Paper with him. It seemed this hadn't been a coincidence—he'd planned it all along.