Refining Chakra

The sky of Year 36 of Konoha was still so bright, though many believed they could no longer see it.

In a courtyard at the corner of the Uchiha clan grounds, a boy with a full head of black hair still bore childishness on his small face, yet his handsome features were already visible.

With a resolute gaze fixed on the distant target, he began to run, like a wild horse breaking free of its reins.

Perhaps his legs were too short—he wasn't actually running very fast. He kicked off a nearby tree and leaped.

At the apex of his rise, suspended in the air, in the instant before he began to fall, he struck. Kunai flew from his hand.

Whoosh, whoosh

The kunai in his hand scattered like a goddess strewing flowers, thrown in different directions, as if by fate's design, miraculously colliding midair.

Clink, clink—a crisp sound, everything so harmonious.

Whoosh

He landed steadily on the ground.

Turning to look at the target hidden behind the rock.

"MMP."

The target was completely empty.

"Kaede, what are you doing?"

Uchiha Mingye, his hand still wrapped in bandages and leaning on a crutch, watched his son's performance with a head full of question marks.

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

He had been imitating Itachi's kunai-throwing technique. Failure was no big deal—after all, he hadn't awakened his Sharingan yet, and he was still pretty bad. He'd just treat it as amusing himself.

But his father's sudden appearance made him feel incredibly awkward. This was just like Jiraiya's [All Shuriken Throw Technique]—a textbook brat move. It didn't fit the image he'd been building at all.

"The room was too stuffy, so I came out for a walk. I'm curious—who taught you this way of throwing kunai? Your brilliant and mighty father has never instructed you in such a foolish technique."

Seizing the opportunity, Mingye began to nitpick 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 like a father who...

Hmm! Seemed... pretty useless.

So, having returned injured, he started his daily routine of finding fault.

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

He said it softly, dripping with disdain.

"Father, I'm four years old now. Don't you think it's time you taught me something? The kid next door has already started practicing hand seals and refining chakra."

As a child of the Uchiha clan—a prestigious family of Konoha—children were taught etiquette from a young age, and around four, they began learning ninja-related knowledge.

At the very least, they'd be taught taijutsu to temper their bodies.

But his parents...

Were a little overprotective.

"Four years old already, without me noticing? Time really does fly."

Mingye stared absently at Kaede, standing straight and neat, and realized his son had truly grown up.

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

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

He paused.

"But I suppose it's time I taught you something. What to teach... Let's go with this."

He seemed still lost in thought, muttering to himself.

Many times, they had no choice. They were Uchiha—a clan cursed by fate.

Mingye looked at Kaede, whose eyes were bright and fixed on him, and smiled gently. He raised his hand and brushed it across his forehead.

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

"Father, I think it's chakra. Only those who possess chakra can learn ninjutsu. Mastering powerful ninjutsu—that's what makes someone a ninja."

Watching Kaede, full of longing, Mingye remembered himself back then. He too had looked at his father like that, begging to become a ninja. But his father was someone he would never see again.

"You're not entirely right, but I'll still teach you chakra refinement. However, you're still young—you need to control your training time, or it could damage your body. Understood?"

Was this agreement?

Kaede was a little stunned. His father was being unusually agreeable today!

He'd begged plenty of times this year without success, and had even considered sneaking lessons from a neighboring clan member.

He never expected it to be agreed to just like that...

"Do we need Mother's permission?"

He tested the waters.

After all, his father was a good husband and father who cherished his wife and son. Without Mother Xiang's permission, privately teaching such dangerous ninja skills could very well lead to domestic violence...

"Do you still want to learn or not?"

Mingye, hit right where it hurt, bared his teeth in a feigned glare.

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

He nodded rapidly.

Only a fool wouldn't learn—anyway, if something went wrong, his gentle mother would never take her anger out on him.

As for his father, who'd get the scolding...

Kaede: "I saw nothing. Ah~ another pleasant day it is."

Closing his eyes and pretending not to see was enough—perfect! Heehee.

"Kaede! You've reached the age where you must shoulder the family's responsibilities. As a member of the Uchiha clan, as my son, Uchiha Mingye's son, becoming a shinobi and protecting the clan is your born duty.

Even if your mother has shielded you well... in the end, you must grow up. You cannot escape the arrangement of fate—unless..."

"Unless what?"

Seeing his father look at him with an expression of unprecedented severity, he asked guiltily.

"Unless you lack the talent to become a shinobi. Then you could follow your mother's plans and live an ordinary life. But I believe you would never be willing to."

In his eyes, Kaede had long since begun sneaking physical training behind Xiang's notice, exploring taijutsu on his own. Someone so diligent—how could he be content with a mundane existence?

"You've known all along, haven't you, Father!"

He had never imagined his secret training could escape the notice of a father with jōnin-level strength—impossible. He probably couldn't even fool his gentle mother.

Mingye smiled, looking at his son.

"Come. I'll teach you how to refine chakra."

He sat cross-legged on the ground, gesturing to the spot beside him for Kaede to sit.

"A shinobi's chakra is the power formed by combining the physical energy drawn from the 130 trillion cells in the body with the spiritual energy extracted from the soul.

It is the foundational energy for a shinobi to use ninjutsu, taijutsu, and genjutsu. Refining chakra for the first time is a bit troublesome—watch me do it once first."

Mingye began demonstrating how to refine chakra from the body. Sitting cross-legged, he straightened his chest, calmed his mind, closed his eyes, and placed his hands before his chest to form a hand seal.

Suddenly, a mysterious ball of energy, transparent with a faint hint of blue, was grasped in Mingye's hand and shown to Kaede.

"This is the initial chakra refined from a shinobi's body. Then, by understanding just a bit of nature transformation, you can begin to alter the chakra's properties."

As his words fell, the initial transparent, faintly blue chakra turned into a red ball of fire in Mingye's hand.

"Most of us Uchiha have a fire-natured constitution, able to convert chakra into fire-natured chakra. To acquire other chakra natures, you must train them later."

A smile tugged at the corner of his mouth as he watched Kaede, who was staring intently at the fireball in his hand. Mingye felt as if he were seeing his younger self watching his own father's demonstration.

"By the way, chakra has five natures: Fire, Wind, Lightning, Earth, and Water. Once you refine your chakra, we can test your affinity."

With that, he pulled a small square of white paper from the pouch at his side.

Carrying chakra paper on him—this was no coincidence. He had been planning this all along.