He felt as though some memories had appeared in his mind—memories of himself devoting days and nights over many years to studying the Chakra Refinement Technique.
[Akimichi Clan Chakra Refinement Technique (Proficient) -> (Expert)] [Expert Effect: Active at all times; requires no effort to maintain; operates automatically at 90% capacity.]
He felt the energy within his body circulate, eventually gathering into a warm current that flowed through his meridians and formed another kind of energy.
His chakra slowly replenished itself, at more than one and a half times its previous speed.
Chakra was not an energy that could be stored. Ninja could only squeeze it out through the Chakra Refinement Technique, so to a great extent, the amount of chakra one could extract in an instant determined a ninja's upper limit.
If physical strength and spiritual strength were related to one's total chakra reserves, determining how much water a pool contained—
Then the Chakra Refinement Technique determined the diameter of that pool's outlet.
After all, those who knew, knew: length was not the key. Girth was the truth.
Looking across the Shinobi World, only the Yin Seal could store chakra, allowing its user to erupt with doubled power in battle.
Otherwise, there were tailed beast Jinchuriki. But that was not truly their own power.
So it was no exaggeration to say that the Chakra Refinement Technique was one of the keys to a ninja's combat strength.
Denji felt that this was not yet the limit.
Then he would continue cultivating the Chakra Refinement Technique!
This time, the memories seemed even more difficult and unique than before.
In the memories, he was no longer practicing by himself. Instead, it seemed that a tall, red-haired man was carefully teaching him how this ninjutsu had been developed, how it had been conceived, what crucial difficulties required attention, and what specific techniques could be used.
Denji understood.
A flash of insight struck him. The tall red-haired man in his memories must have been the founder of this ninjutsu—the First Akimichi Clan Head.
[Chakra Refinement Technique (Expert) -> (Master)] [Effect: Refinement speed increased by 2 times; operates automatically at 100% capacity; Akimichi Clan ninjutsu compatibility +100%; chakra capacity +20%.]
Denji nodded in satisfaction, but he vaguely felt that Master rank was not the endpoint of this technique.
More precisely, the endpoint envisioned when this technique was first developed was Main House rank.
Even if the First Akimichi Clan Head himself returned, he could not do any better. At most, he could only match it.
But that was merely someone else's limit.
It was not the limit of this ninjutsu. This refinement technique had not yet reached its end...
The road ahead was murky and difficult to explore. An ordinary ninja might spend decades without making the slightest progress.
But Akimichi Denji was not an ordinary person. Since this was not the end yet...
His heart suddenly pounded fiercely. The road ahead was still unfinished...
Glancing at his sole remaining Wish Point, Denji did not hesitate. With a thought—
Deep Blue, add points!
He had to add them!
Even if he only had one Wish Point left, even if it might waste the resources he had invested earlier.
But having come this far, how could he endure not taking a glimpse at the scenery ahead?
Akimichi Denji was a man with wildness in his bones. Otherwise, he would not have attempted to use Nine Dragon Power during his bodybuilding days in his previous life.
To become stronger, Akimichi Denji could wager everything he had.
This cultivation memory was unlike any before it. In the memory, he had already reached the pinnacle of ninjutsu, yet he could not take another step forward. He vaguely sensed that this was the limit, yet he still refused to give up. One year, two years, ten years—he did only one thing: endlessly cycling the ninjutsu, constantly refining chakra, then dispersing it, using chakra, and observing its circulation.
His face aged day by day, and even his muscles atrophied!!
Finally, on a cool night, the elderly Denji sat in the cold breeze and suddenly realized that chakra possessed attributes. The simplest chakra refinement had reached its limit, but what about chakra with attributes? Could he fuse chakra together from the very beginning?
He tried fusing the chakra attributes he already possessed.
The shackles that had trapped Denji for decades finally began to loosen.
A change occurred.
[Akimichi Clan Chakra Refinement Technique (Master) -> (Transcendent Mastery)] Effect: Awaken a Kekkei Genkai according to chakra attributes.
That simple sentence struck Denji like lightning, setting off stormy waves in his heart.
As everyone knew, in the Shinobi World, Kekkei Genkai were inborn "privileges."
They could not be gained through hard work. You could cultivate day and night, train until you risked your life, and bring your taijutsu to the realm of the Eight Inner Gates—but Kekkei Genkai were things carved into one's genes. If you were born with them, you had them. If not, you never would.
For a ninja with a Kekkei Genkai, their starting point was the endpoint of an ordinary ninja.
That was the damn bloodline-based world.
Look at the pinnacles of the Shinobi World: the Sharingan, Byakugan, Wood Release, Rinnegan—which of them was not a Kekkei Genkai?
Naruto and Sasuke were even the direct reincarnations of Asura and Indra.
The entire world of the Hokage was also called Legend of the Eyes: Five Village Melee.
Even if what he awakened was not an eye technique, it would still be a Kekkei Genkai!
Even the most ordinary Kekkei Genkai could establish a massive ninja clan in any hidden village.
Even the three Ino-Shika-Cho clans did not possess Kekkei Genkai.
They had only joined the ranks of Konoha's ninja clans through the combined coordination of their secret techniques.
But among those with Kekkei Genkai—the Hyuga, Uchiha, and Kurama—who needed to form alliances?
That was how important Kekkei Genkai were!
And now, through nothing more than the most basic Chakra Refinement Technique, he could obtain such a Kekkei Genkai through his own hard work and sweat.
A ticket to something called a "Kekkei Genkai," which countless ninja could never touch in their entire lives.
Akimichi Denji stretched out his hands.
In his left hand was Fire Release chakra—scorching and restless, like a wild beast trapped in a cage, roaring to burst free.
In his right hand was Wind Release chakra—sharp and violent, like an invisible blade spinning at high speed in his palm.
The two utterly different powers roared within their respective palms.
Denji took a deep breath.
Then—
He brought his palms together.
Bang—
A muffled sound rang out. It was not an explosion, but the low growl of two powers merging. Between his hands, red light flared up, like magma surging through cracks, or coals in a blacksmith's furnace stoked bright by bellows.
A layer of crimson light began spreading over his hands.
It was not flame—flames leaped and refused to stay still.
This layer of light was "attached."
Like lava coating his fists, like molten iron cast over his arms.
The crimson light flowed over his skin, baking the air until it warped and twisted, producing faint sizzling sounds.
That was the Kekkei Genkai born from the fusion of wind and fire.
As everyone knew, fusing two chakra attributes in the Shinobi World could create a Kekkei Genkai.
The fusion of wind and fire was shown in the original work as Scorch Release.
In the original work, it was an ability possessed only by Pakura of Sunagakure. By unleashing fireballs, she could instantly evaporate the water inside an opponent's body. It was an incredibly overpowered ability.
Before you continue