Big Crow's words left Yuki Yuichi confused.
When he heard her mention Natural Energy, he'd thought he could learn to use it right away.
Seeing that he didn't seem to understand, Big Crow hopped onto his head. "The Natural Energy absorbed by our Fire Crow Clan is very violent. It belongs to the power of fire. If you absorb it directly, you'll have trouble digesting it."
"But there's another kind of energy inside you that can be used to neutralize it."
As she spoke, Big Crow tilted her head, looking down at Yuki Yuichi, whom she was using as a stepping stone. "The Natural Energy you cultivate this way will probably be weaker than ours, but it might also fuse with your own energy in some unusual way."
Big Crow's meaning was clear: he could cultivate Natural Energy, but she couldn't guarantee what would happen.
Yuki Yuichi fell into thought.
This sounded awfully familiar.
What energy did he have inside him?
Wasn't it chakra?
A combination of Natural Energy and chakra?
Wasn't that Sage Mode?
At the thought, Yuki Yuichi grew excited.
"Big Crow, I want to learn!"
"No, you don't." Big Crow shook her head. "You're not ready."
"You're still too weak." Big Crow pondered for a moment, then tried to comfort him. "With your current physical strength, the moment you absorb Natural Energy, you'll spontaneously combust from the inside out."
"Caw, caw!" Big Crow cried twice, flapping her wings as she left his head and circled through the air.
The colors that had been half black and half red turned fiery red, and wisps of flame seeped out from her body.
In an instant, Big Crow's harmless appearance—apart from her third claw, she'd looked no different from an ordinary crow—gave way to a Fire Crow circling through the