The Monster's Nascent Form at the Ninja Academy

After the Nine-Tails incident, Konoha began its arduous reconstruction amidst grief and desolation.

Ling Xuan, one of the orphans who survived that catastrophe, was sent to the Konoha Orphanage.

In the years that followed, he grew up like any normal child, learning to walk and talk.

But only he knew that every single day, he was using his Eye of Truth to observe and analyze the world.

From the density of a stone to the growth rings of a tree, and even the faint chakra fluctuations occasionally emitted by the orphanage caretakers, everything became an object of his analysis.

He discovered that his Eye of Truth could not only analyze ninjutsu and energy, but could also clearly perceive material composition and the laws of biological activity.

"Chakra... refinement..."

When he first heard this term from the older children and secretly glimpsed a tattered manual on chakra refinement, his world suddenly opened up.

[Target: Chakra Refinement Method (Basic)]

[Principle: Fusing spiritual energy and physical energy to convert into a new form of energy...]

[Optimization Path: Spiritual energy guidance efficiency increased by 15%, physical energy extraction purity increased by 22%...]

In just one night, six-year-old Ling Xuan taught himself how to refine his first wisp of chakra.

Furthermore, thanks to the optimization provided by the Eye of Truth, the chakra he refined was incredibly pure, far surpassing his peers and even possessing higher quality than the chakra of many genin.

He carefully hid his abnormality, pretending to be an ordinary child by day, while silently analyzing, refining, and controlling his energy under the covers at night.

He could "see" the flow of every thread of chakra within his body and could precisely control them to reach any corner.

Consequently, chakra control exercises that were as difficult as ascending to heaven for other children—such as leaf sticking, water walking, and tree climbing—were things he mastered almost instantly.

He succeeded on his first attempt every time, and his performance was impossibly perfect.

Of course, he kept all of this deeply hidden.

Finally, the age to enter the Ninja Academy arrived.

At the entrance of the Ninja Academy, Iruka was warmly welcoming the new students.

Most of the children were excited, nervous, or acting cool like Sasuke; Naruto was as hyperactive as ever, trying to attract everyone's attention, only to be met with eye-rolls.

In contrast, Ling Xuan appeared exceptionally calm, standing quietly in the corner of the crowd. In reality, his Eye of Truth had already taken in everything around him.

"Sasuke Uchiha... his chakra volume is decent, but his emotional fluctuations are intense. Hmm, those eyes—they are truly not simple."

"Naruto Uzumaki... there are two massive and chaotic chakra sources within him. One is his own, and the other... it is indeed the Yang-attribute chakra of the Nine-Tails."

"The structures of the Four Symbols Seal and the Eight Trigrams Seal are clearly visible, but it seems that due to his growth, the seal has loosened slightly, leading to extremely poor chakra control."

"Hinata Hyuga... the Kekkei Genkai of the Byakugan. Her meridian system is clearly visible. Hmm, she has potential."

Ling Xuan acted like an outsider, calmly evaluating these future key figures.

In the first class of the semester, Iruka explained the spirit of the ninja and the basic theory of chakra.

"Chakra is the energy source from which ninjas perform all ninjutsu. It is formed by the equal combination of physical energy and spiritual energy within our bodies..."

Iruka drew a diagram on the blackboard.

Most of the other brats were either dozing off or only half-understanding.

Ling Xuan appeared to be listening attentively, but in reality, his Eye of Truth had already decomposed and reconstructed every word and diagram Iruka presented.

He compared and verified this information against the knowledge he had already analyzed.

Iruka-sensei's understanding of chakra remains at a very superficial level. The fusion ratio of physical and spiritual energy is not strictly 1:1; depending on the nature of the technique, the ratio can be fine-tuned to achieve unexpected results...

Ling Xuan analyzed silently in his heart.

Soon, it was time for the instruction of the basic Three Transformation Techniques.

Iruka demonstrated the Transformation Technique first.

"Watch closely, students. The key to the Transformation Technique lies in the precise visualization of the target's appearance and the stable output of chakra. Hand seals! Ram-Boar-Dog-Tiger!"

"Poof!" Iruka transformed into a vivid, lifelike Third Hokage.

[Target: Transformation Technique]

[Principle: Using chakra to alter one's own cell arrangement to simulate the target's appearance...]

[Hand Seal Analysis: Ram (mental focus), Boar (form construction), Dog (chakra shaping), Tiger (stable release)...]

[Optimization Plan: Hand seals can be simplified to two, chakra consumption reduced by 30%, transformation detail perfection increased by 60%...]

The moment Iruka demonstrated the technique, Ling Xuan's left eye had already finished analyzing the principles of the technique, the chakra flow paths, and the inner meaning of the hand seals.

Simultaneously, his right eye had already begun simulating the optimized plan, including Iruka's subtle personal habits while performing the jutsu.

When it was the students' turn to practice, most were flustered, and the things they transformed into were bizarre.

Naruto even transformed into a disheveled "sexy" version of the Third Hokage, earning him a stern lecture from Iruka.

It was Ling Xuan's turn.

He mimicked the others, slowly forming the four hand seals, and then, with a "poof."

A Third Hokage identical to the one Iruka had just transformed into appeared, with every detail—from height and expression to the wrinkles on the clothing—being absolutely flawless.

"Huh?" Iruka let out a surprised exclamation, carefully scrutinizing the Third Hokage that Ling Xuan had transformed into, then glancing back at Ling Xuan's own expressionless little face.

"Student Ling Xuan, very well done! To be this standard on your first try, you have a real talent!"

The surrounding students also cast looks of surprise or envy his way.

Ling Xuan felt no ripples in his heart; he had only used less than ten percent of his power just now, and he had even followed the "standard" procedure.

If he were willing, he could even transform into a fly, with the vibration frequency of its wings being exactly the same as the real thing.

"Thank you for the praise, teacher." Ling Xuan calmly dispelled the Transformation Technique and retreated back into the crowd.

Sasuke glanced at him, his brows furrowing almost imperceptibly, seemingly surprised that this unremarkable orphan could achieve such a level.

During the subsequent instruction on the Clone Technique and Substitution Technique, Ling Xuan similarly performed with "slight talent."

Yet, he did not stand out too much, perfectly controlling himself to remain at an "upper-middle, bordering on excellent" level.

He would neither be ignored nor attract excessive attention.

After school, Ling Xuan did not play around like the other children, but instead walked toward the orphanage all by himself.

"The Ninja Academy is truly a treasure trove."

"Although what the teachers teach is very basic, it is the cornerstone of the entire ninjutsu system. The Three Basic Techniques may seem simple, but they contain the embryonic forms of shape transformation, energy differentiation, and spatial displacement."

"Next, it is time to systematically analyze every ninjutsu, taijutsu, and even genjutsu I can get my hands on. Then, I will quietly optimize them, turning them into things that truly belong to me."