Preparing to Cultivate

Chakra is a form of energy that ninjas utilize when performing ninjutsu. This energy originates from two sources: first, the physical energy contained within every cell of the human body; second, the spiritual energy accumulated through training and experience. Chakra is composed of these two sources.

Ninjutsu is performed by drawing these two types of energy from within the body, refining them into chakra, and then releasing them through the use of hand seals.

Ye Wuji and Namikaze Minato returned to their temporary shelter one after the other. Ye Wuji had been in such a rush to leave earlier that he hadn't truly looked at the place. Now, upon returning, he saw that the house was situated deep within the forest, backed against a mountain. It consisted of two wooden cabins: one was a bedroom, a place for sleeping, while the other appeared to be a living area, though it was cluttered with various tools and seemed to double as a kitchen.

Ye Wuji couldn't fathom why such a house would exist deep in the forest, but he didn't dare ask Namikaze Minato. Perhaps such houses were common in this world. If he asked and Namikaze Minato noticed something amiss, it would be troublesome; after all, he remembered the Fourth Hokage as a very observant man.

It wasn't until later that Ye Wuji learned such houses were a specialty of this world. Since the vast majority of the world was covered in forests, many people ventured into them to fell trees, hunt, or gather medicinal herbs. Most of these were ordinary people living near the forest edges. Sometimes, if they traveled too deep and couldn't make it back, they would spend the night in the woods, which could be dangerous if they encountered bad "qi."

Over time, people built these houses in safe spots within the forest to provide shelter from the wind and rain. These houses were generally public property, and the tools and kitchenware inside were left there by those who came before. Anyone who stayed there would usually replenish whatever they used before leaving.

Thus, encountering a house in a remote part of this world was a perfectly normal occurrence; it didn't mean some reclusive master lived there.

After entering the room, Minato spoke first: "You're tired today. Rest for a while; I'll go prepare something to eat."

Ye Wuji looked outside; it seemed to be around four or five in the afternoon. He nodded and went into the room with the bed. To be honest, Ye Wuji was exhausted. His body was still young, and after crying at the gravesite, his young mind was utterly drained. Before long, he lay on the bed and fell asleep.

It wasn't until Minato woke him that Ye Wuji looked outside and realized it had turned dark. "Alright, eat something before you sleep. We can talk about things tomorrow." As he said this, Minato handed Ye Wuji a bowl of the same porridge as before.

After finishing, Ye Wuji asked, "Where will you sleep tonight? The bed here is big; why don't we sleep together?"

Minato smiled slightly at this. "No need. I'll just doze off outside. You get some good rest; we have to travel tomorrow."

Hearing this, Ye Wuji didn't insist further. He nodded and went back to lie on the bed.

Lying there, Ye Wuji felt no immediate urge to sleep. Instead, he pondered his future. Judging by Minato's words, we are leaving tomorrow. From his tone and my previous experiences, I can deduce that this is likely the era of the Second or Third Shinobi World War. Given Minato's age, it's either the late Second or early Third. In short, it's a time of war. Minato can't stay by my side for long; he'll probably take me to a populated area tomorrow and, if the plot holds true, find someone to adopt me.

Whether it's the Second or Third Shinobi World War, Konoha seems to be the victor. Outside of Konoha, other places don't seem safe. Of course, there must be safe havens, or everyone in this Naruto world would be dead by now, but these safe spots are highly randomized. If I'm unlucky enough to run into wandering ninjas or rogue ninjas, I'm finished.

But asking Minato to take me to Konoha doesn't seem appropriate. I'm just an ordinary kid; who knows if Konoha has even heard of me? This isn't after the Third Shinobi World War, when the name of Konoha supposedly spread across the world. Even then, there were places that hadn't heard of it.

This world isn't like Earth with its advanced internet where you can look anything up. It seems quite isolated, much like a feudal society. With constant warfare, who has the time to care about other things? It's just like the feudal era, where some people wouldn't even know if the imperial dynasty had changed.

Since I can't go to Konoha, I must have the ability to protect myself elsewhere. It seems I should find an opportunity tomorrow to see if I can get the method for cultivating chakra from Minato.

It's clear from the anime that chakra cultivation methods are extremely precious. You might think that with the Five Great Nations and various smaller villages, ninjas are a dime a dozen, and since many children start training early, these methods must be as common as cabbage.

If you think that, you're wrong. I remember a few episodes in Naruto about a daimyo of a small country. That country didn't have a single ninja, and a few rogue ninjas almost staged a coup. They had to hire Naruto and his team to defeat them. If a country has no ninjas, it's just waiting to be slaughtered. The daimyo wouldn't be stupid; wouldn't he want to cultivate his own forces? Yet, they still had no ninjas. Perhaps they did, but they were just weak.

You have to realize that the total number of ninjas in the world is comparable to nuclear weapons on Earth. Every non-nuclear country wants its own nukes, but they don't have them.

This shows that having the cultivation method isn't enough; there must be something else. Otherwise, with all those rogue ninjas, if you had money, you could recruit a few and train them for decades to build your own force. Even if your generation failed, the next would have power.

Watching Naruto before, I used to think: if you have money and power, you can hire ninjas from the Five Great Nations, so why not train your own?

I should take advantage of the fact that my relationship with Minato is decent—though I know it's not really a "relationship," he did save my life. Being an acquaintance is enough. I must get the cultivation method. Otherwise, am I really going to be an ordinary person? Especially with the terrifying Fourth Shinobi World War looming, without strength, I could die at any moment.

Lost in these wild thoughts, Ye Wuji slowly drifted off to sleep. After all, he was just a six-year-old brat; he didn't have that much energy.

As he was drifting into a haze, Ye Wuji thought, The kids in this world are truly terrifying. On Earth, seventeen or eighteen is still considered a child, and six is the age for nursing. But here, Minato, Uchiha Itachi, Kakashi—not to mention the others—they were all killing people across the world before they were ten. And Itachi was appointed captain of the Anbu at thirteen. The Anbu is such a terrifying unit! Maybe in the show, they were just cannon fodder, but you have to look at who they were fighting—people even more monstrous than them. Not to mention Itachi, the thirteen-year-old captain.

"What was I doing at thirteen? Probably picking up trash."

"Everyone in this world is a damn monster," Ye Wuji cursed groggily, then fell asleep.

The next day, just as the sky was beginning to brighten, Ye Wuji was woken up by the Fourth Hokage, Namikaze Minato. Seeing that smiling face, Ye Wuji swallowed the curse he was about to utter; he had momentarily thought he was back on Earth being woken up by someone.

"Are you up? Let's eat, and then we'll head out and leave this place."

Ye Wuji nodded and went to eat without a word. As for washing up—don't joke, there were no such conditions here. All the water came from collected rainwater; there wasn't enough to spare for that.

Once everything was ready, he saw Minato waiting at the door, seemingly waiting for him so they could set off together.

Ye Wuji realized that if he didn't speak now, he might not get another chance once Minato found someone to adopt him. It wouldn't be hard to find someone; life was difficult due to the war, and Minato could easily settle it with money. Plus, given Minato's status as a ninja, the adoptive family wouldn't dare mistreat the child. The deterrent power of a ninja in this world was immense. Of course, Ye Wuji didn't know these things; the show rarely depicted the lives of ordinary people.

Approaching Minato, Ye Wuji asked directly, "Um, Minato, can I ask a question?"

"Go ahead. I'll tell you whatever I know," Minato replied.

"Um, Minato, are you a ninja?" Ye Wuji asked straight to the point.

Minato paused, then nodded. "Yes, I am a ninja. A ninja of Konoha." As he said this, Minato pulled the Konoha forehead protector from his pocket.

Looking at the familiar pattern—like a bird's head with a protruding tree ring—it was indeed the Konoha forehead protector. This was the first time Ye Wuji had seen one in reality.

"Can you teach me cha... how to become a ninja?" Damn it, Ye Wuji cursed inwardly, nearly blurting out "chakra."

Upon hearing Ye Wuji's request, the smile that usually hung on Minato's face vanished. Seeing Minato stop smiling, Ye Wuji felt the atmosphere suddenly turn serious.

Ye Wuji said nothing, but he was screaming inside: Do you have to be like this? Will it kill you to smile? It's just not smiling, does it have to affect the atmosphere so much? No wonder you became Hokage; with that face that commands respect without anger, you're born to be a leader. After screaming internally, Ye Wuji calmed down. Honestly, sometimes he felt he had the same talent as Sakura from the show—a split personality. Since he basically had no friends and rarely spoke, he had maintained his personality on Earth for years. This was similar to his current emotional state; venting things in his heart made reality easier to bear. It was a lot like the "Ah Q" spirit, though Ye Wuji didn't think so—he just thought he was a bit of a nutcase.

"Are you sure you want to be a ninja? You should know that being a ninja isn't as good as the legends say," Minato said after about ten minutes.

"Yes, I want to be a ninja. I want to protect them." As he said this, Ye Wuji thought of the couple who had died and shed tears again.

Originally, Namikaze Minato hadn't wanted to teach him ninjutsu, but seeing Ye Wuji cry, he assumed he was thinking of his deceased parents. Remembering that Ye Wuji now had no family, his heart softened. He thought he would just teach him some basic knowledge and how to refine chakra; that was common knowledge. It seemed they would have to stay here for a few more days, then. Fine, I'll stay here for a few days, teach him, and then let him train on his own. Having made up his mind, Minato's face broke into a smile again. "Alright, since that's how you feel, I'll teach you."

"Really?" Ye Wuji was somewhat excited at the news and couldn't help but confirm it.

Seeing Ye Wuji's happy expression, Minato nodded. "Of course, it's true. But that means we'll stay here for a few more days while I teach you some knowledge about ninjas."

"That's great!" Ye Wuji couldn't help but cheer. Whether in his past life or now, he had an extraordinary interest in ninjutsu.