The Spiritual Power of False Grandeur

"This is..." Jiraiya was completely dumbfounded. He was truly stunned by Yuehua Ai's performance.

At this moment, Yuehua Ai was fully focused, completely unaware of the reactions of those around him. Seeing Jiraiya condense a sphere of chakra had stirred a sense of eagerness within him.

Once Jiraiya dissipated his chakra, Yuehua Ai held onto the lingering sensation and reached out his hand, mimicking Jiraiya's process of gathering chakra.

Yuehua Ai's previous method of refining chakra had some flaws, causing the amount he produced to be far less than others. Given his own chakra reserves, he couldn't even compare to Jiraiya, and he was even slightly inferior to newcomers who had just begun refining chakra.

Due to the limitation in his chakra volume, Yuehua Ai could not instantly condense a near-solid chakra aggregate like Jiraiya. However, with his powerful mental control, he managed to draw all the chakra from every part of his body in a very short time, channeling it through his meridians and gathering it all into his palm.

Then came the scene Jiraiya witnessed: a small, water-blue cyclone rose from Yuehua Ai's palm. The funnel-shaped cyclone was tiny, at most the size of a thumb, and unlike the deep blue of Jiraiya's chakra, his gathered chakra was merely a pale, almost translucent water-blue. If not for everyone's keen eyesight, it would have been very easy to overlook.

"Whoosh—" The chakra in his palm lasted less than two breaths before dissipating like a gentle breeze.

Seeing the cyclone vanish, Yuehua Ai felt a twinge of regret. His control over chakra was still far too lacking. In his imagination, after the chakra surged out from the acupuncture points in his palm, he should have controlled the flow to rotate and converge toward the center like a whirlpool, forming a highly condensed chakra core like an eye of a storm, allowing the scattered flow to orbit around it.

Unfortunately, while the idea was sound and the ideal was grand, the reality was harsh.

When the chakra was inside his body, Yuehua Ai could control it as easily as moving his own arm, directing it wherever he pleased. But he hadn't expected that once these things surged out of his body, they would become like wild horses, completely ignoring his control.

In the end, even though he tried his best to control it, the results were minimal. He had barely managed to achieve the rotation and compression of the chakra flow, but what manifested was merely a tornado-like cyclone. Compared to Jiraiya's perfect spherical aggregate that leaked no chakra at all, the gap was simply too vast.

Because his internal chakra volume was so low, even after gathering all of it, Yuehua Ai had only barely managed to achieve materialization. Well, although it was barely perceptible, it still counted as a success, even if it only lasted for two breaths.

Jiraiya had completely lost his composure by now. He was leaning half his body over the table, his eyes fixed intently on Yuehua Ai's palm, his face still wearing a look of disbelief. Was that really chakra materialization just now!? Although it was fleeting, Jiraiya was certain it wasn't a hallucination.

This kid Ai is quite mysterious. To possess chakra at such a young age and have such control over it... what exactly is his background!? Jiraiya wondered to himself.

Jiraiya was not the type to keep things bottled up. Since he had doubts, he saw no need to avoid asking these little ones.

"Ai, when did you first refine chakra?"

Children who possessed chakra at Yuehua Ai's age usually only appeared within ninja clans. Amegakure was, after all, a small village, and there were only a few ways to produce ninjas: through ninja clans or by wandering ninjas taking on private apprentices. There was no ninja academy like those in the Five Great Shinobi Nations to train them. If a wandering ninja had taught Ai, given his age, the person wouldn't have left him to wander alone. Thus, Jiraiya assumed Ai likely came from some fallen clan in Amegakure. After years of war, many ninja clans had been wiped out.

He had originally wanted to ask directly which clan Yuehua Ai belonged to, but Jiraiya thought better of it. After all, it was just a guess, so the question shifted to when he had first refined chakra.

Yuehua Ai, unaware of the several thoughts that had flashed through Jiraiya's mind, answered without a second thought: "I was born able to refine chakra."

Yuehua Ai's first time refining chakra had actually been while he was still in swaddling clothes, so saying he was born with it wasn't exactly an exaggeration.

"Born with it? How is that possi..." Jiraiya's first reaction was disbelief, but upon reflection, he realized it wasn't impossible. Based on his understanding of Ai, the boy wouldn't bother lying about such things.

"Really?" Jiraiya asked again with wide eyes, and Yuehua Ai nodded earnestly.

"This... what a rare and incredible talent!" He had wanted to say "unbelievable," but Jiraiya remembered that the ninja world was full of wonders and many incredible talents existed. Compared to those legendary, monstrous talents, Yuehua Ai's ability to refine chakra from birth could only be considered rare.

Jiraiya wasn't shocked that Yuehua Ai possessed chakra; after all, in Konoha, there were geniuses who became ninjas at the age of four. What truly shocked him about Yuehua Ai's performance was the boy's control over his chakra.

He could feel how weak the chakra flow from Yuehua Ai's palm was, yet even with such feeble chakra, he had managed to achieve materialization under his control. In Jiraiya's view, this level of control was far more important than being born with the ability to refine chakra.

Although Ai's control was strong, his own chakra was undeniably too weak. In his memory, the amount of chakra he had refined the first time was significantly higher than Yuehua Ai's current level. Yuehua Ai's reserves seemed truly fragile...

Could there be something wrong with Ai's constitution? Jiraiya felt a bit worried. Frowning slightly, he reached out, grabbed Yuehua Ai's arm, and sent a wisp of his own chakra inside.

"Ai, your chakra volume is a bit off. Refine some chakra now so I can check your condition."

"Mm," Yuehua Ai responded simply. The issue of his meager chakra reserves had been bothering him lately. He had intended to ask Jiraiya for advice, but he hadn't expected the man to bring it up himself.

With that, Yuehua Ai calmed his mind. Once he sensed the energy contained deep within his cells, he used his mental strength to guide it and began refining chakra. Soon, a faint aura began to radiate from Yuehua Ai's small body.

In his consciousness, Yuehua Ai saw tiny specks of faint fluorescence appearing throughout his body. His previously empty meridians were soon filled with starlight, and before long, these specks merged into a galaxy, flowing through his meridians and gradually gathering toward his dantian.

Just as Yuehua Ai was circulating his newly refined chakra through his meridians, he quickly encountered a strand of chakra that did not belong to him. This foreign chakra was completely different from his own; one could even say they weren't in the same league.

If Yuehua Ai's chakra in his meridians were a stream, this foreign chakra was a mighty river. Setting aside quality, the volume alone was ten times greater than his. As for quality, Ai's chakra seemed even more pathetic; his chakra molecules were sparse and thin like a flowing breeze, while the other's chakra was tightly condensed, viscous like molten lava, radiating infinite heat and pressure.

Is this Master Jiraiya's chakra? It's so strong! Yuehua Ai sensed the foreign chakra within his body. Using mental perception felt completely different from seeing it with his eyes. Only now did Yuehua Ai truly realize the massive gap between him and Jiraiya in terms of chakra.

Reserves, flow, density—the difference was like heaven and earth!

Jiraiya's chakra circulated through Yuehua Ai's meridians. Soon, Yuehua Ai stopped refining. It wasn't that he didn't want to continue, but based on the cellular energy he could perceive, this was all the chakra he could refine.

Even though he could sense many cells containing energy, the amount of chakra each cell refined was extremely small. This had been Yuehua Ai's constant frustration. Since Jiraiya had taught them meditation, Yuehua Ai had formed a rough idea about his own condition, though he wasn't sure if it was correct.

When Yuehua Ai opened his eyes, Jiraiya simultaneously let go of his arm. Jiraiya didn't speak immediately; he closed his eyes in thought for a moment, and then the look of amazement on his face became hard to hide.

"Master Jiraiya, what is going on with me?" Yuehua Ai was eager to know Jiraiya's answer. This concerned his future; if even his chakra was flawed, how could he become a powerful ninja? In this century, if one couldn't become strong, one couldn't control one's own destiny.

Seeing the urgency on Yuehua Ai's face, Jiraiya felt a bit amused. Since they had met, other than when the kid was asking for favors, he had always maintained a lazy, indifferent expression. He hadn't expected to see him so anxious. Jiraiya smiled mischievously to himself, unable to resist teasing him.

"Sigh—" Jiraiya let out a long sigh and shook his head slightly.

Hearing Jiraiya's sigh, Yuehua Ai's heart skipped a beat. It wasn't just him; seeing Jiraiya shake his head, Yahiko, Nagato, and Konan also turned pale.

"What exactly is wrong with Ai? Is it very serious?" Before Yuehua Ai could ask again, Konan spoke up first.

Seeing the worried looks on the teenagers' faces, Jiraiya was almost holding back a laugh. He tried his best to put on a somber expression and waved his hand gently at them.

"Sigh, this problem... it's not big at all!"

"Huh!?" The teenagers were stunned for a moment, unable to react.

Actually, the moment Jiraiya had spoken, Yuehua Ai's mind had gone blank. Could it be that the problem isn't what I imagined? Is there really no hope for me?

"Hahahahahaha..." Seeing the confused expressions of the teenagers, who were doubting if they had heard correctly, was simply too funny. Jiraiya couldn't hold it in any longer and burst into laughter, clutching his stomach and pointing at them.

"Damn it!!!" Jiraiya's mocking laughter made the teenagers realize what had happened instantly. Everyone gritted their teeth, and looking at Jiraiya laughing uncontrollably, Yuehua Ai really wanted to kick him in the face.

"How can you joke at a time like this? Is this how a master should act? Master Jiraiya really is a jerk and a bastard!" Everyone couldn't help but mutter under their breath.

"Ahem." Seeing the slightly disdainful looks on the boys' faces, Jiraiya finally snapped back to reality and cleared his throat awkwardly to cover his tracks.

"Jiraiya-sensei, what exactly is going on with Yuehua Ai?" Konan asked again, her tone tinged with reproach.

"Uh, oh, it's nothing major. It's not a bad thing; it's a good thing." Jiraiya resumed his seat and straightened up, looking a bit more serious.

"A good thing?"

"Yes. I've figured out why Ai extracts so little chakra. And I've also realized why he was able to condense chakra from birth!"

"Why?"

The boys looked at him with curiosity, though only Yuehua Ai himself shifted his gaze.

"The fact that Ai can extract chakra naturally, yet the amount he extracts is so small—the answer to both questions is actually the same."

"The same?"

"Correct. The answer to both is identical. If I haven't misperceived or misjudged, Ai must possess spiritual power far exceeding that of an ordinary person."

"Spiritual power?!"

"When I sent my chakra into Ai to observe his internal state, I discovered the issue the moment he began extracting chakra from his cells."

"The problem is that Ai's spiritual energy is far greater than a normal person's, but it lacks refinement."

Hearing this, Yahiko and the others were still confused, but Yuehua Ai understood immediately; his own previous hypothesis had been correct.

"I just told you that extracting chakra requires two conditions: sensing spiritual power and sensing cellular energy. For an ordinary person, the first step to extracting chakra is to refine their spirit through meditation so they can reach the threshold of sensing their spiritual power. But Ai was born with powerful spiritual energy—more than twice that of an average person—and that is where the problem arises."

"Oh, I think I understand..." While Yahiko was still lost in the fog regarding Jiraiya's words, Konan had already figured it out.

"Oh, has Konan already thought of it? Why don't you explain it, Konan?" Jiraiya said to her with a smile.

"Yes. Sensei, you said that ordinary people must refine their spiritual power to meet the standard for sensing it, but Ai's spirit is naturally powerful. He doesn't need to refine it to achieve the effect that others only reach after meditation. Therefore, Ai can sense his spiritual power and, through that, sense his cellular energy, which is why he could extract chakra from birth."

Yuehua Ai touched the corner of his mouth, and Jiraiya nodded.

Konan paused for a moment. "That's all I can think of regarding Ai's situation. As for why the chakra he extracts is so little, I can't figure that out..."

"Haha," Jiraiya chuckled. "Konan is truly a clever child; everything you said is correct. As for the issue with Ai's chakra volume, the reason is actually quite simple..."

"It's that Ai's spiritual power currently has quantity, but lacks quality!"

Jiraiya turned his gaze toward Yuehua Ai. "Having nearly three times the spiritual power of an average person allows you to sense cellular energy even without refining your spirit. Such a powerful spiritual talent made it easy for you to extract chakra. Quantitative change can indeed trigger qualitative change to a certain extent, and your spiritual power, Ai, is right on that line between quantity and quality."

"The reason you can't extract much chakra is actually because your spiritual power is too scattered and chaotic. In terms of chakra extraction, while your spiritual power has the volume, it lacks the substance. Because of this, even though you can sense cellular energy, you cannot fully perceive its deepest layers. Your perception of cellular energy remains superficial. So, this hollow, vast spiritual power combined with superficial cellular energy results in the tiny amount of chakra you extract!"

"Uh..." Yuehua Ai lowered his head and rubbed his nose awkwardly. That was a ruthless blow, but it's exactly as I thought. The next step is to refine my spiritual power, then!

Seeing Yuehua Ai lower his head, Jiraiya assumed his words had discouraged him, so he reached out and patted the boy's head.

"Don't be discouraged, Ai. You should know that with your spiritual talent, you have a starting line far ahead of everyone else compared to others. In the future, you will surely become a powerful ninja."

"But for now, future powerful ninja, stop trying to extract chakra for the time being. Join Yahiko and the others in meditation. Once you have refined your spiritual power until it is concentrated and steady, then try extracting chakra again. I believe everyone will be shocked!"

"Yes."

Yuehua Ai didn't care much for Jiraiya's encouraging words, but the heart that cared for him made him feel moved. Jiraiya-sensei is someone who truly cares for me. As long as I am here, he won't need to face that future destiny.

In the future, I will definitely change it! Yuehua Ai secretly resolved.