Chapter 2

There was no helping it. The natural energy in this damn world was simply too violent.

"Come on, let's see if this actually works."

He carefully released his powerful spiritual energy, guiding the newly formed energy steadily through his meridians section by section, as though he were holding it on a leash.

Using the small amount of innate qi he had cultivated in the womb as a shell, he wrapped up the tiny bit of natural energy drawn in with each breath and slowly refined it.

Little by little, he ground away the violent nature within that energy.

He imprinted it with his own mark.

Finally, he converted it all into brand-new innate qi.

The entire process went smoothly. Once he successfully completed one grand circulation, that newly formed innate qi settled firmly into the sea of qi in his lower dantian.

As he circulated it, quite a bit of natural energy and innate qi also quietly seeped into every part of his body, secretly strengthening Uchiha Yan's physique and raising the foundation of his constitution and vitality.

Uchiha Yan felt as though his entire body were soaking in hot water, every pore radiating comfort.

"As expected of nature's energy."

"It just drains too much spiritual energy. This body is still too weak. Completing one grand circulation a day is already the limit."

Uchiha Yan was mentally exhausted, but his eyes grew brighter and brighter as thoughts turned in his mind.

He was already more than satisfied with this.

As long as he kept cultivating, within a few years, both his body and foundation could reach a truly frightening level.

Still, the fact that he could complete a grand circulation already was entirely thanks to the solid foundation he had built in the womb.

In the blink of an eye, a year passed.

Uchiha Yan tugged at his mother's sleeve, his eyes sparkling as he said, "Mom, I want to study medicine. Can you find me some medical books to read?"

He had grown rapidly over the past year. The foundation brought by the Innate Art and the Innate Embryonic Breathing Technique had allowed him to run all over the place as soon as he turned one month old, speak at three months, and now, at one year old, speak the language of the Naruto World with complete fluency. He could even recognize most of the written characters.

His talent was simply too eye-catching. Even his height far surpassed children his age. He did not look one year old at all, but more like a two- or three-year-old child.

His father, Uchiha Senichi, could never keep anything to himself. He bragged to everyone about how impressive his son was, to the point that all of Konoha now knew the Uchiha Clan had produced a little genius.

Uchiha Yan could only sigh inwardly—he really had not wanted to be this high-profile.

Danzo and those old foxes had always kept an eye on the Uchiha Clan.

But this was not something he could control. His foundation was simply too exceptional.

Back in the womb, the Innate Embryonic Breathing Technique had made his meridians much wider and tougher than those of ordinary people, and all of his innate meridians had opened naturally.

For an ordinary person, opening all the meridians throughout the body and completing a grand circulation would take who knew how long and involve countless detours.

At that thought, Uchiha Yan could not help but grin.

"Ah! Meixin, look! Xiao Xuan is smiling again! He's smiling so sweetly—he must be thinking about something good!"

A clear voice interrupted his thoughts.

Uchiha Yan looked up and saw a pretty young woman staring at him with a smile.

Uchiha Meixin looked down at the son in her arms, her face carrying a gentle smile. "Mikoto, you seem to like Xuan a lot. Do you want to hold him?"

"Really? Then I won't stand on ceremony!"

The girl named Mikoto's eyes lit up. She carefully took Uchiha Yan from her and lowered her head to examine him curiously.

The little fellow happened to be looking back at her with his large, watery eyes, their gazes meeting.

A thought surfaced in Uchiha Yan's mind—Mikoto? Wasn't she Second Pillar's future mother? Could she be related to our family somehow?

He had to admit that the girl before him was indeed beautiful. She had a great figure too, and she was soft and warm to hold.

What a pity. Such a lovely flower would one day end up stuck in the pile of cow dung that was Fugaku.

What a fucking waste.

Uchiha Yan sighed inwardly—if only he had been born a little earlier. Otherwise, he definitely would have snatched this girl up as his wife.

Uchiha Yan had told his father not to show off everywhere about that sort of thing.

But now, it seemed his father had not listened at all.

"Hmm?"

After hearing him out, Uchiha Meixin rubbed her son's head in surprise, curiosity in her voice. "Xiao Xuan, why are you suddenly so interested in medicine? Do you want to become a medical ninja in the future?"

"Yes and no."

Uchiha Yan nodded, then shook his head. "I can take the path of a medical ninja, but that definitely won't be all I can do. I won't neglect combat ninjutsu either."

"With my talent, I can make it down both paths."

"It's just that I'm still too young, and my body is too weak. High-intensity training isn't suitable for me yet, much less extracting chakra."

"Since I have nothing better to do right now, wouldn't studying medicine be a perfect use of my time?"

He had been a traditional Chinese doctor in his previous life. Although his skill level had been average, he still knew quite a bit about pharmacology.

In this life, his spiritual power and comprehension had soared. Memories that had once been vague became clearer by the day, and with his maxed-out comprehension, his understanding of those traditional medical theories had grown deeper and deeper.

He wanted to learn the knowledge of this world as well, combining the knowledge of both worlds to pave the way for his future.

Besides, his parents had already been discussing arranging medicinal baths for him a few days ago, to build a solid foundation.

This was treatment only clan children with connections and resources could enjoy.

From the very beginning, it placed them in a completely different tier from ordinary people.

The gap between civilian-born and clan-born ninjas had never been merely about bloodlines.

It was also about money and accumulated heritage.

Medicinal baths for children were part of that heritage.

Uchiha Yan did not know the exact prescription his family used.

But with the foundation from his past life and his maxed-out comprehension, he planned to design a formula best suited for himself.

When it came to laying foundations, the steadier, the better.

Get ahead one step, stay ahead every step.

What he wanted was the thickest, strongest foundation possible.

As for his future growth rate, as long as it did not compromise that foundation, the faster, the better.

This world was far too dangerous.

He needed to gain the ability to protect himself as soon as possible.

Not only to protect himself, but also to protect his family.

Even... to seize his own fate completely and never allow anyone else to control it again.

To achieve that, a prescription alone would not be enough. If he wanted to keep growing stronger, he needed a thorough understanding of this world's bodily structure and pharmacological system.

"You child."

Uchiha Meixin helplessly pinched his chubby little cheek. "Mom actually hopes you'll be like other children your age—playful and lively, living happily every day."

Everything about her youngest son was good, except that he matured too early and was far too clever.

That monstrous quality of his did not resemble an ordinary child at all.

Uchiha Yan had always been organized and clear about his goals.

Even his older brother, Uchiha Hao, could not compare to him in that regard.

"Uh... studying is my greatest joy. If you make me run around like crazy with those little brats, that's what would give me a headache."

Uchiha Yan shrugged helplessly.

He was not really a child. He and those little troublemakers playing in the mud were not on the same wavelength at all.

"That's true, but..."

Uchiha Meixin sighed. This was what troubled her most.

But she knew she could not stop him anyway. She reached out and rubbed Xuan's head, then nodded. "All right. Mom promises you. I'll bring you all the medical books at home in a while."

"If there's anything you don't understand, just ask Mom anytime. I'm still a medical chunin, after all. I do have some skill."

She had even studied under Lady Tsunade for a time. If not for that, when her appetite had become absurdly huge during her pregnancy, she would not have had the standing to invite Tsunade to examine her.

"That's great! Thanks, Mom! You're the best!"

Uchiha Yan threw himself into his mother's arms and planted a loud kiss on her cheek.