Chapter 2

Ever since he was little, this child had been driven by a stubborn determination. His body clearly could not handle it, yet he remained deeply fixated on gaining strength. The less he could train, the more he wanted to prove himself. At first, Jiri had not wanted to teach him the Chakra Extraction Technique, afraid his body would not hold up.

But she could not stop him.

She feared that pushing him too hard would drive him to extremes.

Now that he had actually succeeded, she felt both delighted and anxious as his mother.

"Yeah. Mom, thank you."

Xunjing smiled at her, then sat down across from her. His expression turned serious as he carefully studied her face. "Mom, do you trust me?"

Jiri froze for a moment, then smiled and rubbed his head. "What a silly question. Of course I trust you."

She could hear the gravity in her son's words.

Although she had no idea what he was about to say, she was willing to stand by him unconditionally.

"Good."

Xunjing grinned. Then, with a thought, a strange rune appeared on his forehead. Under Jiri's startled gaze, it floated over to her.

"Mom, touch this mark and say 'I agree' in your mind."

Xunjing spoke very seriously. "Once it's done, I'll explain everything."

He did not want to waste time laying the groundwork with words.

Once his mother was bound to his talent, everything else would be easy to explain.

Besides, he had already sensed it. From the moment they met, his mother's affection toward him had been at its maximum-a full hundred points, without a single point missing.

Uchiha Chisato glanced at the runic mark, then looked at her son's earnest expression and nodded. "All right."

She reached out and touched the mark.

A flood of information suddenly poured into her mind. Only then did she understand-this was a contract.

Signing it would grant her tremendous benefits from Uchiha Xunjing, but it would also place certain restrictions on her.

Although she was a little surprised that her son had somehow acquired such an ability, Uchiha Chisato trusted him. Without much hesitation, she agreed.

The next second, the runic mark turned into a streak of light and entered her body through her fingertip, rushing into the space between her brows in the blink of an eye.

At the center of her sea of consciousness, it formed a spectral rune shaped like a gate.

At the same time, all the information about the mark's functions and restrictions flooded into her mind.

"This... a Time Gate that lets you travel to another world?"

After absorbing the information, Uchiha Chisato stared at Uchiha Xunjing with wide eyes, her voice filled with shock. "Xunjing, what on earth is going on?"

Uchiha Xunjing smiled and said casually, "It's nothing much. The moment I extracted chakra, I suddenly awakened a talent and received some inherited knowledge."

"It includes quite a bit of information about our world, as well as the world connected to that space-time gate."

"A talent? Inherited knowledge?"

Uchiha Chisato frowned deeply. "I've never heard of anything like this. It's so mysterious."

"Xunjing, could you have received a sage inheritance?"

It was the only explanation she could think of.

As the grand elder of the Uchiha Clan, she had read the clan's ancient texts and knew many secrets of the Ninja World.

She knew that the so-called Sage of Six Paths was very likely not a mythical figure, but someone who had truly existed.

"A sage inheritance? Maybe."

Uchiha Xunjing shrugged without confirming or denying it, then grew serious. "Mom, none of that matters. All you need to know is that this is an incredibly good thing for me."

"What matters most right now is using this inherited knowledge and the resources of the other world to restore our bodies, regain our health, and extend our lives. Everything else can wait."

"Some of the knowledge I received concerns medicine. I can tell that your health is in terrible shape too."

Once someone died, everything was over.

"Hm?"

At those words, Uchiha Chisato's eyes immediately lit up. With a hint of anticipation, she asked, "Does that mean the knowledge you received includes a way to cure your congenital frailty, Xunjing?"

Xunjing nodded firmly. "I have a life-nourishing practice that can condition the body and improve a person's health."

"I just tried it, and it really works."

"Practicing it once or twice won't make much difference, but if we keep at it for years, we'll definitely live quite a bit longer."

"My talent told me all of this."

"Oh?"

After hearing him out, a smile rose to Uchiha Chisato's lips.

It looks like this boy is still hiding a few secrets, she mused. But there's no need to pry, as long as they don't harm him.

As his mother, she did not need to demand every last detail. She only needed to be certain that it would not hurt her child.

"Mom, I'll teach you this life-nourishing practice right now. Try it and see whether it helps you."

Before she could agree, Xunjing stood up and began explaining aloud while demonstrating the movements himself.

His explanations were detailed, and his movements precise.

Uchiha Chisato did not refuse her son's kindness. She listened carefully and activated her Sharingan, committing every one of Xunjing's movements to memory.

[You completed one round of the Life-Nourishing Art. Proficiency +1, lifespan +1 day.]

"Well, Mom? Did you remember all of it?"

After finishing the routine, Xunjing let out a long breath, wiped the sweat from his forehead, and turned to his mother.

"I've got it."

Uchiha Chisato nodded confidently and stood up. "I'll try it once too. Watch and see if I get anything wrong."

Although she did not hold out much hope that this practice could improve her health and extend her life, she could not let her son's heartfelt efforts go to waste.

If possible, she naturally wanted to live longer too, so she could keep protecting her son, see him grow up safe and sound, and always be there to support him.

Ever since the Second Hokage Tobirama Senju had died, the hostility and suppression directed at the Uchiha by those four, led by the Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi, had grown worse by the day.

Even Kagami Uchiha had fallen at their hands.

Although Uchiha Chisato had no conclusive evidence, the many suspicious circumstances surrounding Kagami Uchiha's death left her almost certain that Danzo and his lot had done it.

With her still holding things together, Hiruzen Sarutobi and the others did not dare move openly against the Uchiha. They could only resort to petty schemes in the shadows, testing her limits little by little.

They only dared take advantage of her because her health was poor. Otherwise, Uchiha Chisato would have made them learn the price of testing her.

She did not dare imagine what would become of the Uchiha Clan if she suddenly died.

Or what would become of her son's future.

Even if Xunjing had received a sage inheritance and awakened a powerful talent, it would all amount to nothing if he had no time to grow and restore his health.

That was something Uchiha Chisato could never allow.

With those thoughts and hopes in mind, Uchiha Chisato began practicing the life-nourishing art.

Uchiha Chisato understood it perfectly. Something this simple posed no challenge to her at all.

Even without her Sharingan, she could have memorized it clearly and understood it thoroughly through her intellect alone.

After all, she was a genuine prodigy.

Xunjing watched as his mother completed the Life-Nourishing Art on her very first attempt, her movements fluid and as precise as a textbook demonstration.

"Mom, you're amazing! You got it on your first try? How do you feel? Did it help?"

As soon as Uchiha Chisato finished, Uchiha Xunjing applauded and eagerly pressed her for an answer, his face brimming with excitement.

"Whew..."

Uchiha Chisato slowly exhaled a stale breath, closed her eyes, and spent a moment carefully sensing the changes within her body.

When she opened her eyes again, a gentle smile graced her face. She looked at her son and said, "It helped. The effects aren't very noticeable yet, but I can feel that my lingering ailments have eased a tiny bit. My whole body feels a little lighter too."

"If I keep practicing, I imagine I can restore quite a bit of my health and live a little longer."

"Xunjing, you really are my lucky star."