Chapter 2

Ever since he was little, this child had been holding back a stubborn drive. His body clearly could not handle it, yet his obsession with strength ran deep. The less he was able to train, the more he wanted to prove himself. Jiri had originally not wanted to teach him the Chakra Extraction Technique, afraid that his body would not endure it.

But she could not stop him.

She was afraid that if she pushed him too hard, he would take things to extremes.

Now that she saw he had truly succeeded, she felt both delighted and uneasy as his mother.

"Yeah, Mom. Thank you."

Xunjing smiled at her, then sat across from her. His expression turned serious as he carefully studied his mother's face. "Mom, do you believe me?"

Jiri froze for a moment, then smiled and ruffled his hair. "What silly thing are you saying? Of course Mom believes you."

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

Although she did not know what he was about to say, she was willing to stand by his side unconditionally.

"That's good."

Xunjing grinned. Then, with a thought, a strange rune appeared on his forehead. Under Jiri's astonished gaze, the rune floated before her.

"Mom, reach out and touch this mark first. Just silently agree in your heart."

Xunjing spoke earnestly. "I'll explain everything slowly after it's done."

He did not want to waste time laying the groundwork.

Once his mother had bound the talent directly, everything else would be easy to explain.

Besides, he had already sensed it. From the moment they met, his mother's favorability toward him had been maxed out—one hundred points, not a single point less.

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

She reached out and tapped the mark.

A huge amount of information flooded into her mind at once, and only then did she understand—it was a contract.

Signing it would allow her to obtain enormous benefits from Uchiha Xunjing, but it would also place certain restrictions on her.

Though she was surprised that her son had somehow acquired such an ability, out of trust in him, Uchiha Chisato did not hesitate for long before agreeing.

The next instant, the rune mark turned into a beam of light that entered her body through her fingertip and shot into her brow in the blink of an eye.

At the center of her mindscape, it condensed into the phantom image of a gate-shaped rune.

At the same time, all the effects and restrictions of this mark flooded into her mind.

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

After digesting the information, Uchiha Chisato stared wide-eyed at Uchiha Xunjing, her voice full of shock. "Xunjing, what exactly is going on?"

Uchiha Xunjing smiled and said lightly, "It's nothing much. The moment I extracted Chakra, I suddenly awakened a talent and received some inheritance."

"It contains quite a bit of information about our world, as well as information about the world connected to that Time Gate."

"A talent? An inheritance?"

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

"Xunjing, could it be that you received Sage Inheritance?"

That was the only direction she could guess.

As the grand elder of the Uchiha Clan, she had read the clan's ancient records and knew quite a few secrets of the Ninja World.

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

"Sage Inheritance? Maybe."

Uchiha Xunjing shrugged noncommittally, then turned serious. "Mom, none of that is important. You only need to know that this is an enormous stroke of good fortune for me."

"The most important thing now is to use this inheritance and the resources of that other world to nurse our bodies back to health, restore our well-being, and extend our lifespans. Everything else can wait."

"The inheritance I received includes medical knowledge. I can tell that your body is in terrible shape too."

Once a person was gone, everything was over.

"Hmm?"

The moment Uchiha Chisato heard that, her eyes lit up. She asked expectantly, "So the inheritance you received has a way to treat your congenital frailty?"

Xunjing nodded with certainty. "I have a Life-Nourishing Art that can improve a person's condition."

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

"Practicing it once or twice might not have much effect, but if you keep at it for years, you'll definitely live quite a few years longer."

"My talent told me all this."

"Oh?"

After hearing that, a smile appeared at the corner of Uchiha Chisato's lips.

Looks like this boy is still hiding a few secrets. But there's no need to dig too deeply, as long as it doesn't harm him.

A mother did not need to ask about everything in exact detail. It was enough to make sure it would not hurt her child.

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

As soon as he finished speaking, Xunjing stood up without waiting for her answer. He explained verbally while personally demonstrating the movements.

His explanations were detailed, and his movements were precise.

Uchiha Chisato did not reject her son's kindness. As she listened attentively, she activated her Sharingan and memorized every one of Xunjing's movements completely.

[You practiced the Life-Nourishing Art once. Proficiency +1, lifespan +1 day.]

"How was that, Mom? Did you remember everything?"

After finishing one set, Xunjing let out a long breath, raised a hand to wipe the sweat from his forehead, and turned toward his mother.

"I did."

Uchiha Chisato nodded with certainty and rose to her feet. "Mom will try practicing it once too. Watch and see if I do anything wrong."

Although she did not hold much hope that this Life-Nourishing Art could truly improve her body and extend her lifespan, she could not let her son's heartfelt effort go to waste.

If possible, she naturally wanted to live longer—to keep protecting her son, to watch him grow up safely and smoothly, and to remain his eternal support.

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

Even Uchiha Kagami had fallen into their hands.

Though Uchiha Chisato had no conclusive evidence, judging from all the suspicious circumstances surrounding Uchiha Kagami's death, she was basically certain that Danzo's group had done it.

With her there to support the clan, Hiruzen Sarutobi and the others did not dare move openly against the Uchiha. They could only make small moves in the shadows, testing the limits bit by bit.

They were merely taking advantage of her poor health. Otherwise, Uchiha Chisato would truly make them understand the cost of testing her.

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

Nor did she dare imagine what her son's future would become.

Even if Xunjing had obtained Sage Inheritance and awakened a powerful talent, it would all be meaningless if he did not have time to grow or time to nurse his body back to health.

That was something Uchiha Chisato could never tolerate.

With such thoughts and hopes in her heart, Uchiha Chisato began trying to practice the Life-Nourishing Art.

Uchiha Chisato knew perfectly well that something like this was nothing to her.

Even without those Sharingan, she could have remembered every detail clearly and understood it thoroughly with her mind alone.

After all, she was a genuine, peerless genius.

Xunjing watched as his mother completed the Life-Nourishing Art after seeing it just once. Her movements were smooth and flawless, as standard as a textbook demonstration.

"Mom, you're incredible! You got it after one try? How do you feel? Did it help?"

As soon as Uchiha Chisato finished, Uchiha Xunjing immediately clapped and cheered, asking eagerly with excitement written all over his face.

"Phew—"

Uchiha Chisato slowly exhaled a breath of stale air, closed her eyes, and carefully felt the changes within her body for a while.

When she opened them again, a gentle smile rested on her face. Looking at her son, she said, "It works. The effect isn't very obvious yet, but I can feel that the old hidden ailments in my body have eased a little, and I feel somewhat lighter as well."

"If I can keep practicing it, I reckon it can nurse my body back considerably and extend my lifespan a bit more."

"Xunjing, you really are my lucky star."