Genin Chakra

Since the First-Generation Body Tempering Furnace had successfully activated and its restorative effects had been verified, Shaye's life had entered a new, hopeful routine.

Every night, when Sunagakure fell silent and only the wind and sand could be heard battering the windowpanes, Shaye and his father became their busiest and most eagerly expectant. After finishing his daily military duties, Shaliu always returned home on time no matter how exhausted he was. Shaye, meanwhile, had already inspected the Body Refining Furnace and made every preparation.

The process was anything but easy or pleasant. Each activation required Shaliu to continuously supply a considerable amount of chakra. Even for a Chunin like him, half an hour of output was no small burden. Afterward, his face would turn pale, and he needed to meditate for quite a while to recover. As the direct recipient of that energy, Shaye endured something even harder for others to imagine.

The gentle energy seeping into his body did not bring comfort alone. Repairing his innate foundation was like reinforcing an unstable building; it inevitably involved both destruction and reconstruction. While nourishing and revitalizing healthy cells, the energy also forcibly stimulated underdeveloped and even misaligned meridians and tissues. Soreness, numbness, swelling, pain—all kinds of sensations intertwined. Each half-hour treatment felt like a long ordeal. Shaye often clenched his teeth, sweat soaking his entire body, his nails digging deep into his palms just to keep himself from making a sound.

But all that effort came with visible rewards.

The first change was his complexion. The sickly, almost translucent pallor of before was gradually replaced by a faint, healthy flush. The veins beneath his skin no longer stood out so starkly, and his dry hair seemed to gain a little luster as well.

More importantly, there was the internal change. The ever-present weakness and exhaustion that had clung to him like a shadow were gradually fading. His breathing became deeper and stronger, while his heartbeat grew steadier. Before, even walking a few extra steps would leave him gasping for breath. Now, he could clearly feel his stamina increasing. Though he was still far weaker than children his age, he was no longer in a state where a gust of wind could knock him over.

The greatest change came after that night's treatment.

As usual, Shaye crawled out of the furnace chamber, exhausted yet refreshed. He habitually sat cross-legged and attempted his daily chakra extraction, partly to restore his mental energy and partly to test the effects of the repair.

However, this time was completely different!

When he concentrated as usual and guided his physical energy and spiritual energy to merge, what he felt was no longer that familiar difficulty, resistance, and near-depleted helplessness!

It was as if the previously blocked river channel had been completely cleared, or as if a dried-up spring had finally begun to flow with fresh water! His physical energy was more active and abundant than ever, and guiding his spiritual energy became extraordinarily smooth! The two swiftly fused as naturally as water flowing into a channel. The resulting stream of chakra was still far from immense, but it was no longer that pitiful thread—it had become a clear, stable, unceasing brook!

This stream of chakra circulated steadily through the meridians within his body. The sense of fullness and strength it brought was something Shaye had never experienced in all nine years of his life!

He abruptly opened his eyes, and an unbelievable radiance burst from his dark pupils! Instinctively, he extended his hand and tried to gather this newly born chakra at his fingertips.

Hum...

A faint blue chakra glow, clearly visible, weak yet incomparably stable, slowly emerged at his fingertips. Like a flickering blue flame, it illuminated one corner of the dim room!

It was no longer that "thread" of chakra that required extreme perception to detect, but genuine, visible chakra gathered before his eyes!

"Father!" Shaye's voice was slightly distorted with excitement. "Look!"

Shaliu, who had been meditating nearby to recover, opened his eyes at the sound. When he saw the stable chakra glow at his son's fingertips, he froze for a moment before abruptly rising to his feet, his face filled with shock and wild joy!

"This... this is..." He rushed over in a single stride and carefully sensed the chakra. "Stable, condensed... This is already standard Genin-level chakra!"

Though the amount might have only just reached the threshold of a Genin, its stability and density even surpassed that of many newly graduated Genin!

The greatest shackle that had plagued Shaye for nine years and limited all his possibilities—his difficulty in extracting chakra—had finally been broken!

The initial repair of his foundation had brought the most direct reward!

Shaye looked at the blue light dancing on his fingertips and felt the weak yet real power flowing through his body. His nose tingled slightly as indescribable excitement and emotion surged into his heart. So many failures, so much despair, so many sleepless nights of effort—all of it had finally received its sweetest reward at this moment.

From this day onward, he was no longer a "wastrel" incapable of extracting even chakra.

He, Shaye, had truly become a ninja with Genin-level chakra!

At this moment, the road ahead truly became broad.

(End of Chapter)