Several months passed, and Shinichi continued honing his Taijutsu under Raishin's "inhuman" training. His daily life consisted almost entirely of dancing back and forth on the brink of death.
He had thought he would eventually ascend to heaven from overtraining. Instead, his constitution grew stronger and stronger, and his mastery of Taijutsu improved at a staggering pace.
Finally, one day, Raishin stood on the training ground with his hands behind his back, a rare hint of satisfaction in his voice. "Shinichi, there's nothing more I can teach you in Taijutsu."
Shinichi froze, then a spark of hope lit up his eyes.
"Really?! Does that mean I can rest?"
However, Raishin's next words instantly froze the smile on his face. "For the next stage, you'll begin learning chakra extraction."
The corner of Shinichi's mouth twitched, and he fell apart inside. "Wait! Father, I've been training for months! Shouldn't you let me rest for a while? Even ninja need a balance between work and rest!"
He looked pitifully at Raishin, trying to plead for a little breathing room with his eyes.
Raishin remained unmoved. He did not even furrow his brows, and his tone was utterly serious. "Shinichi, you must understand that the Hyuga Clan next door begins rigorous Gentle Fist training at three years old. As the foremost shinobi clan, how could we of the Uchiha Clan fall behind the Hyuga?!"
At those words, Shinichi completely lost it. "...Father, are you serious about the Hyuga Clan starting at three?!!"
Raishin nodded solemnly. "Of course. How else do you think they master their Gentle Fist?"
Shinichi felt his very soul trembling. "Then can't we learn something from the Hyuga Clan's 'restraint and steadiness'? Do we have to work ourselves to death just to outdo everyone?!"
Raishin's expression did not change, and his voice remained calm and firm. "Shinichi, as an Uchiha, you must understand—our goal isn't to match others, but to utterly crush them."
Shinichi gave up resisting entirely and slumped to the ground, looking as though he had nothing left to live for. "...I never should have agreed to train in Taijutsu."
Raishin stood in the center of the training ground, his gaze deep and his voice solemn. "Shinichi, chakra is the foundation of a ninja. Only by mastering an efficient extraction method can you truly unleash your power in battle."
Shinichi sighed helplessly. He had hoped to stall for a few more days, but Raishin had no intention of giving him any breathing room.
"Next, I will teach you the Uchiha-Style Chakra Extraction Method," Raishin said slowly. His hands formed hand seals, and the chakra within him stirred gently, settling into a steady flow. He motioned for Shinichi to follow along. "Blend your spiritual energy and physical energy in equal measure, like this..."
Shinichi felt rather helpless, but he did as instructed.
He sat cross-legged, closed his eyes, and tried to sense the flow of energy inside him.
"Spiritual energy... physical energy..."
He took a deep breath and tried to gradually merge the two forces according to Raishin's method.
A moment later, a powerful surge of chakra suddenly emerged from within him, gathering steadily in his palm.
Raishin paused, a rare trace of shock appearing on his face.
What... he actually succeeded on his first try?!
Normally, even a genius of the Uchiha Clan would need at least several days of repeated attempts to grasp the knack of extracting chakra for the first time. Succeeding instantly like Shinichi, with such an exceptionally smooth chakra flow, was unheard of!
Raishin gazed intently at his son, complicated emotions flickering in his eyes.
This boy's talent... perhaps he really could surpass Madara Uchiha!
He had thought Shinichi was merely a genius in Taijutsu, but now it seemed his talent for chakra control was equally astonishing, perhaps even more terrifying than his aptitude for Taijutsu.
Perhaps the Uchiha Clan had never produced such an all-around monster in its entire history!
The corners of Raishin's mouth lifted slightly, and a rare fervor entered his eyes. "Shinichi, I underestimated you before. You aren't merely a genius..."
Shinichi opened his eyes and noticed his father's gaze. A sudden, ominous feeling washed over him. "Wait, Father, why does that look in your eyes seem a little dangerous?"
Raishin's smile grew even more satisfied. "Since your talent for extracting chakra is so astonishing, we'll move straight to the next stage—practical ninjutsu training!"
Shinichi went rigid, screaming wildly inside:
Seriously?! I only just extracted some chakra, and now I'm being dragged off to train in ninjutsu?! Can't you give me a moment to process this?!!
Raishin watched the chakra gathered steadily in Shinichi's palm. His lips curved slightly, and his eyes held an unfathomable look.
He took a sheet of Chakra Paper from inside his clothes and slowly held it out to Shinichi, a hint of anticipation in his voice. "Shinichi, feed your chakra into this."
Shinichi looked down at the palm-sized sheet and blinked, unable to resist a silent complaint. Is this the legendary "ninja talent test"? It feels a bit like checking your attributes in a game from my previous life...
He sighed helplessly, extended a finger, and slowly fed the chakra he had just extracted into the paper.
In an instant, a miracle occurred—
Five entirely different changes appeared on the surface of the paper at once!
The upper-left corner burst into flames with a whoosh, burning fiercely. This was the fire attribute.
The upper-right corner split with a crack, a fissure tearing through the paper as a sense of sharpness swept toward him. This was the lightning attribute.
The lower-left corner quickly crumpled into a ball, as though compressed by an invisible force. This was the wind attribute.
The lower-right corner rapidly filled with moisture, leaving the paper's surface soaking wet. This was the water attribute.
The center of the paper crumbled outright, turning into tiny scraps that drifted away on the breeze. This was the earth attribute!
Five changes had appeared simultaneously on a single sheet of paper!
Shinichi had been born with all five attributes!
Raishin stared blankly at the paper before him, his expression completely frozen.
Even for the Uchiha Clan, which had seen its share of geniuses, awakening all five chakra attributes at once was an exceedingly rare occurrence in its history!
"This..." The shock in Raishin's eyes defied description. His lips parted slightly as though he wanted to say something, but a moment later, the corners of his mouth slowly rose, his smile growing increasingly fervent.
"Hahahaha!!!"
In a rare display, Raishin threw his head back and laughed, his eyes brimming with excitement and delight, along with a trace of barely concealed ecstasy.
"Shinichi! You... you were actually born with all five attributes!!"
His voice was filled with pride and astonishment, and even a hint of disbelief.
The vast majority of ninja were born with only one or two chakra attributes. Awakening three at once was already enough to qualify someone as a top-tier genius. But all five?
That was simply beyond all normal limits!
Raishin placed both hands on Shinichi's shoulders, his gaze so fervent that he seemed to be looking at a priceless treasure. "Shinichi, your talent is even more terrifying than I imagined... you might even..."
"You could very well surpass Madara Uchiha!"
Shinichi went utterly blank at those words.
"Huh??????"
He had only casually fed in a little chakra. How had he suddenly been elevated to the level of "surpassing Madara Uchiha"???
"Father, aren't we reading a little too much into this...?"
But Raishin was completely immersed in his own shock and ecstasy. He took a deep breath, suppressing his excitement, his gaze firm and blazing. "Shinichi, starting today, your entire training regimen must be upgraded!"
Alarm bells blared in Shinichi's mind, and he hurriedly waved his hands. "Wait! I only just learned chakra extraction! Shouldn't I slowly consolidate my foundations first? Father, we can't rush this!!"
But Raishin patted Shinichi's shoulder, his voice full of excitement. "Take it slowly? No, Shinichi. With your talent, what we need isn't to take it slowly—it's to race toward godhood!!"
Shinichi's face instantly turned deathly pale. He felt utterly sick.
"Father, I regret this... can I tear up the Chakra Paper and pretend none of this ever happened?"
Raishin's smile grew even more confident. "Shinichi, you should be proud. You will become the greatest genius of the Uchiha Clan! Now, we'll move straight into ninjutsu training!"
Shinichi looked utterly despairing. "I... I really only wanted one day off..."
But Raishin had already turned away with an air that brooked no argument. He stood with his hands behind his back, his voice ringing with conviction. "Starting today, our goal is to develop advanced ninjutsu for all five attributes! Shinichi, your legend in the shinobi world begins this very moment!"
At those words, Shinichi completely crumbled inside and tilted his head toward the sky with a long, mournful sigh—
"Goodbye, my life of lazing around!!!"
Before you continue