The soft morning light streamed through the window and fell across Tsubasa's face. He slowly woke, his eyes still heavy with sleep, the previous night's dreams lingering faintly in his mind. After a quick wash, he went into the courtyard and began practicing Moving Stance Training. Every movement was filled with a boy's youthful vigor and concentration.
When he finished, his stomach began to rumble. He hurried toward the dining hall and spotted Hashirama Senju and his family gathered around the table from a distance.
"Junior Brother, we were just waiting for you! Come eat!" Biwako called, waving with a smile. Her voice was clear as a mountain stream.
Tsubasa hurriedly bowed. "Good morning, Master, Mistress, Senior Sister." Only then did he sit down and begin eating in great mouthfuls. The food was steaming and fragrant, and every bite left him feeling satisfied.
After the meal, Hashirama took Tsubasa to the training ground. Sunlight fell on the sand, casting their shadows across it. Hashirama smiled. "Little Tsubasa, your Chakra reached Chunin level yesterday. Today, I'll teach you a few basic Ninjutsu."
Just then, Biwako bounded out from the side like a merry young deer and spoke up before anyone else could. "I'll teach him today! Junior Brother, watch closely. The first one is a D-rank Ninjutsu-Energy Bullet." She rapidly formed Hand Seals, explaining as she demonstrated. "The Chakra starts at the Qihai acupoint, passes through the Shenque, Xiawan, Zhongwan, and Shangwan acupoints... and finally reaches the Chengjiang acupoint by the mouth. It forms an Energy Bullet in your mouth, which you then spit out."
Tsubasa watched without blinking, silently committing every step to memory. He took a deep breath, copied the Hand Seals, and gathered his Chakra. It flowed smoothly through his meridians and acupoints, and when it reached Chengjiang, energy instantly condensed in his mouth. He spat forcefully, sending a soccer-ball-sized Energy Bullet flying. With a boom, it punched straight through the distant courtyard wall.
Biwako's eyes widened, and her mouth fell open in shock. "How is that possible? That's more than ten times as powerful as mine! Mine just breaks apart when it hits the wall, but yours smashed right through it. That's incredible!"
A flicker of pleasant surprise crossed Hashirama's eyes. Smiling, he said, "As expected of the power of nature. Little Tsubasa's Chakra is probably Senjutsu Chakra. Its power really is impressive."
Next, Biwako demonstrated the Clone Technique, Substitution Technique, and Transformation Technique in turn, explaining their principles in detail. Tsubasa had exceptional comprehension and could perform each one after learning it once. The more he practiced, the more proficient he became, and the faster he could use them. He was also delighted to discover that Senjutsu Chakra seemed to remember Ninjutsu he had performed, as though the techniques had proficiency levels. By the end, he could even use Energy Bullet without Hand Seals. Both surprised and delighted by the discovery, he quietly kept it in mind.
After the Ninjutsu lessons, Hashirama began teaching Tsubasa Taijutsu. Daily Taijutsu sparring was an essential part of his training. At first, Tsubasa was always beaten into a sorry state, his body covered in bruises. But he refused to admit defeat, gritting his teeth and persevering every time. Gradually, he began using the Ninjutsu he had just learned in their bouts, and the beatings became fewer and fewer.
Hashirama watched with a gratified smile, his heart full of feeling. This child is truly gifted. He understands as soon as he's shown something, and he's willing to endure hardship. He's bound to achieve great things someday.
Biwako watched from the side, her eyes full of curiosity and affection. She had never met anyone as exceptionally gifted as Tsubasa. Compared with him, the so-called geniuses at the Ninja Academy were hardly worth mentioning.
Mito Uzumaki, meanwhile, prepared all kinds of delicious food for Tsubasa, changing the dishes from day to day. She knew he had a huge appetite, so she always prepared especially generous meals. Watching him gobble everything down filled her heart with warmth.
The days passed, and Tsubasa's life at Hashirama's home was fulfilling and happy. He learned new Ninjutsu every day, and his strength steadily grew through his sparring sessions with Hashirama. At first, he had been covered in injuries, but now he suffered only minor wounds. Everyone could see how much he had improved.
Every night, when darkness fell and the whole world grew quiet, Tsubasa sat alone in his dim room. Only the orange lamplight flickered gently in the breeze, illuminating his focused expression. He sat cross-legged with his eyes tightly shut, immersing himself completely in the world of Chakra within his body.
If only I could get my Chakra to circulate on its own inside my body. My strength would definitely improve by leaps and bounds, Tsubasa thought, full of anticipation. Countless attempts ended in failure after failure, but he never considered giving up. If other people can do it, I can too! He gritted his teeth and silently encouraged himself.
After countless more experiments, Tsubasa finally made a delightful discovery. When he commanded his Chakra to flow through his earth- and water-attribute meridians, it moved in orderly ranks like well-trained soldiers. It flowed smoothly, without running wild or rampaging at all. Wow, that went so smoothly! Could this be where my talent lies? Surprised and delighted, Tsubasa nearly cried out in excitement. But as soon as the Chakra entered his wood-attribute meridians, it became like a wild horse that had slipped its reins. Completely out of control, it ran wild and rampaged in every direction. How could this happen? The first two attributes were just fine... Tsubasa frowned, utterly puzzled.
After a long period of observation and study, Tsubasa finally found the reason. He had been born able to absorb the natural power of water and earth, and his water- and earth-attribute meridians were spiritual roots naturally attuned to the power of heaven and earth. They were like broad, smooth highways, so naturally the Chakra encountered no problems traveling along them. His wood-attribute meridians, however, had been forcibly developed later in life and were false spiritual roots. They were like little country dirt roads, full of potholes, messy, and riddled with forks, so all sorts of problems arose when Chakra traveled through them. No wonder. I was wondering why the difference was so big. Understanding dawned on Tsubasa, and his confusion vanished at once.
From then on, Tsubasa devoted himself to studying the water and earth attributes. To his delight, he discovered that the more water- and earth-attribute Ninjutsu he used, the faster he mastered them, and their power was especially great. Eventually, he could even use them without Hand Seals. This is amazing! If I can use them without Hand Seals in a fight, the enemy definitely won't have time to react! The more Tsubasa thought about it, the more excited he became, feeling that he had found a shortcut to greater strength. Wood-attribute Ninjutsu, however, were completely different. Not only did they require Hand Seals, but their power also fell short of water- and earth-attribute Ninjutsu.
Hashirama noticed Tsubasa's situation and grew curious. One day, he couldn't help asking, "Tsubasa, I've been watching you for several days. Why are your water- and earth-attribute Ninjutsu so powerful, and why don't they need Hand Seals? Yet your wood-attribute Ninjutsu need Hand Seals and aren't all that powerful. I really can't figure it out. Do you know why?"
Tsubasa answered respectfully, "Master, I think it has to do with the meridians in my body and the natural power I absorb. The Natural Energy I absorb has water and earth attributes, and my water- and earth-attribute meridians are broad and tough. My wood-attribute meridians were forcibly opened later, so that's why it's like this."
Hashirama nodded in agreement. "I see. In that case, focus on the water and earth attributes from now on. Just use the other attributes for support. Don't spend too much time and effort on them, or they'll hold back your cultivation."
"Thank you for your concern and guidance, Master. I'll be sure to cultivate diligently!" Tsubasa bowed in thanks, silently vowing to cultivate his water and earth attributes to their utmost limits.
In the days that followed, Tsubasa focused on cultivating both the water and earth attributes. To his delight, he discovered that when water- and earth-attribute Chakra flowed through his meridians, it could actually absorb the Natural Energy drifting between heaven and earth, continually growing stronger. Nourished by the Natural Energy, each bit of Chakra underwent a qualitative change, growing larger before splitting. Newly refined Chakra was also devoured by the Chakra that had been nourished by Natural Energy. Isn't this the method of Qi Refining in the Immortal Cultivation system? I actually stumbled onto it by accident! Tsubasa was both surprised and delighted, feeling as though he had opened the door to a new world.
However, the Natural Energy in this space was somewhat thin. Tsubasa could only absorb the Natural Energy within three meters of himself each time. Once he had absorbed it all, he either had to wait for it to replenish slowly or move somewhere else to absorb more. The process was painfully slow. This won't do. At this rate, when will I ever grow strong? Burning with impatience, Tsubasa kept trying to think of ways to increase his absorption speed. Later, he discovered that by entering a state of emptiness and using his spiritual power to connect with and absorb it, he could more than double the speed. Great! I've finally found a way! Tsubasa clenched his fists in excitement.
Tsubasa also named this special Chakra Spiritual Qi. He knew that Spiritual Qi and Chakra were fundamentally different. Chakra was energy based on a person's essence and spirit, and using it depleted both. Using too much could even shorten one's life. Spiritual Qi, on the other hand, was natural power drifting between heaven and earth. Absorbing it could allow life to evolve and the soul to transform, and it could also grant longevity. From now on, I'll rely on Spiritual Qi to grow stronger! Tsubasa silently made up his mind.
From then on, Tsubasa diligently studied how to accumulate and strengthen his Spiritual Qi every day, devoting himself to figuring out how to bring his Spiritual Qi cultivation to completion. Apart from carrying out the tasks Hashirama assigned him, he spent all his time cultivating Spiritual Qi. There were two ways to accumulate it. The first was to let the Spiritual Qi devour the Chakra refined through the Senju Pure Yang Art, thereby strengthening itself, and then use the energy of heaven and earth to nourish his flesh and soul. The second was to circulate the Spiritual Qi within his body through a complete cycle, drawing in the surrounding Natural Energy so that the Spiritual Qi would continually grow stronger and split. This two-pronged approach is great. My Spiritual Qi is growing pretty quickly! Tsubasa was overjoyed as he watched his progress. Good thing I learned this Pure Yang Art of the Senju Clan. Otherwise, how could my spiritual power grow so fast? The more he thought about it, the luckier he felt. Full of confidence in the future, he eagerly awaited the day he would become even stronger.