The orange-red stream turned completely orange after being burned by flames, yet it was tinged with some dark blue. Its volume shrank nearly by half, but its temperature climbed to an entirely new level.
Aozora carefully absorbed the refined chakra, beginning the refinement process following the inherited technique.
He understood the consequences of failure—losing control of ordinary fire-natured chakra would already leave his meridians scarred and damaged, let alone this chakra refined through Yū fire?
It wouldn't be any less devastating than having a [Great Fireball Jutsu] explode within his body!
After passing through his left hand, the refined fire-natured chakra turned the center of his palm bright red. Aozora couldn't help but inhale sharply from the pain.
Yet all around him was hot air; there was no relief for his burning agony.
Enduring the searing pain, Aozora began circulating the chakra through his meridians.
The fire-natured chakra, now refined, had become not only more concentrated but also fiercer. Even with Aozora's exceptional chakra control, full mastery remained elusive.
Like a wild horse barely tamed, this current of chakra would suddenly go on a rampage again.
Aozora tried desperately to contain it, but still missed a few surges.
Despite numerous setbacks, the refined chakra finally completed its circuit, returning once more to the dantian.
It was like ripples on a pond—briefly disturbed before everything stilled again.
Aozora quickly examined himself internally, immediately noticing several blisters forming along his meridians.
He knew that if he stopped refining right now, he'd be safe. However, refinement with Yū fire only truly worked when the chakra underwent a qualitative change.
Determination flickered across his face as he once again drew chakra from his dantian.
Stream after stream of chakra flowed out from Aozora's body, ran along his meridians, exited through his right hand, was refined in the flames, and then returned through his left hand, completing another full cycle through his body before returning to the dantian.
A flawless cycle. A perfected refinement.
Aozora clearly felt his internal chakra becoming purer, with fewer impurities.
Yet he could also distinctly sense the increasing fierceness of the manipulated chakra, and more and more blisters forming inside his meridians.
During cultivation, Aozora had long since lost track of time.
He was only waiting for the moment of breakthrough, his mouth slightly open, ready to shout the words "Help me!"
Whether the chakra achieved transformation or his meridians could no longer endure, he would call someone for help.
However, heaven always enjoyed playing cruel jokes upon mortals.
The qualitative change of his chakra proved harder than Aozora expected. Repeated refinements merely brought him closer to a full fire-nature transformation, yet always fell just short.
Likewise, the resilience of his meridians surprised him. Again and again scalded, they caused only pain without complete destruction.
Every time his meridians got damaged, his body always surged forth with a wave of vitality, bringing renewal to those near collapse.
The continuous burning within his meridians made Aozora twitch involuntarily. Though his physical body still held strong, his spirit was nearing its limit.
Had he not previously endured the soul-shredding torment of spiritual rupture, he would have long fainted from the pain.
Amidst violent agony, Aozora struggled to maintain control over his chakra, relying solely on instinct to continue the refining process.
A gentle but intense heat rose from every pore of Aozora's body like swirling smoke, transforming him into a living furnace. Fire-style Chakra surged through his form, continuously refining and tempering his organs and meridians.
He wasn't sure how much time had passed when suddenly he sensed a shift within himself.
Focusing inward, he observed his Dantian. The mass of crimson molten chakra there had transformed into a miniature orange sun.
Though tinged with an eerie dark-blue hue that gave it a sinister look, Aozora was certain the chakra had undergone a qualitative change.
He understood this strange shade came from absorbing Yū fire, and though he could gradually purge the residual Yū fire through cultivation later, for now he simply accepted it as part of the transformation.
No longer inspecting his meridians, Aozora opened his eyes, exhaled deeply to release the stale air trapped in his chest, then shouted loudly, "Somebody help me!"
"Crack!"
The door burst open instantly. Gekko rushed in immediately, followed closely by two medical ninjas, with Fugaku right behind them.
Three medical ninjas quickly surrounded Aozora, beginning their examination, while Fugaku fixed his gaze tightly on him.
Aozora allowed them to work without resistance. Though pain lingered across his body, internally he was delighted.
Finally, his Fire-style Chakra had undergone transformation. From now on, its power wouldn't fall short even when compared to bloodline limit techniques.
Moreover, this qualitative change in Fire-style Chakra would definitely improve his efficiency in cultivating the [Lightning-Fire Golden Body], allowing him to break through bottlenecks faster and attain the Stone Embryo form more quickly.
As Aozora indulged himself in thoughts of future possibilities, he suddenly noticed Gekko and the others had stopped working.
The three medical ninjas exchanged uneasy glances, appearing hesitant, as if wanting to say something.
A chill ran through Aozora. Impossible!
His body stood merely a hair's breadth away from achieving the Stone Embryo stage — possibly even the unawakened Immortal Body. How could it possibly be so fragile?
Worry flickered in Fugaku's eyes as he urgently asked, "What's wrong? Is Aozora alright?"
Gekko sighed and said bluntly, "No need for rescue anymore."
Immediately, Aozora grabbed Gekko's hand. "Don't say that! I feel like I can still fight this!"
Fugaku also grasped Gekko's hand, pleading, "Gekko, please try harder! Aozora is our clan's most promising genius!"
After struggling twice but failing to pull free, Gekko finally replied in exasperation, "Rescue what? We found absolutely no issues with Aozora's body. His meridians were slightly singed, but overall he looked perfectly fine. Just needs some rest!"
"Eh!?" Both Fugaku and Aozora stared in shock.
Snapping back to his senses, Aozora immediately focused inward to examine his meridians.
To his surprise, the previously blistered and charred pathways had become smooth and pinkish, only a few lingering burns remaining.
Letting go of Gekko's hand, Aozora hurriedly apologized, "I'm sorry!"
He roughly understood what happened — apparently, during his spiritual refinement, he had unknowingly broken through the Lightning-Fire Golden Body's bottleneck.
Gekko handed Aozora several vials of burn treatment medicine, briefly explained how to use them, then hesitated before looking back at him.
Unnerved by Gekko's gaze, Aozora finally spoke up, "If you have something to say, just say it directly!"
Gekko began, "When we examined you earlier, we noticed your cell activity was unusually high. Could we perhaps..."
Aozora cut him off decisively: "No way!"
"Contribution to the clan..."
"Silence!"
Fugaku's eyes burned with murderous intent as he coldly hissed, "Never mention it again! If you dare entertain such thoughts again, I will erase you from the ninja world!"
Gekko, frightened by Fugaku's killing intent, trembled and nodded in agreement. He quickly led the two others out of the Training Chamber.
Aozora stood up and explained on Gekko's behalf, "Medical Ninja always think that way. Gekko didn't mean any harm..."
"We can't set such a precedent!"
Seeing Aozora still didn't understand, Fugaku said, "If we take your cells today because we asked, what happens tomorrow if we demand your eyes?"
Hearing this, Aozora immediately bowed his head in apology. "Director, I was careless in my thinking."
As a bloodline clan, the Uchiha had been used as experimental subjects more than once before. It was indeed necessary to eliminate all such hopes completely.
"I'm glad you understand!"
Then Fugaku asked expectantly, "How's the Secret Jutsu coming along?"
Aozora smiled, nodding as his eyes scanned the Training Chamber.
He quickly found where the *Yū fire* had previously burned. The area was now sunken, with a small patch of Deep Blue Flames still burning inside the pit.
Aozora channeled chakra through his body and snapped his finger, shooting out a thin thread of orange chakra.
The orange chakra burst into flames upon contact with air, falling beside the Deep Blue Flames.
The orange and blue fires shimmered against each other, like dueling warriors locked in combat, neither yielding to the other.
In the end, the slightly larger orange flame remained victorious.
The orange flame, though weakened by the battle, burned on steadily in the pit—like a candle's flicker that refused to die.
<><><><><><><><>
Thank you for reading! Your support will keep me updating!
~ Every 50 Powerstones = **4 Bonus Chapters** this weekend!
<><><><><><><><>
~ 100+ Advanced Chapters Available on Patreon!
~ More *Free* Chapters and Books Available on Patreon!
patreon.com/Tansnovel
<><><><><><><><>