At the very moment chakra surged within Uchiha Yuan's body, the little bird perched atop his head startled and took off with a flap of its wings.
At the same time, a striped viper lurking in the nearby grass—its gaze fixed on the bird—had silently slithered closer, creeping up along the rock's surface.
But before it could strike, it was blown away by a sudden burst of air.
A radiant, flame-like aura erupted around Uchiha Yuan. The very air rippled in visible waves, expanding and contracting in rapid succession.
The rock beneath him cracked under the invisible pressure, spiderweb fissures spreading outward.
After a time, the fierce, rhythmic flow of energy surrounding him—like the breath of some great beast—gradually faded away.
The fiery aura drew back into his body, and a faint golden mark shimmered into existence at the center of his brow.
That golden sigil gave him an air of unspoken majesty—an aura of sacred, distant power that made him seem otherworldly.
There are said to be three hundred and sixty vital acupoints across the human body, and the one at the center of the forehead—the "Ancestral Point"—is the most mysterious of all, serving as the bridge between mind and soul.
After years of training his spirit with the secret technique Sage Arts: Ultimate Evolution, Uchiha Yuan had finally opened within that Ancestral Point a wondrous spiritual domain—his Sea of Consciousness.
Two beams of golden light flashed from his eyes as he slowly opened them. The mark on his brow faded away.
In his perception, within that newly formed Sea of Consciousness, a small, glowing pool had appeared.
Ordinary shinobi refined chakra and stored it within their bodies. But as Yuan's mental vision followed the glowing streams of chakra coursing through his meridians, he saw them all converge upon his brow—the Ancestral Point.
The first time he'd seen the golden sigil, he had immediately thought of Lady Tsunade's Strength of a Hundred Seal.
It seemed likely that technique, too, drew upon the same mysterious potential of the Ancestral Point.
"Chakra's essence is life energy," he murmured inwardly. "Refining chakra is, in truth, squeezing out one's own vitality. That's why shinobi die when their chakra is fully depleted.
"That's also why the great clans forbid children from refining chakra too early—it weakens the body's foundation. Without special elixirs to replenish one's life force, it causes permanent harm."
He smiled faintly.
"But I'm different. My Sage Arts follow a completely different system.
"The shinobi path refines bloodline power, while the Sage path strengthens the self—until one transcends the mortal frame."
"When shinobi refine chakra, their bodies grow hungry—they need food to restore what they've spent.
"But I feel no hunger, because natural energy sustains me.
"My chakra refinement is the same as the process of refining natural energy itself. And as my body grows stronger, the efficiency of that process only increases."
He thought for a moment, amused.
"To put it simply—ordinary shinobi are like chunks of ore. Some rich, some poor, with only so much oil to extract.
"But I'm different. I continuously absorb natural energy, improving my very composition. The 'oil' I refine grows purer, the energy it releases burns hotter.
"Until one day, I'll cease to be mere ore—and become uranium itself, capable of world-shattering power."
As he pondered, he glanced at the data on his personal status panel, quietly comprehending the fruits of his latest cultivation.
After a while, he stood, leapt down from the rock, and prepared to begin his daily straight-punch thrust training.
He hadn't gone far when he suddenly stopped, noticing something on the ground—a brilliantly colored striped snake, lying dead.
The corpse was mangled, flesh torn apart and bones shattered.
There were marks of slicing, scorching, and crushing—wounds of several distinct types.
In the days that followed, Yuan continued his cycle of refining chakra and training his punches, over and over without pause.
During that time, Uchiha Eiji upheld their wager and brought him a C-rank ninjutsu scroll—Flame Bullet Technique.
Unlike before, Eiji didn't challenge him to another duel, though Yuan could still see the fire of defiance and fighting spirit smoldering in his eyes.
It won't be long before he comes again, Yuan thought.
The lower a ninjutsu's rank, the simpler it was to perform, the less chakra it required, and the easier it was to observe and analyze.
By studying basic techniques, Yuan had already grasped much about the structure and mechanics behind ninjutsu.
Now, through the Flame Bullet Technique, he began focusing on the transformation and nature of chakra during its activation.
Time passed quickly during his research. Before he knew it, the reconstruction of the village neared completion.
The newly repaired Ninja Academy reopened for classes.
At the academy gates, a crowd of parents buzzed with conversation as they sent their children off to school.
Uchiha Yuan came alone. Along the way, various clans caught his eye:
The white-eyed Hyūga Clan.
The face-painted, dog-accompanied Inuzuka Clan.
The rotund, snack-loving Akimichi Clan.
And over there—those with sunglasses? Yuan glanced curiously at several members of the Aburame Clan, noting through his perception the countless small, flickering auras swarming within their bodies.
As he observed, he also noticed the stares—cold, wary, and contemptuous—coming from the edges of the crowd.
Whispers drifted into his ears, sharp and venomous.
"Did you hear? The night the Nine-Tails attacked, the Police Force didn't lift a finger!"
"Yeah, I heard that too. Useless bastards. Always looking down their noses at everyone—then when we needed them most, they vanished!"
"Cowards, all of them! If the Uchiha Police Force had shown up that night, my brother might still be alive!"
"They've been pushed to the village's edge now—that's what they deserve!"
"Lord Hokage's too merciful. He should've just disbanded the entire Police Force."
"Exactly! The Uchiha aren't fit to guard the village. Everyone hates those arrogant thugs anyway."
"Hmph, if you ask me, the Uchiha should be the ones to pay for all the damage the Nine-Tails caused!"
Hearing the bitter murmurs around him, Yuan's lips curled into a faint, mocking smile.
So it begins…
Half of the Uchiha Police Force is still fighting on the Mist frontlines, and yet the smear campaign has already started.
A familiar scene indeed—but the Uchiha are not the White Fang of Konoha.
He recalled, with cold clarity, how before the White Fang's downfall, a tide of baseless rumors had suddenly flooded the village.
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