A few days passed.
The fatigue in Fujimoto Tōma's body had faded, but the aftereffects hadn't vanished completely. It lingered in a familiar way. He'd noticed the pattern now. When that lingering sensation disappeared entirely, that was the minimum recovery interval his body needed.
In another world, doing what he'd done would've wrecked him.
But this was the shinobi world. Even ordinary civilians were sturdier than people from his previous life. Otherwise, he'd already be done for.
Then again… if this were his previous life, he probably wouldn't have pushed that far in the first place. Without an unusually strong mind, his will alone wouldn't have carried him through.
At the Academy, nothing remarkable happened.
Iruka continued leading basic training and slowly introduced chakra theory. For Tōma, it was excruciatingly slow. He'd already finished the textbooks on his own, and the training intensity didn't come close to what he practiced privately.
But it made sense. The term had just begun. Iruka was still focusing on standardized movements and safety. Eventually, students would be allowed more freedom.
Now that he'd finished the material, it was time to act.
Since this was his first attempt at chakra extraction, Tōma waited for a day when his mother was home. Chakra extraction wasn't dangerous in theory, but "in theory" wasn't good enough.
"Mom, I'm starting," Tōma said as he sat cross-legged on his bed.
There was no required posture, but if you were being watched, it helped not to look strange.
"Don't worry," Fujimoto Sana said encouragingly. "I remember that chakra extraction isn't dangerous."
"I know," Tōma nodded. "Just in case."
He followed the steps carefully.
Sensing physical energy came easily. He'd practiced that part long before. Familiar. Natural.
The difference this time was intention.
Mental energy guided inward. Physical energy responded. The two intertwined.
Chakra formed.
No accidents.
Tōma opened his eyes and focused. Blue energy surfaced in his palm, faint but unmistakable.
He froze for a moment.
So this is it.
"First try?" Sana's eyes widened. "You did it already? That's amazing, Tōma!"
She was genuinely surprised. Most children didn't succeed immediately, even if failure wasn't dangerous.
So this meant… talent?
The thought made her smile.
Tomorrow, she decided, she'd go ask her former teacher about the Shadow Clone scroll. A proper surprise.
"It went… pretty smoothly," Tōma replied. Even he hadn't expected that level of ease. Maybe it really was tied to mental strength.
Now the question was quantity.
His chakra felt… okay. Not massive, but not weak either. Without comparison, it was hard to judge.
Before he could think further, two hands grabbed his cheeks.
"Hey," Sana said firmly. "You succeeded. Smile a little."
"…Mom."
"Smile."
Under overwhelming maternal pressure, Tōma complied. It wasn't a convincing smile, but she seemed satisfied.
"That's better. You're too serious for a six-year-old."
Eventually, he escaped back to his room.
He continued extracting chakra. Not to use it, but to familiarize himself with the process until it became instinctive. Something he could do naturally, without deliberate focus.
As for what to do with it…
He didn't know any jutsu yet. Letting it dissipate felt like a waste, so training control was the obvious choice.
Tree walking? Wall walking?
No. Too noisy. And his mother needed rest.
Elemental transformation? He didn't even know his chakra nature yet.
That left shape manipulation.
Or rather, simple control.
He gathered chakra and released it through his hand, trying to hold it in form.
The moment it left his body, control vanished. The energy dispersed into the air almost instantly.
Tōma frowned.
Then tried again.
And again.
Extract. Release. Adjust.
Before he knew it, his chakra ran dry.
He realized something important.
If he extracted at full efficiency, he could probably drain his reserves in one go. His mental capacity exceeded his body's current limits, which meant his total chakra pool lagged behind his control potential.
That wasn't bad.
It meant growth room.
Even better, there was progress. When chakra left his body, there was now a faint thread of awareness connecting it back to him. Weak. Hard to use. But real.
That was enough.
With depletion came rest.
Tomorrow would matter more.
He needed numbers.
He needed confirmation.
And possibly… permission.
The next day, after class, Tōma found Iruka.
"Yes, Tōma?" Iruka asked, mildly puzzled.
"Iruka-sensei," Tōma said politely. "I studied the textbook and learned how to extract chakra. I'd like to ask… how my current amount compares to the standard."
Iruka paused.
"You already learned it?" His eyebrows rose slightly.
He knew Tōma's background. His mother had once been a genin, but not someone who could've taught chakra theory in detail.
Which meant Tōma had managed all this in just a few days.
Iruka didn't know why Tōma wanted to measure himself.
But as a teacher, he liked diligence.
Especially when it came with results.
"That's fine," Iruka said with a nod. "I'll help you."
Tōma felt his pulse quicken.
This was the opening.