Capítulo 4: Refining Chakra
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Isn't what just happened the best proof?
His name is Menma Uzumaki, not Naruto Uzumaki. He is a realistic little boy with red hair and gray eyes, not the blond-haired, blue-eyed boy from the original story. Before this, he was genuinely worried that he wouldn't be able to enter the Ninja Academy on time. If he couldn't even take the first step toward becoming a ninja, how miserable would that be? How tragic.
So, when he heard the words of Sarutobi Hiruzen, the joy on his usually numb face came from the bottom of his heart.
Of course, Sarutobi Hiruzen didn't know what Menma was thinking. But when he saw Menma's happy smile, the Third Hokage's own smile grew wider. He thought he was getting closer to Menma, that their relationship was becoming stronger, and he felt even more benevolent toward the boy.
"Of course, you're old enough now, but before you can enter the Ninja Academy, there's a small test you'll need to pass first," Sarutobi Hiruzen said with a smile.
"Eh? What kind of test is it, Third Grandpa? I'll definitely pass it!" Menma said confidently.
"Haha, it's the refining of chakra. You should know that for a ninja, the most important first step is to learn how to refine chakra. Only by mastering this can you enter the Ninja Academy."
Sarutobi Hiruzen gently patted Menma's head again, then pulled out a scroll from his robes, placed it on the table, and smiled.
"Chakra refining?"
Menma's eyes lit up as he looked at the scroll on the table. The light in his pupils grew more intense. This was what he had wanted most for the past five years. Now that he finally had it, Menma couldn't hide his excitement, which was directly reflected on his face.
"Yes, don't worry, Third Grandpa, I'll definitely master it before the academy starts next year."
Menma patted his small chest and said with confidence.
"Well, Grandpa believes in you, Menma."
Sarutobi Hiruzen leaned forward slightly, looking at Menma with an encouraging expression. He believed in cultivating relationships from an early age, strengthening the connection step by step. Sarutobi Hiruzen was certain that one day this child would become his strongest supporter and fully embrace the Will of Fire.
*'First Hokage, Second Hokage, don't worry. I will definitely protect Konoha. And to the Fourth Hokage, I will take good care of Naruto and Menma.'*
Sarutobi Hiruzen thought silently to himself.
The Hokage's time was precious. Even on New Year's Eve, Sarutobi Hiruzen couldn't afford to be idle. However, he stayed with Menma a bit longer before finally leaving at dusk.
Menma maintained a very happy look from start to finish. It wasn't until Sarutobi Hiruzen left that the smile on his face slowly faded.
*Ninja Academy? I've finally reached this moment!*
Menma gently held the scroll in his hand, silently planning out his next training steps.
*Chakra!*
The official explanation is that chakra is the result of the perfect combination of physical energy and spiritual energy extracted from the 130 trillion cells of the human body. Of course, there are contradictory statements in the original work. Some say it's an ability inherent in humans, taught by the Sage of Six Paths. Others claim it's the result of the Sage of Six Paths distributing his chakra to humanity. Ultimately, it means that chakra originates from Kaguya Ōtsutsuki and the fruit of the God Tree.
Which is the truth? Humans today have no way of knowing. But it doesn't seem to matter. What's important is that humans have mastered the method of extracting chakra—combining physical and mental energy to do so.
The difference is that only a small percentage of humans can do this. The vast majority are unable to extract chakra. This is true even in the five great ninja villages, where every year during pre-entrance exams, many civilians are rejected. After all, how can you become a ninja if you can't even refine chakra?
For those from ninja clans, however, this isn't a problem. They begin refining chakra within their own families before entering the academy, and civilians who can't refine chakra are less likely to succeed there.
For Menma, this wasn't an issue at all. With the bloodline of the Uzumaki clan and as the Nine-Tails Jinchūriki, the idea of him being unable to extract chakra was laughable. Although the interference from the Nine-Tails made his chakra refining less smooth and stable, after a day of hard work...
"Is this chakra!?"
In the early morning hours of January 1, Konoha Year 54, Menma finally succeeded in extracting his own chakra for the first time. When he felt that special power, a look of joy appeared on his face. Even if it was just a trace of chakra, Menma could feel that his "power" was already far beyond what it had been before.
Of course, this was just the beginning. Although the total amount of chakra a ninja can have is determined at birth, it doesn't mean that one reaches their chakra limit the moment they start extracting it. It still requires effort over time to reach that limit.
The key is in physical energy and mental energy. The harder one works, the faster they can reach their chakra limit. With the Uzumaki bloodline, Menma naturally had tremendous vitality, so he didn't need to worry much about physical energy. It was his mental training that needed to be the focus of his future efforts. Not to mention, he had the Nine-Tails' chakra within him as his greatest asset.
*This is finally the most decisive step! The next step is to accelerate.*
Menma exhaled deeply, clenching his hands slightly as the look in his eyes grew determined. The plan for change had begun.
In the time that followed, Menma devoted himself entirely to the steady refinement and control of chakra. He didn't need to reach a high level immediately; he just needed to gain a basic level of proficiency.
For Menma, time was very tight! It was now January of Konoha Year 54. There were only six years left before the original story would begin! He needed to develop the minimum self-defense capabilities in these six years. He couldn't afford to spend this critical time as leisurely as Naruto did in the original story.
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