Glancing forward, Saitama clearly saw a scroll describing chakra refinement techniques!
What defined a ninja? Wasn't it chakra?
Saitama believed chakra was a natural barrier separating ninjas from ordinary people.
With chakra, one was no longer ordinary.
Where did chakra come from?
From the scroll in his hand and combined with memories from his past life, Saitama summarized three components of chakra.
First, as recorded in the scroll, the human body contains one hundred and thirty trillion cells, each possessing the ability to store and generate chakra.
The chakra refinement jutsu in his hand described how to extract and use energy within these cells.
Second was spiritual energy, and third, natural energy!
Currently, Saitama had access only to the first type—chakra extracted from his body's cells.
He had already read the chakra refinement jutsu on the scroll at least ten times, becoming thoroughly familiar with its contents.
Thanks to his excellent memory, he'd already mastered all the key points ages ago—but had never truly practiced them.
Slowly finishing the scroll, Saitama once again carefully recalled everything in his mind.
After confirming there were no omissions, he returned the scroll and sat cross-legged on the tatami mat beside him.
Because he cleaned regularly, this particular tatami still carried a fresh, washed scent.
Seated comfortably, Saitama slowly relaxed his entire body, reaching a state called "Zen" (meditative stillness) in the scroll.
Everything became silent, and Saitama's heart gradually calmed.
He imagined infinite energy flowing within his body.
Saitama became aware of everything around him. Though there was no wind indoors, he could sense a gentle, warm breeze moving across his skin.
It felt slightly warm, like winter sunlight gracing a slightly cool body.
Was this... chakra?
A feeling of joy surged through Saitama's mind.
This was the first time he had truly touched such a mysterious energy—an indescribable sensation rising within him, impossible to put into words.
Although aware of his strong talent, actually refining chakra was another matter entirely.
Following the scroll's instructions, Saitama guided this "wind" with his will slowly toward his lower abdomen's dantian.
The dantian, located in the lower abdomen, served as the storage center for chakra. All newly refined chakra needed to be directed here for circulation.
There were two main benefits to this: first, it helped chakra get accustomed to this pathway, essentially setting a route for new chakra so it wouldn't run wild; second, it allowed the dantian to adapt to chakra, enabling incoming streams to expand its capacity.
A faint strand of chakra slowly entered Saitama's lower abdomen.
This was Saitama's first step into the ninja world—the first historically significant step.
From this day forward, was Saitama now a ninja apprentice?
With this initial success, the rest became even simpler.
He repeated the process, drawing chakra from different parts of his body and guiding it down to the dantian for storage.
His entire body began to feel warm and cozy, and Saitama's cross-legged posture became even more relaxed.
With his extraordinary talent, extracting chakra was completely effortless for him.
Keep in mind that beginners who can master chakra extraction within a week are already considered exceptional talents.
But how long did Saitama take?
One minute? Five minutes?
Saitama wasn't exactly sure. But following the scroll's instructions, whether it was entering meditation or extracting chakra, everything came naturally and effortlessly.
Time slipped by as he extracted and shaped his chakra. He didn't realize how much time had passed until suddenly, Saitama opened his eyes and slowly uncrossed his legs.
Had his chakra extraction already reached its limit?
Saitama took note of how his body felt. His whole body felt lazy, just like after enjoying a good sunbath.
And within all his meridians, Saitama also felt a faint sense of fullness.
He was still too young—this quickly, and his body already felt overwhelmed with chakra.
He stretched and wiggled his toes. His legs weren't even slightly numb despite sitting so long. Satisfied, Saitama packed up his things and prepared to go downstairs to rest.
Although he didn't know exactly how much time had passed, it certainly hadn't been short.
He was still growing, still young. He couldn't let momentary comfort today lead to long-term pain tomorrow.
That would definitely be asking for trouble!
Quietly closing the door behind him, Saitama tiptoed back downstairs.
Looking outside, it seemed like the middle of the night. Saitama guessed it must be around eight or nine PM since he'd just finished dinner before starting his chakra practice. So this meditation session had taken him several hours.
It was time to rest now. Tomorrow he could find Shisui Uchiha to hang out with. He'd promised to treat him to dumplings—he couldn't go back on his word now.
Back downstairs, he washed his face, soaked his feet in hot water, and put on the dinosaur pajamas that Ka Po-pu had gotten for him before peacefully falling asleep.
"Still need to get up early tomorrow, otherwise Ka will nag again."
Early the next morning, Saitama heard sounds coming from downstairs.
Ka Uchiha, being elderly, no longer slept soundly and had gotten up early to prepare breakfast.
Groggily opening his eyes, he looked toward the window. Through the tightly drawn curtains, Saitama noticed it was barely light outside. It must have just passed six AM.
Thinking for a moment, Saitama slowly got dressed, finished his morning routine, and walked downstairs.
Breakfast was seaweed rice balls that Saitama particularly liked, filled with pork loin that he'd specifically requested.
Regarding small requests like this, Ka Uchiha usually gave in to Saitama's little requests without hesitation since the family never lacked food or clothing.
After finishing breakfast and saying goodbye to Ka Po-pu, Saitama got ready to go outside for a walk.
At this hour, the streets were still nearly empty, with only a few Uchiha clan members on duty yawning as they slowly patrolled.
The Uchiha clan held the official role of the "Konoha Police," responsible for maintaining daily village security.
After graduating from the Ninja Academy, every Uchiha automatically joined Konoha's Public Security Division. They didn't take part in other village matters.
In principle, this applied to every Uchiha member, though there were exceptions.
Saitama's place was situated toward the southern edge of the Uchiha compound—not exactly prime real estate within the clan's territory.
It should be noted that the Uchiha compound still stood in its original central location within Konoha. The "Nine-Tails incident" had yet to happen, and the Uchiha had not been pushed to the outskirts of the village.
Walking along the street toward the spot Shisui had mentioned,
Saitama was feeling restless and just decided to wander around a bit. If he ran into Shisui, he'd treat him to something and keep his promise. If not, it'd just be good exercise.
He'd eaten three big rice balls with meat inside for breakfast—enough to keep him energized all day long.
Ever since he first tapped into chakra last night, Saitama had been consciously guiding its flow through his body.
Right now, he treated chakra like the inner energy he remembered from old kung fu shows, letting it complete a few full 'circulations' through his body.
If someone used Byakugan to look at Saitama walking down the street right now, they'd see chakra flowing steadily through the tiny body's meridians.
Strolling along the street, Saitama saw that some breakfast shops were already open for business.
Patting his slightly full stomach, Saitama shook his head and looked away from the dumpling shop he often visited.
Dumplings for breakfast? Nah, way too heavy. Forget it, forget it.
Eventually, Saitama reached the area Shisui had told him about.
Calling it the "end of the street" wasn't quite accurate, to be honest. This was actually the edge of the Uchiha clan's territory, quite far from the main crossroads of the compound.
Figuring it was still early—Shisui was probably still asleep—Saitama didn't shout. He simply stopped when he reached the front door.
All the Uchiha houses looked alike, each with its own little courtyard.
As the hesitant Saitama wavered between knocking or leaving, approaching the gate, he suddenly heard some sounds.
Bang!
Clink!
Sounds like blades?
Saitama felt puzzled, but being only five years old, the wooden gate blocked his view.
Thinking it over, he knocked on the wooden courtyard gate, even though he could have easily walked in.
"Who is it?"
A childish voice asked.
Saitama recognized this voice quite well—even if he'd only heard it once yesterday.
"Hey, Shisui. It's me, Saitama!"
Adjusting the collar of his standard Uchiha high-necked short-sleeved shirt, Saitama changed his expression slightly and called out.
"Oh! It's you, Saitama!"
Before footsteps could even be heard, the door flew open.
Shisui stood there, surprised and delighted to see this fellow clansman he'd met just yesterday.
The moment the door opened, Saitama was stunned to find Shisui holding a small katana, apparently practicing in the yard?
He kept staring at the katana in Shisui's left hand for a moment, then Shisui sheepishly tried hiding it behind his back.
"You started training so early?" Saitama asked with a smile.
"Nope. Mom said I was being too bored this morning, so she told me to practice some basic katana moves."
After speaking, Shisui glanced toward the house.
Following Shisui's gaze, Saitama also spotted a figure moving busily inside a room lit up with light.
"I hope I'm not disturbing you!"
Saitama arched an eyebrow and shot Shisui a knowing glance.
"No worries," Shisui replied with an awkward scratch on the back of his head. "It's almost time for breakfast anyway. Just getting ready to rest."
So saying, Shisui took hold of Saitama's arm and pulled him into the courtyard.
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~ Every 50 Powerstones = **4 Bonus Chapters** on the weekend!