"The growth of soul power is bound by two chains," Sasuke said, his voice calm but carrying the weight of absolute certainty as the campfire crackled between them. "The first is your talent for cultivation. The second is the quality of your martial soul. Tonight, I intend to teach you how to loosen those chains—perhaps even break them entirely."
Ling Yun leaned forward eagerly. "Then what? How do we do that?"
Before Sasuke could answer, smack! Ye Ling'er's hand came down on the back of Ling Yun's head.
"Don't interrupt the teacher," she chided, eyes narrowing.
Ling Yun clutched his head with a groan. "Ow! You're gonna kill me before the training does…"
Sasuke ignored their bickering. "I have a method," he said, his tone colder now. "Seventy percent certainty. No more. You could call yourselves… test subjects."
A ripple of unease passed through the group, but no one spoke.
"Today," Sasuke continued, "we begin with what lies within the human body. Soul power is a natural force—you spirit masters merely learn to use it. But the strength of human nature, the raw force of will and flesh—that is infinite. Cultivating both together can close the gap between you and so-called prodigies. In the end, survival—not talent—decides the victor."
For three days, Sasuke drove them through relentless, high-intensity physical training during the day and deep meditation at night. Sleep was brief, muscles screamed in protest, but no one dared complain out loud.
On the fourth night, Sasuke had them gather in a circle."Sit," he commanded. "Hold the hands of the person beside you."
Ye Ling'er suddenly jumped up."What's wrong?" Sasuke asked.She jabbed a finger at Ling Yun. "You—move."
Ling Yun, now sporting a fresh lump on his head, reluctantly traded places with her.
"You've felt exhaustion these past days," Sasuke said, his dark eyes scanning their faces. "Remember that feeling. Now, through meditation, I want you to push your body to the edge again. Feel the changes inside you. Do you understand?"
Everyone nodded.
The process Sasuke described was simple in theory: chakra was born from the perfect balance between physical energy and spiritual power. But without a spark—the "original fire"—it could not exist. When the Sage of Six Paths had founded the Shinobi Sect, he'd gifted his people this spark, giving rise to the ninja world.
Tonight, Sasuke would pass that same gift to them.
He closed his eyes, focusing, and let his own chakra flow into the linked hands of the five students. Whether they succeeded or failed now depended entirely on their own perception.
As he watched them struggle in silence, a thought crossed his mind: If we truly can't return… then at least I'll leave something of my world behind.
By dawn, only Mu Qing had managed to form even a trace of chakra.
"What? I actually lost to Mu Qing?!" Ling Yun's voice cracked in disbelief.
Ye Ling'er burst into laughter. "Hah! You're a senior, and you lost to her?"
Mu Qing stared at Sasuke, eyes wide. When he gave her a single approving nod, her face lit up—a rare moment of unshakable joy for someone who'd been called "useless" and "cursed" all her life.
The moment didn't last. Ling Yun muttered something under his breath, and seconds later, smack!—another fresh lump joined the others on his head.
"Condensing chakra is only the first step," Sasuke said. "Learning to control and use it is the real challenge. Continue physical training today. Push your body to its limits. Feel the energy burst out, and let your mind and body merge into one force."
Over the next three days, the others succeeded one by one. To their surprise, combining physical energy and spiritual power didn't just let them produce chakra—it also made their soul power cultivation far more efficient.
"What's next, Teacher?" Ling Yun asked, practically bouncing with excitement.
The others leaned forward, eyes bright with expectation.
"Now," Sasuke said, "you learn ninjutsu. Think of it as soul skills if you must—but I call it ninjutsu."
"And… how do we get it?" Ling Yun asked, this time without interruption from Ye Ling'er, who was equally curious.
Sasuke's explanation was precise: only part of your chakra remains in the body long-term, and without constant practice, it fades. Producing chakra required body energy—run out, and you die. Control and allocation were everything.
He then demonstrated the twelve basic hand seals, instructing them to memorize each one while meditating and practicing. Days passed. They exercised, condensed chakra, and meditated until they could summon it effortlessly.
"The nature of your chakra will guide your ninjutsu," Sasuke finally announced. "Baicha and Lingxue—water. Ling Yun—wind. Ye Ling'er—lightning. Mu Qing—fire."
He gave each of them a basic technique matching their element.
Ling Yun eyed his demonstration with skepticism. "Wind Blade? Looks… kind of ordinary."
"This," Sasuke said, forming seals again, "is the starting point, not the end. With skill, a simple jutsu can do anything."
A single blade of wind shot past Ling Yun's ear with a high-pitched whistle. Then, in an instant, dozens more appeared, tearing through a small forest behind him until nothing was left but stumps and shredded leaves.
Ling Yun swallowed hard, remembering the terror of Sasuke's illusions. Complaining suddenly seemed like a very bad idea.