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Chapter 3 - Chapter 3 – Chakra Refinement Technique

At dinner, only Gekkō Samukaze and his mother, Megumi, sat at the table. His father, Gekkō Hoshino, had been summoned by the Third Hokage earlier and still hadn't returned.

Samukaze couldn't help but worry. Could it be… bad news? Did I just cross into this world only to lose my father right away?

The more he thought about it, the heavier his chest felt. His sorrow was building to the point where he could barely contain himself—when, at that exact moment, Gekkō Hoshino strolled in through the door.

"Samukaze, still awake?"

"…No." Samukaze's face was expressionless. All that wasted emotion for nothing…

"Hoshino, the Hokage, he—" Megumi rushed to ask about the matter of Sunagakure, but seeing Samukaze standing nearby, she quickly picked him up and plopped him onto the tatami in his bedroom.

"Fū-chan, sleep early tonight. Mama won't tell you a story."

Samukaze's face twisted with disdain. So that's it—pretend it's for the child's sake, but really it's just to get rid of me so the two of you can talk in secret. What a ridiculous 'for the good of the kid' move! Despicable!

But facing his strong-willed mother, Samukaze dared not rebel. Besides, he hated childish bedtime stories anyway. So he reluctantly resigned himself to an early sleep.

In his past life, Samukaze could stay up until one in the morning fighting battles on his phone. But here, in this world with no smartphones, he thought he would surely suffer from insomnia. Instead, as soon as he lay down, a tidal wave of drowsiness swept over him, and he sank into deep sleep almost instantly.

Meanwhile, in the couple's bedroom, Gekkō Hoshino and Megumi were discussing grave matters.

"Though Sunagakure hasn't officially declared war, they've already invaded our borders. Their actions leave no doubt. The Hokage has decided—Konoha will go to war against the Sand. The advisors all agree." Hoshino's face was grim as he spoke.

Megumi's voice trembled. "You… you're going to the battlefield?"

"Of course," Hoshino nodded firmly. "Not just me—every chunin and above in the Gekkō clan will be deployed. We depart in three days."

"That's the Hokage's order, isn't it?" Megumi's expression grew tight with worry.

The Gekkō clan had barely managed to recover from the Second Shinobi War, finally nurturing their strength back, only to face another ruthless conflict.

What frightened her most was the timing. Children of Samukaze's generation had yet to grow up. If shinobi of Hoshino's generation fell in large numbers, the clan's next line of growth would be cut short. The Gekkō clan was already small—another war like this, and they could be pushed to the brink of extinction.

The night deepened as they spoke.

The next morning, Samukaze was jolted awake by a string of dull thuds.

"What's with the noise this early?"

He rubbed his bleary eyes and sat up groggily.

"Fū-chan, time to get up!" Megumi called when she heard movement in his room.

"Got it…"

Samukaze yawned, ready to rise—only to realize with horror that he was sealed to the tatami and couldn't move.

"What the hell?!"

He struggled furiously but couldn't break free. Staring helplessly at the ceiling, he sighed. So this is fate, huh?

With no way out, he resigned himself to lying there, dozing.

Click!

The sliding door opened. Megumi stepped in, saw her son snoozing again, and her beautiful face showed a trace of exasperation. She promptly lifted him off the tatami with one hand.

The sudden weightlessness snapped Samukaze wide awake.

"Huh? The seal's gone? Amazing!"

"Fū-chan, what nonsense are you spouting? Hurry and wash up. Your little brother's been training with your father since early morning. If you keep lazing about, you won't be able to keep up with him."

Samukaze's lips twitched. So my little brother, Hayate, is now officially 'the golden child'…

He rushed into the washroom, splashed through his morning routine, and darted out to the backyard.

The grass there seemed to have grown even more lush overnight, blanketing nearly the entire yard. Blades swayed in the morning breeze, cutting shafts of sunlight into jagged pieces.

"Hayate, don't grip the sword too tight—it'll make your palms sweat. But don't hold it too loose either, or it'll slip."

Gekkō Hoshino stood with arms crossed, seriously instructing Gekkō Hayate, who stood before a wooden training post taller than himself, both hands gripping a sword, the blade tip leveled straight at the target. The morning sun poured down, and sweat gleamed on his forehead.

Hearing Samukaze's footsteps, Hoshino glanced back but immediately turned to resume Hayate's training.

For a shinobi, everything begins with chakra. Training methods, however, vary—tree climbing and water walking to refine control, morning exercises to strengthen the body, even staring at your reflection to toughen the eyes for genjutsu resistance.

According to his memories, Samukaze had been through this kind of training under Hoshino's hand for the past year. But after twelve months, his father gave up on him entirely… his talent was simply too poor.

Now, standing under the wooden eaves, Samukaze watched his younger brother train with renewed determination. It's time to reap the rewards of yesterday's investment.

Collect!

At once, the green glow in his mind churned and boiled.

But then—failure!

Samukaze's face twitched. His whole mood collapsed. Even this can fail? If this keeps up, I really will have to go beg Ichiraku Ramen for a job…

"Uncle Hoshino, we're here!"

At that moment, a group of eight teenagers filed into the backyard.

Samukaze looked up. He vaguely recognized them—they were Gekkō clan members who had already graduated from the academy. From his memories, they often came to learn Konoha-ryū swordsmanship from his father. He remembered their faces, though their names escaped him.

"Please teach us again today, Uncle Hoshino!"

All eight bowed deeply. Each of them was already a genin, and even in training they carried real iron swords a meter long, sharp enough to gleam in the morning light.

Hoshino gave a curt nod. "Begin your preparations."

"Yes, sir!"

With that, he left Hayate to his exercise and turned his attention to the eight young shinobi.

Samukaze glanced between the sweating Hayate at the post and the eight clan members sparring under Hoshino's guidance. Then, a realization struck him.

Wait. The Gathering Technique collects ninjutsu, genjutsu, taijutsu… but Hayate hasn't even entered the academy yet. He probably hasn't learned the Transformation Jutsu, let alone anything advanced. No wonder it failed. It's impossible to collect what isn't there.

The logic clicked, and his spirits soared. His eyes gleamed as he scanned the group of genin.

Finally, his gaze locked onto one—the sturdy, honest-looking boy on the far left.

Collect!

The green light surged again. This time, a faint blue star burst forth from the glow, radiating gently.

Success?!

Overjoyed, Samukaze wrapped his consciousness around the glowing orb.

This is… Chakra Refinement Technique?

His eyes shone. He had just harvested chakra refinement from that solid-looking clanmate!

As the blue light fused into his mind, a flood of understanding rushed through him.

At the academy, his instructor had already taught chakra refinement. But Samukaze's poor talent and playful nature left him with only a surface-level grasp—that chakra was a blend of physical and spiritual energy. Beyond that, he had no foundation.

Now, however, comprehension struck like lightning. In an instant, he fully mastered the technique. He could refine chakra immediately.

Samukaze's expression eased into relief. Slowly, he lifted his hand and raised his right index finger toward the rising sun.

To dominate the shinobi world… it's only a matter of time.

(End of Chapter)

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