It was proven that Higashino Jirō's small test for his son was meaningless.
After the meal, Higashino Makoto took the key and did not rummage around the house at all. Instead, he went straight to the study, stopping beside the pillar next to the bookshelf.
He moved a stool over and stood on it, tapping up and down along the pillar with his fingers. After that, he lifted a section of the decorative wooden panel on the wall, revealing an old-fashioned, non–combination storage box hidden inside.
After opening it with the key in his hand, he saw that inside—aside from some documents and money—there were also quite a few scrolls.
Higashino Makoto turned his head and looked at his father, who was following behind him.
Higashino Jirō was somewhat surprised. "How did you know it was here? Did you secretly see it at some point?"
"No, Father. I don't have a habit of peeking at other people's secrets."
"Then how did you find it? I designed this back when the house was being renovated—at that time, I wasn't even married to your mother yet, and you hadn't been born."
"I usually pay attention to the residential building where our home is located. This load-bearing pillar between the kitchen and the study is redundant."
"Just that simple?"
"I've been to Uncle Kuroda's daily-goods grocery shop on the first floor before. In the same position there, there isn't a load-bearing pillar."
"Ahahaha, was the flaw that obvious? I thought the design was perfect." Higashino Jirō awkwardly scratched the back of his head. "My sense of achievement—ruined once again."
Higashino Makoto: "…"
Not perfect at all, all right. The appearance of this load-bearing pillar here is obviously wrong. Do you even have basic architectural knowledge?
Higashino Jirō reached out and took the smallest scroll. "This is the one. Restore everything here to its original state, then let's go to your room."
"Alright, Father." Higashino Makoto did not ask about the other scrolls. He knew those were probably ninjutsu accumulated by the Higashino family over several generations.
For those ninja from major clans, these things might be insignificant, but for a civilian family that wants to grow and develop, these are the most important and precious inherited assets.
Because of issues of power, Konoha's Hokage faction naturally suppresses the major ninja clans while supporting civilian ninja. But do civilian ninja not also want to develop their own families into ninja clans?
In the end, civilians feel both dissatisfied with and envious of ninja clans.
In this regard, all ninja villages are the same—or rather, the entire world is the same.
Higashino Makoto's key was not taken back by his father, which meant that from now on he also had the right to use this place. After all, if his parents did not continue having children, he would be the sole heir of the Higashino family.
In the bedroom, Higashino Jirō handed the scroll to Higashino Makoto. "Read it through yourself first. If there's anything you don't understand, ask me."
"Alright, Father."
He opened the scroll and read it carefully, while Higashino Jirō waited patiently at the side.
The chakra extraction technique was not complicated. The scroll contained more notes on points of attention and some auxiliary beginner techniques.
Thanks to having an adult soul and two years of extensive reading, Higashino Makoto's reading speed and comprehension were both top-tier, and he finished it very quickly.
"Anything you don't understand?"
"No."
"Good. Then try it. Do you remember what I told you before—that after each time you train your body, you should use focused concentration to sense the subtle changes in your body?"
"I remember!"
"That's good. Make sure not to be impatient. Keep your thoughts concentrated and do not let them scatter. This takes some time—possibly a few hours, possibly a few days. I believe you will succeed."
Higashino Makoto recalled the subtle bodily changes he had sensed after previous training sessions. Sitting cross-legged on the bed, he formed the Ram Seal with both hands, followed the method described in the extraction technique, closed his eyes, and emptied his mind.
He gathered his spirit, maintained focus, and discarded all worries about possible failure. A tangible mental force flowed downward from within his skull, enveloping his entire body, using mental energy to sense the physical energy within his cells.
With a year of sensing experience, combined with the extraction technique's description of physical energy, Higashino Makoto quickly made a small discovery and immediately attempted to mobilize it with mental power.
According to the method in the chakra extraction technique, he roughly estimated the abundance of this physical energy, then drew an equal amount of mental energy and mixed it with it.
Energy is something inside the body; it cannot be seen and cannot be quantified, and one can only rely on mental sensing to try.
The first mixing failed.
Higashino Makoto calmly sensed the reaction after the failure. The muscle at the point where the two energies mixed seemed to tremble once.
The notes in the scroll explained that this was a sign of excessive physical energy, and that the two sides could not reach balance.
He appropriately increased the mental energy a bit. The second mixing failed, but he could almost not feel any movement of flesh and blood at the mixing point.
He then appropriately increased the mental energy a tiny bit more. This time, the two energies were like they had found a perfectly compatible partner: they quickly embraced each other, intertwining and merging into one.
As this mixed energy appeared, it quickly traveled through the chakra meridians, and finally converged at the vortex meridian in the lower abdomen.
Higashino Jirō watched his son sitting cross-legged on the bed with his eyes closed. The corner of his mouth lifted slightly as he thought, 'This is the crucial first step in whether you can become a ninja. It depends on whether you have enough patience.'
After waiting a few seconds, he quietly left the room.
However, before he even reached the doorway, he heard a voice from behind.
"Father, I think I should have successfully extracted chakra."
Higashino Jirō suddenly turned around, eyes wide, and said, "What? So fast? Are you sure?"
"I'm sure!"
"Don't stop. Keep extracting. The first time is very important—continue until you feel signs of fatigue in your body."
Hearing that, Higashino Makoto stopped speaking and continued extracting chakra according to the method from just now. The physical energy and mental energy drawn from his whole body mixed together wave after wave, and at once, a steady stream of energy flowed into his lower abdomen.
Very quickly, Higashino Makoto felt a slight sense of fatigue spread through his whole body, so he immediately released the Ram Seal and ended the extraction.
According to the chakra theory he had previously read in books, if he continued, it would no longer be called extraction, but draining, and unless it was a fight-for-your-life combat situation, it was not recommended to do that.
Draining too much would shorten one's lifespan. Draining to the extreme meant complete cellular failure throughout the body and death on the spot.
Seeing Higashino Makoto end the hand seal, Higashino Jirō took a single swift step and darted to his son, placing his hand on his lower abdomen and using his own chakra to connect the two of them.
Very quickly, he broke into a happy smile. "To succeed in extraction so quickly on the first try, and with such a decent amount of chakra—truly a genius. My son really has the makings of a Hokage!"
"I feel like you're cursing me!"
How could Higashino Jirō understand that kind of meme? He immediately denied it. "How could that be? I'm telling the truth."
Higashino Makoto did not want his father to keep raising flags, so he deliberately changed the topic with curiosity. "Father, how long did it take you the first time you extracted chakra?"
"Well, uh—that's not important!" The awkwardness on Higashino Jirō's face flashed by in an instant. He turned and called out toward the door, "Megumi, are you done cleaning up? Bring a chakra test paper over."
"So fast already?" Higashino Megumi was also very surprised when she came in. She had been hoping to see her son—who was usually expressionless and precociously mature—show some rare signs of impatience.
Ideally, she wanted him to be impatient for three to five days, so she could then step in with the air of someone who had been through it all and teach him a lesson, letting him know that his mom was still his mom.
But before those expectations could even begin, they were already over.
Higashino Jirō did not respond to her. He took the test paper and handed it to Higashino Makoto. "Mobilize your chakra and channel it into this."
Taking the test paper, Higashino Makoto infused chakra into it. Very quickly, the small paper split cleanly in half from the center. One half remained in his hand, but it was damp, while the other half shattered into small fragments that fell onto the bedsheet like snowflakes.
"Megumi, did you see that? Three attributes from birth."
"Ah—so it's a combination of your Wind and Earth and my Water. As expected of our child, gathering all our strengths."
The vast majority of ninja are born with only a single attribute. If they want other attributes to manifest explicitly, they must spend a very long time training, which is not easy—the time required is measured in years.
If it were simple, then all-attribute ninja would not be so rare in the ninja world.
Starting out with three attributes undoubtedly saves a great deal of time in growth.
Of course, that does not mean that more attributes automatically make one stronger. A ninja's strength is a comprehensive result of factors such as chakra reserves, tactical methods, and combat talent.
However, having multiple innate attributes gives a ninja more tactical options and makes them less easily countered or restrained by others' ninjutsu.
That is why even single-attribute ninja will usually try to develop other attributes if they have the time.
"Today is really a happy day. Come on, Megumi, go have a few drinks with me." Higashino Jirō grabbed his wife and was about to head out, but then seemed to remember that he still had a son. He turned back and said, "Makoto, you know what comes after chakra extraction, right?"
"I do, Father."
"Good. Then keep working hard. Remember not to overdo it. Rest early—keeping your body healthy and strong is the foundation of everything."