Sora rolled his eyes and said:
"Do you think I'm stupid? Something this important—how could I tell outsiders? You guys are the first to know. And for a long time to come, I don't plan to let anyone else know either."
"Not unless I have absolute power to protect myself."
He understood the principle perfectly—
A man is innocent, but possessing a treasure invites disaster.
This technique was an absolute trump card.
After all, the foundation of a ninja's strength was chakra.
The amount of chakra determined a ninja's upper limit.
And chakra was produced by combining spiritual energy with the energy within the body's cells at a certain ratio.
If the Spirit-Refining Method could enhance spiritual power—
Didn't that indirectly increase chakra capacity?
Of course, increasing chakra also required cellular energy.
But cellular energy could be replenished through body refinement, food, and medicinal baths.
Compared to improving and recovering spiritual power—
That was far easier.
"Phew… that's good."
Uchiha Masayuki and Misa both let out a sigh of relief.
"Dad, Mom… is this really that serious? Why are you both so nervous?"
Uchiha Hao couldn't help but ask curiously.
In response—
He received a synchronized glare from both his parents.
Uchiha Masayuki immediately scolded:
"Of course it's serious! You brat, remember this—absolutely, absolutely do not reveal even a single word about this to anyone. Otherwise, I'll beat you to death! Hmph!"
Misa, smiling sweetly with narrowed eyes, added:
"What your father said is exactly what I wanted to say."
Uchiha Hao: "…"
So… love really does disappear?
Before, it was just Dad—
Now even Mom had joined in.
Could he even stay in this house anymore?
"Alright, I get it! Don't worry—I have the tightest mouth!"
Under the pressure of his parents, Uchiha Hao could only obediently nod, even miming zipping his lips shut.
Then—
Uchiha Masayuki and Misa both turned their gaze toward Mikoto.
Uchiha Mikoto: "!!!"
She immediately raised one hand and solemnly swore:
"I swear I will never reveal even the slightest bit of this matter. Otherwise, may I meet a terrible end!"
Then she looked at Sora, her eyes carrying a faint trace of affection.
"You all know… I've already made up my mind about Sora in this lifetime."
In just a few months, a lot could be decided.
"Hahaha! That's good! From now on, we're family! Come, Mikoto—don't be shy. Take a look at the Spirit-Refining Method first!"
Uchiha Masayuki and Misa immediately beamed with joy as they handed the scroll to Mikoto.
"Right, right! And eat more!"
Misa even started placing food into Mikoto's bowl.
The way she looked at her—
It was practically the gaze of a mother-in-law looking at her future daughter-in-law.
Even Sora found the scene somewhat amusing.
Uchiha Hao, meanwhile, was completely dumbfounded.
Had his parents secretly mastered some kind of face-changing technique?
After recalling the affectionate look Mikoto had just given Sora, Uchiha Hao quietly gave Sora a thumbs-up and whispered:
"You're amazing, kid. There's no one I admire more than you."
You're barely over one year old and already have a girlfriend—who would believe that?
He was honestly envious.
After all, Mikoto was one of the most famous beauties in the clan.
Of course, he himself didn't feel anything for her.
For one, while Mikoto was gentle toward Sora, she was completely different with others.
And more importantly—
Uchiha Hao already had someone he liked.
Another girl within the clan.
"This technique is too valuable… I can't accept it."
At this moment, after briefly reviewing the Spirit-Refining Method, Mikoto looked shocked. She then seriously said to Sora and Misa:
And pushed the scroll back.
Misa and Masayuki both looked at Sora.
Sora immediately picked up the scroll and personally placed it back into Mikoto's hands.
"If I'm giving it to you, then take it."
"Aren't you trying to take control of your own destiny? Haven't you been working hard for that all this time?"
"This cultivation method is my support for you."
"Take it. Learn it well."
"I'm counting on you to grow stronger—to protect me, and to break your own destiny."
"As long as you're strong enough, even if the First Elder disagrees with our marriage, there's nothing he can do about it."
Of course—
The reason Sora created the Spirit-Refining Method and shared it with his family wasn't just to strengthen them.
He also wanted to verify certain hypotheses he had about the Sharingan.
He wanted to see—
What effect pure spiritual power enhancement would have on the Sharingan.
This was directly related to:
Awakening the SharinganCreating a Sharingan Cultivation MethodEven the future evolution into Mangekyō and Eternal Mangekyō
"Ah…"
Hearing this, Mikoto's face instantly turned completely red.
Under the gaze of Masayuki, Misa, and the others, she lowered her head shyly, her face flushed as if it could drip blood.
"I understand… Don't worry. I'll learn it well. I'll never pass it on to anyone. I'll work hard to become stronger, take control of my own destiny… and protect you, Sora."
These weren't just empty words—
They were her true feelings.
From the beginning, Sora had helped her far too much.
From the Uchiha medicinal bath formula…
To the body-refining medicinal bath…
To his daily guidance in her taijutsu and ninjutsu training—
Yes, Sora had even been guiding her training.
Even though he himself hadn't formally begun training in those areas yet—
He had already read numerous taijutsu manuals and secret techniques, along with many ninjutsu from his household.
Combined with his terrifying Comprehension—
Guiding Mikoto's training was more than easy.
In fact, in Mikoto's eyes, Sora's guidance was even better than her grandfather's—the First Elder's—more precise, more to the point.
"Hehe…"
Hearing Mikoto's declaration, Masayuki, Misa, and Hao couldn't help but laugh and tease.
…
In the blink of an eye, several more months passed.
Sora had now turned two years old.
Yet his body was already as strong as that of a five- or six-year-old child—if not stronger.
His muscles, bones, meridians, and vitality were far beyond what a child of that age could match.
"Finally… I can begin preliminary body-refining training!"
"Next, it's time to create a body-refining technique suited for myself!"
Standing in the courtyard, Sora stretched his body and performed a basic form of Tai Chi from his previous life, feeling refreshed as he muttered.
He had waited two full years for this moment.
Of course—
Even though his physical condition had already surpassed that of a five- or six-year-old, he still had no intention of practicing chakra extraction yet.
After all—
Extracting chakra always consumed cellular energy.
If done improperly, it could even damage one's foundation and potential.
He would never do something so foolish.
Until he perfected his own cultivation system—
Until he could ensure that extracting chakra would not harm his foundation in the slightest—
He had no intention of doing it.