THE UCHIHA ASCENSION

Early the next morning, Uchiha Kiyo rinsed the tableware and chopsticks from the previous night, ready to begin a new day of rigorous training.

Just like that, a week had passed.

For seven days, Uchiha Kiyo felt as if he were living through a grueling genin-level survival test. If he hadn't sensed his gradual improvement each morning, he might have collapsed from exhaustion.

Sure enough, power never comes without effort—this was the foundation of the Uchiha. No wonder nearly every member of the clan stood out at the Academy, excelling in shurikenjutsu, taijutsu, and chakra control.

In this intense week of training, not a single one of the fifteen students dropped out. Some nearly did—several times, in fact—but every wavering moment was met with fierce speeches about Uchiha pride and their duty to uphold the clan's honor. They vowed to persevere, refusing to bring shame to the name that produced warriors like Uchiha Kagami and, in recent times, the prodigious Uchiha Fugaku.

Was Uchiha Kiyo moved? Hardly.

If anything, he was too drained to care. He was already being trained into the ground like a stray ninken, so worrying about the others was the least of his concerns.

Still, every time he paused to think, he couldn't help but acknowledge it—Uchiha strength was not a coincidence.

This training was not just about improving their physical condition. It was a form of indoctrination, a family philosophy. The Uchiha in Naruto's timeline—so fiercely loyal to their heritage—were raised exactly like this. Their pride, their ambition, their reputation as a clan that never backed down—all of it was rooted in these early, punishing years.

A week of endurance training had passed, and today was a critical milestone—according to Uchiha Takashi, they would finally begin chakra refinement.

Having completed his morning routine early, Uchiha Kiyo arrived at the designated training ground.

Sure enough, the other students were more disciplined than usual. No one was messing around; they sat in neat rows, waiting for Uchiha Takashi to arrive.

Their anticipation finally paid off. From a distance, they spotted Takashi-sensei approaching.

Uchiha Takashi took in the scene with satisfaction.

"You're all doing well today," he said, his voice carrying authority.

"As I mentioned before…

You have spent a week conditioning your bodies to meet the baseline requirements for chakra refinement. Now, we will officially begin learning to mold chakra."

As he scanned the eager young faces before him, Uchiha Takashi was pleased. Their enthusiasm for training showed promise—at this stage, most of them still held dreams of becoming jōnin or even unlocking the legendary Sharingan. While some might falter in the years to come, those with the right aptitude could easily reach chūnin, and if they awakened their dōjutsu, they might even become tokubetsu jōnin or elite chūnin.

In the Uchiha clan, one did not become a ninja merely by refining chakra. A genin's worth was measured by potential—most were required to at least reach chūnin-level aptitude before the elders would endorse them. Otherwise, they were advised to remain within the clan's civilian sector, living secure lives under the protection of stronger kin.

That said, the clan did not discourage those of lesser talent from training. In fact, they often supported such individuals, knowing that unwavering determination could sometimes trigger the evolution of the Sharingan. Many who initially struggled in their youth later awakened the clan's dōjutsu through sheer willpower.

Luckily, the Uchiha bloodline was inherently strong, ensuring that even those with average talent often possessed chūnin-level chakra reserves. In this single training session alone, at least a dozen students had the potential to become elite chūnin—even with some losses over the years, the clan would reliably gain four to five new chūnin with each generation. Given that a ninja's peak career spanned roughly twenty years, this meant the Uchiha clan consistently maintained a force of at least eighty chūnin at all times, excluding those who surpassed this rank. Their dominance within Konoha was no accident.

Of course, matters of clan strategy were far beyond the concerns of a young boy like Uchiha Kiyo. He let the thoughts drift through his mind before refocusing on the present.

He listened attentively as Uchiha Takashi reiterated the key points of chakra refinement.

…

Uchiha Takashi did not waste much time. After a final rundown of essential techniques and warnings, he gave them permission to begin.

Uchiha Kiyo adjusted his posture, sitting cross-legged as instructed, and steadied his breath to begin refining chakra.

Closing his eyes, he followed the method Takashi had explained, searching for the two energies within himself—physical energy, drawn from the body, and spiritual energy, drawn from the mind.

The previous week's relentless training had left him too drained to experiment before, making this his first true attempt at chakra refinement—just like the others.

Perhaps due to the strength of his soul, he quickly detected his spiritual energy.

It was difficult to describe—more of a sensation than a substance. He couldn't see it, couldn't hold it, but he knew it was there.

More importantly, he could control it. Even though he couldn't visualize it, he could manipulate it with ease, thanks to the natural clarity his unusually strong soul provided.

Next, he turned his focus to his physical energy.

Half an hour passed before he finally sensed it.

Unlike spiritual energy, physical energy was visible in his mind's eye—a pale green light pulsing within him.

Uchiha Kiyo exhaled in relief.

"So it really works… I was right," he thought. "All that brutal conditioning really did enhance my ability to perceive chakra. My body has a natural talent for this."

Sensing both energies within half an hour—even after a week of rigorous preparation—was no small feat. It was an impressive achievement.

Many of his peers struggled with spiritual energy, finding it too vague and ephemeral to grasp. Uchiha Kiyo, however, had locked onto it almost instantly, thanks to his strong soul.

Not that he considered this an unfair advantage—it was simply his own natural talent.

If he had reincarnated into this world without any cheat-like abilities, then at the very least, a robust soul was a fair trade-off, right?

What? Was his soul too strong?

Of course not.

He had been reborn with the consciousness of an adult in his twenties—an intellect already developed from his past life. Even without any supernatural boosts, his soul was already four or five times stronger than a child's. And since physical growth was tied to spiritual development, it made sense that his soul would refine itself as he aged.

…But he was getting sidetracked.

Back to business.

After confirming his ability to perceive both energies, Uchiha Kiyo held off on merging them immediately. Instead, he continued analyzing them, fascinated by their properties.

According to Fundamentals of Chakra Theory, the quality of chakra varied between individuals—the purer the chakra, the more potent its effects.

It stood to reason that the purity of the original energies determined the purity of the resulting chakra.

Since spiritual energy was too abstract to refine directly, Uchiha Kiyo focused on his physical energy instead.

He noticed something peculiar—its shade of green wasn't uniform. The darker regions seemed denser, more concentrated.

"If I want purer chakra… I need to refine my physical energy," he realized.

That meant more training, more conditioning. If he strengthened his body, his physical energy would naturally improve.

So, without hesitation, Uchiha Kiyo made his decision.

For the next two weeks, he would delay merging his chakra.

In the meantime, he would dedicate his chakra training sessions to researching physical energy. This way, he could maintain the appearance of practicing without raising suspicion from Uchiha Takashi.

The following weeks of training proceeded as expected.

By the time he finally merged his energies, his physical energy had noticeably improved—and when he successfully refined his first chakra, it was unmistakably purer than his peers'.

Feeling the warm, blue glow of chakra settle in his lower abdomen, Uchiha Kiyo clenched his fists.

"This is it," he thought.

"Chakra… my first step toward true strength."