The cost to level up Chakra Refinement Technique was far cheaper than that of Sealing Techniques.
Perhaps it was because the method Hyuga Yui provided wasn't too complex. Since the system only needed to increase chakra capacity, it required just a bit of free experience points to upgrade Chakra Refinement into a special A-rank refinement technique:
Life Return.
Of course, that name was purely for flair. It had nothing to do with the Life Return technique from One Piece.
According to the system's description, the technique functioned like this:
[While refining chakra quickly and efficiently, it uses chakra to nourish the body, increasing both mental and physical capacity as it consumes them.]
Chakra, by nature, is a fusion of spiritual and physical energy.
Spiritual energy could be roughly summed up as mental strength. Things like eye techniques consuming "eye power" are generally linked to this. Precise chakra control, sensory perception, and ninjutsu usage all rely heavily on mental energy.
Physical energy, put simply, is stamina.
Stamina is linked directly to physical strength.
Even if Might Duy's soul reincarnated into Rock Lee's body, he wouldn't be able to do at age ten what he did at twenty. Physical capability is tied to age—no matter how talented, one can't bypass the laws of biological development. Even if ninja mature faster, a five-year-old's body can't do what a fifteen-year-old's can.
In other words, if it can't rise, it can't rise.
But Life Return bypasses the limitations of age and physique, directly using chakra to replenish the body and mind.
If other shinobi are like engines with a set tank size and output, Hyuga Yuzuru is the type who not only expands his fuel tank while filling it, but upgrades the engine on the fly—no need to wait for time to do it.
TL;DR: Hyuga Yuzuru will never run out of chakra again!
With no chakra shortage, he could spam jutsu freely. With his physical and spiritual energy constantly improving, he could become a tireless training machine—train to death? Then train harder.
"Perfect. Let's do a hundred spins of Rotation first!"
Hyuga Yuzuru declared with ambition.
Reality, however, hit hard. After barely six or seven uses, he was already dizzy.
On one hand, the chakra drain was brutal. On the other, his Rotation was still the Neji-style.
The Caged Bird Seal wasn't just a tattoo. When it activated, it created a small blind spot directly behind the spine, robbing the Byakugan of its full 360-degree vision.
Which meant this so-called "absolute defense" had a fatal flaw.
In the original manga, Neji, one of the few prodigies in the Hyuga branch family, developed his own workaround to Rotation—because he couldn't perform it the way the Main Family could.
If the Byakugan has a blind spot and the Rotation has a weak point, then just spin faster! Spin so fast that the blind spot doesn't matter!
Thus, to compensate, under the restrictions of the Caged Bird, using Rotation required him to spin his entire body at high speed.
And you couldn't even close your eyes while doing it. Not even a DJ would dare spin that hard.
"Huff..." Hyuga Yuzuru forced himself to sit down and resume refining chakra.
Each new wave of chakra would rapidly replenish his body—gently expanding his container while simultaneously offsetting the energy drain.
A hundred stamina points turned into a hundred chakra points. Then, with 30 chakra points regenerating from the process and some natural recovery on top, Yuzuru's restoration rate became absurdly fast.
Meanwhile, Uchiha Itachi was miserably babysitting—teaching Izumi how to extract chakra from scratch while sneaking glances at Yuzuru.
The boy looked like a short-circuiting electric fan—resting, then suddenly standing up to spin a few times, then sitting back down, then spinning again.
The park floor now had a small spiral pit where he practiced Rotation.
This guy…
He's terrifyingly strong.
Yet as impressed as he was, Itachi also felt angry and sad for him.
Why did someone so talented have to practice even a Hyuga-exclusive secret technique like Rotation secretly in a public park?
It's not fair.
It had been nearly a year since Itachi and Hyuga Yuzuru met. From a clueless little kid, Yuzuru had gradually turned Itachi into the brooding, four-year-old mastermind he was now. But rather than hurting their bond, that year only drew them closer.
Mentor and friend.
But the closer they became, the more helpless Itachi felt.
Whether it was the death he saw firsthand at Mt. Kikyo, or the constant quarrels in the Uchiha clan, or his father's cold attitude toward the Hyuga—Itachi felt like he couldn't change any of it.
What can I do? I'm powerless...
Lost in thought, Itachi's brooding was interrupted by Izumi's sudden shout.
"I got it!"
Her big eyes sparkled with joy as she stood up, mimicking martial artist cries like "hyaa!" and "hah!"—but quickly realized she couldn't produce the glowing blue aura Yuzuru had.
"Why won't the chakra listen to me!?"
She puffed her cheeks angrily.
Itachi felt a headache coming on.
Wait—this girl had learned chakra extraction in under two hours!?
Getting a four-year-old to sit still and meditate is already near impossible. Extracting chakra? That needs talent and inspiration.
Okay, fine, he did learn it at age three, but still...
He glanced at Yuzuru. Don't tell me he brought her here expecting this?
Itachi's thoughts, molded by endless contemplation of "adult problems," were starting to mature—or perhaps, grow more realistic.
Ugh… why am I even thinking about this stuff?
Suddenly, a voice called out from the distance.
"Itachi! Are you here?"
Itachi tensed instinctively. His first thought? Hide Yuzuru!
"It's Shisui. I'm here!" he called out.
It should be fine… right?
Itachi smiled brightly—an expression rare for him lately.
Though only four years older, Shisui was already famous from the Third Great Ninja War. His moniker "Shisui of the Body Flicker" had quietly made waves among the elite.
Just like how Kakashi, not much older, was considered the future White Fang, Shisui was expected to inherit the title of Yellow Flash—a rising meteor on the battlefield.
Konoha truly was full of geniuses.
But the fact that an eight-year-old could already be a legend also pointed to something else—Konoha was running short on talent, relying on children to carry its future.
"You're here..." Shisui's figure appeared at the edge of the park.
In an instant, his sharp eyes landed on Hyuga Yuzuru observing him from the shadows.
Shisui's smile faded slightly.
"This is my friend," Itachi quickly introduced, "Hyuga Yuzuru, son of Lord Hiashi."
"I'm Kawaki Izumi! Yuzuru's best friend!" Izumi piped up too, completely forgetting about her earlier frustrations. But seeing that the newcomer was a much older, more mature big brother, she got shy and ducked behind Yuzuru, clutching his sleeve.
Though Hiashi was a Branch Family head, Shisui had naturally heard of him.
In fact, he'd heard of Hyuga Yuzuru as well.
Itachi often talked about him—though he never said much. Still, Shisui understood that Itachi had gotten beaten up more than a few times by this friend.
This was their first face-to-face meeting. After all, he was still a child too.
"Nice to meet you, Shisui-nii," Yuzuru greeted politely with a warm smile.
Itachi's mouth twitched. He wanted to expose Yuzuru's act but was stopped when Yuzuru casually patted his shoulder.
Itachi went silent. Surely Shisui, of all people, wouldn't be fooled by this guy?
"So you're Hyuga Yuzuru? I've heard a lot about you from Itachi. Thanks for looking out for him," Shisui greeted with equal politeness.
Yuzuru adjusted his glasses, still smiling gently. "We've helped each other a lot."
Shisui turned to Itachi and teased, "Your friend seems like a nice guy?"
Itachi looked like he'd just seen a ghost. Seriously? You think he's nice!?
Shisui wasn't one to judge by appearances, but he studied Yuzuru for a moment. The boy was dressed in white, skin paler than snow, with neat black-rimmed glasses and a gentle, sunny smile. He definitely didn't seem like the ill-tempered guy Itachi had described.
"Did Itachi say anything bad about me at home?" Yuzuru asked with a wide-eyed innocent face.
Shisui answered without hesitation, "He said you look calm, but the moment someone hits a nerve, you find a reason to punch them. Basically, you've got a terrible temper."
"Huh?" Yuzuru looked genuinely shocked. He lowered his head in guilt and murmured, "Really...? I thought it was just part of training."
"I never said it wasn't training," Itachi muttered, finally unable to hold back.
He had to say something, or his brother would get stolen away!
"Even in failure, you shouldn't let the pain cloud your judgment. Let it become nourishment for your growth," Shisui said wisely.
Itachi nodded, smiling sheepishly. "Yeah, I know."
Forget pondering life and death... figuring out how to beat this annoying Yuzuru is way more important!
Shisui gave him an encouraging pat. "I believe in you."
Then he turned to Yuzuru, who looked like he had something to say. "What is it?"
Yuzuru adjusted his glasses again, looking embarrassed. "Would you mind training with us too? I rarely get to spar with skilled ninja, so..."
Shisui laughed heartily, without a trace of suspicion. "Of course! I'm on break anyway. If you don't mind, I'd love to train together."
"Thank you so much, Shisui-nii!"
Yuzuru smiled sweetly.
Itachi, meanwhile, inched closer to his brother, glaring at Yuzuru with open hostility.
He's your brother?
MY brother.
Mine.
Go beat him up, bro.
Itachi couldn't hold it in. "Shisui-nii, don't go easy on him. He's a genius who even mastered Rotation on his own."
Yuzuru blushed modestly. "I'm not that great..."
"Rotation?" Shisui raised an eyebrow.
"Then why don't we try it out now?"
"Sure!" Yuzuru replied, smiling brightly.
Target acquired.
There it was—his golden opportunity.
If not now, when?
Fight!
Unless I collapse today, nobody's going home!
Shisui's EXP is mine! Not even the Ōtsutsuki can stop me!
Shisui had no idea what was going through Yuzuru's head. Instead, he admired Yuzuru's courage and responded warmly.
"Come at me with everything you've got. Don't hold back!"
"Yes, sir!" Yuzuru gently pushed Izumi aside.
"Excuse me."
Before Shisui could say, "Bring it on,"
Three kunai glinting with blue light came flying straight for his face.
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Hey everyone! I'll be dropping an extra 1 chapter once we hit 200, 400 power stones! If you're enjoying the story, don't forget to spend some power stones. I'd really appreciate the support. Thanks a bunch!