Mito smiled faintly. "Now you're asking the right question."
The source; a reservoir that could solve the problem of continuous chakra consumption.
I could think of several sources powerful enough to make the problem irrelevant. I'd already thought of them as a matter of fact, but none of them were remotely practical.
The Star Meteorite, the Tailed Beast, the Dragon vein.
Were they useful? Certainly. Sustainable? Not a chance.
There was also Natural Energy, but that was forbidden territory for me right now.
That left the next best thing.
Electricity.
"Mito-sama."
"Hm?"
"Have you ever considered using chakra to produce another form of energy?"
Her brow lifted slightly. "Another form?"
"Yes." I hesitated.
How exactly did I explain electricity to someone who had probably never seen a battery, let alone a power station?
"Think of chakra as a force that can be made to cause movement," I said carefully. "If that movement is controlled through a suitable mechanism, it can produce a different kind of energy. One that can travel through conductive materials and be stored for later use."
Mito's expression became more attentive. "You're describing something like mechanical energy?"
"Similar, but not quite." I searched for the simplest comparison. "Lightning is the closest natural example, although what I'm describing would be far more controlled."
Her eyes narrowed thoughtfully. "So you want to create lightning."
"Not exactly." I sighed. "This is harder to explain than I expected."
Tsunade tilted her head. "Then make it simple."
I ignored her.
"Imagine a chakra-powered device. Something enclosed, with a mechanism inside that continuously converts chakra into this other form of energy."
Mito studied me. "And this energy could be stored?"
"Yes."
"Like chakra inside a storage seal?"
"Similar in principle."
That seemed to interest her.
"The difference is that the energy would no longer behave like chakra. Once generated, it could be stored separately and released when needed."
Mito was quiet so I continued before she could ask the obvious question.
"If I could build such a device, it wouldn't need to power the communication network directly. It would simply generate energy over time and store it in a suitable container."
I pulled out a scroll, unfurled it on the table and tapped the prototype reservoir I'd drawn earlier.
"Then the communication system could draw from that stored energy whenever someone sends a message."
Mito's gaze moved between the diagram and me. "So instead of feeding the network chakra directly…"
"It feeds on the energy produced by the device."
"And the device itself requires chakra."
"Exactly." I nodded. "That part is unavoidable. But it changes the problem."
"How?"
"Because I wouldn't need a person constantly supplying chakra." I pointed toward the reservoir. "I'd only need enough chakra to keep the generator operating. The generator does the rest."
Mito considered that carefully. "And if the generator stops?"
"The stored energy remains."
"So the network could continue functioning until the reserve is depleted."
"Exactly."
That was the advantage of electricity and mechanical energy. The system didn't need an endless source of power. It only needed enough stored energy to keep operating until the next maintenance cycle.
If the generator could replenish the reserve faster than the communication system consumed it, then I had something approaching a sustainable power source.
Not infinite, but sustainable.
Mito's eyes narrowed slightly. "You said this could be stored separately from chakra."
"Yes."
"Then what determines how much can be stored?"
I paused. That was a question I couldn't answer yet.
"A lot of things, probably. The material. The design of the storage medium. How efficiently the generator produces it. How much the storage medium can hold before becoming unstable."
"Then you're not actually solving the problem yet."
"I know." I gave her a small smile. "I'm changing the problem."
She laughed softly. "That's one way of looking at it."
I looked down at the diagram again. The pieces were beginning to separate in my head. Chakra wasn't necessarily the thing I needed to distribute.
It could simply be the input. The generator would convert it into electricity. The electricity would be stored. The communication system would consume the stored energy.
That meant the network itself wouldn't have to deal with constant chakra circulation at all.
Just a power source that needed maintenance.
My mind immediately started running through the engineering problems.
How to convert chakra into electrical current.
How to regulate the output.
How to prevent overheating.
How to store the resulting charge.
How to prevent leakage.
How to determine the proper voltage.
And, perhaps most importantly, how to build the entire thing from materials available in this world.
That last one was going to be fun.
I looked back at Mito. "I don't know if it will work."
"You look confident for someone who doesn't know."
"I know the principle."
"That's usually where trouble begins."
"Probably." I smiled and turned my attention back to the scroll.
For now, I wasn't going to tell her where the idea came from.
There was no reason she needed to know.
As far as Mito was concerned, I'd simply come up with an unusual method of converting chakra into another form of usable energy.
That was enough.
And if it worked…
Then ChakraLink wouldn't need to depend on chakra as its primary fuel.
It could have something far more familiar; Electricity.
The communication problem had a direction.
The storage problem had a possible solution.
And if I could actually produce electricity reliably, then I wouldn't be solving just one problem.
I'd be creating a new source of usable energy.
That alone opened possibilities.
Simple things at first like lighting, heating, mechanical devices, perhaps eventually tools that could perform work without requiring someone to constantly feed them chakra.
I couldn't simply recreate the modern world overnight. I didn't have the materials, the manufacturing capability, or half the scientific infrastructural knowledge I'd once taken for granted back on earth.
But the principle was there.
The modern world had been built around electricity because it was versatile. It could be generated, stored, transmitted, and converted into other forms of energy.
If I could reproduce even a fraction of that here...
Then ChakraLink wouldn't be the destination.
It would just be the first application.
I couldn't resist the smile that made its way into my face.
First, I needed a reliable way to generate electricity from chakra, then I could worry about everything else.
Mito was quiet for several seconds.
She wasn't look at me. Her eyes remained on the diagram, though I could tell she wasn't really looking at the ink but thinking.
Finally, she lifted her teacup and took a small sip. "You've certainly given yourself quite the problem."
I gave a wry smile. "I've noticed."
Tsunade snorted.
Mito glanced at her granddaughter. "Something funny?"
"No." Tsunade immediately straightened. "I just think he's making things too complicated."
I looked at her. "You've been listening this entire time,"
"Of course I have."
"You understood any of it?"
She hesitated. "…Some."
I raised an eyebrow.
She folded her arms. "I understood the important part."
"And what's the important part?"
"We need the thing that makes the other thing work."
I stared at her.
Mito covered her mouth, hiding a small laugh.
"She's not entirely wrong," she said.
"Please don't encourage her."
Tsunade grinned.
Mito set her cup down and looked at me again. "Tell me something, Murakami-kun. How far have you progressed with this?"
"Far enough to prove that the communication system itself works."
"Only when you supply chakra directly?"
"Yes."
"And you've already constructed a storage mechanism?"
Not really, but… "Yes, a crude one."
"Then you aren't starting from nothing."
"No."
She nodded slowly. "That is good."
There was something in the way she said that which made me wary. "What?"
"I've decided to help you."
My mind froze for an instant, even Tsunade's eyes went wide. "Really?"
Mito ignored her. "You've reached the point where your Fuinjutsu is no longer the only thing limiting your progress. You understand the principles you're working with, but you're trying to cross into areas where your current knowledge isn't sufficient."
She gestured toward the scroll. "Energy conversion. Storage. Regulation. The interaction between chakra and the human body. These are not isolated problems. Each touches another field."
I remained silent.
Mito's expression softened. "I can teach you what I know."
That caught me off guard, not because I didn't think she could help, but there was a difference between asking someone a few questions and allowing them to take an active role in your research.
Especially someone like Mito Uzumaki.
I had read enough Murim stories to know that nothing this good comes without a price.
I leaned back slightly. "What exactly do you mean by help?"
"Instruction." She said it as though the answer were obvious.
"I can teach you advanced Fuinjutsu principles. Not merely formulas, but the reasoning behind them. How to construct seals that interact with chakra over long periods without destabilizing. How to separate functions within a single matrix. How to recognize when a seal is fighting against the nature of chakra rather than working with it."
She paused.
"And there are things concerning the relationship between chakra and the body that I suspect would save you years of mistakes."
That last part got my attention.
The way she said that, "Years" made it clear she wasn't exaggerating either.
Mito had lived through the era before Konoha. She'd had access to Uzumaki sealing knowledge that most people in this village probably couldn't even dream of.
And she was offering to teach me.
I glanced toward Tsunade and caught her gaze.
She was watching me with an expression that practically screamed "Say yes."
I looked back at Mito.
There was no obvious trap, at least, none that I could see.
More importantly, refusing would be stupid.
I wanted to remain inconspicuous. I wasn't trying to advertise myself as some genius who had independently mastered everything worth knowing. If anything, having an older master teach me would give me a perfectly ordinary explanation for any sudden improvement in my Fuinjutsu.
And there was another consideration.
I could learn from Mito without giving her everything.
There were things I would keep to myself. My knowledge of the future. My understanding of modern technology. The Star Meteorite. The deeper mechanics of my own physical and spiritual development.
Those remained mine.
But advanced Fuinjutsu?
That was knowledge I wanted.
I exhaled slowly.
"There is one condition."
Mito's brow lifted. "I don't want special treatment."
She smiled. "I wasn't planning on giving you any. If you're going to learn from me, I'll expect you to work for it."
"That was the intention."
Tsunade raised her hand and we both looked at her.
"What?" I asked.
Looking at Mito, she asked. "Does that mean he's Grandma's student now?"
Mito smiled faintly. "Not quite."
Tsunade's face fell. "Oh."
I couldn't help a small smile that escaped me.
Mito noticed.
"Though," she continued, "if he is willing to learn, I see no reason why he couldn't become one."
I considered that for another moment.
Half her student.
That sounded about right.
I wasn't ready to bind myself completely to anyone, but there was little reason to reject guidance when it was freely offered.
And if I could learn even a fraction of what Mito knew, it would accelerate my progress considerably.
I nodded. "Then I'll accept."
Tsunade's eyes brightened immediately. "Really?"
"Yes."
She grinned. "Then Grandma can actually teach you?"
"That seems to be the idea."
"That's great!"
Her excitement made sense now that I thought about it. She had been the one insisting that I come here in the first place, and seeing her grandmother agree to teach me probably felt like she'd successfully solved the problem she'd brought me here to solve.
Mito smiled at her granddaughter before turning her attention back to me.
"Then we'll begin properly another day. There's no need to rush into it simply because you've found someone willing to teach you."
I nodded. "That works for me."
She lifted her teacup again, taking another leisurely sip. "And Murakami-kun?"
"Yes?"
"Don't expect me to simply give you answers."
I raised an eyebrow. "I wasn't expecting that."
"Good." Her smile deepened. "Because if you're going to learn from me, I intend to make you understand why something works, not merely memorize how to reproduce it."
That was exactly what I wanted.
Fuinjutsu wasn't a collection of formulas to memorize. It was a language of principles, interactions, and structures. The more deeply I understood those principles, the less dependent I'd be on existing techniques.
"I'd prefer that," I admitted.
Mito nodded approvingly. "Then I think we'll get along just fine."
I glanced toward Tsunade.
She was still smiling.
I couldn't help but shake my head.
A month ago, I would've considered this entire situation absurd.
Now I was sitting in the Senju compound, having just agreed to learn Fuinjutsu from Mito Uzumaki because her granddaughter had dragged me here.
The same granddaughter I always wanted to avoid.
Life had a strange sense of humor.
Still, I couldn't deny the opportunity.
I stood and adjusted my sleeves. "Then I'll be looking forward to learning from you, Mito-sensei."
She smiled. "As will I."
Tsunade hopped to her feet. "Does that mean I can come too?"
Mito looked at her. "For what?"
"To learn!"
"You already have lessons with Hiruzen."
Tsunade's shoulders slumped.
"But-"
"No."
"But Grandma-"
"No."
Mito turned back to me, her expression calm once more. "Come again when you're ready, Murakami-kun."
I gave a small bow. "I will."
And with that, the matter was settled.
I'd come to the Senju compound looking for a solution to a single problem.
Instead, I'd gained something considerably more valuable.
A teacher.
Not someone I needed to obey blindly. Not someone I needed to reveal everything to.
Just someone who knew things I didn't.
For someone trying to build a future from scratch, that was worth far more than pride.
_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-
Like it? Read up to chapter 60 on [email protected]/This_Young_Lord