Several more days passed. Although Haruto Kamiya no longer felt physically exhausted, he could still sense lingering effects in his body. Only when that faint heaviness finally disappeared did he consider the recovery interval complete.
But this was the Naruto world. Even without special bloodlines, ordinary people here were far sturdier than those in his previous life. If he had tried this kind of training back then, he probably would have collapsed.
Actually, no—that wasn't even possible. Without the enhanced spiritual strength he possessed in this life, he wouldn't have had the willpower to train to such extremes. Haruto knew himself well. His willpower in his past life wasn't anything exceptional.
In these past few days, nothing notable happened at school beyond Iruka leading basic exercises and beginning to teach about chakra.
For Haruto, these beginner-level classes felt like a waste of time. He had already finished the textbook on his own, and the physical training at school was far weaker than the regimen he designed for himself.
Still, it was only the beginning of the school year. The teacher was focused on fundamentals. Later, students would likely get more freedom to train.
Having completed the textbook's theory on his own, Haruto was ready to attempt chakra extraction. Because it was his first time, he chose to do it while Nina was home, just in case something unexpected happened.
"Mom, I'm starting." Haruto sat cross-legged on his bed. Chakra extraction didn't require any particular posture, but since someone was watching, he tried to look proper.
"Alright. Don't worry, sweetheart. I remember chakra extraction isn't dangerous." Nina encouraged him gently.
"I know." Haruto nodded. Still, he wanted someone nearby—just in case he passed out.
He began by following the book's explanation: sensing the physical energy within his body. He had actually attempted sensing before, and it had been easy for him. Now, with practice, it was even smoother.
Previously he had sensed his energy but never tried extracting chakra. Now Nina was here, providing a safety net. So Haruto no longer hesitated.
He guided his spiritual energy to merge with his physical energy—
And extracted chakra.
Nothing unexpected happened. Haruto succeeded almost immediately. He raised his hand, allowing the extracted chakra to flow outward. The familiar blue glow made him momentarily dazed.
"You did it on your first try? Haruto, that's amazing!" Nina gasped in surprise. Chakra extraction wasn't dangerous, but that didn't mean beginners succeeded instantly. This meant Haruto's natural talent might be exceptional.
Nina felt so proud that she made a decision: Tomorrow, after work, she would ask her former teacher to trade for the Shadow Clone Technique. She wanted to surprise Haruto.
"It's alright, I guess," Haruto replied, though he hadn't expected it to go so smoothly. It must have been his strong spiritual power again.
Still—he was curious about his chakra reserves. He felt like they weren't bad, but without a reference point, he couldn't be sure.
While thinking, he suddenly felt two hands on his cheeks.
Nina grabbed his face and pulled it outward.
"You just succeeded at extracting chakra! Haruto should smile a little! Come on, smile for Mama~!"
Haruto eventually surrendered and showed a forced smile. Nina nodded, satisfied.
"That's better. You're too young to walk around looking so serious all the time."
Haruto sighed internally. He wasn't expressionless—he just thought a lot.
After escaping Nina's grasp, he returned to his room to continue practicing chakra extraction. Even if he couldn't use it yet, he needed to master the process.
His goal was to reach a point where chakra flowed naturally, instantly, without conscious effort.
As for how to use the extracted chakra…
He didn't know any jutsu yet. Wasting it felt wrong. So he decided to practice control.
Tree climbing? Wall walking?
He considered it, but if he slipped and crashed, the noise might disturb Nina's rest. Not ideal.
What about shape transformation or nature transformation?
He didn't even know his chakra nature yet, so shape manipulation was the only option.
He began by trying to shape his chakra into a small sphere.
Haruto guided the chakra into his palm—but the instant it left his body, it dispersed into the air uncontrollably.
He frowned but didn't give up.
Who mastered things in one attempt?
So he repeated the cycle: extract, try to control it, fail, extract again, try again.
Before long, his chakra reserves hit zero.
Based on how fast he depleted it, Haruto estimated that if he extracted with full effort, he could likely empty his entire reserve in one pull—because extraction amount depended on spiritual strength, and his was unusually high.
This also meant something else: his chakra reserves were not proportional to his spiritual energy. In short, his spiritual power outpaced his physical energy.
Still, he made progress. When his chakra left his body, he could now faintly sense it, even though controlling it remained extremely difficult.
But sensing it was enough for now. Control would come with practice.
With his chakra depleted, training for the night was over.
Tomorrow, he had more important things to do.
He planned to speak with Iruka: first, to ask for an assessment of his chakra reserves. He needed a baseline. Second, to try requesting early access to the Three Basic Techniques. Haruto believed he already had enough chakra to train them. If he demonstrated his capability, Iruka might approve.
If not, he could still get the hand signs from his mother and ask Iruka for guidance later.
Thinking over tomorrow's plan, Haruto drifted into sleep.
—
The next day, after class, Haruto approached Iruka.
"Do you need something, Haruto?" Iruka asked, curious.
"Iruka-sensei, I've already learned chakra extraction from the textbook, and I've succeeded. I want to ask you to evaluate my current chakra level."
Iruka blinked.
"You already learned it on your own?"
As a responsible teacher, Iruka made sure to understand each student's circumstances. He knew Haruto's mother had been a genin, but that she lacked the ability to teach chakra theory.
Which meant Haruto had learned the entire chapter by himself in just a few days—and successfully extracted chakra.
Iruka didn't know why Haruto wanted this evaluation, but as a teacher, he liked diligent, talented students. So he nodded.
"Of course. I'd be happy to help."