THE UCHIHA ASCENSION

After leaving the barbecue restaurant, Uchiha Kiyo was eager to return home and finally experience the effects of his self-cultivation technique.

"I didn't expect so many delays," Kiyo thought to himself. "First, I got caught up in reading that book, which cost me half an hour. Then, I ended up at dinner with them for another hour. Now, I can't wait any longer!" With that, he quickened his pace.

Meanwhile, back at the restaurant, Tsunade turned to Orochimaru, curiosity in her eyes. "Why the sudden interest in Uchiha Kiyo?"

Orochimaru didn't answer immediately. Instead, he posed a question of his own. "What do you think of Kiyo Uchiha? Don't you find him... interesting?"

Tsunade frowned, pondering for a moment before shaking her head. "I don't understand your train of thought," she admitted.

Still, she did have a certain level of respect for Kiyo. He was diligent and promising, but he was still an Uchiha, which meant she couldn't say too much.

---

Back at home, Kiyo wasted no time. He went straight to his study, adjusted his state of mind, and immediately began testing his self-cultivation technique.

After a month of refinement, his technique was now in a stable phase. It worked by using the body energy decomposed from chakra to nourish his cells, compensating for the loss incurred during chakra refinement. Not only did this enhance his physical condition, but it also slightly increased his chakra reserves.

The increase in chakra reserves wasn't absolute; rather, it was a relative boost. Compared to his former self, Kiyo could now refine and retain more chakra, similar to how members of the Uzumaki clan naturally had larger reserves.

There was another advantage as well. Normally, extracting 1 cal of chakra would result in a corresponding loss of cellular energy. However, with his self-cultivation technique, he found that he only needed 0.4 cal of chakra's body energy to restore the lost cells, meaning the remaining 0.6 cal was a net gain.

"If the body couldn't replenish its losses, it wouldn't have evolved to extract energy this way," Kiyo reasoned. "It has to be sustainable, otherwise, it would be a fatal flaw in human biology."

Setting those thoughts aside, Kiyo sat cross-legged on the floor, regulating his breathing.

He began circulating chakra throughout his body, carefully decomposing small portions and dispersing the resulting body energy to nourish his cells.

After half an hour, he had completed a full circulation, a process he decided to call a "Zhoutian" cycle.

The first session had the strongest effect. Kiyo continued refining chakra while repeating the technique, completing four full cycles before sensing that his cells had reached their current limit.

The energy from the barbecue meal wasn't wasted—it had fueled this intense training session. Kiyo suspected that as he continued practicing this technique, his appetite would increase significantly to meet his body's growing demands.

---

"Maintaining this technique daily will require adjustments," Kiyo thought.

For example, if refining chakra normally resulted in a loss that halted further extraction at 10 cal, then using 4 cal to repair cellular loss meant the remaining 6 cal could be retained as usable chakra. By repeating the process in cycles, his cells would not only recover but also adapt and strengthen over time.

Theoretically, repeating this process would push his body to its limit before needing to rest and digest the gains, but he needed to experiment further to optimize it.

Despite the mental exhaustion from the session, his body felt rejuvenated. It was similar to the sensation he had when he first strengthened his pinky finger—his entire body was now absorbing energy greedily, leaving him with a deep sense of comfort.

"This is... addicting," he realized.

A shiver ran down his spine. "Is this what they call an obsession in cultivation?"

He had nearly lost himself in the pleasure of growing stronger, but his ninja training and strong willpower snapped him out of it in time.

"So, losing control isn't just about a technique going wrong... It's about not being able to control yourself when gaining power."

Determined to remain vigilant, Kiyo forced himself to stay rational.

---

Now that he had experienced the technique firsthand, he began analyzing its effects.

Physically, he felt much stronger—enough to take on two of his past selves in pure hand-to-hand combat. His reaction time and sensory awareness had also improved noticeably.

The biggest change, however, was in his chakra.

His maximum chakra had increased from 6.8 cal to 7.4 cal after just one session. Without even counting the chakra used to replenish cell loss, his usable reserves had jumped from 3 cal to 5.7 cal—a nearly 10% increase in just one night!

"Though, the rate of growth will probably slow down as my body adapts..."

Still, the results were exciting. Now, all he had to do was stay consistent with his training.

---

Name: Uchiha Kiyo (Age: 6)

Chakra: 5.7 cal / 5.7 cal (Max: 7.4 cal)

Chakra Attributes: Fire, Water, Earth

---

The next morning, as Kiyo stared at his breakfast, he couldn't help but smile.

With his usable chakra more than doubled, his training options had greatly expanded. However, there was a trade-off—his chakra control had shifted. The smallest amount of chakra he could now manipulate was 0.1 cal, and the most he could control freely was just 1 cal.

"If this trend continues, I'll need to adjust my control training."

As he contemplated his training regimen, he suddenly felt a subtle shift in his vision.

"This feeling..."

His Sharingan was on the verge of awakening.

Was it the self-cultivation technique stimulating the chakra pathways in his eyes? Or was it last night's emotional surge triggering this change?

Regardless, Kiyo forcibly suppressed the urge to activate his Sharingan.

---

"Now is not the time."

Kiyo had no intention of becoming a slave to his dojutsu. He had seen too many Uchiha fall into that trap.

Take Uchiha Shisui, for example. He was incredibly powerful, but his overreliance on his Mangekyō Sharingan led to his downfall. Even when he had a chance to escape Danzo using his body flicker technique, he instead chose to fight with Susanoo—only to exhaust himself and fall into Danzo's trap.

Or Uchiha Itachi, whose raw talent could have made him Kage-level even without his Sharingan. Yet, once he awakened the Mangekyō, he focused so much on its abilities that his overall growth stalled.

Kiyo refused to make the same mistake.

The Sharingan granted immense power, but its true value was in how one mastered it. If a ninja relied too much on it, they would stagnate. Only by gaining sufficient strength beforehand could he properly wield its potential.

Typically, a single-tomoe Sharingan corresponded to a Chūnin-level fighter, two-tomoe to Elite Chūnin or Tokubetsu Jōnin, and three-tomoe to Jōnin or Elite Jōnin. A fresh Sharingan user might temporarily gain that power, but they would always be limited by their base strength.

To truly master the Sharingan, Kiyo knew he had to reach the appropriate level before awakening it.

For now, he would continue suppressing it.

---

After clearing his mind, Kiyo focused on his morning routine.

He did a few warm-up exercises, prepared his lunch, and, after finishing breakfast, set off for the academy with a newfound sense of confidence.

Today would be another step toward his goal.