Over the years, Uchiha Aozora had studied the Heavenly Scripture many times.
He discovered that when he learned a new technique, the Scripture would optimize and refine it, then transmit the improved version back to him through a direct, overwhelming flood of insight.
For example, after learning basic chakra refinement, golden ancient script had appeared, and he obtained the technique known as Dao yin (Guiding Breath). When he mastered the Transformation Technique, gray ancient script emerged, granting him a new ability—False Form.
At first, he thought this was the full extent of the Scripture's abilities, and that the different colors simply represented various categories or tiers of techniques.
That belief was shattered the moment he learned the Substitution Technique.
Instead of new script appearing, the gray-colored words "False Form" began to solidify and deepen in color, slowly turning into pale gold.
When he focused on the "False Form" ability again, he discovered that it no longer just allowed him to change his appearance. It could now also swap his position with external objects.
It became clear then, the ancient characters granted by the Scripture each represented a complete system of techniques or mystical abilities. The deeper the color and the brighter the golden light, the more advanced and refined the technique had become.
And this time, the characters for Samadhi True Fire were already gleaming gold. That meant this was a well-developed ability.
Uchiha Aozora immediately calmed his mind and focused.
Line after line of ancient script appeared in his consciousness, forming into clear paragraphs.
Scene after scene materialized in his mind, replaying in vivid succession.
It was a long time before Aozora finally opened his eyes, visibly fatigued.
He stepped outside and found the sun already near its peak.
"No wonder it took three or four hours this time."
Despite the length of time, Aozora felt it had been more than worth it. His face brimmed with satisfaction.
The Samadhi True Fire detailed in the Scripture wasn't some raging inferno used by divine beings to chase off saints. Rather, it was a spiritual fire, born of cultivation through the essence of the mind, spirit, and energy.
Among Daoist cultivators, it was a nearly universal technique.
Yes, this fire was common among Taoist adepts, but that didn't diminish its value in Aozora's eyes.
Though not a technique of raw destructive power, the Samadhi True Fire possessed dual applications: it could purge evil spirits externally, and temper the Daoist body internally.
Externally, it could burn away ghosts, demons, and all manner of illusory entities.
Internally, it could burn the flesh to purify the body from within, expelling toxins and impurities.
Of course, that described the complete Samadhi True Fire. What Aozora had now was only the first component, Qi Flame. Just one-third of the full technique.
Even so, Qi Flame could still be used both internally and externally. It could refine the body and purify inner chakra.
Because his foundational training was already complete, Aozora had recently hit a plateau. Whether it was chakra control or physical conditioning, he felt stuck in place with no new methods to push forward.
But now that he had Qi Flame, even if it wasn't a permanent solution, it gave him a much-needed tool to resume his progression.
After hastily solving lunch, Aozora spent the rest of the day indoors, immersing himself in the study of Samadhi True Fire. Along the way, he also learned the technique Phoenix Sage Fire Jutsu.
Unfortunately, he soon realized that Phoenix Sage Fire did little to enhance or complete the Samadhi True Fire.
If he wanted to fully master the technique, he would need to obtain both the Spirit Flame and the Essence Flame.
As for Spirit Flame, Aozora had a theory, perhaps Amaterasu was exactly that, a fire born of spiritual energy.
But as for Essence Flame, he had no clue where to begin.
Time slipped by unnoticed as he trained, and before he realized it, night had fallen.
According to Konoha's usual pattern, their instructor would likely conduct a test tomorrow. Not wanting to risk poor performance, Aozora reluctantly abandoned his nighttime training.
Although the village currently had a severe shortage of ninja and was unlikely to force graduates to repeat the year, he didn't want to take any chances.
The next day dawned bright and clear.
After waking up, Aozora washed, changed into his uniform, tied on his forehead protector, and headed toward the Ninja Academy.
Today was class assignment day. He couldn't afford to be late.
When he arrived at the academy's large lecture hall, there were still twenty minutes left before the official start. Yet most of the other graduates had already taken their seats.
Glancing around, Aozora found an empty seat in a back corner, sat down, and slumped over his desk to nap.
Yesterday's training had left him drained. He needed the rest.
But fate had other plans.
Just as he closed his eyes, a noisy girl burst into the room.
She didn't look around or hesitate. She marched straight up to Aozora and started chattering in his ear.
"Uchiha's dead-last! Why'd you run away the other day? Don't tell me you're scared of your big sister Aya!"
Inuzuka Aya's voice wasn't unpleasant, but her rapid-fire speech made her incredibly annoying. Combined with the barking of her ninja dog, their two-person one-dog combo was enough to rival a house full of gossiping aunties. Rest became impossible.
Aozora silently regretted provoking her. This girl had way too much energy.
Desperate for peace, he pressed his palms together and bowed his head. "Great auntie, I was wrong. Please go find someone else to torment. Just let me sleep for a bit."
"Hmph. As long as you admit you were wrong, I'll accept your apology."
He let out a sigh of relief, only to realize she wasn't leaving.
Aya had indeed forgiven him, but she clearly disapproved of him sleeping in class. With righteous conviction, she lectured him: "Aozora, regardless of how you graduated, you're a genin now. You should show respect for that forehead protector. Sleeping in the classroom is not acceptable."
He glanced at her nonstop mouth and decided it wasn't worth arguing. He nodded obediently.
Satisfied, Aya sat down beside him, glancing over now and then like a prison guard monitoring a repeat offender.
Aozora gave up completely on sleep. His gaze turned dull, his heart filled with despair.
"What did I do in a past life to deserve this torment?"
Fortunately, he didn't have to suffer long. The class assignment began soon after.
First, a strikingly beautiful female ninja entered the classroom.
"Hyūga Rong, Yagyū Ichirō, Kurama Saki. Follow me."
Her voice was clear and pleasant. As soon as she called their names, she turned and walked out without another word.
The three quickly stood and followed.
"That's Jonin Aizawa Konan!"
"I heard her taijutsu is insane, and her Water Style jutsu are top-tier!"
"Yeah, apparently she's seen countless battles. She even worked as a private tutor. She's amazing at both combat and teaching. I'm so jealous!"
"Jealousy is making me ugly!"
The murmurs from the other students made it clear—Aizawa Konan was an elite Jonin.
It made sense. Hyūga Rong, Kurama Saki, and Yagyū Ichirō were all considered top talents. They would need a skilled Jonin to guide them.
Hyūga Rong was a genius of the Hyūga clan. If not for an injury before last year's graduation, he would've graduated already.
Kurama Saki hadn't awakened her clan's bloodline limit, but her talent in genjutsu was the best in their class.
Yagyū Ichirō seemed average, but only because he was a civilian-born ninja. If he had inherited a clan's techniques, he might've been just as impressive as anyone else.
As Aozora continued analyzing the pairings, another ninja entered and called out another team of students.
Once again, the departing three were all standouts, and their instructor was clearly no slouch either.
Seeing this pattern, Aozora began to feel uneasy about his own placement.
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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!