"Phew… Only one percent? Still way too slow."
Ren Takashi opened his eyes and let out a long breath, thinking to himself:
"Tomorrow, once I finish combing through everything on chakra refinement in the clan archive, I'll burn some wish points to enter enlightenment and finalize the best, personalized refinement method."
"Let's speed this whole thing up."
Only by fully unlocking the chakra potential within his body could he enter the next stage: training to improve his refinement speed—and finally, begin his ninjutsu practice without worry.
"Ren-chan! Dinner's ready! Come on out!"
His mother, Uchiha Kokomi, called from outside.
"Coming!"
Ren called back and pushed open the door, walking toward the dining room.
By the time he arrived, Fugaku was already helping set the table.
"Yo, little bro! I heard you managed to extract chakra? Not bad!"
"Want your big brother to teach you some ninjutsu?"
Fugaku grinned and waggled his eyebrows.
Ren just rolled his eyes.
"Please. You think you're stronger than Dad?"
"I'll go straight to him. Or even Mom. Or Mikoto-sis."
"You worry about yourself."
Though the Uchiha were famous for doting on younger brothers, Ren and Fugaku had never gotten along.
And ever since Ren awakened his past-life memories, he found Fugaku even more disappointing.
This guy is the reason the Uchiha end up annihilated by Itachi in the future.
He's weak when he should be firm, stubborn when he should yield. Can't raise his son, and still dreams of peace?
To Ren, Fugaku was a terrible clan head.
But this time, Ren was here—and Fugaku would not lead the clan, not unless he did it under Ren's direction.
"You—!"
Fugaku's face darkened. He glared at Ren, clearly about to retort.
At that moment, Uchiha Nobuhiko walked in from outside.
Seeing his sons about to argue again, he sighed in exasperation.
"Can you two please not fight every time you see each other?"
"Fugaku, you're the elder brother. Try showing a little patience."
"Huh?"
Fugaku blinked in disbelief.
"Father, are you serious? When have I not shown patience with this brat?"
"And since when do you take his side?"
In the past, Nobuhiko had always praised Fugaku and scolded Ren.
After all, Fugaku had always been the more talented one.
But today... something had clearly changed.
"What's with this 'used to' talk?"
Nobuhiko's expression darkened slightly. He glanced at Ren—who remained perfectly calm—then turned back to Fugaku with a glare.
"I've always treated you both the same."
"And what's wrong with giving your brother a little leeway?"
"He extracted chakra today. That's a major step forward."
"From now on, help him out more."
"He might even be more talented than you."
"Huh?!"
Fugaku looked stunned. He glanced at Ren, then back at his father.
"Seriously? Him? More talented than me?"
"That's impossible."
"We tested him year after year. Unless he awakened the Sharingan today, how could his aptitude suddenly surpass mine?"
It was common knowledge in the Uchiha: awakening the Sharingan early marked you as a true genius.
"Sharingan?"
Nobuhiko shook his head.
"No. He didn't awaken it."
"But something in him clicked. After extracting chakra, his spirit and comprehension jumped dramatically. That's all."
Earlier, Kokomi had explained everything. Both parents were overjoyed by Ren's sudden transformation—but they'd already agreed:
They would keep the truth about his special bloodline power a secret and simply present him as a natural genius.
In a clan like the Uchiha, prodigies weren't uncommon. No one would question it.
"What?!"
Fugaku's jaw dropped.
"Extracting chakra… caused a breakthrough in spirit and comprehension? Since when does that happen?"
He didn't believe it.
Still, he squinted at Ren and gave him a suspicious look.
Ren just shrugged.
"Believe what you want. That's what happened."
Both Nobuhiko and Kokomi, who had just walked in carrying food, nodded at the same time.
"Exactly."
"This makes no sense..." Fugaku mumbled.
Deep down, he felt frustrated—and envious.
"Why couldn't something like that happen to me?"
"Who wouldn't want that?" Nobuhiko and Kokomi chuckled.
Especially Nobuhiko—he'd taken a serious hit to his pride earlier while teaching Ren.
"Alright, let's eat and talk."
Kokomi waved them all to the table.
Everyone sat down and began eating.
"So I heard you finished all the chakra refinement and manipulation scrolls in the house already?" Nobuhiko asked casually while chewing.
"Yup."
Ren took a bite of rice and nodded.
"I've got photographic memory and insane comprehension. Didn't take long."
"Dad, write me a pass to the clan library later. I want to go tomorrow."
"My goal is to develop a refinement method that suits me perfectly."
All three family members froze mid-bite and stared at him.
Nobuhiko narrowed his eyes.
"Are you serious? You think you can create something like that?"
"You realize our clan's chakra refinement method has been honed for over a thousand years?"
"It's already as close to perfect for Uchiha as it gets."
"Messing with that kind of thing recklessly can be dangerous—it could damage your chakra network permanently."
He was clearly worried Ren would let his growing talent go to his head and start making reckless decisions.
"Relax."
Ren calmly waved his chopsticks.
"You think I got this much chakra after just one afternoon by accident?"
"I've already pretty much mastered the clan's refinement technique."
"I even began making optimizations this afternoon based on what I read—tailoring it to suit my body more precisely."
"Refinement methods aren't truly universal. Everyone's different."
"Trust me—I'm not messing around."
If they're this stunned by a little optimization…
Wait until I roll out the Chakra Circulation Method. Their jaws are gonna hit the floor.
"What?!"
Nobuhiko immediately activated his Sharingan and placed a hand on Ren's shoulder.
In an instant, he detected it—
Ren's chakra reserves had multiplied dozens of times compared to just that afternoon.
And the surge in spiritual energy and life force… it was real.
Even though Kokomi had told him, feeling it himself was a shock to the system.
My son… really has become a top-tier genius.