As soon as Iruka finished speaking, Xia Ji didn't waste a second. He closed his eyes, focused, and began drawing chakra in front of him. This time, he didn't hold back — he extracted every last drop in one go. A layer of shimmering blue chakra wrapped tightly around his body, radiating a faint, steady light.
Iruka's eyes widened in disbelief. That much? The sheer density of the chakra surprised him. If Xia Ji could extract this much in a single breath… just how terrifying was his total chakra reserve?
Their eyes met.
Xia Ji: "Keep an eye on…"
Iruka: "Mm…"
"Xia Ji, why don't you keep going? You should be drawing out as much chakra as possible," Iruka reminded gently.
"I have drawn it all," Xia Ji said with a small frown. "Mr. Iruka… is my chakra… very little?"
If it really was small, that would be a serious problem. Many ninjutsu required large chakra reserves — without them, his future growth would be limited.
"Less? No, no, absolutely not!" Iruka waved his hands quickly, afraid Xia Ji had misunderstood. "You have plenty. I just didn't expect you could extract all your chakra in a single attempt. That's extremely rare."
"Then… what's my current level compared to a genin?" Xia Ji asked, his gaze sharp. The answer mattered — it would tell him whether his years of effort had truly paid off.
Iruka thought for a moment before replying. "Right now, your chakra reserves are roughly twice the lowest level of a newly graduated genin. Compared to the average, you're about half."
"…That far behind?" Xia Ji's frown deepened.
"No, no, you're misunderstanding again. You already have a lot of chakra for your age. You're still growing — naturally, your reserves will increase as your body matures. In fact, growth alone will add more chakra than most training can." Iruka's voice softened. "By the time you graduate, you'll likely be well above average."
Hearing that, Xia Ji exhaled in relief. His efforts weren't wasted — far from it.
Still… when he thought of Naruto Uzumaki, he couldn't help but smirk. Naruto's chakra reserves were monstrous for very specific reasons — nine-tailed jinchūriki, reincarnation of Asura, Uzumaki vitality. Without even counting the Nine-Tails, Naruto's own chakra was ridiculous. Comparing himself to that kind of freak was pointless.
Seeing Xia Ji smile, Iruka relaxed as well. For a moment there, he'd feared he might crush a budding genius's spirit — something he could never forgive himself for.
Yes, genius. That's how Iruka now saw Xia Ji. To go from nothing to such proficient chakra control so quickly, and to already have a reserve matching the third-year average at the start of term? That was no ordinary student.
"One more thing, Xia Ji." Iruka's lips curled in a small smile.
"Mm?" Xia Ji tilted his head.
"The amount of chakra you can extract in one go already surpasses most genin… even rivaling some chunin. That's impressive." Iruka remembered his own shock earlier. At first, he'd assumed such output meant Xia Ji's total reserves were massive — and they were, relatively speaking.
"Oh." Xia Ji didn't seem too moved. After all, one-time extraction was more about mental control, and in that area, he was confident.
"By the way, Mr. Iruka," Xia Ji said casually, "can I learn the Three-Body Technique ahead of schedule?"
Iruka paused. "Technically, it's a second-year basic ninjutsu… but your current ability does exceed that level." After a moment's thought, he nodded. "You can learn it now."
There was no real reason to refuse. The Three-Body Technique could be taught to first-years — it just wasn't practical for most. But Xia Ji was far from "most."
"Thank you, Mr. Iruka," Xia Ji said earnestly. He'd asked Iruka for a reason — if it were Mizuki, he wouldn't have bothered. Even though he'd been confident Iruka would agree, he still felt genuine gratitude.
"Haha, no need to thank me. You've earned it," Iruka said, scratching his head, clearly pleased.
He handed over three scrolls. "Here — the Three-Body Technique, with some of my own notes. Read through them first. If anything's unclear, come to me. Just remember to return the scrolls."
"Got it." Xia Ji accepted them. The scrolls were filled with detailed markings and even teaching prompts. If he couldn't learn from this… he'd find a wall to bash his head against.
"Anything else, Xia Ji?" Iruka asked.
"Yes. Since you've helped me so much, I want to treat you to a meal," Xia Ji replied.
"Haha, no need. It's a teacher's duty to help students, and I—"
"Ramen at Ichiraku," Xia Ji interrupted.
Iruka froze. He did like Ichiraku… but it wasn't right for a student to pay. Still, seeing Xia Ji's determined expression — and knowing it wasn't exactly expensive — he hesitated.
"In that case, let's—"
"Then it's settled. I'll wait for you outside Ichiraku at 6 p.m.," Xia Ji said quickly, not giving him another chance to refuse. He turned and left.
Iruka stood there, watching his student's back. Something about Xia Ji felt… older than his years. Thinking of the boy's family situation, Iruka let out a quiet sigh.
Children from difficult homes… they grow up too fast.
And yet, Xia Ji had remembered his favorite food — something he'd only mentioned in passing. That small detail made Iruka smile.