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Chapter 315: Chakra Awakening Ceremony
....
Holy City, Central District.
Angel Shrine.
Today, the Shrine square was decorated with solemn majesty.
The hundred-meter-tall Six-Winged Angel statue reflected an awe-inspiring halo beneath the sun.
Below the statue, a white jade staircase covered in a red carpet stretched all the way to the end of the square.
The square was a sea of people, yet it was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.
Countless parents held their children's hands, forming long queues, their eyes flashing with fanaticism and nervousness.
Empire Calendar, Year 6. The very first batch of children born in the new era who had reached the age of six were welcoming the moment that would decide their destinies—the Chakra Awakening Ceremony.
The civilians understood all too well what this meant.
In the Empire, as long as you worked, you would be fed and clothed.
But being fed and clothed was merely the bare minimum.
If you wanted to cross social classes, if you wanted to live in the Inner Ring, if you wanted to access superior resources and gain a respected status, the best path was to master chakra.
To become a foundation stone of the Empire, to become a builder, or even to become a reserve for the Starfleet Expeditionary Force.
This was a massive gamble to rewrite one's destiny.
High upon the Shrine platform.
Kameda wore a red robe with gold patterns, his expression solemn.
The years hadn't left many traces on his honest, round face; instead, they had accumulated into the steady composure of someone who had long held high authority.
He looked at the densely packed, tender faces below and raised his hand.
Thrum—
The Awakening Stele at the base of the statue lit up with a faint blue glow, its complex array patterns lighting up layer by layer.
"Empire Calendar, Year 6. The First Generation Awakening Ceremony officially begins," Kameda's voice, amplified by chakra, echoed across the entire square. "Number One, step forward."
A little boy wearing a linen shirt, trembling all over with nerves, was pushed out of the crowd by his mother.
He swallowed hard and walked up the white jade stairs step by step, arriving before the Awakening Stele.
"Place your hand on it, close your eyes, and feel the blessing of the Angel God," Kameda guided gently.
The boy reached out a trembling right hand and pressed it against the cold stone monument.
....
Above the clouds, on the Imperial Palace balcony.
Alex leaned back in a lounge chair, a glass of red wine in his hand. His gaze pierced through the clouds, taking in the entire scene in the Shrine square.
Konan sat beside him, her eyes slightly closed. The crimson Rinne Sharingan between her brows faintly flickered with dark light.
The chakra network of the entire ninja world was currently gathered deep within her consciousness.
She was the heart of this world; she was the sole terminal server for the chakra network.
"It has started," Konan said softly. "That child's mental frequency is requesting access to the network."
Alex took a sip of red wine, a satisfied smile curling the corners of his lips.
"From today onward, the "ninjas" of the old era will officially become history."
He turned to look at Konan. His voice was calm, yet it carried the cruel, domineering weight of someone rewriting the laws of the world.
"In the old ninja world, as long as someone mastered chakra extraction techniques, anyone could squeeze physical and mental energy from their own bodies to synthesize chakra."
"But now, the rules have changed."
Alex lightly swiped his finger through the air, and a miniature diagram of the ninja world's chakra structure materialized.
"From this day forward, the word "extract" no longer exists in this world.
Only by undergoing the baptism of the Angel Shrine, successfully binding their mental frequency to your Bloodline Encompassing network, can they be "authorized" to refine and use chakra."
"Those with high talent will receive a large authorization limit; those with low talent will receive a small limit. And if anyone harbors thoughts of rebellion..."
Konan opened her eyes, finishing the rest of his sentence: "I only need to sever their network connection, and they will instantly revert back into powerless mortals."
Absolute monopoly.
This was the true meaning of divine rule.
Surrender the right to bestow power, and choke off the right to generate it.
Even if someone secretly hid a jutsu scroll from the old era, even if they practiced it by the book for ten thousand years, they wouldn't be able to refine a single drop of chakra.
"Stage Three Shinobi Power!"
Whoosh—!
Thunderous applause erupted from the crowd below.
A young girl pulled her hand back, looking at the faint chakra glow swirling in her palm, but she felt a bit dejected.
She knew that the maximum scale was ten stages. Three stages was rock-bottom talent.
She bit her lower lip, tears welling up in her eyes.
Seeing the girl's dejected expression, Kameda bent down slightly, a kindly smile appearing on his highly approachable round face.
He reached out his thick hand and gently patted the top of the girl's head.
"Child, don't be discouraged."
Kameda's voice was gentle yet full of power. He sounded like a preaching saint, and simultaneously like a master manipulator well-versed in the essence of pyramid schemes.
He stood up straight. His gaze swept over the tens of thousands of civilian children below, and with an almost fanatical tone, he uttered the famous quote that would go down in the Empire's primary education textbooks:
"Under the glory of the Angel God, every ounce of power has its value. Remember—"
Kameda raised his arms high, his voice shaking the heavens:
"There is no useless Shinobi Power, only useless ninjas!"
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