As it turned out, Higashino Jiro's little test for his son was pointless.
After dinner, Higashino Shin took the key and didn't bother searching the house randomly; instead, he went straight to the study and approached the pillar next to the bookshelf.
He moved a stool to stand on, tapped the pillar up and down with his knuckles, then pried open a decorative wooden panel on the wall, revealing an old-fashioned key-lock storage box inside.
After opening it with the key, he saw that besides some documents and money, there were also many scrolls inside.
Higashino Shin looked back at his father, who was following behind him.
Higashino Jiro was somewhat surprised: "How did you know it was here? Did you peek at some point?"
"No, Father, I don't have a hobby of peeking at anyone's secrets."
"Then how did you find it? I designed this when I was renovating the house; back then, I wasn't even married to your mother yet, and you hadn't been born."
"I've paid attention to this apartment building we live in. This load-bearing pillar between the kitchen and the study is redundant."
"It's that simple?"
"I've been to Uncle Kuroda's daily necessities grocery store on the first floor before. In the same position, there is no load-bearing pillar."
"Ahahaha, is the flaw that obvious? I thought the design was perfect." Higashino Jiro rubbed the back of his head awkwardly. "My sense of accomplishment is ruined once again."
Higashino Shin: "..."
It's not perfect at all. A load-bearing pillar appearing here is clearly wrong. Do you even have basic knowledge of architecture?
Higashino Jiro reached out, took the smallest scroll, and said, "This is the one. Put everything back the way it was, and let's go to your room."
"Alright, Father." Higashino Shin didn't ask about the other scrolls; he knew those were likely the Ninjutsu accumulated by the Higashino Clan over several generations.
To those Great Clan Ninjas, these might be insignificant, but for a civilian Family wanting to grow and expand, these were the most important and precious Legacy items.
Because of power dynamics, the Hokage faction in Konoha naturally suppressed the Great Ninja Clans and supported civilian Ninjas. But what civilian Ninja wouldn't want to develop their own Family into a Ninja Clan?
Ultimately, civilians are both dissatisfied with and envious of Ninja Clans.
This is the same in all Ninja Villages, or rather, the same throughout the entire world.
Higashino Jiro didn't take back the key from Higashino Shin, which meant he now had the right to use this place in the future. After all, if his parents didn't have more children, he would be the sole heir to the Higashino Clan.
In the bedroom, Higashino Jiro handed the scroll to Higashino Shin. "Read it through yourself first. Ask me if there's anything you don't understand."
"Alright, Father."
He opened the scroll and read it seriously, while Higashino Jiro waited patiently by his side.
The Chakra Extraction Technique was not complicated; the scroll contained mostly precautions and some small tips to help beginners get started.
Thanks to his adult Soul and the extensive reading he'd done over the past two years, Higashino Shin's reading speed and comprehension were top-tier, and he finished it quickly.
"Is there anything you don't understand?"
"No."
"Good, then give it a try. Remember what I told you before? After every physical workout, you should use your focus to sense the subtle changes in your body."
"I remember!"
"That's good. You must not be impatient. Your thoughts must be focused and not scattered. This will take some time maybe a few hours, maybe a few days. I believe you will succeed."
Higashino Shin recalled the subtle bodily changes he sensed after every workout. He sat cross-legged on the bed, formed the Ram Seal with his hands, followed the method in the extraction technique, closed his eyes, and cleared his mind.
He reined in his spirit, stayed focused, and cast aside all worries about potential failure. A tangible sense of Mental Energy descended from his skull, enveloping his whole body, using Mental Energy to sense the physical energy within his cells.
With a year of sensing experience combined with the description of physical energy in the Chakra Extraction Technique, Higashino Shin quickly made a discovery and immediately tried to mobilize it using his Mental Energy.
Following the method in the Chakra Extraction Technique, he vaguely estimated the abundance of this physical energy and then intercepted an equal amount of Mental Energy to mix with it.
Energy inside the body is invisible and unquantifiable; one can only try through mental sensing.
The first mix failed.
Higashino Shin calmly felt the reaction after the failure. The muscles where the two energies mixed seemed to twitch slightly.
The precautions in the scroll explained that this was a sign of excessive physical energy, meaning the two sides couldn't reach a balance.
He appropriately increased the Mental Energy a bit. The second mix failed, but he could barely feel any movement in the flesh where they met.
He increased the Mental Energy just a tiny bit more. This time, the two energies were like finding their perfect match; they quickly embraced each other, intertwining and fusing into one.
With the appearance of this mixed energy, it rapidly traveled through the Chakra pathway system and finally gathered at the spiral pathway at the lower abdomen.
That place wasn't the Dantian mentioned in novels or traditional Chinese medicine from his previous life. The physical structure of humans in the Ninja World was different from his previous life; they used a Chakra network, and there was no concept of a Dantian.
Higashino Jiro looked at his son sitting cross-legged on the bed with his eyes closed and thought with a slight smile, "This is the crucial first step to whether you can become a Ninja. It all depends on whether you have enough patience."
After waiting for a few seconds, he quietly stepped out of the room.
However, before he even reached the door, he heard a voice from behind him.
"Father, I think I've successfully extracted Chakra."
Higashino Jiro turned around abruptly, his eyes wide. "What? So fast? Are you sure?"
"I'm sure!"
"Don't stop, keep extracting. The first time is very important. Continue until you feel physical fatigue."
Upon hearing this, Higashino Shin stopped talking and continued to extract Chakra using the same method. Waves of physical energy and Mental Energy mobilized from all over his body mixed together, and immediately, a steady stream of energy flowed into his lower abdomen.
Soon, Higashino Shin felt a slight sense of fatigue throughout his body, so he immediately released the Ram Seal and ended the extraction.
According to the Chakra theory he had read in books, continuing further wouldn't be called extraction but rather squeezing. Unless it was a life-or-death battle, this was not recommended.
Over-squeezing would shorten one's lifespan, and squeezing to the extreme would result in total cellular exhaustion and instant death.
Seeing Higashino Shin finish the hand seal, Higashino Jiro lunged in front of his son in one stride, placed his hand on the boy's lower abdomen, and used his own Chakra to connect with him.
Soon, he began to laugh happily. "To succeed in extracting it so quickly the first time, and the amount of Chakra is also very good. You truly are a Genius. My son has the potential of a Hokage!"
"I feel like you're jinxing me!"
How could Higashino Jiro understand this 'Emperor' meme? He immediately denied it: "How is that possible? I'm telling the truth."
Higashino Shin didn't want his father to continue raising flags, so he curiously changed the subject. "Father, how long did it take you the first time?"
"Well, that... that's not important!" The look of embarrassment on Higashino Jiro's face flashed for an instant before he turned and shouted toward the door, "Megumi, are you done cleaning up? Bring a piece of Chakra Induction Paper over here."
"Succeeded so quickly?" Higashino Megumi, who entered, was also very surprised. She had been hoping to see her son's perpetually expressionless, precocious face show a rare sign of impatience.
It would be best if he could be anxious for three to five days, and then she could teach him with the air of an experienced elder, letting him know that his mother is still his mother.
As it turned out, her expectations ended before they even began.
Higashino Jiro didn't answer her. He took the test paper and handed it to Higashino Shin. "Mobilize your Chakra and channel it inside."
Taking the test paper, Higashino Shin injected Chakra into it. Soon, the small test paper split in two down the middle; one half remained in his hand but was soaking wet, while the other half crumbled into small pieces, falling onto the bedsheet like snowflakes.
"Megumi, did you see that? He's born with three attributes."
"Ara, it's actually a combination of your Wind and Earth and my Water attribute. As expected of our child, he gathered all our strengths."
The vast majority of Ninjas are born with only one attribute. To make other attributes manifest, they have to spend a long time Cultivating, which is not easy and is measured in years.
If it were simple, there wouldn't be so few Ninjas with all attributes in this Ninja World.
Starting with three attributes undoubtedly saves a lot of time for growth.
Of course, it's not to say that the more attributes one has, the stronger they are. A Ninja's strength is a comprehensive combination of Chakra volume, tactical means, and combat talent.
However, being born with multiple attributes gives a Ninja more tactical choices and makes it harder for their Ninjutsu to be countered or targeted.
So generally, single-attribute Ninjas will develop their other attributes when they have time.
Except for those cheaters who just rub balls.
"Today is truly a happy day. Come on, Megumi, accompany me for a few drinks." Higashino Jiro was about to pull his wife out, then seemed to remember he had a son. He turned back and said, "Shin, you should know the follow-up to Chakra extraction, right?"
"I know, Father."
"Good, then keep working hard! Remember not to overdo it and get some rest early. A healthy and strong body is the foundation of everything."