After returning home from the dinner party, Higashino Shin persisted with his Chakra extraction training as usual, and then practiced his hand seal speed for a while before going to bed. asd
Finally, he deliberately refrained from extracting Chakra, and only began to fall asleep after confirming that the Chakra in his body's meridians had completely dissipated.
With his mind empty and his thoughts restrained, Higashino Shin found that he indeed remained conscious after his body entered a sleep state, but he could feel that this was controllable.
At this moment, he could choose to let his consciousness sleep along with his body, or he could detach from his body just like last night.
Ensuring there was no Chakra in his meridians before sleep was a deliberate act; he wanted to see if this out-of-body consciousness state was related to having undissipated Chakra in his body before sleeping.
The facts proved that even without Chakra in his meridians, he could still do the same as last night.
In other words, the first time he extracted Chakra was merely a trigger that unlocked the state where his consciousness could leave his body after falling asleep; it wasn't necessary thereafter.
With a single thought, Higashino Shin's consciousness form once again floated above his physical body. In the panoramic, dead-zone-free observation of his consciousness form, he found himself about 20 centimeters above his body.
He tried to move his consciousness form, but it remained fixed in that position, completely unable to fly through the sky or burrow into the earth to kill invisibly like the Spirit Transformation Jutsu.
It seemed it was a completely different matter from the Spirit Transformation Jutsu; this was more like a special state of his own.
After thinking it over, he could only tentatively assume it might be related to his Soul, which came from a Rebirth and did not belong to this world.
After all, according to the information he knew, the Souls of people in the Ninja World were basically 'Chakra-fied.' They didn't even have the chance to reincarnate after death; they would only go to the Pure Land and become collectibles for that old ghost, the Sage of Six Paths.
It was like a piece of cargo being stamped with an owner's label.
If his Soul was fundamentally different from the people of the Ninja World, then he truly might be the only one capable of this.
This was a state unique to him, allowing him to communicate with Natural Energy from the very beginning, and unlike Jugo, he wouldn't lose control and start killing people at the drop of a hat.
If this wasn't a Golden Finger, then what was?
The scene in the space was just like last night. In the observation of his consciousness, those multicolored mists flowed freely between heaven and earth.
They weren't clearly demarcated from each other but rather rubbed and squeezed against one another; one could even see them encroaching and transforming into each other at the edges.
The red mist was savage and overbearing, lording over the other colors with its absolute volume, like a middle school student barging into a kindergarten classroom.
The other colors could still hold their ground, but the white was the most pitiful. It was the skinniest one in the class, reduced to being the 'dot' in the daily routine of 'penguins eating, sleeping, and hitting Diandian.'
Higashino Shin didn't dare touch the other colors at all; after all, one should pick on the weak.
Ah, no, it was about upholding justice and speaking up for Diandian.
Come quickly to Uncle's embrace, it's safe here.
As usual, Higashino Shin enticed the white mist, using his consciousness form as a filter to guide the mist—now stripped of its decomposing power—into his body.
During this process, his consciousness form closely monitored the changes in his body. The moment he noticed any abnormality, he would immediately act like a scoundrel and cut off the connection with the mist.
---
Higashino Jiro's leave lasted about half a month. After all, guarding the border was a very grueling and dangerous task; it was impossible not to give Ninjas time to rest and relax.
Otherwise, mental problems would arise. The Ninja community was prone to developing mental illnesses, and since they were people who wielded supernatural power, it would be a disaster for the ordinary people of the Ninja World if someone fell into depravity.
If an elite Chunin were to truly go all out, they could easily turn a prosperous small town into a land of death in a short time.
In the following days, Higashino Jiro spent most of his time in the village, Cultivating while he rested. At any time, strength was always the best weapon one could rely on.
However, when he Cultivated, he would go to a larger training ground. The one near the Higashino Clan's home was too small and was meant for children who hadn't officially become Ninjas yet.
Higashino Shin still maintained his self-made training plan, though he occasionally sought advice from his father.
There wasn't much he could ask, though. After all, he had already stepped onto a path completely different from his father's, or that of any ordinary Ninja.
Natural Energy was powerful. Through the nightly nourishment, he found that this stuff not only made his body stronger bit by bit but also made his progress in Chakra control gratifying.
Unfortunately, he couldn't pass it on to his family for the time being.
He had inquired indirectly and found that his parents couldn't feel any special energy at all; they lacked the concept and the special method of consciousness observation.
Higashino Shin estimated that even if they learned the Spirit Transformation Jutsu, it would be useless.
If the Spirit Transformation Jutsu could observe the various colors of Natural Energy like he could, then Kato Dan would surely have learned to utilize it long ago and become much stronger, avoiding being killed by an enemy while performing the technique.
Chakra divided people into two types of existence, and Natural Energy similarly divided Ninjas into two types. Currently, in the Ninja World, those who could use Sage Mode—aside from the Summoned Beasts—might only be half a person: that super pervert named Jiraiya.
If Kato Dan had known Sage Mode, he certainly wouldn't have died so easily.
Was the dream of becoming Hokage no longer enticing, or were Tsunade's 'large buns' no longer soft?
Higashino Shin currently had no method to infuse Natural Energy into his parents.
Even if he did, he wouldn't dare use it, because if things went wrong, he might personally trigger a 'sacrifice parents to heaven for boundless power' BUFF.
For details, see those piles of stone statues in the shape of toads on Mount Myōboku; all of those were once humans who tried to master Natural Energy and failed.
---
More than ten days passed in a flash.
Higashino Shin arrived at the training ground to exercise early in the morning as usual. However, just as he was about to start, he noticed a faint feeling of being watched.
Could it be the Third Hokage's crystal ball?
He was just a child from a civilian Ninja family. Although his parents thought he was a Genius, in the eyes of Kage-level figures, he was just 'alright'—nothing worth paying attention to.
Besides, does the Hokage start work that early? Who do you think he is, the Nanadaime?
Higashino Shin's heart stirred, and he quickly completed his Chakra extraction, his body instantly filling with power.
With more than ten days gone by, he had already achieved his previously set goal of making the extraction technique a bodily instinct.
One could only say that Natural Energy was truly miraculous.
Not only that, because his body continuously absorbed white Natural Energy, the Chakra he extracted could resonate with the outside world.
However, limited by his current Chakra capacity and the short time he had been practicing with Natural Energy, the range of this resonance wasn't large yet, but it was enough to cover this tiny training ground.
With just a simple scan, Higashino Shin discovered the hidden target.
He looked up toward a large tree not far away and shouted, "Father, what are you doing hiding there?"
"Eh?" Higashino Jiro let out a confused sound and jumped down in front of his son in a few steps, asking curiously, "How did you know I was there?"
"I sensed it."
"Sensed? You mean sensory ability? When did you learn to sense? That's not something you can just learn; you can't do it without talent."
"I never learned it; I just suddenly could do it these past few days."
"Natural Awakening? Could it be a Bloodline ability? Does our Higashino Clan have such a Bloodline Legacy?" Higashino Jiro was bewildered.
Being naturally precocious was no big deal—there were plenty of such children in the Ninja World. Succeeding in his first Chakra extraction in less than a minute with a decent amount of Chakra wasn't too outrageous either; for a civilian, he was a Genius.
But the Uchiha Clan and Hyuga Clan, who were born Ninjas, also had plenty of smart kids who could do that.
However, this naturally awakened sensory ability couldn't be explained by just being a Genius. Higashino Shin not only sensed someone was there but even knew whose Chakra it was.
Could it be... this child isn't mine? Have I been cuckolded?
But he and Megumi had been together from the time they married until she got pregnant; Konoha did have marriage leave, after all.
"Mr. Higashino, I feel like you're thinking about something bad. Do we need to go back together and verify it with Mom?"
"Dame, dame! Don't you dare! I'll be killed!"
Higashino Jiro immediately stopped him, while mentally cursing himself for losing his head.
He knew his wife's character; there was no way she could do anything to betray him. She simply wasn't that type of person. Moreover, they had known each other since childhood, knew everything about each other, and had a deep emotional Foundation.
There were many miraculous things in the Ninja World to begin with; some people even awakened a Bloodline Limit for no apparent reason.
His son just knew how to sense; it didn't seem like such a big deal.
Thinking this way, Higashino Jiro suddenly felt relaxed again. His son was indeed a Genius.