Chapter 59: Chakra Reserves

While Natsuro was pleased, Jiraiya reminded him once again.

"You have all these talents, and with your abilities, learning the Flying Thunder God Technique shouldn't be difficult. But you must also be aware that even if you master the Flying Thunder God, it is not an invincible jutsu. The use of Flying Thunder God requires you to have sufficient reaction speed."

Although Jiraiya felt that this reminder might be a bit premature, given Natsuro's extraordinary talent, who knew when he might master the technique? So, it was necessary to give him a heads-up.

"I understand." He was well aware of this. After all, the Flying Thunder God is akin to teleporting your entire body. It's not just about the opponent being unable to react; the user also needs to have quick enough reflexes. Teleporting with the needed reaction reflexes, would be like delivering yourself directly into the opponent's hands.

"By the way, Natsuro, do you have any other questions about your training that you want to ask your teacher?" Jiraiya felt like he hadn't taught much yet. Although he mentioned the Flying Thunder God, this ninjutsu is something he would have to learn on his own. So he continued to ask.

Natsuro paused, then after thinking for a moment, his expression became serious. There was indeed one major problem that had been troubling him for a long time.

"Sensei, I want to ask about my chakra amount. I always feel that I don't have enough chakra." Ever since a year ago, he had been meticulously managing his chakra usage, but he still often felt that it wasn't enough.

"Your chakra amount, huh?" Jiraiya looked at Natsuro, sized him up, and said, "From your performance just now, your chakra amount isn't low. It should be at the level of a Genin."

"But it's still not enough. I can't fully execute my training each day because of my chakra limitations." He said with a bitter smile.

Jiraiya nodded. Although he thought his chakra amount wasn't small, he realized that considering Natsuro's level, his current chakra amount was indeed insufficient. But there wasn't much he could do about it.

"Natsuro, you probably also know that a person's chakra grows differently at various stages of life, right?" Jiraiya said.

"I know a little." He nodded. He was aware of this but still wanted to ask. If there was a solution, it would be a great benefit.

"Alright, let me explain it in detail, and you'll understand." Jiraiya, finally finding an area where Natsuro wasn't knowledgeable, became more animated. He sat down cross-legged on the ground and began drawing diagrams, while Natsuro, imitating him, sat beside him and listened intently.

"First of all, when a person is born, they already possess physical and spiritual energy. Theoretically, if a baby had the awareness to learn, they could refine chakra. However, we generally don't recommend refining chakra until the body reaches its next growth stage, which is usually around the age of six."

"Although some may reach this stage earlier, the difference isn't usually too great. Before the age of six, most of the body's energy is used for growth. If one forcibly refines chakra, it would inevitably take away some of the energy meant for bodily development, and impaired development would unavoidably affect one's overall chakra capacity."

Natsuro nodded. The stage Jiraiya mentioned was one he had reached before the age of six. However, he hadn't known how to extract chakra back then, so he didn't start until after entering school and learning the method.

In earlier times, it wasn't uncommon to see children extracting chakra before the age of six, but that was out of necessity due to the war. He, however, was living in a time of peace.

Seeing that Natsuro was listening intently, Jiraiya smiled and continued.

"After the age of six, the total amount of physical energy in a person will increase significantly. However, most of this energy is still used for bodily development, leaving only a small portion available for refining chakra. Natsuro, you're currently at this stage."

"You must be training quite often to have this level of chakra, right?" Jiraiya asked.

"Yes, but the effect on my chakra amount hasn't been very significant." He nodded. Without his Lightning Release Massage, it might have taken him another one or two semesters to reach a Genin's chakra level.

"That's correct." Jiraiya nodded and said, "Although you train a lot, most of it actually strengthens your physical constitution. The increase in your chakra amount is only a small part of that. The fact that you've reached a Genin's level with just that small part indicates that your chakra amount isn't low."

Natsuro furrowed his brow and then explained his Lightning Release Massage technique to Jiraiya, which wasn't something that needed to be kept secret.

Jiraiya was surprised to hear this. So he had mastered that technique too? But then, thinking of his skill in shape transformation, it wasn't surprising. This method is only suitable for true geniuses. From what Jiraiya knew, the only geniuses with Lightning Release who could use this method at such a young age were Natsuro and Kakashi.

Few people knew about this method, and Konoha didn't teach it widely. The reason was simple: they feared students might recklessly attempt shape transformations. If they failed, that would be one thing, but if they succeeded…what if they accidentally electrocuted themselves?

"Even so, your chakra amount isn't low. Once you enter the next stage, your chakra will enter a period of rapid growth." Jiraiya said after some thought.

"This stage usually happens around age twelve, right?" Natsuro asked with a sigh. So he still had to wait until he was twelve?

Jiraiya looked at him and nodded. It wasn't surprising that he could guess this, as twelve was the theoretical graduation age from the academy. Seeing his disappointed expression, Jiraiya's face turned serious. "Natsuro, I must warn you: even if you feel that your chakra amount isn't enough, you must never extract more chakra than your limit. Doing so would have serious consequences for your body."

"I understand, teacher. That's why I haven't been extracting more." Natsuro replied.

"Good." Jiraiya knew he was mature for his age but still wanted to make sure he was being cautious.

Just as Natsuro was feeling disappointed, Jiraiya suddenly smiled and said, "Natsuro , while I don't have a method to increase your chakra amount right now, I do know a way to ensure that you have more chakra during your rapid growth phase."

Hearing this, his disappointment disappeared, and he became curious about the method Jiraiya mentioned.

Sensing his curiosity, Jiraiya finally felt like a proper teacher and laughed heartily as he said, "Natsuro, have you ever heard of secret medicine?"

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