Chapter 3: Artificial Sage

"This technique is truly extraordinary. Unlike regular chakra, which is generated by extracting physical and mental energy from the 130 trillion cells in the body, this technique absorbs natural energy from the environment. In the language of martial arts worlds, it's essentially Qi."

"So… does this mean it's essentially a different version of Sage Mode?"

"And the best part is, it can be stored in the body and accessed at will."

"The higher my proficiency with Tiangang Art, the purer and larger the amount of natural energy I can store. Unlike Naruto or Jiraiya, who need to gather natural energy in real-time to enter Sage Mode, I can activate it instantly. Plus, Tiangang Art has unique features that regular Sage Mode doesn't — near-instant teleportation, protective energy shields, and powerful martial arts techniques once mastered."

Chiya couldn't help but marvel at his luck.

This was a gold mine. Not only did he possess *Kyoka Suigetsu*, capable of absolute hypnosis, but now he also had a martial arts technique capable of enabling a constant Sage Mode. As long as he practiced the advanced skills of Tiangang Art, his power would skyrocket within a short time.

By then, he would at least have a significant degree of self-preservation ability. This was satisfying.

However, he had to remain low-key for now.

Absolutely no one from Konoha, especially Danzo, could know about this. Otherwise, he might genuinely end up dissected for research.

For the time being, it was best to live like an ordinary ninja.

...

Time flew by, and in the blink of an eye, it was time for the Ninja Academy to open.

In order to replenish the combat power lost during the Nine-Tails' attack, the academy began mass enrollment. Any child of suitable age was eligible to apply, and upon review, they would receive an admission notice.

As the son of a deceased ninja, Chiya naturally received his admission notice.

This made him quite excited.

The Ninja Academy was a place to train ninja skills. Although he possessed the system and guaranteed power, learning how to apply that power was equally crucial.

He did not want to end up like Kaguya — holding the world's most powerful strength but with the battle IQ of a brick.

Most importantly, he could only officially become a ninja after graduating from the academy.

Coincidentally, it was also his sixth birthday.

On this day, his Tiangang Art finally reached the first level.

At that moment, Chiya felt his sensory perception spike drastically. He could now clearly hear the chatter on the streets, the faint sobbing of Naruto being abused by his caretaker, Kakashi slumping in front of Obito's grave, and Danzo arguing with the Third Hokage about Naruto's custody rights.

"So this is the power of the first level of Tiangang Art? And this sensory perception… I knew it! Upon reaching the first level, activating the art allows me to enter a form of Sage Mode."

Chiya grinned smugly.

He then tested Kyoka Suigetsu again. To his surprise, by combining Kyoka Suigetsu with his Sage Mode, he could now maintain the illusion for an entire day without exhausting his chakra.

However, using Sage Mode would generate an enormous amount of chakra that might alert sensory-type ninjas around him.

Fortunately, the Tiangang Art included methods to conceal his energy, making it incredibly easy for him to hide his presence.

What fascinated him more was the potential of casting ninjutsu while using the Tiangang Art. However, he was currently unfamiliar with ninjutsu.

After all, his original body's parents had died during the Nine-Tails incident. His father left nothing behind except for basic chakra refining methods, and whatever remained had probably been confiscated by the Third Hokage under the guise of "village reconstruction."

Thinking of this, Chiya stood before a mirror, changed into a set of new clothes he had never worn before.

In the mirror stood a young boy with short, slightly messy black hair, dressed in a fitted white long-sleeve T-shirt and black casual pants. His delicate yet masculine facial features exuded an unmistakable handsomeness.

"Not bad. I'm still pretty damn good-looking," Chiya shamelessly complimented himself, grabbed his backpack issued by the academy, and stepped out of the house toward the Ninja Academy.

By the time he arrived, the place was already bustling with parents bringing their children to enroll.

However, Chiya didn't attract much attention. Instead, most gazes were fixed on one particular child — Uchiha Itachi.

Most parents looked at Itachi with subtle disdain or hostility, undoubtedly influenced by the Third Hokage's subtle propaganda blaming the Uchiha for controlling the Nine-Tails.

It was just like how the village turned on the White Fang in the past.

And once again, the Third Hokage maintained his "neutral" stance — neither confirming nor denying the rumors, effectively leaving the Uchiha Clan to fend for themselves.

This was, in reality, a calculated political trade-off between Hiruzen and Danzo.

Hiruzen regained his Hokage position, but in exchange, Danzo's power expanded. Alongside Koharu and Homura, Danzo formed the infamous Konoha Council, later nicknamed the Konoha F4 by fans.

It was a classic scenario — the Uchiha control the chaos of the ninja world, while Konoha's chaos is controlled by the F4.

Danzo's power was now nearing its peak, and as long as his actions didn't directly infringe on the Sarutobi family's interests, Hiruzen turned a blind eye.

Chiya was already used to this political farce and had no intention of standing up for the Uchiha.

Until he gained enough power, his priority was to remain low-key.

If Konoha ever became intolerable, leaving the village was always an option. With Kyoka Suigetsu in hand, escaping would not be difficult.

And it wouldn't be long before exceptions to his aloof attitude would appear.

Walking through the crowd, Chiya handed his admission notice to the two Chunin responsible for registration. Just as he finished, a soft, sweet voice sounded behind him.

"Chiya-kun… long time no see…"

"…Ah… yeah, long time no see…" Chiya took his class information card from the teacher, turned around, and saw Uchiha Izumi standing behind him.

Her small frame, hands hidden behind her back as if she was holding something, leaned slightly forward with a faint blush. She curiously looked him up and down.

"That's a pretty indifferent response." Izumi pouted cutely, then stepped forward, comparing their heights. Surprised, she asked, "Chiya-kun… did you get taller?"

"Maybe a little," Chiya responded nonchalantly, his tone a bit awkward.

__________________

[T/N]- Can you drop any Konan art you guys have here? I want to use it as a cover for the book. I tried finding online but failed miserably T-T