Chapter 61: Purifying the Source

"It's no wonder Kaguya could devour chakra so easily during the Fourth Great Ninja War… or that the Sage of Six Paths has dominion over the Pure Land and the souls of the dead. Everything ties back to the beginning," Hikari muttered grimly. "Good thing I have a son like you…"

"You're going to teach us this new chakra purification technique?" Mikoto asked, eyes wide.

"Yes," Gin nodded. "But we must keep it secret from the clan—at least for now. If the Sage or Black Zetsu senses the cleansing of the chakra seed, it could alert them. Once the seed is purified, they can no longer control or influence it. But we have to complete the process quietly."

"Your caution is wise," Hikari agreed. "Are you sure it's safe for us to train in this method? If there's any risk to you, we should wait until you grow stronger!"

"I agree with Aunt Hikari," Mikoto added firmly.

Gin smiled, confident. "Trust me. I wouldn't teach you unless I was sure. My ability to travel across worlds is beyond anything the Sage of Six Paths could dream of. Give me time, and I'll surpass him. This technique doesn't just purify chakra—it frees it. Once you master it, your chakra will grow faster, more efficiently, and become far more powerful in quality."

He turned to Hikari. "Especially you, Mom. You're already at Kage-level with quasi-Super Kage chakra reserves. After cleansing, you'll unlock the middle dantian and begin opening your meridians. Your chakra quality will improve dramatically—maybe even enough to reach the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan without transplantation."

Hikari's eyes glinted. "So it is possible. Indra and Hagoromo both awakened the Eternal Mangekyō without stealing anyone's eyes. Maybe it was never about exchanging eyes, but about purifying bloodline impurities."

"I'll show you. Just listen carefully," Gin said and began the explanation.

The three of them kept one eye on their surroundings through sensory chakra techniques, wary of Black Zetsu's presence.

After thoroughly explaining the method, Gin guided their practice. Mikoto, with a relatively small chakra reserve, quickly succeeded in purifying her chakra seed. Almost immediately, she felt a new depth of control.

Hikari's process was slower—her chakra pool was vast, and opening the middle dantian and key meridian points took longer. But once the purification began, her transformation was overwhelming.

Minutes later, her chakra surged so powerfully that even Gin and Mikoto stepped back instinctively.

"Good thing we activated the suppression barrier," Gin said with relief. "Otherwise the whole compound would've noticed."

"H-How strong did she just become?" Mikoto asked, awestruck. "Is that Super Kage?"

"No," Gin shook his head. "Normal Kage, even with the technique, couldn't reach that level. But Mom already had an immense reserve and exceptional chakra quality. The purification took her to the edge of Super Kage. She's now touching the realm of people like the First Hokage or Madara."

Mikoto's jaw dropped.

An hour later, Hikari's chakra finally stabilized. She opened her eyes, exhaled deeply, and smiled.

"How do you feel?" Gin and Mikoto asked in unison.

"Better than ever," Hikari replied, ruffling their hair. "I'm standing at the threshold of the Super Kage level. If this continues, maybe in a year or two I'll break through fully. My chakra is stronger, purer. The same jutsu now costs less chakra and deals more damage."

She continued, "And with the meridians open, my chakra is improving my body and bloodline at the same time. The process is slow and consumes chakra—but I can already tell the Mangekyō may evolve further… maybe even into the Eternal."

Gin's eyes lit up. "That's amazing! But don't waste too much chakra improving your body manually. Physical training, medicinal herbs, and even Sea King meat are better for that. Health cultivation techniques help cleanse the blood too—and don't consume chakra. With those at a high level, the effects are profound."

Hikari and Mikoto blinked in surprise.

"Wait, the body cultivation techniques do that?" Mikoto asked.

"I didn't know either," Hikari admitted. "We need to study deeper!"

Gin nodded with satisfaction. "Exactly."

But deep inside, he was already thinking ahead: If this is the effect at the 'perfection' level… what will happen when I transcend it?

"Alright," Hikari checked the time. "We need sleep if we're going to function tomorrow."

"Right! Let's go to bed. Good night, Mom! Good night, Aunt!" Gin and Mikoto said as they headed off.

Hikari lay in bed, eyes closed, but her mind raced. The glow of the middle dantian and the open meridians fascinated her. Gin… just what kind of secrets do you carry? No ordinary boy could create something like this. But… it doesn't matter. You're my son. That's all I need to know.

The Next Morning

Gin and Mikoto washed up and came downstairs to see Hikari preparing breakfast. Kushina and Minato had just arrived.

"Got up late, huh?" Kushina teased with a grin.

Minato watched quietly, eyes twinkling with curiosity.

Gin instinctively checked the surroundings using his Observation Haki—no sign of Black Zetsu. He sat down.

"There was a little… incident last night," he said casually.

"Oh?" Minato raised an eyebrow.

Gin began explaining the concept of the Original Chakra Purification Technique and its effects. When he finished, the table was silent.

"HIEHH!?" Kushina exploded. "You just… made a perfect chakra cultivation method?! Just like that?!"

Minato was no less shocked. "Even the Sage of Six Paths didn't do that in all his time. And you just… created it like some chakra prodigy?"

"Man's broken," Kushina muttered under her breath. "Totally broken."

"And this seed nonsense?" Minato frowned. "Is the Sage's chakra system really… manipulative?"

"We can't say for sure," Gin said, eyes narrowing. "But we'll find out. Once we're strong enough, I'll ask the Sage directly. And when that happens, no scheme of his will matter."

He looked around the table.

"After breakfast, we'll begin your purification too. Our top priority now is freeing ourselves from the seed—and accelerating our growth."