The basement had grown warmer, charged with the invisible currents of effort and discovery. Mali's group, once hesitant, now moved with purpose. Their daily routines had become a ritual—meditation at dawn, sparring at dusk, and quiet reflection in between. The four who had awakened Qi were now guiding the others, their confidence spreading like wildfire.
But Mali's mind was restless. The small ripples of Qi he could project were only the beginning. He knew, from both his memories and intuition, that true mastery required understanding, not just repetition.
One evening, after a particularly intense session, Mali gathered the group. His grandfather, Raigen, watched from the shadows, his eyes sharp with anticipation.
Mali spoke, his voice steady and clear, "In our bodies, there are two sacred energies. Chakra—born of flesh and spirit. Qi—born of consciousness and the breath of the universe."
He explained his model: how chakra was forged from food, blood, and will, a finite fuel that powered jutsu but could be exhausted. Qi, he said, was different—drawn from the cosmos, activated through breath and intention, limitless and flowing, nourishing the organs and aura without being spent.
He drew a diagram in the dust:
- Food creates blood.
- Blood creates essence.
- Essence is refined into chakra.
- Chakra opens the body's channels.
- Qi flows into these open channels, nourishing the body, mind, and soul.
"Chakra trains the body," Mali intoned. "Qi transforms the soul. Only when both are purified does a mortal become undying."
The orphans listened, awed. Raigen, who had recently sensed Qi himself, felt a surge of pride and hope. This doctrine, he realized, could change everything for the Uchiha.
From that day, their training shifted. They practiced molding chakra and guiding Qi in tandem, seeking balance between strength and stillness. Mali's journals filled with new theories—could Qi heal wounds faster than chakra? Could it enhance the Sharingan or awaken new abilities?
Above them, the world remained unchanged. But in the depths of the Uchiha estate, a new path was being forged—one that might one day shake the shinobi world to its core.