The secret basement beneath the Uchiha estate was nothing like the polished halls above. Here, the air was cool and still, heavy with the scent of old wood and stone. Flickering lanterns cast long shadows on the walls, illuminating the faces of eleven—one prodigious child, his stern grandfather, and ten orphans whose eyes flickered with both hope and uncertainty.
Mali sat at the center, legs crossed, his breathing slow and measured. In his lap rested a slim, leather-bound journal covered in strange symbols—his coded record of discovery. The others watched him, some with awe, some with skepticism, but all drawn by the quiet authority in his presence.
"Today, we begin something new," Mali announced, his voice steady despite his young age. "Not just chakra, but Qi—the breath of the universe. It is real. I have felt it. And I will show you how."
His grandfather, Uchiha Raigen, stood behind him like a silent guardian. Though Raigen's pride in his grandson was obvious, there was something else in his gaze—a glimmer of hope, the belief that Mali's path might lead the Uchiha to a future beyond old grudges and bloodshed.
The training began simply. Mali led the group through the breathing exercises he remembered from his previous life: sitting with straight backs, eyes closed, tongues pressed lightly to the roof of their mouths. Each breath was slow and deep, each exhale a gentle release of tension. He guided them to focus on their lower abdomen, to visualize warmth gathering and swirling.
At first, there was only silence and the sound of measured breathing. Days blurred into weeks. Mali wrote down every sensation, every failure, every faint flicker of energy. The orphans struggled, but Mali was patient, encouraging them to trust the process.
After one month, Mali's persistence paid off. During a late-night session, he felt it—a subtle warmth, a gentle pulse in his dantian, unmistakably different from chakra. He opened his eyes, heart pounding, and shared the news with Raigen. The old man's joy was fierce and unrestrained; for the first time in years, he laughed aloud, pride shining in his eyes.
Wordlessly, the group pressed on. Four months later, four of the orphans reported the same sensation: a gathering of Qi, a new energy blooming inside them. The basement, once cold and empty, now felt alive with possibility.
Mali's mind raced with new ideas. If Qi could be sensed within, could it also be drawn from the world outside? He adjusted the training, urging everyone to reach beyond their bodies, to breathe in the invisible energy of the earth and sky. For hours, he sat in stillness, seeking that elusive connection.
Then, one evening, it happened. Mali felt a subtle thread—a layer of energy outside himself that resonated with his own Qi. With practiced breaths, he drew it in, guiding it to his dantian. The sensation was exhilarating, like discovering a hidden river beneath his feet.
He leaped up, unable to contain his excitement. "It's real! The world's energy—it can be gathered, not just awakened within!"
Raigen's pride deepened, his faith in Mali's vision now unshakable. The orphans, too, began to believe. In the shadows beneath the Uchiha estate, a new legacy was quietly taking root—a legacy that might one day shake the shinobi world to its core.