Clap! Clap! Clap!
Seeing that the Stone Ninja had drawn his final breath, Ibiki Morino immediately began to applaud, offering a smirk and a compliment. "Excellent! No hesitation, no inner conflict, and your execution was clean. It seems you'll make a fine medical ninja. Congratulations, you have passed the exam to become a Genin."
"Here, this is your forehead protector. From this moment on, you are a Genin of the Hidden Leaf," Kiriko added, producing a pre-prepared protector made of metal and blue cloth.
"Thank you."
Allen accepted the small trinket, though internally, he was roasting them. That was it? Are you ninjas mentally ill or something?
Ibiki, undoubtedly sensing the shift in the boy's gaze, asked meaningfully, "You think this test was too simple?"
"Wasn't it?" Allen looked up, his tone shifting to a feigned, uncertain retort.
"No. Of course not. First, it verified your combat capabilities and your reaction speed against a surprise attack. Second, it forced the psychological transition from 'saving' to 'killing' that most medical ninjas, who haven't seen brutal combat, fail to make. It ensures you aren't just a doctor. I must say, your performance exceeded my expectations," Ibiki explained nonchalantly.
"Alright, if you say so. If you don't mind, could I bury the body?" Allen asked, staring at the fresh corpse.
"Bury it?" A look of surprise crossed Ibiki's face, but he quickly shrugged. "Whatever. But I'll warn you: harboring compassion for an enemy is never a good thing. One day, it will lead you to ruin."
"I know."
Allen bent down, hoisted the still-warm body onto his shoulder, and turned to leave the interrogation room. He walked to a nearby hillside used for disposals and began digging with a shovel.
The sight made Kiriko feel a bit sentimental. She whispered, "What a gentle child."
Of course, if she could see what Allen was actually doing, she would have retracted those words instantly.
Allen's desire to bury the Stone Ninja was a ruse; his true intent was to devour him. Using the visual cover provided by the small pit, he used his copying ability to create a duplicate of the corpse, then ordered Vaelastrasz to leap into the pit and swallow the original body whole.
In the blink of an eye, thanks to the gene-plundering ability inherited from the Chimera Ants, the missing "medium" within his body was finally replenished. Though the quantity was small, it was enough for him to perform the initial refinement of Chakra and begin his training in ninjutsu.
After burying the duplicate, Allen returned to his temporary residence. Taking advantage of the fact that Kakashi hadn't returned yet, he cautiously began to refine Chakra. In less than a minute, a surging energy began to race through his meridians.
"Just as I suspected! Whether it's Chakra or Nen, the essence is the application of life energy. This means Aura can be converted into Chakra, and Chakra can be converted back into Aura."
In the palm of Allen's hand, a cluster of life energy shifted from invisible Aura into visible blue Chakra, then back again. For someone who had spent a long time practicing and refining Nen, this level of raw energy manipulation required almost no effort. If he wished, he could simulate techniques like the Rasengan or Chakra Scalpels at a moment's notice.
"So, when the Sage of the Six Paths, Hagoromo Otsutsuki, 'taught' the method of refining Chakra to humanity, it wasn't so much a technique as it was spreading this medium," Allen concluded, rubbing his chin.
Life energy existed wherever there was life; it wasn't a scarce resource. This was especially true for Sage Transformation and Natural Energy mentioned in the later stages of the Naruto series, gathering the unconscious life energy emitted by plants and the atmosphere. The Otsutsuki aliens planting God Trees to harvest fruit was essentially a form of sustainable agriculture aimed at obtaining enough energy to evolve into a perfect life form.
What truly mattered was the God Tree itself and the medium contained within the alien genes that allowed for the command and control of life energy.
"Heh, looks like I've accidentally discovered the greatest secret behind this world's power system. Vaelastrasz, does this 'Chakra' energy taste good?" Allen asked with a playful grin.
"Yes! I have learned how to convert it. Devouring Chakra is the same as devouring Aura. Next time, I will burn the enemy into a cocoon and swallow them," the Red Dragon replied without hesitation.
"What about ninjutsu? Can you plunder their techniques by devouring the cocoon?" Allen asked, intrigued.
"My apologies, but ninjutsu is a no. Because the techniques of this world require guidance through hand signs before use, I can only help you simulate the path Chakra takes through the meridians. Whether you can succeed or not is hard to say," Vaelastrasz explained patiently.
"That's enough! Let's start with the ninja we just ate. After all, the one thing I have plenty of is time."
The moment the words left his mouth, Allen teleported himself into a Dungeon instance. He ordered the Red Dragon to simulate the ninjutsu the Stone Ninja had mastered within his own body.
In less than half an hour, thanks to his superior control, he easily mastered the Basic Three (Clone, Substitution, and Transformation). As for hand signs...
Sorry, but who actually uses hand signs anymore? Looking at the overpowered "hacker" characters that appear in the late game, by the time you've finished a hand sign, your ashes would have been scattered.
Ninjutsu must be instant-cast! Instant-cast! Instant-cast! Important things must be said three times.
As for other techniques, the Stone Ninja only knew one Earth Release: Earth Pillar Spear, creating a protruding spike from the ground. While its power was a bit underwhelming, it was better than nothing.
By the time Allen emerged from the Dungeon, he was a qualified Genin who had mastered several ninjutsu. However, he was in no hurry to show them off, instead feigning a daily routine of "learning" to refine Chakra.
When Kakashi returned, he was startled to find a faint flow of Chakra emanating from Allen as he sat in the courtyard. Though extremely weak, it was undeniably there.
Realizing this, he exclaimed in surprise, "Your willpower and persistence are truly terrifying. To think you could forcibly refine Chakra from a completely unsuited body in such a short time."
"Where there is effort, there is a reward, especially when it comes to training," Allen opened his eyes and responded with a smile.
"Those words remind me of another fellow I know. Also, congratulations on passing the test to become a Genin. From now on, we are comrades of the same village. If all goes as expected, you'll likely be placed into a Genin squad soon to begin missions."
Learning that Allen had become a Konoha ninja, Kakashi's attitude became significantly friendlier, shedding the lukewarm distance of the previous days.
"Oh? Even medical ninjas need to go out on missions?" A flicker of curiosity appeared in Allen's eyes.
Kakashi nodded slightly. "Yes. It's not wartime, and the village doesn't need that many medical ninjas on standby, so a fair number are sent out to execute missions."
"Well, that is certainly something to look forward to..."