On the 124th day, luck finally smiled on Kenshin. He managed to create a prototype Chakra suppression formation. After applying it to cuffs and having Natsumi wear them, it was extremely hard for her to form any technique or wall-walk, but her enhanced physical strength remained, and the chakra in her muscles refused to "sleep." But a start was made, and Kenshin just needed to refine the formation to have a fearsome ace up his sleeve against defiant kunoichi or valuable but strong enemies.
On the 125th day, Ichiro found his father and shared the good news.
"Father, it seems my chakra has become higher quality!" he said proudly.
Kenshin instantly checked his "status" and was surprised.
Name: Nakayama Ichiro
Age: 20 years
Talent Level: 16
Chakra Quality: 3
Chakra Amount: 3320
Chakra Control: 51%
"Hm, indeed, your 'Chakra Quality' has risen to three. Plus, your chakra amount grew a bit, and control improved slightly. Good job, Ichiro!" Kenshin praised, patting his shoulder.
"Thanks, Father!" he replied sincerely.
They ran some experiments, and Kenshin finally understood what this strange system stat called "Chakra Quality" did. Ichiro's Fireball wasn't bigger but was far more destructive. Its temperature and density rose about twenty percent. The special water reservoir, previously evaporated 70%, was now completely dried by the Fireball hit.
On the 126th day, the second batch of Blue sage ripened; out of 34 planted seeds, only 30 fully ripened. If any industrial Blue sage growers saw Kenshin's success, they'd spew their guts from insane greed.
Even getting 10 out of 30 to grow and ripen was a big success. Kenshin's results were beyond any dream for growers of this finicky plant. Blue sage usually demanded perfect soil, lighting, fertilizer, and watering. It took two months to grow, versus ten days with Kenshin's formations.
From the thirty bunches of Blue sage, Kenshin decided to use twenty for seeds and the remaining ten for his needs. In the future, he planned to give his children Blue sage tea daily. Blue sage tea greatly aided chakra circulation and production, improving shinobi training results by 10-15% on average. Rich Elite Jonin or Kage-level shinobi could take Blue sage baths, boosting training by a record 30%. Kenshin planned such baths for each son at least every few days.
By evening, he brewed Blue sage tea and gave it to his sons.
"Hm? What is this?" Ichiro muttered curiously, tasting the unusual flavor.
"It's Blue sage tea, drink up. It should stimulate the chakra in your body. Feel anything?" Kenshin asked his eldest.
"Mmm, something unusual, can't describe it... Like my chakra got a bit wild but more pliable... Strange feeling..." Ichiro muttered, focusing on his sensations.
"Yes, Father, I feel the same as big brother. Like a storm started in my lower abdomen, at the chakra center, making chakra circulate faster through the channels!" Third said excitedly.
"Yeah, Father, same here!" Fourth confirmed, taking another sip.
After "tea time," all Kenshin's sons went training and spent hours in the gym until Third's voice rang through the telepathic link: "Father, Father! We did it, you have to see this!"
Kenshin rushed to the gym and saw extremely pleased Third and Fourth. To his question "What happened?" they silently formed seals in seconds and shouted in sync:
"Katon: Goukakyuu no Jutsu!" Half-meter fireballs appeared seconds later, flying to the room's far end and smashing into the wall, engulfing it in flames from top to bottom.
"Good job! You worked hard! But don't get cocky. The world is full of shinobi who could crush you with one finger, so train harder!" Kenshin said solemnly, aiming to ignite a spark in their hearts—which, thanks to their total idolization of their father, wasn't hard.
"Yes, Father! You can count on us—with big brother and us guarding, no one will dare enter our home and leave unharmed!" Third declared, while Fourth nodded fiercely in support.
On the 129th day, luck finally smiled on Kenshin again. He refined the Chakra suppression formation. Putting leather cuffs on Ichiro, he personally tested how much a shinobi's combat power dropped without chakra.
On the tatami with his son, Kenshin felt a rare slight relaxation for the first time in ages. Ichiro's incredible speed and strength returned to baseline. All his body's chakra was blocked and "asleep," so Kenshin gave his son a proper fight and barely won.
"Incredible bracers..." Ichiro muttered, removing the cuffs. As soon as they were off, he took a deep breath, like being reborn. His perception sharpened greatly; unable to resist, he jumped up, spun, landed on the ceiling, rolled his shoulders, and instantly appeared beside his father.
Kenshin still couldn't get used to chakra users' insane abilities and just sighed.
"Father, these cuffs probably won't block chakra for anyone above Chunin level. When mine was blocked, I vaguely felt that if I got much stronger, I could easily fight the blocking effect," Ichiro noted.
"Good. I'll try to figure something out and refine the formation," Kenshin said. But deep down, he thought he unlikely could innovate without new knowledge.