Naruto: Under the Banner of the Clans

While Izaya returned with Kaede and Chikara, Akeno had just finished explaining to Renji the entire history of his clan and the reasons why Kaede ended up here.

It wasn't just Renji who was shocked, but Fubuki was also taken aback.

"So the Sage of Six Paths exists..." murmured Fubuki.

"Yes, and his soul still exists, observing your world without intervening in the slightest. Perhaps he wishes to follow a prophecy, but what is certain is that nothing will change, and all your clans will eventually cease to exist if your world continues on its current course," Akeno said.

Since the creation of the great hidden villages, the Uchiha and Uzumaki clans had fallen to less than 5 members, the Senju clan had only Tsunade left, the Kaguya and Yuki clans had been exterminated to the last, and only the Hyuga clan had managed to survive.

These great clans, once feared by most of the ninja world, had fallen from their positions, and Akeno felt disappointed thinking about their lost heritage. But now, that would never happen. With him at the helm, he would restore the greatness that should have rightfully belonged to the great clans of the ninja world.

Now in the same room were the six he had chosen to become the respective leaders of their clans. With them, others would come, and Akeno would create a mighty force capable of challenging any opposition.

In this state of mind, Akeno checked the state of the chakra network in his body and turned his head to look at them.

"It's time to begin. You'll all need to send your chakra into my body simultaneously, and Izaya will be in charge of controlling the chakra within my body," Akeno said, locking eyes with Izaya as he continued. "You'll need to direct everyone's chakra to perfectly follow the chakra network already mapped out in my body."

Compared to the first time, the chakra system was already established in his body, so Izaya's task was no longer blind guesswork but one of control to guide the different chakras along the already defined path.

The inheritance of the sages.

With the spiritual energy inherited from the Hyuga and Uchiha clans, and the physical energy inherited from the Senju, Uzumaki, and Kaguya clans, he should finally be able to bring to life the organ that produces chakra in his body.

It was time.

Renji followed suit and positioned his hand like everyone else's, on Akeno's back.

Akeno closed his eyes and focused, using his Qi to also control the chakra to prevent it from leaking outside the predefined path.

With Izaya at the center and Kaede, Chikara, Maiko, and Renji beside him, they poured their chakras simultaneously into Akeno's body.

Even with a small flow from each of them, the sum of the five chakras amounted to a considerable quantity for the dormant chakra network in his body.

Izaya was already sweating, focusing on his Byakugans to maintain control of the chakra.

In this state, Akeno hoped with all his heart that this time would be successful.

Minutes felt like hours, and the concentration of Akeno and Izaya reached its peak.

As the five young ninjas collapsed from the immense effort they had exerted, Akeno opened his eyes, blood at the corner of his lips.

He felt his Qi and a new energy running parallel to his Qi in his body.

Raising his right hand, he drew from his Qi and poured it into his hand, where a small white Qi surface appeared. "Qi in the right hand!"

Raising his left hand, he then poured chakra, and again, a bluish surface appeared on his hand. "And chakra in the left hand!"

Akeno couldn't be happier. Finally! Chakra!

Feeling his body, he sensed the chakra circulating perfectly through his body's 361 tenketsu, continually producing more chakra.

For now, his chakra reserves were low, and he would surely need to wait longer to ascertain his limit.

Unlike ninjas in the Naruto world, he had a body tempered by Qi, as well as his soul. Based on this hypothesis, he should have much more chakra than most ninjas since chakra was created from the physical and spiritual.

Qi would strengthen his body and increase chakra quantity. Chakra would give him more strength and further consolidate his body, allowing Akeno to store more Qi in his body.

In this virtuous cycle, the interaction between Qi and chakra would lead to continuous improvement in his power and resilience, making Akeno stronger with each cycle.

This was his cheat code to becoming a great power in this world.

Wiping the blood away with his sleeve, he looked at the young ninjas collapsed from exhaustion and went to fetch water to quench their thirst.

...

"I'm hungry..."

It had been a few hours since Akeno waited for his chakra reserves to fully replenish. For now, he felt his reserves increasing without any stop.

He felt great fatigue and terrible hunger enveloping him.

For the first time in his life, his body was creating its own energy, drawing from his physical and spiritual energies. Starting from an empty reserve, which usually meant death for ninjas, Akeno's body and mind demanded much effort.

The voracious hunger gnawing at him testified to the immense amount of calories and nutrients his body was burning to support the continuous production of chakra. Just like the fatigue overwhelming him.

He had to find something to eat quickly if he wanted to avoid collapsing from exhaustion. His new comrades, exhausted from the effort they had exerted, slept soundly around him, unaware of the internal struggle he was waging to stabilize his energies.

With one last glance at the five young ninjas sleeping, Akeno rose painfully, his legs trembling from the effort. He had to find food, and fast.

Accompanied by Fubuki, who didn't want to stay in the room, they headed towards the sect's stands distributing food from animals hunted in the forest.

The hunger made the smell of meat extremely sweet.

Begging for a few more portions, Akeno ate everything he could swallow.

Sitting on a bench with Fubuki, Akeno savored every bite with the widest smile.

"I see you're again accompanied by a promising young boy," a voice said behind Akeno.

Surprised, Akeno turned his head, mouth full of food. "Who... who is this?" he asked, his voice muffled by food.

Fang Qin, the branch master, stood there, an amused expression on his face. His mysterious gaze was fixed on young Fubuki.

In his eyes, he could see a cold aura emanating from the boy. Moreover, his gaze was piercing, as if he had never known fear, which was quite remarkable for a young child.

"Oh, Branch Master, forgive me, I haven't properly introduced my young friend whom I recently met," Akeno said, feeling embarrassed. He could tell Fang Qin didn't believe him at all, but he continued, "You know how it is, I found him and two other children on the streets of the city and took them under my wing."

Even though it was clearly a lie seen through Fang Qin's eyes, Akeno wouldn't be the first to admit it. "So, Branch Master, do you accept letting them join the branch?"

"Hmm... There are two others?" he asked.

Akeno nodded and introduced Fubuki. "Yes, this one is Fubuki, and the other two are Renji and Maiko. I kindly ask you to accept them."

The old man smiled wearily. "Do as you wish. I just wonder how many more of these children will join you..."

"Not many, don't worry," Akeno said. "Just an entire world," he thought.