It was night.
Inside his room, Qingming had just finished another round of chakra refinement. When he opened his eyes, they were heavy with fatigue.
Even so, he forced himself to continue. Using the small amount of chakra he had just recovered, he performed the Clone Technique—one of the Three Basic Techniques.
Compared to before, his movements were noticeably more refined. He could now complete the hand seals within five seconds, which met the academy's assessment standard.
But that didn't mean he had truly mastered the technique.
Hand seals alone were easy enough to execute. That part was not the issue.
The real difficulty in ninjutsu lay in the simultaneous mobilization and transformation of chakra during execution. Hand seals merely served as a guide for that process.
A sufficiently skilled ninja could simplify or even omit hand seals entirely, sometimes forming them with just one hand.
Of course, such things were far beyond Qingming at his current level.
As of now, he hadn't even properly grasped the Clone Technique.
Trying to run before learning to walk would only lead to failure.
Bang—
A puff of chakra smoke dispersed, and a distorted figure appeared beside him. It vaguely resembled Qingming, but its form was unstable and flawed.
He glanced at it expressionlessly, then immediately dispelled the clone.
Closing his eyes, he thought for a moment before gathering chakra again and forming seals.
Five seconds later, another cloud of smoke appeared—followed by yet another warped imitation of himself.
He repeated the process five times in total, stopping only after exhausting all the chakra in his body.
Taking a deep breath, Qingming summoned his status panel.
---
Name: Uchiha Qingming
Age: 10
Constitution: 5
Spirit: 7
Chakra: 11 (131)
Bloodline: Sharingan · Unawakened (51/100)
Skills:
Chakra Refinement Technique: Lv.0 (8/100)
Clone Technique: Lv.0 (46/100)
Basic Taijutsu: Lv.0 (35/100)
---
Tonight, he had refined chakra for four hours, increasing his maximum capacity from 127 to 131.
During that time, he had recovered a total of 200 chakra points.
Each use of the Clone Technique consumed around 20 chakra, allowing him to practice it ten times.
Thanks to the memories and experience left behind by his predecessor, each attempt granted him two to three points of proficiency.
Tonight alone, he gained 27 points.
Adding that to the previous 19 points brought the total to 46—more than halfway to the entry level.
Additionally, his Chakra Refinement Technique had also benefited from his predecessor's foundation, gaining six points of proficiency—two more than expected.
At this rate, maintaining four hours of daily practice would allow him to reach the entry level in about half a month.
Once that happened, the technique's efficiency would improve, easing his current chakra shortage.
After that, the growth speed of all his skills would increase accordingly.
It wasn't hard to imagine—over time, his overall strength would rise faster and faster.
For now, though…
Slow and steady.
He could push himself further—extend his training hours, accelerate his progress, and reach the entry level sooner.
But what would that really change?
If his assumptions were correct, graduation wasn't far off. In such a short time, how much stronger could he realistically become?
Genin? Chūnin?
Certainly not Jōnin.
And even if he somehow reached Jōnin level, what difference would it make in a war sweeping across the entire ninja world?
He likely wouldn't even be able to influence a single battlefield.
So why push himself so hard for so little return?
Moreover, he was an outsider. A sudden surge in strength would only draw attention—and possibly suspicion.
In that case, it was better to proceed cautiously.
Shaking his head, Qingming dismissed these thoughts. He left the training room, returned to his bedroom, and lay down.
Gazing at the bright moon outside the window, he soon drifted into sleep.
---
The next day.
Afternoon.
They were once again gathered on the training ground.
This time, however, Sugimu Yiteng did not have them spar. Instead, he instructed them to practice throwing kunai and shuriken.
Like hand-to-hand combat, these were essential skills for Genin. Combined with the Three Basic Techniques, they formed the foundation of a functional battlefield soldier.
As for more advanced ninjutsu?
Forget it.
Take Uchiha Qingming as an example. His talent was considered average among clan-born students—but among civilians, it was already above average.
Had he not been reincarnated, the original Qingming would have graduated with barely enough chakra to perform the Three Basic Techniques a handful of times.
If that was his situation, one could imagine how limited the civilian students were.
Teaching them additional ninjutsu would simply be a waste of time.
It wasn't that the academy was unwilling—it was unnecessary.
Talented students from clans had their own family teachings. Those without backgrounds but with potential would be assigned to capable Jōnin instructors.
Thus, the academy focused only on fundamentals.
Besides, this particular cohort was likely to graduate early, and their overall strength would fall short of previous years. There was little point in overinvesting.
Thunk—
A kunai flew through the air and embedded itself into the target five meters away.
Qingming let out a quiet sigh of relief.
If he had missed again, he wouldn't know how to explain it.
Since training began, Sugimu Yiteng had been watching him frequently. The same had happened during yesterday's sparring session.
Qingming knew his recent performance differed significantly from before. He had already prepared an excuse in case he was questioned.
Yet unexpectedly, the instructor said nothing—as if he didn't care at all.
Qingming couldn't decide whether to feel relieved or uneasy.
"Panel."
With a thought, the interface appeared again.
---
Name: Uchiha Qingming
Age: 10
Constitution: 5
Spirit: 7
Chakra: 44 (131)
Bloodline: Sharingan · Unawakened (51/100)
Skills:
Chakra Refinement Technique: Lv.0 (8/100)
Clone Technique: Lv.0 (46/100)
Basic Taijutsu: Lv.0 (35/100)
Ninja Tool Throwing: Lv.0 (1/100)
---
As expected, after landing that throw, a new skill had appeared: Ninja Tool Throwing.
Following the same feeling, Qingming threw another kunai.
Thunk—
This time, it barely struck the target.
On the panel, the proficiency increased to Lv.0 (2/100).
Seeing this, Qingming's eyes lit up.
If his assumption was correct, this might become his first skill to reach entry level.
The reason was simple: practicing this skill didn't consume chakra.
As long as he hadn't reached his predecessor's level, he could quickly accumulate proficiency through repetition alone.
He glanced at Sugimu Yiteng in the distance and wondered, Will he notice anything unusual?
After a moment's thought, Qingming retrieved his kunai and shuriken, moved to the ten-meter target, and began practicing seriously.
Even with the earlier experience, he still missed frequently.
This slowed his proficiency gains, but it was a necessary trade-off.
After all, his predecessor had also missed shots at this distance.
Though Qingming's accuracy was currently worse, it wasn't suspicious—certainly less so than perfect accuracy at five meters.
Given enough time, he would build up proficiency naturally.
And once that happened, there would be no need to worry about exposing himself.
___________________________
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