Retracting his gaze and closing the panel, Qingming took out a soldier pill and tossed it into his mouth.
Crunch.
He bit down lightly.
A sharp, bitter taste exploded across his tongue, making his eyes twitch.
"No wonder no one likes eating these things… this flavor…"
Shaking his head, he forced himself to endure the taste and swallowed the crushed fragments.
Soon, a warm current rose from his stomach and spread rapidly through his limbs.
Without wasting a second, Qingming sat cross-legged, focused his mind, and began refining chakra.
More than two hours later, his chakra was fully restored. He stopped the Chakra Refining Technique and moved on to practicing the Transformation Technique and Substitution Technique.
The Transformation Technique was relatively simple—he only needed to guide chakra step by step and alter his appearance to build proficiency.
The Substitution Technique, however, was far more troublesome.
It required preparation in advance—props such as wooden logs or boards to act as substitutes.
Despite its name, the technique did not involve spatial teleportation. It was closer to sleight of hand: at the moment of impact, the user would swiftly swap places with the prepared substitute, causing the opponent to misjudge the situation.
This created an opening—either for a counterattack or a clean escape.
Because of this, the technique demanded extremely precise timing. Used well, it was a life-saving trump card. Used poorly, it could expose fatal openings instead.
Of course, no matter how skilled one became, the Substitution Technique had its limits.
As long as there was a substitution process, there would always be a flaw—however small.
Such flaws might not matter in battles between Genin or even Chunin, but at the level of Jonin, nearly everyone could exploit them.
That was why, in high-level combat, this technique was rarely relied upon as a deceptive tool.
But for Qingming, that level was still far away.
At his current stage, the Substitution Technique was a crucial survival skill.
So even though it was tedious to practice, he remained patient.
After more than ten minutes, his chakra ran dry. Qingming swallowed another soldier pill and resumed refining chakra.
Two hours later, once his reserves were nearly full again, he returned to practicing the Transformation and Substitution techniques.
Cycle after cycle, time slipped by.
Near midnight, Qingming finally completed his last round of training.
Compared to before, he had spent an additional two hours on the Chakra Refining Technique today. His chakra capacity increased by two points, and his proficiency rose by three.
Meanwhile, the extra hundred points of recovered chakra boosted his Transformation and Substitution techniques by more than ten proficiency points combined.
It might not sound like much—but steady accumulation made all the difference.
If he gained this much in a single day, what about a month?
A year?
…Well, a year was still too far off.
But a month—that was something he could realistically look forward to.
If not for the mental exhaustion caused by continuous training—and the risk of indigestion from overeating soldier pills—Qingming would have pushed himself through the entire night.
"Haah…"
He stretched, yawned, and after a quick wash, returned to his bedroom.
Before long, the familiar sound of his breathing filled the room.
Time passed quietly.
At some point, a shadow appeared atop the telephone pole outside the window.
A pair of scarlet, three-tomoe Sharingan stared silently at Qingming, observing.
After a brief moment—
The figure vanished.
---
Deep within the Uchiha clan compound, inside the residence of the Great Elder—
Knock, knock, knock.
"Come in."
An aged voice responded from within.
Uchiha Haruto pushed the door open, bowed respectfully, and said:
"Great Elder."
"Oh, Haruto."
The old man looked up. "What is it?"
"It's regarding the observation results of Qingming."
At that, a faint glint flashed in the old man's eyes.
"Well? Has he awakened the Sharingan?"
"…No."
Haruto shook his head.
"Over these past days, there has been no abnormal surge in his chakra, and his mental state remains stable. It can be concluded that he lacks the qualifications to awaken the Sharingan."
"I see…"
Though he had expected this outcome, disappointment still flickered across the old man's face.
Normally, if a clan member possessed the potential to awaken the Sharingan, a stimulus as intense as losing their parents would trigger it immediately—or at least cause noticeable physical and mental changes.
But Qingming had shown none.
Which meant the answer was clear.
"Should we continue observing him?" Haruto asked.
"No need."
The old man waved his hand dismissively.
"You may leave."
"Yes, Great Elder."
Haruto bowed and exited.
---
Qingming, of course, knew nothing of this.
Today had been his final chance to be marked as someone worth cultivating by the clan.
Had he awakened the Sharingan under the emotional stimulus of receiving the pension, his future path would have been far smoother—even gaining protection as a Genin wouldn't have been out of reach.
That was the Uchiha clan—unified internally, even if turbulent externally.
…Well, aside from certain traitors.
But since Qingming hadn't awakened the Sharingan, he was no longer considered a priority.
Even so, had he known, he wouldn't have cared.
He had never planned to rely on the clan.
With the proficiency panel, his growth was only a matter of time.
---
Five days later.
School was about to end.
Clap, clap, clap!
Sugimu Yitō clapped his hands loudly.
"Everyone, gather here!"
"Teacher, what is it? Class is almost over!"
"Yeah!"
The students crowded around him, chatting excitedly.
Qingming stood at the edge of the group, silent. The serious expression on Sugimu Yitō's face told him something was wrong.
And sure enough—
"Quiet!"
The teacher's voice cut through the noise.
After the crowd settled, he spoke:
"The village has decided to advance your annual assessment. In half a month, it will be held as your graduation exam."
A brief pause.
"Those who pass will officially become Konoha Genin."
Although Qingming had anticipated this, hearing it confirmed still made his chest tighten.
Urgency settled in.
But unlike him, many of the students erupted in excitement.
"Teacher, is that true?!"
"We can graduate early?!"
Their voices were filled with naive enthusiasm.
Qingming shook his head slightly.
They're too sheltered…
They had no idea what it truly meant to be a ninja—especially in times like these.
If he had the choice, Qingming would rather stay in the academy forever.
But that wasn't possible.
Now, he could only hope—
That they wouldn't be sent straight to the battlefield after graduation.
Because if that happened…
___________________________
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