đ€ŁInsert Some Funny Memes or GIFđ€Ł
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Sasuke looked at his Sharingan, now slightly redder than before, and suddenly felt much better.
Even the pain in his butt seemed to have eased a little.
Uchiha Hikaru patted Sasuke's head with his right hand and unconsciously smoothed out his hair.
Kids are so easy to fool. His eyes were red from crying, which just made his Sharingan look more intense.
He hadn't expected Sasuke to believe such a flimsy explanation. Is he even easier to fool than Naruto in the original timeline?
And just like thatâwith Sasuke clutching his backside with one hand and a smile on his faceâUchiha Hikaru's strength assessment of the four ended.
After all, they had already displayed all their current abilities. Any further sparring would just be unnecessary punishment.
And Hikaru wasn't the type to torment children for no reason.
He gathered all four of them under the large parasol he'd brought along and handed out the juice he'd prepared in advance.
One cup per personâno refills.
He then pulled out ten ultra-luxurious bento boxes from a storage scroll.
At first, Shino assumed they were for his bugs.
But then, to the shock of Shino, Sasuke, and Hayate, Hinataâunder repeated reminders from Uchiha Hikaru to "not waste food~"âproceeded to eat all six bento boxes.
After lunch, Uchiha Hikaru activated his brain and began planning his personalized training programs for each of the four.
He looked seriously at Hayate first.
"Hayate, your chakra reserves are far higher than the average Chunin's, but your chronic illness has always held you back. It prevents you from using ninjutsu frequently."
Hayate nodded. He understood what Uchiha Hikaru meant.
"Exactly. That's why I haven't learned too many ninjutsu techniques. Using chakra puts too much strain on my body. That's why I focus almost entirely on swordsmanship, and I rarely even use taijutsu."
Uchiha Hikaru was satisfied with Hayate's self-awarenessâbut he had an idea.
"From now on, I'll begin teaching you how to perceive space."
"And I'll teach you a unique sword technique that only I use."
Hayate's eyes lit up with anticipation. What kind of sword style did Uchiha Hikaru use? He had never seen him draw his blade in battle.
Noticing Hayate's eager expression, Hikaru walked over to a nearby tree trunk and clenched his right hand in the air.
The spirit blade, suddenly materialized in his grip.
With a casual swing, he slashed toward the tree trunk.
A sharp crack split the airâfollowed by a sharp explosion.
Hayate's eyes widened as he saw the trunk cleanly sliced into three distinct segments. His pupils trembled.
"One swing... how did it cut three times?!"
Uchiha Hikaru released the sword from his hand, and vanished into white smoke, sealing itself back onto his right wrist.
"This is a technique that incorporates spatial perception into swordsmanship," he said calmly.
"I call itâFlame Fan."
"If you can master this move, you won't need to use chakra to create shadow clones in combat."
"Every strike will carry a hidden, deadly threatâperfect for unexpected counters."
"And one day, once your illness is cured, you'll be able to combine Earth Release with Flame Fan to kill your opponents without them ever realizing how."
Hayate's mind raced. He couldn't help but envision how such a technique would transform his future combat style.
If his talent in spatial perception proved strong enough, he might one day slash through space itselfâcutting enemies tens or even hundreds of meters away.
Next, Uchiha Hikaru turned his attention to Shino.
Shino's heart started to race. What sort of guidance would he receive?
"Shino, your biggest problem is your chosen path."
"Do you want to breed stronger individual parasites? Or cultivate a massive swarm of them?"
Shino was taken aback by the question but began to seriously reflect on it.
It was exactly the dilemma he had been facing. He had split his effortsâtrying to find exceptional individuals among his insects and nurture them, while also trying to increase their numbers.
This dual focus was not uncommon within the Aburame clan.
It was also the reason their clan had never produced a Kage-level shinobi.
Even during the Warring States Period, they had survived only by relying on other, more powerful clansâand the information-gathering abilities of their insects.
After a long moment of thought, Shino clenched his fists, steeled his nerves, and made his decision.
"Sensei... I want to cultivate a larger swarm of parasites."
He had weighed the pros and cons.
Breeding strong individual insects might grant occasional bursts of powerâbut their lifespan was short, usually only around three months.
That meant he'd always face a gap in strength between generations. Trying to maintain two separate batches would split his attention and efficiency.
In that case, he'd rather go all in on numbersâquantity over quality.
Uchiha Hikaru nodded, satisfied.
"Good choice. I agree. The greatest advantage of insects lies in their rapid reproductive cycle and overwhelming numbers."
He recalled the terrifying Zerg rush strategies from his past life's games. The brutal effectiveness of swarm tactics left a deep impression on him.
"As long as the swarm is big enough, even ants can bring down an elephant. That's the path I want to guide you on."
"But it will take a significant investment of timeâand money."
"You'll need to talk to your father. This is going to cost your family quite a bit."
"You'll need a large supply of highly toxic substancesâto screen and condition your parasites. Then, you'll train them again using different chakra natures to further refine their resistance."
"If you're going the route of numbers, then you'll need to make up for it with lethality. It's best if touching them alone is fatal."
Shino nodded seriously.
As an Aburame, he understood exactly what Uchiha Hikaru meant.
It was a process of brutal natural selectionâusing poisons to isolate the strongest insect larvae, ones that not only survived toxicity but also became venomous themselves. Then, using elemental chakra to push their resistance and evolution even further.
In the end, he'd be left with a colony of elite insectsâreproducing rapidly and ready for mass deployment.
Yes, it would take time, money, and during the initial phases, his strength might fall behind.
But once complete, it would represent a qualitative leapânot just for him, but for the entire Aburame clan.
And now that Orochimaru had returned to Konoha to open a Ninjutsu Academy, surely more efficient training methods could be discoveredâones that might even cut the cost.
Shino's heart swelled with gratitude.
Not only for Uchiha Hikaru's personal instruction, but for what it meant for the legacy and strength of the Aburame clan.
Of course, Uchiha Hikaru had his reasons too.
The Aburame were the first clan to stand publicly with the Uchiha in the village's political structure.
And loyalty like that deserved reward.
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Bonus Chapter at 150 Power Stone
Second Bonus Chapter - 300 Power Stones
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