Withdrawing his gaze and closing the panel, Kyōmei took out a military ration pill and put it into his mouth.
Crunch~
He bit down lightly, crushing it.
Immediately, a bitter taste erupted, making Kyōmei's eye twitch involuntarily.
"No wonder no one likes to eat this stuff, this taste..."
Kyōmei shook his head, enduring the discomfort, and swallowed the crushed bits in his mouth.
Soon, a warm current appeared from his stomach and quickly spread throughout his limbs.
Kyōmei wasted no time, immediately sat cross-legged, focused his mind, and began to refine chakra.
More than two hours later, his chakra had fully recovered. Kyōmei stopped the 'Chakra Refining Technique' and began practicing 'Transformation Jutsu' and 'Body Replacement Jutsu'.
Among them, 'Transformation Jutsu' was relatively straightforward; he only needed to systematically gather chakra and change his appearance to gain proficiency.
But 'Body Replacement Jutsu' was different. Practicing this jutsu required preparing auxiliary tools in advance, such as a wooden log for the replacement.
The so-called Body Replacement Jutsu does not involve spatial displacement; it's more like a visual trick.
That is, at the moment of being attacked, one quickly replaces their body with a pre-prepared substitute, causing the opponent to misjudge.
At this point, the user can seize the opportunity to launch a surprise attack or escape.
Therefore, this jutsu greatly tests a ninja's grasp of timing. Used well, it's a divine skill; used poorly, it can even expose more weaknesses.
However, no matter how proficient one becomes with the Body Replacement Jutsu, it still has its limits.
As long as there's a replacement process, it will inevitably reveal a flaw.
This flaw might not matter much in battles between Genin and Chunin, but at the Jonin level, practically everyone can seize such an opportunity.
Thus, in battles between Jonin, Body Replacement Jutsu is rarely used to deceive opponents.
However, this was a bit far off for Kyōmei.
At this stage, 'Body Replacement Jutsu' was indeed an invaluable life-saving skill for him.
Therefore, even though it was troublesome to practice, he showed no impatience.
More than ten minutes later, his chakra was depleted. Kyōmei swallowed another military ration pill and began refining chakra.
Two hours later, his chakra had almost recovered, and he would again practice 'Transformation Jutsu' and 'Body Replacement Jutsu'.
Like this, as it approached late night, Kyōmei finally completed his last round of training.
Compared to before, today he trained for two extra hours in 'Chakra Refining Technique', increasing his chakra limit by two points and proficiency by three points.
At the same time, the extra hundred points of recovered chakra also added more than ten points of proficiency to his 'Transformation Jutsu' and 'Body Replacement Jutsu'.
Don't underestimate these small changes. As the saying goes, 'many a little makes a mickle.' If he gains this much in a day, how much will it be in a month, or a year?
Uh, a year is a bit far off...
But Kyōmei could still look forward to a month's progress.
If it weren't for the fact that refining chakra and practicing ninjutsu were extremely mentally taxing, and eating too many military ration pills would lead to indigestion, Kyōmei would really want to pull an all-nighter.
"Haa~~~"
Stretching and yawning, after a quick wash, Kyōmei returned to his bedroom.
Soon, familiar snoring could be heard.
Time passed minute by minute.
At one point, a figure appeared on the utility pole outside the window, a pair of scarlet Three-Tomoe Sharingan eyes staring at Kyōmei, seemingly observing something.
Moments later, the figure disappeared.
······
Deep within the Uchiha clan compound, the Elder's residence.
Knock knock knock~
A gentle knock sounded.
"Enter!"
Inside the room, an aged voice came.
Uchiha Jirito pushed the door open and entered. Looking at the old man behind the table, he bowed and said, "Elder!"
"Oh, Jirito!"
The old man looked up at Uchiha Jirito and asked, "Is there something you need?"
"Reporting, Elder, it's about the observation results concerning Kyōmei."
Uchiha Jirito replied respectfully.
Hearing this, a gleam flashed in the old man's eyes, and then he slowly asked, "Well, has he awakened the Sharingan?"
"No."
Uchiha Jirito shook his head and said, "After observing for these past few days, there has been no explosive growth of chakra within him, and his mental state is relatively stable. It can basically be confirmed that he does not possess the aptitude to awaken the Sharingan."
"Is that so..."
Hearing Uchiha Jirito's answer, even though he had anticipated it, the old man couldn't help but feel a little disappointed.
Generally speaking, if a clan member has the aptitude to awaken the Sharingan, they can awaken it immediately upon receiving a stimulus comparable to the death of their parents.
Even if it doesn't awaken immediately, some changes will appear in their body and mind, and with a little more stimulation, it can be smoothly awakened.
However, after Kyōmei learned of his parents' sacrifice, he neither awakened it immediately, nor did his body undergo corresponding changes for a period afterward.
From this, it can basically be confirmed that he does not possess the aptitude to awaken the Sharingan.
"Elder, should we continue to observe him?"
Seeing the old man remain silent for a long time, Uchiha Jirito spoke.
"No need."
The old man waved his hand and said, "You may leave!"
"Yes, Elder!"
With a reply, Uchiha Jirito exited the room.
Kyōmei didn't know that today was his last chance to be valued by the clan.
If he had been able to awaken the Sharingan today, stimulated by the survivor's benefits, then, not to mention a meteoric rise, his path forward would definitely have been much smoother.
He might even have gotten a bodyguard during his Genin phase.
Indeed, this was the Uchiha clan. While difficult to deal with externally, they were quite united internally.
Uh...
Except for a certain traitor!
However, Kyōmei did not awaken the Sharingan, so he was destined not to receive the treatment of a genius.
However, even if Kyōmei knew, he wouldn't care.
His reliance was never the Uchiha clan. With the proficiency panel, he could grow eventually.
······
Five days later.
Nearing the end of classes.
Clap clap clap~
Sugiki Ittō clapped his hands and shouted loudly, "Class, everyone come over here!"
"Teacher, what's wrong? Class is almost over!"
"Yeah! Yeah!"
"..."
Hearing Sugiki Ittō's call, over thirty students noisily crowded around him, chattering amongst themselves, creating a lively scene.
Kyōmei stood at the edge of the crowd, silent. He sensed something amiss from Sugiki Ittō's serious face.
Sure enough, Sugiki Ittō's next words confirmed his suspicion.
"Silence!"
Sugiki Ittō shouted loudly. After everyone quieted down, he said, "The village has decided to change your annual assessment, scheduled for half a month from now, into a graduation examination.
At that time, those who pass the assessment will be granted the rank of Leaf Genin and become true ninjas."
Although he had anticipated it, when Kyōmei actually heard the news, a sense of urgency still welled up within him.
However, unlike his solemnity,
many classmates in the crowd cried out in excitement upon hearing the news.
"Teacher Sugiki, are you serious?"
"Yeah, Teacher, can we really become ninjas early?"
"..."
Hearing these somewhat naive words, Kyōmei shook his head and thought to himself, "These people are still too well-protected. They don't truly understand the dangers of being a ninja, especially in this era."
If it were possible, Kyōmei would want to stay in school his whole life.
But that was impossible.
Now he only hoped that they wouldn't be immediately sent to the battlefield after graduation, otherwise...
(End of Chapter)
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