Chapter 12: Hope

Night. In the training room. Seimei skillfully completed a series of hand seals, and chakra surged within him. The next moment, a glint flashed in his eyes. In front of him, a rabbit he was staring at in a cage instantly fell into a deep sleep. Proficiency +1! On the panel, 'Heart Reflection Technique' instantly changed from lv0 (99/100) to lv1 (1/200)! As the 'Heart Reflection Technique' leveled up, a special kind of chakra was born within his mind and flowed into his eyes through the chakra pathways. "This is..." Suddenly, Seimei recalled Tobirama Senju's explanation of the Uchiha clan's eye awakening. That is, the Uchiha clan members were born with great "love." When they lost this "love," a special kind of chakra would surge in their brains, affecting their optic nerves. At this time, their eyes would undergo a change, which was the awakening of the Sharingan. This process was so similar to what had just happened in his mind that Seimei couldn't help but think more about it. "Panel!" With a thought, Seimei opened the proficiency panel. [Name: Uchiha Seimei Age: 10 years old Physique: 6 Spirit: 7 Chakra: 415 (580→622) Bloodline: Sharingan - Unawakened (51/100) Skills: Chakra Refinement Technique: lv2 (9/500) Clone Technique: lv2 (1/500) Transformation Technique: lv2 (1/500) Substitution Technique: lv2 (1/500) Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique: lv0 (52/100) Heart Reflection Technique: lv1 (1/200) Basic Taijutsu: lv2 (1/500) Ninja Tool Throwing: lv2 (120/500)] "No change?" Looking at the Sharingan awakening progress, which still showed (51/100), Seimei was stunned. He never expected the 'Heart Reflection Technique' to be ineffective. "No, wait..." Seimei took a deep breath, then slowly exhaled. He closed his eyes and pondered for a while. After calming down, he formed the hand seals again and performed the 'Heart Reflection Technique' once more. Before mastering it, he needed a rabbit as a target to ensure success. But now, he could freely use this technique without an external target. The only thing that made Seimei uncomfortable was that after reaching lv1, each use of the 'Heart Reflection Technique' consumed at least two hundred points of chakra. Although the chakra consumption of the three basic techniques also changed before and after mastery, it wasn't as drastic as the 'Heart Reflection Technique'. But thinking about it, it made sense. The three basic techniques were only the lowest level E-rank ninjutsu, and each use only consumed about twenty points of chakra. The 'Heart Reflection Technique', on the other hand, was A-rank. Before mastery, each practice session required at least one hundred points of chakra. Now, consuming two hundred points was reasonable. It was fortunate that he had a decent amount of chakra now, otherwise, he might not have been able to handle it. Putting his thoughts aside, Seimei stopped dwelling on it and started to carefully experience the effects of the 'Heart Reflection Technique'. Just like before, a special kind of chakra was born in his mind and flowed into his eyes. A few breaths later, Seimei opened his eyes. The Sharingan awakening progress on the panel still hadn't changed. However, Seimei didn't show much emotional fluctuation this time. He was certain that his eyes were getting closer to awakening the Sharingan based on his feelings just now. In other words, the 'Heart Reflection Technique' was effective, but the effect was somewhat weak. Reflected on the panel, it meant that the Sharingan awakening progress remained unchanged. 'Now it depends on how many times I need to use the 'Heart Reflection Technique' before the Sharingan awakening progress increases by 1.' Thinking this, Seimei gathered chakra again, formed the hand seals, and performed the Heart Reflection Technique. Once, twice, thrice... Several hours later. When Seimei increased the proficiency of the 'Heart Reflection Technique' to lv1 (10/200), the Sharingan awakening progress on the panel finally changed to (52/100). This made Seimei let out a sigh of relief. Although he had anticipated it, only when the panel actually changed did he completely relax. He silently calculated that he had consumed about two thousand points of chakra before and after, just to increase the Sharingan awakening progress by one point. This cost was both significant and insignificant. It would indeed be difficult for a Genin to gather so much chakra, but a Chunin could definitely afford it. Even if they didn't grind ten proficiency points at once like him, they could do it in separate sessions. Even if they persisted in using it once a day, it would only take a few months to awaken the Sharingan. 'Then why hasn't anyone in the Uchiha clan succeeded?' Persisting for a few years might be challenging, but a few months was definitely achievable for some. Seimei wouldn't underestimate the Uchiha clan members' desire for the Sharingan. With that belief supporting them, persisting for a few months shouldn't be a problem. But even so, no one had awakened the Sharingan using this technique. This cast a shadow over Seimei's heart. After pondering for a long time, Seimei couldn't figure it out. Since he couldn't figure it out, he decided not to dwell on it. The progress on the panel had moved, and all he had to do next was grind. It just so happened that he didn't have to go to school for the next few days, so he could take this opportunity to master the 'Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique' and also test and confirm the pattern of the Sharingan awakening progress increase, allowing him to better formulate a training plan. However, those were things for later. Seimei yawned, glanced at the time, and saw it was already 5 AM. To confirm the effect of the 'Heart Reflection Technique', he had stayed up until now. It was time to rest. ... The next day. Noon. After a simple meal, Seimei went to the training ground and started practicing alone. First was refining chakra. The lv2 'Chakra Refinement Technique' was quite effective, restoring six hundred points of chakra in just three hours. With abundant chakra, he began practicing the 'Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique'. As a C-rank ninjutsu, and an offensive one at that, each practice session consumed at least fifty points of chakra. Currently, his 'Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique' was at lv0 (52/100). As long as he followed the standard procedure, each attempt, regardless of success or failure, would increase his proficiency by one point. In other words, he needed forty-eight more attempts to level up. Forty-eight times fifty, that was two thousand four hundred points of chakra. This was also close to the limit of chakra Seimei could use daily. Unless his Physique increased again, or he found Soldier Pills that were easier to absorb and digest, it would be difficult to raise this limit. ... Boom! A fireball was spat out by Seimei and quickly expanded, eventually becoming a massive fireball with a diameter of one and a half meters. The fireball crashed to the ground, creating a large crater. The inside of the crater was scorched black, still emitting intense heat even after the flames died out. In one afternoon, he had raised the 'Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique' to lv0 (75/100). Although he hadn't mastered it yet, he could occasionally succeed. Just like the one just now, it was already at the level of mastery. Looking up at the sky, the sun was already setting. Seimei didn't stay any longer and immediately returned home. After a short rest, he resumed his training. It wasn't convenient to practice ninjutsu indoors, so Seimei focused his energy on the 'Heart Reflection Technique'. He practiced repeatedly until late at night before finally falling into a deep sleep. The next few days were the same. (End of Chapter)