Chapter 9: Half a Month Later

The so-called "Reflection of the Heart Technique" involves conveying inner emotions and thoughts through mental willpower, transmitting them through the eyes to the target. This disrupts the target's senses and, in turn, affects their judgment. On the surface, this seems like a standard visual genjutsu, but a deeper understanding reveals it to be far from ordinary. The most obvious issue is that the learning difficulty of this technique is completely disproportionate to its actual effect. According to the scroll, the "Reflection of the Heart Technique" has an A-rank learning difficulty, but its actual effect is inferior to even some C-rank genjutsu of the same type. If his parents wanted to learn genjutsu, they would never have chosen this one. But they did. And they even treasured it. The reason for this choice could only be one thing: this technique was believed to help the Uchiha clan awaken the Sharingan. At least, that's what was written on the scroll. The ninja world has never lacked visionaries, and the Uchiha clan is no exception. Long ago, some members of the Uchiha clan realized the downsides of the Sharingan—not only was it difficult to awaken, but it also tended to lead one down extreme paths. Thus, they wondered if there was a gentler way to awaken the Sharingan, making the process more controlled. This way, it would not only enhance the strength of the Uchiha clan but also bring more stability within the clan. So, the Byakugan of the Hyuga clan caught their attention. As one of the three great dōjutsu, the Byakugan's awakening process was much gentler compared to the Sharingan. Even those with less pure bloodlines could, through rigorous training, gradually awaken it by adulthood. This was something the Sharingan could not achieve. The Uchiha clan's Sharingan required intense mental stimulation to awaken. And once someone reaches adulthood, their worldview is mostly set. They've experienced all that they could, and unless something drastic happens, it's almost impossible to awaken the Sharingan after adulthood. Hence, they began to explore if they could develop a training method similar to the Hyuga clan's approach to the Byakugan. The "Reflection of the Heart Technique" was born under such circumstances. Its principle was to mimic the changes in chakra and mental power in the brain when the Sharingan activates its hypnosis ability, reverse-stimulating the brain's nerves, visual nerves, body cells, and mental power to trigger the awakening of the Sharingan. This was akin to creating a suitable environment for the Sharingan, allowing the bloodline's power to take effect and produce results. They succeeded, but also failed. They succeeded because the "Reflection of the Heart Technique" could indeed assist in the awakening of the Sharingan; they failed because its effect was so minimal. According to the scroll, several Uchiha members practiced this technique, but not a single one managed to awaken the Sharingan through it. If the developer hadn't confidently vouched for its effectiveness, and if some Sharingan-wielding Uchiha members hadn't confirmed that it could indeed promote the Sharingan's evolution to some extent, people might have dismissed it as a well-meaning lie. However, its high learning difficulty and almost negligible effect rendered it obsolete. After all, Uchiha members who had already awakened their Sharingan had no need to learn it, and those who hadn't would find little result after painstakingly mastering it. Given this, it was no wonder it fell into disuse. Currently, only a few ambitious Uchiha members still try to practice it, while most haven't even heard of it. No wonder Seimei didn't know about it. Reflecting on it, it was clear that Seimei's parents had also pursued this technique out of ambition. Unfortunately, they perished on the battlefield before mastering it. However, Seimei would carry on their will and use this technique to awaken the Sharingan, becoming the first Uchiha in history to awaken the Sharingan through it. While others may be limited by their aptitude or run out of patience, unable to master the "Reflection of the Heart Technique" to a high level, Seimei wouldn't face that issue. With the proficiency panel at his disposal, he could see and measure every bit of progress. Therefore, as long as he confirmed its real effectiveness, Seimei wouldn't give up. This would be his key to scaling new heights. "Hu——" After taking a deep breath to calm his mind, Seimei grabbed the scrolls containing the Fire Style: Great Fireball Jutsu and the "Reflection of the Heart Technique" and left the study. For the next half month, he planned to dedicate half his energy to practicing these two jutsu and genjutsu, aiming not to master them but at least become familiar. Given the current bustling atmosphere of the village, the frontline situation hadn't completely collapsed, so there was a good chance they wouldn't send rookies like them directly to the battlefield. This meant he had some buffer time. By then, he would have mastered the Fire Style: Great Fireball Jutsu as a trump card and tested the effects of the "Reflection of the Heart Technique." If possible, it would be best to awaken the Sharingan, giving him an extra layer of protection on the battlefield. With these thoughts in mind, Seimei began his training for the night. ······ In the blink of an eye, half a month had passed. It was now late September. At this time, there was only one week left until the graduation exam. After reviewing the exam content, Seimei immediately requested a week off to focus entirely on his training. Ordinarily, getting time off would've been difficult, but at this point, as long as the reason was valid, Sugi Itō wouldn't have stopped him. Back home, Seimei opened the panel. **[Name: Uchiha Seimei Age: 10 Physique: 5 Spirit: 7 Chakra: 16 (192→372) Bloodline: Sharingan·Unawakened (51/100) Skills: Chakra Refinement Technique: lv1 (1/200) → lv1 (91/200) Clone Technique: lv1 (20/200) → lv1 (95/200) Transformation Technique: lv1 (19/200) → lv1 (94/200) Substitution Technique: lv1 (18/200) → lv1 (93/200) *Fire Style: Great Fireball Jutsu: lv0 (30/100) *Reflection of the Heart Technique: lv0 (30/100) Basic Taijutsu: lv1 (65/200) → lv1 (185/200) Ninja Tool Throwing: lv2 (42/500) → lv2 (120/500)]** For the past half month, he consistently practiced the "Chakra Refinement Technique" for six hours every night. Thanks to the powerful effects of lv1, his chakra limit increased by 12 points per day, totaling 180 points over the half month. As a result, compared to half a month ago, his chakra limit had nearly doubled, from 192 to 372. Casting one of the Three Basic Jutsu required around 20 chakra points, and with 372 chakra points, he could now perform 18 or 19 of these jutsu. That was about the standard of an experienced genin. In other words, aside from battle experience, his strength was already on par with seasoned genin. However, as his chakra increased, Seimei began to sense a limit. This limit wasn't from the "Chakra Refinement Technique" itself but from his body. The "Chakra Refinement Technique" merely accelerated the process of tapping into his potential; it didn't increase his body's capacity. If his body were a bucket, then the "Chakra Refinement Technique" was the ladle used to fetch water. The amount of water the bucket could hold didn't depend on the size of the ladle but on the size of the bucket itself. **Physique: 5! Spirit: 7!** It was clear that his "bucket" wasn't large enough. In other words, his body had a limit, and once his chakra reached a certain level, it would stop growing. At that point, unless he increased his body's capacity, there would be no use maxing out the "Chakra Refinement Technique." Fortunately, as time passed and with the continued practice of basic taijutsu, Seimei could vaguely sense his physique improving. This allowed his body's capacity to continuously expand. (End of Chapter)