Three days later.
In a forest in the northwest of Konoha, Qingming and his team had arrived.
"Is this the place?" Ryōsuke looked around, asking.
"Yeah," Furukawa nodded, "From now on, you guys will collect herbs here according to the mission requirements. Remember, don't pick the wrong ones!"
Indeed, they were starting another mission today.
Just as Qingming had thought, Furukawa didn't recklessly continue taking C-rank missions, but instead opted for a D-rank mission to gather herbs. It was easy to guess that this task was issued by the Nara clan since they managed this forest.
Not only did it grow various rare medicinal herbs, but it also housed a large number of deer, whose antlers were also precious medicinal materials.
The combined value was evident. Therefore, even ninjas from the same village couldn't enter without their approval.
They were allowed to take the task, or else they would have been stopped before even getting close.
"Got it," Ryōsuke waved his hand impatiently and muttered, "Seriously, such an easy task; even a regular person could do it. Why do we have to do it?"
"Ryōsuke, stop complaining," Mizutani Shizuko gently advised him, then explained seriously, "Although this forest is relatively safe, there are still wild animals that sometimes wander in. It can be dangerous for regular people, which is why we lower-ranking ninjas are needed."
Hearing Shizuko's earnest explanation, Ryōsuke quickly replied, "Alright, alright, Shizuko. I got it!"
Seeing them like this, Qingming felt relieved.
Clearly, the three days had been enough for them to adjust their mindsets.
However, the previous task hadn't been without impact; even though they seemed to behave like before, the innocence on their faces had noticeably diminished after witnessing bloodshed.
This, perhaps, was the intention of Furukawa and the village.
Shaking his head, Qingming stopped dwelling on it.
With a thought, he gathered some chakra under his feet and followed his two companions into the depths of the dense forest.
After nearly four days of practice, his 'Chakra Control' had increased from lv2 (350/500) to lv3 (3/1000), further enhancing his control over chakra.
Now, he could save 15% of his chakra while using the same ninjutsu without any loss in power.
This was already the limit for an ordinary person.
Even with the benefits of the proficiency panel, making further breakthroughs in a short time seemed unlikely.
The reason was simple: once he leveled up to lv3, the efficiency of brushing proficiency dropped significantly.
Before, he could gain about forty to fifty proficiency points in a day, but now he only managed about five at most.
Given the effort, this reward was utterly insignificant.
Moreover, practicing 'Chakra Control' didn't consume much chakra and wouldn't take up too much of his time. Otherwise, he would have stopped practicing long ago.
Until he found a more effective way to train, he didn't plan on wasting too much time and energy on it.
From now on, he would likely only practice it during his "free" time.
Just like now, during the herb gathering process, he could practice a little when he was idle.
"Qingming, hurry up!"
Just as Qingming was lost in thought, Ryōsuke's voice called from the front.
"Coming!" Qingming replied, quickly catching up.
Time passed slowly as the three executed their mundane D-rank missions, just like when they had just graduated.
Before long, a week had gone by.
That night, at home.
Qingming opened his eyes, letting the special chakra induced by 'Reflective Heart Technique' dissipate, and slowly opened his proficiency panel.
Name: Uchiha Qingming
Age: 10
Constitution: 6
Spirit: 7
Chakra: 14 (1546→2011)
Bloodline: Sharingan · Unawakened (81/100)
Skills:
Chakra Refinement Technique: lv2 (240/500) → lv2 (360/500)Shadow Clone Technique: lv2 (140/500) → lv2 (270/500)Transformation Technique: lv2 (130/500) → lv2 (260/500)Body Replacement Technique: lv2 (110/500) → lv2 (250/500)Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique: lv1 (16/200) → lv1 (30/200)Reflective Heart Technique: lv2 (110/500)Basic Taijutsu: lv2 (150/500) → lv2 (280/500)Ninja Tool Throwing: lv2 (260/500) → lv2 (380/500)Chakra Control: lv3 (25/1000)
Qingming quickly bypassed the basic attributes and focused on the progress of his Sharingan awakening.
"Still no increase, huh?"
Looking at the panel, which still showed (81/100) for the Sharingan awakening progress, Qingming murmured.
He had sensed that the 'Reflective Heart Technique' was lacking in potency earlier, and this confirmed it.
According to the previous pattern he had summarized, reaching lv2 (110/500) in 'Reflective Heart Technique' should have allowed his Sharingan awakening to increase to (82/100).
But in reality, the progress remained at (81/100).
'As expected, my worries have come true.'
Qingming had long known that the Sharingan wasn't easy to awaken, and the effects of 'Reflective Heart Technique' would likely diminish as the awakening progressed.
As anticipated, once the Sharingan awakening reached (81/100), the ten proficiency points in 'Reflective Heart Technique' were insufficient to progress it by even one point.
If he were any other Uchiha clan member, he would likely be stuck here.
Afterward, they would either wait for an opportunity to awaken it the traditional way, like those who had successfully awakened their Sharingan in the past, or they would have to diligently work on increasing the proficiency of 'Reflective Heart Technique', slowly grinding through.
The former, if successful, would undoubtedly weaken the effectiveness of 'Reflective Heart Technique', while the latter would likely yield no hope.
Because this was just the beginning.
Now that ten proficiency points in 'Reflective Heart Technique' couldn't move the needle on the Sharingan awakening, later it might take twenty, thirty points to do so.
This was a path without a clear end.
Of course, Qingming was different.
With the proficiency panel, he could easily increase the proficiency of 'Reflective Heart Technique'. No matter how long the road ahead, he would be able to see the end.
Suppressing the urge to continue practicing 'Reflective Heart Technique', Qingming shifted his attention to the other parts of the panel.
The proficiency for Shadow Clone Technique, 'Basic Taijutsu', and 'Ninja Tool Throwing' hadn't changed much — over ten days, each had gained about a hundred proficiency points.
However, his chakra limit had increased by only a little over a hundred points, which was less than he had expected.
Originally, with the growth of 'Chakra Refinement Technique' by a hundred and twenty points, his chakra limit should have increased by four hundred and eighty points.
1546 + 480 = 2026.
Yet now, his chakra limit was only 2011 points, which was fifteen points below the theoretical value.
The reason for this was simple: his "barrel" was nearing its limit.
The 'Chakra Refinement Technique' had sped up the process of tapping into his potential, but it couldn't enhance his innate limits.
Now, the chakra limit it raised was still slightly below the theoretical value, but after some time, it might fall by dozens of points.
Once his potential was fully tapped out, the effectiveness of 'Chakra Refinement Technique' would likely dwindle to just restoring chakra.
"I need to awaken my Sharingan as soon as possible. Only by awakening it can I significantly enhance my potential."
Muttering to himself, Qingming closed the panel and began another round of training.
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