Retracting his gaze and closing the panel, Seimei took out a Military Rations Pill and stuffed it into his mouth.
Crunch~
He bit down slightly, breaking it apart. Instantly, a bitter taste erupted, causing Seimei's eyes to twitch involuntarily.
"No wonder no one likes eating this stuff; this taste…"
Seimei shook his head, enduring the discomfort, and swallowed the fragments in his mouth.
Soon, a warm current emerged from his stomach and quickly spread throughout his limbs.
Seimei didn't waste any time; he immediately sat cross-legged, focused his mind, and began refining Chakra.
After more than two hours, Seimei's Chakra was fully restored. He stopped the 'Chakra refining technique' and began practicing 'Transformation Jutsu' and 'Substitution Jutsu.'
Among these, 'Transformation Jutsu' was relatively straightforward; he just needed to methodically gather Chakra and change his appearance to gain Proficiency level.
However, 'Substitution Jutsu' was different. Practicing this technique required preparation of auxiliary tools, such as the wooden boards used for substitution.
The so-called Substitution Jutsu does not involve spatial transformation; it is more like a form of misdirection. When one is attacked, the practitioner quickly uses a pre-prepared substitution object to mislead the opponent, causing them to misjudge the situation.
At this moment, the caster can take the opportunity to launch a surprise attack or escape.
Therefore, this technique requires the Ninja to have a keen sense of timing; if executed well, it can be a godly skill, but if used poorly, it may expose even more flaws.
However, no matter how skilled one becomes with the Substitution Jutsu, it still has its limits.
As long as there is a process of substitution, it is inevitable that flaws will be exposed.
This flaw may not matter in battles between Genin and Chunin, but at the Jonin level, nearly everyone can seize such opportunities.
Therefore, battles between Jonin rarely use Substitution Jutsu to confuse opponents.
However, this feels a bit far from Seimei at this stage.
Currently, 'Substitution Jutsu' is indeed a valuable life-saving skill for him.
Thus, even though practicing it is quite troublesome, he shows no signs of impatience.
After more than ten minutes, when his Chakra was exhausted, Seimei swallowed another Military Rations Pill and began refining his Chakra again.
Two hours later, when his Chakra was nearly restored, he practiced 'Transformation Jutsu' and 'Substitution Jutsu' once more.
In this way, as deep night approached, Seimei finally completed his last round of training.
Compared to previous days, he practiced the 'Chakra refining technique' for an additional two hours today, resulting in an additional two-point increase in his Chakra limit and a three-point increase in Proficiency level.
At the same time, the additional hundred points of Chakra also increased his Proficiency levels in 'Transformation Jutsu' and 'Substitution Jutsu' by over ten points.
Don't underestimate this change; as the saying goes, "many drops make a river." If he increases this much in a day, just think how much that adds up to in a month—or even a year?
Uh, a year is a bit far off...
But a month is something Seimei can still look forward to.
If it weren't for the fact that refining Chakra and practicing Ninjutsu consumed so much mental energy, and that eating too many Military Rations Pills would lead to indigestion, Seimei might really consider staying up all night.
"Ha~~~"
Stretching and yawning, Seimei washed up a bit and then returned to his bedroom.
Soon, familiar snoring could be heard.
Time passed second by second.
At one moment, a shadow appeared on the utility pole outside the window, with a pair of crimson Three Tomoe Sharingan staring intently at Seimei, seemingly observing something.
After a moment, the shadow vanished without a trace.
Deep within the Uchiha clan's territory, at the residence of the Great Elder.
Knock, knock, knock~
A gentle knocking sound rang out.
"Come in!"
An old voice came from inside the room.
Uchiha Haruto pushed the door open and, looking at the elder behind the desk, bowed and said, "Great Elder!"
"Oh, it's Haruto!"
The elder looked up at Uchiha Haruto and asked, "What's the matter?"
"Reporting to the Great Elder, it's about the observations on Seimei."
Uchiha Haruto replied respectfully.
Upon hearing this, the elder's eyes flashed with a glimmer of interest, and he asked slowly, "So, has he awakened the Sharingan?"
"No."
Uchiha Haruto shook his head and said, "After several days of observation, there has been no explosive increase in Chakra within him, and his mental state remains stable. We can basically confirm that he does not have the potential to awaken the Sharingan."
"Is that so..."
Hearing Uchiha Haruto's response, the elder felt a twinge of disappointment, even though he had anticipated this outcome.
Generally speaking, if a clan member has the potential to awaken the Sharingan, they will immediately do so when faced with a stimulus as significant as the death of their parents.
Even if they don't awaken right away, there will be some changes in their body and mental state, and with a bit more stimulation, they can successfully awaken it.
However, after Seimei learned of his parents' sacrifice, he neither awakened immediately nor did he experience any corresponding changes in his body or mind over the following period.
From this, it can be basically determined that he does not have the potential to awaken the Sharingan.
"Great Elder, should we continue observing?"
Seeing that the elder remained silent for a long time, Uchiha Haruto spoke up.
"No need."
The elder waved his hand and said, "You can leave now."
"Yes, Great Elder!"
After responding, Uchiha Haruto exited the room.
Seimei was unaware that today was his last opportunity to be valued by the clan.
If he could awaken the Sharingan today under the stimulus of the compensation, it wouldn't guarantee a smooth path ahead, but it would definitely make things much easier.
Even obtaining a bodyguard at the Genin stage would be no problem.
That's right, this is the Uchiha Clan. While they aren't good at dealing with outsiders, they are quite united internally.
Uh... except for that certain traitor!
However, since Seimei did not awaken the Sharingan, he was destined not to enjoy the treatment of a genius.
But even if Seimei knew this, he wouldn't care.
His reliance has never been on the Uchiha Clan. With the Progress panel in hand, he would eventually grow stronger.
······
Five days later.
As school was about to end.
Clap, clap, clap~
Sugiki Kazuto clapped his hands and called out loudly, "Students, everyone come over here!"
"Sensei, what's the matter? School is about to end!"
"Yeah! Yeah!"
"..."
Hearing Sugiki Kazuto's call, over thirty students crowded around him, chattering away, creating a lively scene.
Seimei stood on the outskirts of the crowd, silent, and he could sense something amiss from Sugiki Kazuto's serious expression.
Sure enough, Sugiki Kazuto's next words confirmed his suspicions.
"Silence!"
Sugiki Kazuto shouted, and once everyone settled down, he continued, "The village has decided to change your annual assessment, scheduled for half a month from now, into a graduation exam. Those who pass will be awarded the title of Konoha Genin and become true Ninjas."
Although he had anticipated this, Seimei still felt a heightened sense of urgency upon hearing the news.
However, in contrast to his seriousness, many of his classmates in the crowd became excited upon hearing the announcement.
"Sugiki sensei, is what you said true?"
"Yeah, sensei, can we really become Ninjas ahead of schedule?"
"..."
Hearing their somewhat naïve remarks, Seimei shook his head and thought 'These kids have been too well protected; they have no idea about the dangers of being a Ninja, especially during this time.'
If possible, Seimei would want to stay in school for his entire life.
But that was not feasible.
For now, he could only hope they wouldn't be sent to the battlefield immediately after graduation; otherwise...