Three days later.
Northwest of Konoha.
In a forest, Seimei and the others arrived at this location.
"Is this the place?"
Ryosuke looked around and asked.
"Yeah."
Furukawa nodded and said, "Next, you'll collect herbs here according to the mission requirements. Remember, don't pick the wrong ones!"
That's right; they were starting another mission today.
As Seimei had thought, Furukawa didn't madly continue to take on C-Rank Missions but instead found a D-Rank Mission to collect herbs.
Without a doubt, this mission must have been issued by the Nara clan.
After all, this forest is entirely under their jurisdiction.
Not only does it havevarious hard-to-cultivate medicinal herbs, but it also houses a large population of deer, which are valuable resources for medicinal materials.
All of this combined makes the area incredibly valuable.
Therefore, even for Ninja from the same village, entering without their permission is not allowed.
It was only because they accepted the mission that they could approach; otherwise, they would have been stopped before getting close.
"Got it."
Upon hearing Furukawa's reminder, Ryosuke waved his hand impatiently and muttered, "Seriously, this is such a simple task that even ordinary people can do. Why do we have to handle it?"
"Ryosuke, stop talking."
Hearing his words, Mizutani Shizuko first tried to comfort him and then explained seriously, "Although this forest is relatively safe, wild animals occasionally wander in, which can be very dangerous for ordinary people, so they need us Genin to take care of it."
Seeing Mizutani Shizuko earnestly explaining, Ryosuke quickly replied, "Okay, okay, Shizuko, stop lecturing. I get it!"
Observing their exchange, Seimei secretly felt relieved.
Clearly, three days was enough time for them to adjust their mindsets.
However, the mission three days ago had indeed impacted them. Although they now appeared to be the same as before, the childishness on their faces was noticeably reduced after having witnessed bloodshed.
This, perhaps, was the intention of Furukawa and the village.
Shaking his head, Seimei stopped dwelling on it.
With a thought, he gathered some Chakra at the soles of his feet and then followed his two companions deeper into the dense forest.
After nearly four days of practice, his 'Chakra Control' had improved from level 2 (350/500) to level 3 (3/1000), further enhancing his control over Chakra.
Now, when performing the same Ninjutsu, he could save 15% of his Chakra without diminishing its power.
This was already the limit that an ordinary person could reach.
Even with his Progress Panel bonus ensuring continuous improvement, it was unlikely he would achieve any new breakthroughs in a short time.
The reason was simple: after leveling up to level 3, the efficiency of increasing his Proficiency level had significantly decreased.
Previously, he could earn around forty to fifty Proficiency points in a day, but now he was lucky to get five at most.
In comparison to the effort required, the gains were utterly negligible.
Fortunately, practicing 'Chakra Control' didn't consume too much Chakra and wouldn't take up much of his time; otherwise, he would have stopped long ago.
Until he found a more effective way to train, he planned to avoid wasting too much time and energy on it.
From now on, he would likely only practice during 'leisure' time.
Just like now, during the process of collecting herbs, he could practice a bit when he had nothing else to do.
"Seimei, hurry up!"
Just as Seimei was lost in thought, Ryosuke's voice came from ahead.
Hearing this, Seimei replied, "Coming."
As he spoke, he moved closer.
Time slowly passed, and the three of them executed one D-Rank mission after another, just like when they had just graduated, with little technical skill involved.
In the blink of an eye, a week had gone by.
That night, at home.
Seimei opened his eyes, letting the special Chakra induced by 'Heart Reflection Jutsu' dissipate, and slowly opened the Panel.
[Name: Uchiha Seimei]
Age: 10
Physique: 6
Spirit: 7
Chakra: 14 (1546 → 2011)
Bloodline: Sharingan: Not Awakened (81/100)
Skills:
Chakra Refining Technique: lv2 (240/500) → lv2 (360/500)
Clone Jutsu: lv2 (140/500) → lv2 (270/500)
Substitution Jutsu: lv2 (110/500) → lv2 (250/500)
Fire Release: Great Fireball Jutsu: lv1 (16/200) → lv1 (30/200)
Heart Reflection Jutsu: 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)
Beyond the basic attributes, Seimei quickly focused on the awakening progress of Sharingan.
"Looks like it hasn't increased after all."
Looking at the Panel, which still showed the Sharingan awakening progress at (81/100), Seimei murmured.
He had just felt that 'Heart Reflection Jutsu' lacked follow-through, and now it seemed to be true.
According to the previous patterns he had summarized, the upgraded lv2 (110/500) 'Heart Reflection Jutsu' should have allowed his Sharingan awakening level to reach (82/100).
But the reality is that its progress is still at (81/100).
"Sure enough, the worries I had have come to pass."
Long ago, Seimei knew that the Sharingan was not easy to awaken, and the effectiveness of 'Heart Reflection Jutsu' would inevitably decline as the awakening progress increased.
As expected, when the Sharingan awakening level reached (81/100), the ten points of 'Heart Reflection Jutsu' Proficiency level were no longer enough to push it up by even one point.
If it were other Uchiha clan members, they would basically be stuck here.
After that, they would either wait for an opportunity, like those Uchiha who had previously awakened their Sharingan, to open their eyes through traditional means, or they would have to work hard to improve the Proficiency level of 'Heart Reflection Jutsu' and grind slowly.
If the former succeeded, it would certainly weaken the effect of 'Heart Reflection Jutsu,' while the latter would likely see no hope at all.
Because this is just the beginning.
Now, the ten points of 'Heart Reflection Jutsu' Proficiency level can't drive even a single point of Sharingan awakening level, and later on, it might take twenty or thirty points to do the same.
This is a road with no end in sight.
Of course, Seimei is different.
With the Progress Panel, he can easily increase the Proficiency level of 'Heart Reflection Jutsu.' No matter how long the road is, he can see the end.
Suppressing the urge to continue practicing 'Heart Reflection Jutsu,' Seimei looked at other parts of the Panel.
The three Basic Jutsu, 'Basic Taijutsu,' and 'Ninja Tool Throwing' are not worth mentioning; their improvement speed hasn't changed much—over the course of ten days, they've each gained more than a hundred points in Proficiency level.
However, his Chakra limit has increased by about ten points less than expected.
Originally, with a 120-point increase in the Proficiency level of 'Chakra refining technique,' his Chakra limit should have increased by 480 points.
1546 + 480 = 2026.
But now, his Chakra limit is only 2011 points, which is 15 points less than the theoretical value.
The reason for this is simple: his "barrel" is nearing its limit.
The 'Chakra refining technique' accelerates the process of tapping into his potential, but it cannot raise his innate limits.
Right now, the Chakra limit it has increased is still only 15 points lower than the theoretical value, but after a while, it might be dozens of points lower.
Once his potential is fully tapped out, the effects of the 'Chakra refining technique' will likely only be left with the ability to recover Chakra.
"I need to awaken the Sharingan as soon as possible. Only by awakening the Sharingan can I significantly enhance my abilities."
Muttering to himself, Seimei closed the Panel and began his training cycle.
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