Old Man Refuses to Teach the Burning Art, Right?

Uchiha Setsuna, an elder of the Warring States Period, was a Uchiha elder who once followed Uchiha Madara to found Konohagakure.

After Senju Tobirama succeeded the Naruto, he brazenly launched a coup.

...And then he was imprisoned for over twenty years.

He wasn't released until the eve of the Second Shinobi World War.

Having been imprisoned for so long, Uchiha Setsuna, upon his release, no longer possessed his once wild and untamed personality. Much of his strength had waned, yet he was still regarded as the spiritual leader by the Uchiha Hawk Faction.

Since then, this Great Elder no longer engaged in combat missions. Instead, he took on the responsibility of teaching the younger generation of the Uchiha clan and some intelligence gathering work.

Qingye, Obito, Uchiha Tekka, Uchiha Inabi, and even the younger Shisui all received guidance from Uchiha Setsuna in their childhood.

Uchiha Setsuna embodied the typical personality of the Uchiha clan.

Externally, he never showed any goodwill towards the lineage of Naruto established by the Senju Brothers.

Internally, however, when facing his own clansmen, Uchiha Setsuna was beyond reproach, always dedicating himself wholeheartedly to teaching the younger clan members.

The information on the state of the Shinobi World War, collected by Qingye through the Ninja Crow mailbox, was basically all sent from Uchiha Setsuna.

"Rumors about you have been circulating in the village for quite some time."

Uchiha Setsuna snorted, "Needless to say, it must be that sewer rat Shimura Danzo, who inherited Senju Tobirama's will, causing trouble."

"I also think it's Danzo."

Qingye nodded.

The old man and the young man successfully reached a consensus.

Back when Senju Tobirama was alive, whenever Uchiha Setsuna felt the Uchiha clan had been tricked, his first thought would be that Senju Tobirama was behind it.

After Senju Tobirama's death, this suspect automatically shifted to Shimura Danzo.

"You shouldn't have been so high-profile on the Iwagakure battlefield."

Uchiha Setsuna sighed deeply, his tone filled with disappointment, "You're aware of the flaws in those eyes. The more frequently you use them, the faster you'll go blind!"

As if I wanted to use them! It's all because I was tricked by old Madara.

Qingye inwardly complained, but he didn't mention Uchiha Madara.

Uchiha Madara, that old clan head, was practically the Great Elder's spiritual idol. He probably couldn't imagine that the old clan head had now become a rat hiding in the corners of the Shinobi world.

"Oh well, being able to awaken those eyes is ultimately a good thing."

Uchiha Setsuna shook his head, trying to console himself, "In your generation, I originally thought Shisui would be the most likely to awaken those eyes. I didn't expect you to be the one to open them first."

Shisui had excellent talent and a decent disposition.

It's just that his mind wasn't quite sharp enough.

As for Uchiha Qingye, his mind was fine, but his talent was somewhat lacking.

The rest, Uchiha Tekka and Uchiha Inabi, were mediocre. Uchiha Obito was a simpleton, and it was uncertain what kind of person he would have become, but now he had died on the battlefield.

As for the clan head, Uchiha Fugaku...

A complete waste!

Wasted such good talent.

"Shimura Danzo most likely wants to use your reputation to coerce you into constantly draining your Mangekyo's ocular power on the battlefield."

"Therefore, for the next period, you'd best improve your strength in other areas and not rely too heavily on those eyes."

"Back in the day, Lord Madara and Lord Izuna could fight the two Senju brothers for so long not solely on the strength of their Mangekyo Sharingan."

Upon hearing this, Qingye's spirits immediately lifted.

This was precisely what he had planned.

Over the past few months, his Sharingan had progressed from two tomoe all the way to Mangekyo, but his strength in other areas hadn't quite caught up.

His Genjutsu relied almost entirely on the Mangekyo's stats; he needed to study it more.

In terms of Taijutsu, with his current stats of Body 8, Strength 6, and Speed 9, increasing his strength was difficult given his age. However, he could try to further improve his Taijutsu techniques and speed.

As for Ninjutsu, he still needed to complete the Lightning Style: Kirin, right?

The various forms of Chidori, such as Chidori Sharp Spear and Chidori Stream, were also quite useful.

And then there were the Uchiha's Fire Style Ninjutsu; he still had a few B-rank Fire Style ninjutsu to learn.

Additionally, there were some Uchiha secret Ninjutsu, such as Izanagi and Izanami. Not to mention the Uchiha Flame Formation barrier technique, and Transcription Seal, all of which were necessary to learn!

His Mangekyo's Chakra Loan still had nearly a year left. He couldn't just sit idle during this time, could he?

He couldn't completely rely on the system to improve his strength.

"Time is pressing. I don't know when I might be called back to the battlefield again. Great Elder, I'll be counting on you during this period."

Qingye said very seriously.

Uchiha Setsuna nodded slightly, looking quite pleased.

The thing he was most satisfied with regarding Qingye, his junior, was this: he could see the situation clearly and was willing to work hard to prepare.

His talent was still a bit lacking compared to true geniuses like Shisui.

"There's no need to be too anxious. With your current strength, even without using your Mangekyo's ocular techniques, you should be basically safe."

Uchiha Setsuna offered a word of comfort, then said seriously, "Start with Genjutsu. You've already mastered the Kagatsuchi Technique. The next thing to learn is Demonic Illusion: Mirror Heaven and Earth Reversal."

Mirror Heaven and Earth Reversal wasn't a Sharingan-exclusive Genjutsu; it required a high level of understanding of illusions.

Based on his estimation, with Qingye's talent, he should be able to get the hang of it in a few days.

But the result...

Less than half a day.

Uchiha Setsuna stared at the Genjutsu that had been reflected back at him, falling into thought.

"Great Elder, I should have mastered it, right?"

Qingye's face held a look of amazement. "This Genjutsu is indeed interesting. I'll need to study it more later."

"..."

Uchiha Setsuna's Sharingan flickered slightly.

Huh?

Why couldn't he break free?

Was his ocular power not enough?

He increased his ocular power and tried again. Only then did he break free from the Genjutsu.

Is this the ocular power of a Mangekyo Sharingan?

Uchiha Setsuna looked at Qingye's Sharingan, sighing inwardly. Truly worthy of the power he himself never managed to master in his lifetime.

"Ahem, next, we'll learn the Uchiha Flame Formation. The principle of this Barrier Technique is..."

Uchiha Setsuna coughed lightly, ignoring the slight awkwardness from before, and continued teaching.

Barrier Techniques belonged to the broader category of Fuinjutsu.

This should take quite some time.

As expected, Qingye didn't master it that day.

Another day passed. By the third day.

Qingye pressed his palm to the ground, and crimson Chakra seeped into the earth. With a chii sound, a semi-transparent red barrier rose, completely enclosing a large tree in the courtyard.

"Caw—Caw—"

The two Ninja Crows on the tree were startled. Their wings flapped, and even from several meters away, one could feel a scorching heat. They didn't dare to try and touch the barrier.

"...It seems I underestimated your talent somewhat."

Uchiha Setsuna said, half in surprise and half in relief. "Next, we'll learn Fūinjutsu: Transcription Seal. This technique is quite difficult and will likely take about a month to get the hang of."

Qingye held a scroll in his hand, covered in dense runes, which made him frown.

Fuinjutsu was indeed difficult to learn.

Even with his talent amplified by the system, learning Fūinjutsu: Transcription Seal was still somewhat challenging.

For this, Qingye spent nearly ten days.

Ten days later.

Qingye formed a hand seal, and the Sharingan in his left eye automatically activated, releasing a pre-sealed Genjutsu.

"It's certainly quite difficult."

Qingye let out a relieved breath. "Great Elder, does this count as getting the hang of it?"

"..."

Uchiha Setsuna quietly wiped the sweat from his brow.

What's going on with this kid Qingye's talent? Why does it seem so much higher than I perceived?

"I'll continue to study Fūinjutsu: Transcription Seal later. Great Elder, what's next?"

"...There's nothing else." Uchiha Setsuna felt his throat was a bit dry. "As for Fire Style, you can learn it yourself from the scroll. Besides these, the rest are just some Genjutsu techniques."

"That's not right. Aren't there also Izanagi and Izanami?"

"?! "

Uchiha Setsuna's expression changed, and his eyebrows shot up. "Why would you learn those? If you really encounter an enemy you can't defeat, just retreat. Don't count on Izanagi."

It's rare enough for a junior in the clan to awaken a Mangekyo, and wasting it on Izanagi would be a complete waste!

"But maybe someday..."

"No 'maybe'! Doesn't that Ninja Cat you've contracted know the Reverse Summoning Technique? If necessary, just use Reverse Summoning to retreat!" Uchiha Setsuna showed no intention of backing down.

"..."

Fine, fine, fine. You old geezer, you're hiding the Flame Mantra from me, aren't you? I see you're courting death!

After a bout of internal grumbling, Qingye didn't dwell on it. If he wouldn't teach it, he wouldn't teach it. Anyway, he could always take out a Chakra Loan later to learn these things.

"Then, Great Elder, are there any other Genjutsu techniques I haven't mastered that I can learn all at once?"