Uchiha Setsuna was an old man from the Warring States Period, a Uchiha elder who had once followed Uchiha Madara in founding Konoha.
After Senju Tobirama became Hokage, he had boldly launched a coup.
...And then he'd been locked up for over twenty years.
He hadn't been released until just before the Second Shinobi World War.
After spending so long in prison, Uchiha Setsuna was no longer the defiant man he'd once been. Most of his strength was gone, yet the Uchiha Hawk Faction still regarded him as its spiritual leader.
From then on, the Great Elder no longer took on combat missions. Instead, he taught the younger members of the Uchiha Clan and handled work such as intelligence gathering.
Qingye, Obito, Uchiha Tekka, Uchiha Inabi, and even the younger Shisui had all been taught by Uchiha Setsuna as children.
Uchiha Setsuna had the typical Uchiha Clan temperament.
Toward outsiders, he'd always been hostile to the line of Hokage established under the leadership of the Senju Brothers.
But within the clan, he was beyond reproach. He always devoted himself wholeheartedly to teaching the younger members.
The intelligence Qingye gathered through his Ninja Crow mailbox about the state of the Shinobi World War had mostly been sent to him by Uchiha Setsuna.
"Rumors about you have been circulating around the village for a while now."
Uchiha Setsuna snorted. "No need to say it. That gutter rat Shimura Danzō, the heir to Senju Tobirama's will, is definitely behind it."
"I think it's Danzō, too."
Qingye nodded.
The old man and the young one had reached an agreement.
Back when Senju Tobirama was still alive, whenever Uchiha Setsuna suspected that the Uchiha Clan had been targeted, his first instinct had been to blame Senju Tobirama.
After Senju Tobirama's death, his suspicions had automatically shifted to Shimura Danzō.
"You shouldn't have drawn so much attention to yourself on the Iwagakure battlefield."
Uchiha Setsuna sighed, sounding as though Qingye had let him down. "You know the flaw in those eyes. The more often you use them, the sooner you'll go blind!"
As if I want to use them!
It was only because Old Madara had set me up.
Qingye grumbled inwardly, but still didn't tell him about Uchiha Madara.
The old clan leader was practically the Great Elder's spiritual idol. He probably couldn't imagine that the old leader had also become a rat hiding in some corner of the Shinobi World.
"Still, awakening those eyes is a good thing, all things considered."
Uchiha Setsuna shook his head, trying to comfort himself. "Of your generation, I originally thought Shisui was the most likely to awaken them. I never expected you to be the first."
Shisui had talent and a decent temperament.
He just wasn't very bright.
Uchiha Qingye, on the other hand, had a good head on his shoulders but lacked talent.
As for Uchiha Tekka and Uchiha Inabi, they were both fairly average. Uchiha Obito was a bit of a fool, and who knew what he might've grown into? Now he was dead on the battlefield.
And then there was Uchiha Fugaku, the clan leader...
A useless piece of trash!
What a waste of decent talent.
"Shimura Danzō is probably trying to use your reputation to pressure you into continually draining your Mangekyō's ocular power on the battlefield."
"So for the time being, you'd better work on improving your abilities in other areas. Don't rely too much on those eyes."
"Back then, Lord Madara and Lord Izuna were able to fight the two brothers of the Senju Clan for so long. It wasn't all thanks to the Mangekyō Sharingan."
Qingye immediately perked up.
That was what he'd planned to do anyway.
Over the past few months, his Sharingan had advanced from the two-Tomoe stage all the way to the Mangekyō. The rest of his abilities hadn't caught up yet.
His Genjutsu relied almost entirely on the Mangekyō's raw power. He needed to study it further.
As for Taijutsu, his current stats were Body 8, Strength 6, and Speed 9. His strength would be hard to improve, given his age, but he could work on his Taijutsu techniques and speed.
As for Ninjutsu, he still needed to master Lightning Style: Kirin, didn't he?
The different forms of Chidori were useful, too. Chidori Sharp Spear and Chidori Stream would both come in handy.
There were also the Uchiha's Fire Release Ninjutsu. He still had a few B-rank Fire Release techniques to learn.
And there were some secret Uchiha techniques, too. Setting aside Izanagi and Izanami, it was worth learning the Uchiha Flame Formation Barrier Technique and the Transcription Seal.
He still had nearly a year left on his Mangekyō Chakra Loan. He couldn't just sit around in the meantime, could he?
He couldn't rely entirely on the system to improve his abilities.
"Time is short. I don't know when I might be called back to the battlefield. Great Elder, sorry for the trouble. I'll be relying on you during this time."
Qingye spoke with great sincerity.
Uchiha Setsuna nodded, looking rather pleased.
What he liked most about Qingye was that he could see the situation clearly and was willing to prepare for it.
It was just that he couldn't match a true genius like Shisui in terms of talent.
"There's no need to rush. With your current strength, you're already more than capable of protecting yourself, even without using your Mangekyō's techniques."
Uchiha Setsuna reassured him, then continued seriously, "Let's start with Genjutsu. You've already mastered the Kagatsuchi Technique. Next, you'll learn Demonic Illusion: Mirror Heaven and Earth Change."
Mirror Heaven and Earth Change wasn't a Genjutsu exclusive to the Sharingan. It demanded a deep understanding of Genjutsu.
He estimated that, given Qingye's talent, it would take him a few days to get the hang of it.
But then...
It took less than half a day.
Uchiha Setsuna stared at the Genjutsu that had been reflected back at him and fell silent.
"Great Elder, I've mastered it, right?"
Qingye's face was full of amazement. "This Genjutsu really is interesting. I'll have to study it some more."
"..."
Uchiha Setsuna's Sharingan spun slightly.
Huh?
Why hadn't he broken free?
Was he not using enough ocular power?
He increased the ocular power and tried again. Only then did he break free of the Genjutsu.
So this was the power of the Mangekyō Sharingan?
Uchiha Setsuna looked at Qingye's eyes and marveled inwardly. No wonder this was a power he'd never been able to master in his entire life.
"Ahem. Next, you'll learn the Uchiha Flame Formation. The principle behind this Barrier Technique is..."
Uchiha Setsuna cleared his throat, putting aside the slight awkwardness of what had just happened, and continued teaching.
Barrier Techniques fell under the broad category of Sealing Jutsu.
This one ought to take quite a while.
And sure enough, Qingye didn't master it that day.
Another day passed. On the third day...
Qingye pressed his palm to the ground. Crimson Chakra flowed into the earth, and with a hiss, a translucent red barrier rose up, completely enclosing a large tree in the courtyard.
"Caw—caw—"
The two Ninja Crows in the tree were startled. They flapped their wings, and even from several meters away, they could feel the scorching heat. They didn't dare try to touch the barrier.
"...Looks like I underestimated your talent."
Uchiha Setsuna was both surprised and pleased. "Next, you'll learn the Transcription Seal. This technique is very difficult. It'll probably take you a month or so to get the hang of it."
Qingye held a scroll covered in densely packed symbols, frowning as he looked at it.
Sealing Jutsu really was hard to learn.
Even with his talent boosted by the system, the Transcription Seal was still a challenge.
So Qingye spent nearly ten days on it.
Ten days later.
Qingye formed a hand seal, and the Sharingan in his left eye opened on its own. A Genjutsu he'd sealed in advance was automatically released.
"That really was difficult."
Qingye let out a small sigh of relief. "Great Elder, does this count as getting the hang of it?"
"..."
Uchiha Setsuna quietly wiped the sweat from his forehead.
What was going on with this kid's talent? How was it so much higher than he'd thought?
"I'll keep studying the Transcription Seal later. Great Elder, what's next?"
"...There's not much else." Uchiha Setsuna felt his throat go dry. "You can learn Fire Release from the scrolls on your own. Apart from that, there are just some Genjutsu techniques."
"Wait, what about Izanagi and Izanami?"
"?!"
Uchiha Setsuna's expression changed, and his eyebrows shot up. "Why would you learn those? If you run into an enemy you can't handle, just retreat. Don't count on Izanagi."
The clan had finally produced a pair of Mangekyō. It'd be a complete waste to squander them on Izanagi!
"But what if, someday—"
"Don't give me 'what if'! That Ninja Cat you contracted can use the Reverse Summoning Technique, can't it? If you have to, just reverse-summon yourself out of there!" Uchiha Setsuna wasn't budging.
"..."
Fine, fine. You old geezer are keeping the Flame Technique to yourself, huh? I can see that you've got a death wish!
Qingye grumbled inwardly for a bit, but didn't dwell on it. If Uchiha Setsuna wouldn't teach him, so be it. He could always borrow Chakra later to learn all those techniques.
"Then, Great Elder, teach me any other Genjutsu techniques I haven't mastered yet, too."
Before you continue