Misty Heart Reflection Eyes

Under the heavy, overcast sky, Konohagakure felt an indescribable sense of oppression that night.

Inside a building in the Uchiha compound, a young boy splashed water on his face, staring blankly at his reflection—a delicate face tinged with a hint of melancholy.

He had just finished his daily Chakra refinement training. This handsome young boy's name was Uchiha Kai.

For the past ten years, he had been nothing more than an ordinary member of the Uchiha clan, with above-average talent and looks, and nothing else remarkable.

If he had to say anything, perhaps it was that he was different from other Uchihas? That's what his peers in the clan said anyway, but who really knew?

Incidentally, he was also an orphan. In a Ninja World with an absurdly high orphan rate, they were the dregs left behind after being devoured and digested by the great beast known as war. In such circumstances, ordinary people with both parents alive were the rare ones.

Barring any unforeseen events, Uchiha Kai would have grown up in such an environment, lived out his life in the unpredictable Ninja World, no different from anyone else.

Until—three days ago. Uchiha Kai, who should have woken up at seven for his morning training as usual, had inexplicably overslept.

Of course, only he knew it wasn't just a simple case of oversleeping.

He had a dream, a very, very long dream.

The world in his dream was like an incredible fairyland—at least, for the Ninja World.

Iron horses and silver dragons roamed, buildings stretched to the sky, the environment was peaceful, various forms of entertainment were readily available, and countless other wonderful things overwhelmed Uchiha Kai.

Was it a dream? It must have been a dream...

How could such a beautiful era possibly exist? the boy wondered.

More and more memories surged within the boy's heart, countless familiar yet strange events crammed his mind, and some long-buried things began to loosen.

Konoha, Year 48, a clear morning.

The boy awoke from his long dream, his head throbbing with a needle-like pain. A blood-red hue crept into his pupils, followed by a perfectly round, black tomoe.

On this day, Kai/Uchiha Kai truly stepped into the Ninja World...

His gaze returned to the Uchiha compound. The boy shook his head, suppressing his turbulent emotions, and checked his attire, the Ninja Tools bag tied to his right thigh, and the simple short sword slung across his back.

"Hoo~ It's time. Most people in the clan are asleep at this hour. I should get going."

Why was the boy going out in the dead of night?

It was simple: he had a "mission" to complete. Three days ago, when he broke through the prenatal fog and recovered his past life's memories, a peculiar thing had come along with them.

It was a simple panel.

[Host: Uchiha Kai]
[Body: 4.2 (Normal value for an adult male in the Ninja World is 5)]
[Spirit: 6 (Normal value for an adult male in the Ninja World is 5)]
[Energy (Chakra): 100 (A regular Genin usually has 50, capable of releasing 2-3 small-scale ninjutsu completely)]
[Energy Control: Fire (Proficient) Wind (Novice) Lightning (To be unlocked) Water (To be unlocked) Earth (To be unlocked) Yin (To be unlocked) Yang (To be unlocked)]
[Special Talent: Sharingan (Single Tomoe)]
[Skills: Great Fireball Technique, Three Basic Ninjutsu Techniques, Genjutsu - Sharingan, Shurikenjutsu, Konoha Style Taijutsu]
[Overall Evaluation: Barely repaired porcelain, possesses some power, a mayfly in a chaotic world]

The "Body" stat represented more than just simple stamina or physique; it was a comprehensive assessment that included most of a person's stats, such as strength, physical toughness, neural reaction speed, endurance, and so on.

Similarly, the "Spirit" stat represented Uchiha Kai's mental fortitude, willpower, soul, and other profound attributes.

As a member of the Uchiha clan, who were naturally endowed with powerful Chakra, Uchiha Kai, who had awakened the Single Tomoe Sharingan, naturally exhibited a Spirit far exceeding his Body. His Chakra also far surpassed that of ordinary people.

Energy control represented the proficiency in manipulating and utilizing various elemental energies. The levels, from lowest to highest, were: Novice—Proficient—Competent—Inspired—Masterful.

Only after reaching the Novice level could one barely execute a complete ninjutsu, but the speed and quality were highly questionable, and there was even a chance of failure if the user was disturbed during casting.

Proficient meant the user could execute ninjutsu skillfully and quickly, with almost no chance of failure. Similarly, each new level achieved represented a leap in ninjutsu control.

The panel encompassed almost all of Uchiha Kai's information, quantifying it into data and providing a rather playful evaluation.

In addition to displaying personal stats, this panel had another powerful yet somewhat rudimentary function.

[Quest Accepted: Departure]
[Quest Content: Go to the designated location within Konohagakure (coordinates provided), defeat the wolf pack]
[Reward: Body × 0.1 (An additional special reward will be given upon first completion)]

"This quest... why does it feel like some old-school browser game? Kill chickens or kill wolves, do these developers share the same brain?"

Looking at the quest panel, the boy couldn't help but complain, but his hands didn't stop as he quickly checked his equipment.

"This cheat is indeed simple and crude, but it's straightforward and effective. Direct stat increases to strengthen the body, and there's an unknown special reward..."

"With this, even in this chaotic and unfathomable Ninja World, I will have the capital to reach the pinnacle."

The boy's gaze was deep, as if he was thinking far into the future.

"However, it will take some time."

As his words fell, Uchiha Kai no longer hesitated. After reconfirming the coordinates provided on the panel, he set off.

Uchiha Clan Compound, atop a high platform.

Two figures, clad in form-fitting robes, stood still, as if they had been there for a long time.

They watched a house in the clan compound suddenly lose its light, and a fleeting dark figure.

One of the men, with soft hair reaching his shoulders, finally couldn't help but speak to the indifferent man beside him in a questioning tone.

"Is this really okay? Yashiro, making this kid go out with ninja tools in the middle of the night."

The short-haired man called Yashiro shook his head slightly, answering his doubts.

"It's fine, Tekka. It's most likely just another training method he thought of himself."

"We watched him grow up. You know his character, right? He's so peaceful, it's almost unlike an Uchiha."

Listening to Yashiro's answer, Tekka was clearly not satisfied.

"Even so, if something unexpected happens, whether good or bad, it will just cause a lot of trouble. You know how the clan and the village have been these past few years..."

Tekka's words trailed off halfway, his hesitant tone revealing his worries.

"This kid is different. He knows what's important. You've been too focused on the village's measures these years, to the point of forgetting to pay attention to the younger generation around us," Yashiro replied calmly.

"But..." Tekka started to say more, but was cut off by Yashiro's loud voice.

"No 'buts'! That kid's parents were the pride of the clan, yet they sacrificed themselves on the battlefield early... Can't we afford him a little freedom to act as he pleases?" Uchiha Yashiro loudly stated a reason Tekka couldn't refuse.

"This, sigh..." Seeing this, Tekka could only let out a long sigh, but he didn't argue further.

"Besides, you must have sensed it too." Uchiha Yashiro turned his head, revealing the pair of scarlet eyes within his sockets, meeting Tekka's gaze.

"That kid has already awakened the power of these eyes... At his age, he has chakra far beyond his peers, and a clear plan for his own training. This kid..." Yashiro's tone was full of relief.

"He is another rising hope for our clan..."

Upon hearing this, Uchiha Tekka also showed a helpless expression.

"That's precisely why... I don't agree with your approach..."

"Alright, don't repeat what's already decided. Just keep a close eye on him, and it's your job to clean up any traces he didn't manage to erase," Yashiro said, stretching his back and giving Tekka instructions.

"It's always me... Besides, this kid is meticulous. He even knows to leave a shadow clone at home to fool us old guys..." Tekka said, a reluctant twitch of his lips.

"Hahahaha, yes. We didn't have such talent back then, fooling adults while training."

"Alright, enough idle chatter. I'm going after him." With that, Tekka's figure abruptly vanished from the spot.

Under the night sky, on the high platform, only Uchiha Yashiro remained. This high-ranking member of the Uchiha clan stood in the slightly chilly night breeze, gazing down at the clan compound with his deep, alluring Sharingan.

He remained still for a long time, like deadwood in the autumn wind.

However, the night grew deeper.