Secret Technique

Hiss...

This profanity, which pointed directly at his birthplace, made Danzo, who had been sneering just a moment ago, instantly turn red with rage, as if two jets of steam were erupting from his ears.

"Tch, what are you doing, playing the Steam Girl?"

Uchiha Ao shot him a sidelong glance, picked up the cardboard box, and turned to leave.

He was confident that the other party wouldn't dare to defy Tobirama Senju's One Month Pact and attack him on the spot.

Sure enough, although Danzo's head felt like it was about to explode with rage upon seeing this, his hand gripping his ninja tools hesitated, never daring to draw them.

Uchiha Ao had guessed correctly; he truly did not dare to make a move.

His goal was the position of Hokage. Beyond that, he could not, and dared not, do anything that would defy the arrangements made by the Hokage.

Even if it was for a man on the verge of death!

Just wait. When the time comes, I will use every torture imaginable on you!

Danzo watched Uchiha Ao's retreating figure, vowing ruthlessly in his heart.

Rumble...

Thunder and lightning flashed across the sky. Uchiha Ao walked through the main road of Konohagakure, carrying the cardboard box under the light rain.

Passersby holding umbrellas were about to step forward to offer help, but upon seeing the Uchiha clan emblem on his clothing, they all cast cold looks and detoured around him.

Since the founding of Konohagakure, the Uchiha Clan had been disliked by all the major families. They had always remained aloof, neither intermarrying with other clans nor associating with other major families.

From the older generation's Uchiha Madara to the new generation's Uchiha Sasuke, it was always the same. Come to think of it, that made sense—if you had to live with a bunch of people who were prone to turning dark at the drop of a hat, you wouldn't exactly be in a great mood either.

The Uchiha Clan, however, felt otherwise; they shifted their anger onto the other major families, believing that these clans were intentionally isolating them.

Uchiha Ao understood this, but he didn't care much about it.

Because his true essence was that of a person from Huaxia, and even with some lingering emotions from the Original Owner, he wouldn't feel any great indignation over it.

Whether it was the Uchiha, the Senju Clan, or Konohagakure itself—it didn't matter.

Now that he possessed the Heaven Rewards Diligence destiny, he only needed to reasonably utilize all the power at his disposal and continuously grow stronger.

When that time came, he would be able to crush any monsters, ghosts, or demons with his own strength.

While lost in thought, he tossed the soaked cardboard box into a trash can and headed toward the woods on the outskirts of the village.

It was still early, with several hours left until noon, so he decided to practice the ninjutsu he had on hand first.

Uchiha Ao gazed at the Skill Interface before him while searching for a quiet place.

[Sharingan Activation Secret Technique (Incomplete): 0/10]

[Great Fireball Technique: 89/100]

[Phoenix Sage Fire Technique: 32/100]

[Kage Bunshin no Jutsu: 28/100]

"Judging by the progress, the Great Fireball Technique is the closest to completion. However, with my current Chakra reserves, casting it even once would consume at least a third of my total Chakra."

Ration Pills could replenish Chakra, but one could only consume a single pill per day.

Furthermore, these items were considered strategic materials within the clan. Given his current stock, it would be a stretch to make them last for more than two or three days.

In other words, it was impossible to master the Great Fireball Technique within a single day.

With this in mind, Uchiha Ao shifted his gaze to the Sharingan Activation Secret Technique.

"It's actually incomplete? If I recall correctly, the original owner was willing to take such risks largely because of this secret technique."

The Uchiha Clan's formidable strength relied heavily on the Sharingan. If this technique could truly help the original owner awaken the Sharingan, his strength would likely approach that of a Jonin in a very short time.

"I'll give it a try. Even though this is an incomplete manual, with the blessing of Heaven Rewards Diligence, I assume the risks shouldn't be too great."

While deep in thought, Uchiha Ao arrived at a secluded lake. Surrounded by dense woods, the area was only a mile away from Konohagakure, but its hidden terrain made it an excellent spot for practicing Ninjutsu.

He took a deep breath and closed his eyes. Following the instructions of the secret technique, he drew Chakra from his Dantian. Instead of letting it flow through his limbs and bones, he forced it to surge upward, channeling it entirely into the delicate meridians surrounding his eyes.

The instability of the Chakra caused a cold, stinging pain in his eyes, as if tiny ice needles were gently pricking his eyeballs.

Within his field of vision, fragmented black-and-white afterimages began to flicker, much like a malfunctioning old television.

At that moment, forgotten fragments of memory surged uncontrollably in his mind: the bullying from classmates during his school days, his beastly boss at work, the cutthroat relationships with colleagues, and the disappointed look in his parents' eyes after he quit his job under the weight of it all...

These various memories caused his expression to shift uncontrollably, alternating between weeping and angry outbursts.

In just over ten minutes, his expressions switched back and forth nearly a hundred times. A massive torrent of emotions instantly overwhelmed Uchiha Ao's consciousness. Every time he began to sink into the abyss, a faint, clear light would spill from the destiny-defining mark in his Sea of Consciousness, pulling him back.

And so, through this repeated cycle of struggle:

[Sharingan Activation Secret Technique (Incomplete): 1/10]

[Sharingan Activation Secret Technique (Incomplete): 3/10]

[Sharingan Activation Secret Technique (Incomplete): 6/10]

Several hours later, the rain stopped.

Uchiha Ao slowly opened his eyes. Although his irises were still a common black, the spiritual light and sharpness flickering within them were vastly different from before.

Sharingan Activation Secret Technique (Incomplete): 10/10 → Mastered (Incomplete)

Derivative Ability Awakening:

Dynamic Vision (Basic): Capable of capturing the trajectories of high-speed moving objects with greater clarity.

Genjutsu Insight (Basic): Possesses a certain level of resistance and identification ability against basic genjutsu.

Eye of Insight (Basic): Can predict an opponent's next move through subtle physical cues.

[Note: The Secret Technique is incomplete and cannot directly trigger the Single Tomoe Sharingan, but it has paved the way for a qualitative change in spiritual power. When extreme emotions arrive, the awakening of the eyes will occur naturally, without any further obstruction.]

Total Chakra consumption: approx. 98%

Chakra capacity limit increased by 30%

Chakra level: Mid-level Chunin

Uchiha Ao wiped the sweat from his forehead and gave a wry smile.

"It wasn't easy!"

This incomplete scroll indeed had massive flaws; not only could it be used only once in a lifetime, but once he began to stimulate the secret technique, although the various memories helped him recall painful experiences to accumulate extreme emotions, he had no control over whether the process would be interrupted.

If it had been anyone else, they would likely have been overwhelmed by that terrifying torrent of emotion long ago, becoming a demented fool or even suffering brain death!

Thinking of this, Uchiha Ao gazed toward the direction of the clan compound with deep, dark eyes.

"It seems that in the eyes of those big shots, I am nothing more than cannon fodder and a test subject."

Heh... that's fine. He didn't have any attachment to the Uchiha anyway.

However, he had certainly noted this debt.

He stood up, his two pitch-black eyeballs rotating in their sockets. He discovered that the tiny, fast-flying mosquitoes that had been invisible before now appeared to be slowed down by half in his vision, becoming clearly visible.

"This is only the precursor to the Sharingan, yet the power is already this formidable. If I were to fully awaken the eyes, that power would likely boost my strength to the level of a Special Jonin instantly!"

While lost in thought, Uchiha Ao drew three kunai from his waist and threw them in three different directions.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

Three kunai were embedded in different tree trunks, each with two or three mosquitoes skewered on their tips.

"My taijutsu is definitely at the Chunin level now. It's a pity I haven't awakened the Copy Function yet; otherwise, my combat power could be raised to another level."

A smile appeared on Uchiha Ao's lips.

Given his current realm of ocular prowess, he only needed a catalyst to awaken the Sharingan.

Although the original owner still had some relatives, even if he were to kill them all, his emotional fluctuation likely wouldn't be very significant—unless he started cultivating a bond with them from now on, and then...

Ugh, forget it. If I did that, how would I be any different from that tragic protagonist Sasuke?

Besides, it wasn't as if he couldn't just grind his way there.

Just moments ago, while he was practicing the incomplete secret technique, his destiny trait had been continuously providing him with feedback and insights.

In other words, his understanding of the incomplete scroll had reached a profound level. If he could use this understanding to perfect the scroll, he might be able to break through the usage limits. By then...

He only needed to keep grinding his progress, and what would await him afterward would be more than just a Single Tomoe Sharingan.

With the blessing of the Heaven Rewards Diligence destiny trait, even the Mangekyo or the Rinnegan were no longer unreachable dreams for him.

"Life is becoming more hopeful!"

Uchiha Ao grinned, pulled the kunai from the trees, and headed straight in the direction opposite to the clan compound.

Because before returning to the clan compound, he still had a small matter to attend to.