This Seat's Hardship

"Barely 1/2 a Kakashi's worth of chakra and I've already hit my limit. Is my aptitude really that of my mother's own son?"

Uchiha Kazuhiko began to doubt his own lineage.

As an Uchiha, questioning everything was an instinct carved into his very genes.

As everyone knew, strength in the Naruto world could only be passed down through blood, master-disciple bonds, or cells.

Following this theory, Kazuhiko had every reason to suspect whether he was truly born to his parents.

After all, he did have a mother who was a Medical Jonin.

And a powerful Uchiha who had awakened the Three-Tomoe Sharingan at that.

"I inherited my mother's medical talent, so I must be her biological son, no doubt about it."

The Uchiha clan's Kekkei Genkai, the Sharingan, naturally possessed Yin-style chakra, while medical ninjutsu represented Yang-style chakra. Being able to possess both Yin and Yang attributes simultaneously made one as rare as a giant panda within the Uchiha clan.

"I can only explain it by the fact that I haven't awakened my Sharingan yet."

If a member of the Uchiha clan awakened their eyes, their strength would see an explosive increase.

Whether it was chakra reserves, observational ability, or proficiency in ninjutsu, taijutsu, and genjutsu, everything would be greatly enhanced.

Kazuhiko couldn't help but yearn for the day he would awaken his eyes.

The tides of life are always changing...

Clearly, a chakra reserve of 1/2 a Kakashi was, let alone within the Uchiha clan, merely an average level even among cannon-fodder genin.

According to the standard Kakashi's "6" in chakra stats from the original work, a genin's maximum chakra stat should be around 2~3, which is roughly 1/3 to 1/2 of a Kakashi.

From this perspective, Kazuhiko was a complete failure as an Uchiha.

If not for his traits, his 0.25 Kakashi's worth of chakra would be half as weak as anyone else at the same genin limit.

"I dare not imagine how much bullying and cold stares I would have suffered without My Medical Jonin Mother."

As everyone knew 2.0, the unruly mob of Konoha treated everyone equally—they bullied everyone with impartial fairness.

It didn't matter if you were the princess of the Hyuga clan or the dead-last of the Uchiha; if you didn't strive for excellence, you could just wait to be bullied.

They were just like the keyboard warriors of his past life: timid and submissive in reality, but spirited and aggressive once they started typing.

"I can't solidify the Sharingan Hypnosis Genjutsu or Shisui's exclusive trait yet, so I can only equip them for use. I'll continue to solidify other traits."

[Equipped Trait: Uchiha Style Taijutsu (Green)]

[Uchiha Style Taijutsu: Scientific taijutsu training increases the speed and reaction time of Uchiha Style Taijutsu, making it superior to ordinary taijutsu.]

[Trait Permanent Solidification Condition: Master basic taijutsu, proficiently master Uchiha Style Taijutsu.]

The moment the trait was equipped—

The memories, sensations, and experiences of Shisui practicing taijutsu flooded into Kazuhiko's mind, lingering and indelible, as if calluses had been carved into his brain and muscles.

The sweat left behind by his opponent during sparring, the thumping of his heart when his body reached its limit, and the soreness in his muscles...

Uchiha Style Taijutsu suddenly became clear and vivid in his mind.

As long as he wished, he could mimic it at any time, using the memories and experiences etched into his brain and the conditioned reflexes of his muscles to execute Uchiha Style Taijutsu.

So this was the full extent of Shisui's insights into Uchiha Style Taijutsu!

Following Shisui's memories and experiences, Kazuhiko began his taijutsu training, stepping, dodging, blocking, and throwing punches...

He was completely immersed, focused with his entire being.

The thrill of getting stronger with every passing moment made him lose track of time, and he became utterly obsessed.

But this flow state was soon broken; his declining physical stamina and lack of conditioning caused his progress to slow rapidly, making it impossible to continue replicating the rhythm of Shisui's movements.

Even so, Uchiha Kazuhiko was very satisfied with his progress.

"At this rate, it might take less than three days to permanently solidify [Uchiha Style Taijutsu]; it's going to be very fast."

Could it be that I'm a taijutsu genius!?

Should I try drawing the Eight Inner Gates first?

Kazuhiko threw himself into his bedding and drifted off to sleep.

Clinic office, psychological counseling room.

Uchiha Kazuhiko held his teacup, skimmed off the non-existent foam, and sipped his tea calmly.

Uchiha Shota, who was there for a follow-up visit, sat across from him, chatting about his experiences at the Ninja Academy.

"Hyuga Yizu, a genius of the Hyuga branch family, was my strongest opponent at school. Before I met him, everyone said I was gifted, a rare genius. Even the Great Elder's grandson was no match for me. I was invincible among my peers!"

Invincible among his peers...

Kazuhiko took another sip of tea and gave him a "that's impressive" look to show his affirmation.

[Uchiha Shota's favorability has increased]

"Upon entering the Ninja Academy, my father told me that everyone who comes here possesses special talents and are the pride of heaven. I remained fearless, standing out in the entrance exam and establishing my reputation."

Kazuhiko nodded.

[Kick the Konoha Kindergarten], quite an impressive historical record.

At this mention, Shota's gaze drifted, "But then I met someone I could never forget for the rest of my life: Hyuga Yizu!"

Another character added to the Genjutsu of Awakening.

However, for the sake of your mental health, you really ought to forget about this Hyuga boy.

You can't handle the LGBT lifestyle.

"Hyuga Yizu, a genius of the Hyuga branch family. Whether in theoretical grades or practical combat classes, he always managed to easily suppress me, leaving me unable to catch my breath... In just a year and a half, he graduated from the Ninja Academy using his Byakugan, then quickly passed the Chunin Exams. He joined the Anbu with the top score in the Chunin Exams; that year, the Anbu only recruited one ninja from a clan."

"And in the following year's Chunin Exams, I lost to another genius from the Hyuga clan. If I had been able to lead my team to victory against the Hyuga back then, perhaps I could have joined the Anbu and continued to chase after Hyuga Yizu..."

There are no "ifs."

Uchiha Kazuhiko gave a negative answer in his heart.

A Hyuga joining the Anbu is a matter of clan glory and serving the village; the higher-ups would welcome it with open arms, and the abilities of the Byakugan are perfectly suited for the core missions of the Anbu.

For an Uchiha to join the Anbu, you are seen as a lapdog of Konoha, a spy for Hamas, despised by your own clansmen, and suspected by the higher-ups.

And most importantly, after the Nine-Tails Rebellion, the Anbu would not recruit any ninjas from the Uchiha clan at all.

Shisui was a special case, a middleman specifically recruited into the Anbu by the Third Hokage to appease the Uchiha.

"Tell me about your father. I have read his file; he rendered distinguished service for both Konoha and our Uchiha, a remarkable ninja."

Kazuhiko continued to guide Shota, controlling the rhythm of the conversation.

Thanks to Shota's extremely high favorability, their talk became incredibly simple, requiring no genjutsu for hypnotic guidance, saving both time and effort.

[Uchiha Shota's favorability toward you has increased]

[Uchiha Itachi's favorability toward you has increased]

Hm!

It seems something strange has mixed in.