Not Enough to Spend

"It is good that you have such a mindset. The most valuable trait in a person is self-awareness; knowing your own shortcomings and constantly striving to overcome them is how one becomes a powerhouse."

"Many thanks for your guidance, Clan Head." Mirai replied to Uchiha Fugaku. Internally, however, Mirai was thinking something quite different: Damn, if you actually had self-awareness, you wouldn't be plotting a rebellion. Anyone can spout pretty words; why not just lead the clan out of Konoha? Still, he maintained an expression of sincere, attentive learning.

Suddenly, the voice of Uchiha Itachi's mother, Uchiha Mikoto, rang out: "Dinner is ready, come and eat!"

"Let's go eat," Uchiha Fugaku said with the air of a true head of the household, then rose and headed toward the dining area, followed by Mirai and Uchiha Itachi.

During the meal, Uchiha Fugaku mentioned to Uchiha Mikoto that Mirai had already awakened his Sharingan. This surprised Uchiha Mikoto, as the Sharingan was a Kekkei Genkai possessed by only a tiny fraction of the Uchiha Clan, and she couldn't help but look at Mirai with newfound respect.

After dinner, Mirai took his leave, and Uchiha Itachi walked him out. Watching their figures disappear at the gate, Uchiha Mikoto remarked, "Mirai is so much like Mie in personality, and he looks just like her, too. Back then, it was because of that restless spirit that Father drove Mie out of the Uchiha residential district. It was truly hard on her. Perhaps he awakened his Sharingan because he witnessed something."

"Regardless, to awaken the Sharingan at such an early age, his talent is beyond doubt. The Uchiha Clan might just produce a super genius," Uchiha Fugaku stated.

Uchiha Mikoto rubbed her stomach and said, "I wonder what it will be like when Sasuke is born?"

"If he has even half the talent of Mirai and Itachi, he will be a fine genius," Uchiha Fugaku replied. He wasn't worried about Itachi awakening the Sharingan, but having taught Itachi personally, he felt there was little left to impart; the boy learned everything instantly. Once he mastered the Sharingan, he wouldn't be any weaker than Mirai.

Mirai and Uchiha Itachi reached the entrance of the Uchiha residential district, where Mirai told Itachi he could head back. He was very familiar with the area from this point on and didn't need further escort.

Mirai walked toward his own dwelling with a grin of satisfaction. Why the grin? It went without saying: a quick trip to the Uchiha compound had netted him ten points, increased his combat experience, and earned him a ninjutsu scroll.

The wealthy might not care, spending money in the Mall System without a second thought, but he was no tycoon. He was terrified of spending points and saved wherever he could—such was the life of the poor.

Clutching the ninjutsu scroll with excitement, Mirai's pace quickened, and he soon returned to his room.

He wasn't in a rush to open the scroll; he intended to check his Mall System first. Opening the system store, Mirai navigated directly to the [Bloodline Pavilion].

As expected, none of the other Kekkei Genkai were lit up. Mirai had checked before when bored and found that even the lowest-tier bloodlines required hundreds of points—far beyond his current budget. He could try for them later, but for now, the sooner he could turn resources into personal strength, the better.

Countless predecessors who had transmigrated before him had taught him that reaching the top in one leap was impossible. You start by practicing inferior techniques, gain strength to seize better ones, practice those, and then use that power to seize even better ones. It had to be done step by step. Besides, he already possessed a top-tier bloodline, so his starting point was already much higher than those predecessors.

He clicked on the Sharingan option again. [Ding! You have successfully activated the 'Two-Tomoe Sharingan'. 10 points consumed!]

Mirai felt a strange energy surge into his eyes. He quickly rushed to a mirror and saw two tomoe spinning in each iris. He was deeply moved; the Mall System hadn't cheated him this time. He had feared it would only add a tomoe to one eye, but it seemed to be a conscientious business after all.

Mirai turned his gaze back to the system store. The [Two-Tomoe Sharingan] entry had changed to [Three-Tomoe Sharingan]. In other words, one more purchase and his ordinary Sharingan would evolve to the peak. The progress seemed quite fast—was the day of him dominating the Naruto world finally approaching? Mirai couldn't help but feel a bit lightheaded.

Mirai clicked on the [Three-Tomoe Sharingan] option. [Ding! Activating the Three-Tomoe Sharingan requires 100 points. Your balance is insufficient. Please purchase next time!]

(⊙_⊙)? A foolish expression appeared on Mirai's face again. Had he misheard? He clicked it once more.

[Ding! Activating the Three-Tomoe Sharingan requires 100 points. Your balance is insufficient. Please purchase next time!]

Damn it! It really was 100 points. It was just going from four tomoe total to six—two extra tomoe cost 100 points? Points were so hard to earn; he had to risk his life for them! And 100 meant 100, no haggling allowed. Even game stores had holiday sales or daily specials...

In the end, Mirai sighed. "Sigh! I thought my life was about to take off, but to think the Three-Tomoe costs 100 points. Does that mean the Mangekyou costs 1,000? Life is full of ups and downs. It looks like it's going to be a long time before I can live that badass life."

He should have known. [Wood Release] cost 5,000 points; how could an equivalent Sharingan be cheap? It seemed he would be living the poor life for quite a while longer.

He quickly shook off his disappointment. While he was a bit greedy, he wouldn't blame others. He would never rely on anyone for what he could achieve with his own hands. He was already standing at a high starting point, far surpassing his peers—what was there to be dissatisfied about? He casually opened the [Martial Arts Pavilion]. He still had three points left; he needed to digest them quickly and turn them into strength. After all, he didn't have much time left for his main quest.