Thinking

"That child..." Uchiha Miko sighed helplessly. "He really is stubborn. He doesn't listen to me at all anymore. Still, he definitely inherited my brains! I just don't know whether he inherited his father's talent for training." Uchiha Zhuang sat on the ground, training his chakra as he thought. Everyone in this world was a real, living person, and each had their own values and way of doing things. It was kind of interesting. He knew that Meiko's father was a scholar, so she'd grown up surrounded by knowledge and history and had developed her own way of thinking critically. As for Genmu, he was the great-grandson of a former Uchiha Clan head, so he had some talent for training. And the Sharingan wasn't so easy to awaken. The utter nonsense written in Earth's books about instantly awakening the Mangekyo (aside from Obito, who'd been given a cheat by the original author)—if it were really that easy, the Uchiha would've unified the Shinobi World back in the Warring States period. Even if they'd fought among themselves, they'd still have conquered the world. Everyone would be piloting giant robots. But if I can awaken mine instantly, that'd be great.

Right now, he had a mission to wipe out bandits and highwaymen, as well as a Soul Portrait Evolution Fluid. Interesting. Why call it a Soul Portrait Evolution Fluid instead of a Sharingan Evolution Fluid? Let me think. Before reaching three Tomoe, the Sharingan couldn't be called a soul portrait, because at that stage it had no power to affect reality or manifest abilities. So the Soul Portrait Evolution Fluid had to be used after reaching three Tomoe. Hmm, that might not be right, but to be safe and take the most reliable path, it'd be best to wait until after reaching three Tomoe before using it. After thinking it over, Uchiha Zhuang carefully read through the training techniques and notes.

Early the next morning, Uchiha Zhuang headed out to a small pond to practice Water Walking and tree climbing. Near noon, he summoned the system and saw that the shop was still grayed out. He had prerequisites he hadn't completed. With a thought, he redeemed the Speed Boots, put them on, then hid them. They still looked like his ordinary shoes. He stamped his feet and found them very comfortable, then ran toward Konoha's shopping district. At this time, Konoha's civilians weren't especially prejudiced against the Uchiha Clan, so even wearing their fan-crested clothes didn't cause much trouble. He found a ramen shop in the shopping district and ordered an extra-large bowl of tonkotsu ramen with chicken cutlet. He tried it and found it pretty good: delicious and generous in size. It was filling and tasty. Ichiraku Ramen seemed like it was about to open, around the time Jiraiya graduated. The Third Hokage was still young, while the Second was in his prime. Soon, he finished his ramen, paid, and left the shop. That was when he spotted a red-haired little girl running around with a pinwheel in her hand, laughing, while a young man hurried along behind her to keep her safe. She must be from the Uzumaki Clan. Right, the Uzumaki were still powerful at this time; they hadn't declined yet, Uchiha Zhuang thought. He walked home, noticing all sorts of interesting things and details he'd never picked up on when watching the anime or reading the manga. For instance, how civilians made their living, how many shinobi were out on the streets, how shinobi and civilians lived alongside each other, and how prosperous Konoha was in both population and commerce. He also noticed that technology in the Hokage world was unevenly developed, and caught glimpses of figures slipping through the shadows now and then. He even saw samurai, monks, and mages. They were rare, but their presence showed that Konoha really was tolerant and open-minded. The village leadership was quite welcoming toward civilians. Not bad at all. His understanding of the world had grown richer, and Uchiha Zhuang was starting to like it more and more. If he set aside all ambitions and just lived lazily, he could probably follow the main story and live a peaceful life. After all, under Naruto's leadership in the future, Konoha would develop rapidly! He strolled leisurely along the riverbank, past a crossroad lined with detached houses, and over a little wooden bridge, until he came across a group of children gathered in an alley. A familiar scene! Wanting to get some exercise, Uchiha Zhuang sneaked closer and saw that, sure enough, four little boys had surrounded a little girl. They kept hitting and shoving her, chanting insults like "Monster! Freak! Beat her to death!" "Yamero!" Uchiha Zhuang shouted. The brats stopped and looked at him. One of them, a chubby boy, stepped forward. "What do you want? You want a beating too?" Ignoring him, Uchiha Zhuang looked at the girl. Her hair hung loose as she sat on the ground, her clothes smeared with dirt and dust. Her head was bowed, and she seemed to be crying softly. Frowning, Uchiha Zhuang looked at the sturdy chubby boy and his three lackeys. Calmly, he said, "Beating people up is wrong. You brats, go home and play in the dirt!" The chubby boy glared at him and immediately launched into a flurry of wild punches. To be fair, the chubby boy had his size going for him, and he had a mean streak too. He was young now, but if he kept it up, he'd be the big shot of these streets someday. Uchiha Zhuang took a breath and started in a bow stance, raising his hands, but instantly shifted into a boxing stance, fists loosely clenched and held in front of him. In that instant, Uchiha Zhuang recalled the Kage Level notes: when facing a powerful enemy, you couldn't stick rigidly to forms and prescribed moves. They might be familiar and easy to use in practice, but their rigidity made them easy for an opponent to counter, leading to defeat. You had to be flexible and adaptable. As the chubby boy charged ferociously with a straight punch aimed at his face, Uchiha Zhuang kept his head remarkably clear. He dodged the punch, tripped him from the side, then pressed both hands against the boy's back and shoved and twisted. The chubby boy went sprawling face-first onto the ground. Without looking back at him, Uchiha Zhuang rushed at the three stunned lackeys. He coated his fists in chakra and punched each of them squarely on their big heads. Thunk, thunk, thunk. All three fell to the ground, writhing in pain. Uchiha Zhuang stepped forward and stomped hard, then turned to face the chubby boy once the lackeys seemed to have had enough. The chubby boy really did have the makings of a leader. His mouth was bleeding—he'd probably chipped a tooth—but even after taking such a beating, he got up and glared at Uchiha Zhuang. Then he charged like a bull, roaring as he rushed forward. Uchiha Zhuang grinned. "You're about to fall over, little fatty." He coated his foot with a little chakra and threw a side kick. With a swish, his foot cut through the air and sent the boy flying into the nearby trash heap. Two metal trash cans caved in with a loud clang. Uchiha Zhuang thought he'd really gone too far this time. Could the chubby boy be dead? Had he used too much force? The kid was still just a child, after all. He stared at the trash cans for a while (his Sharingan was unusual, so it wasn't unreasonable for him to have good eyesight), then confirmed the boy was breathing steadily and had only passed out. Uchiha Zhuang finally relaxed. The ninja world really was amazing; everyone seemed to be in great shape. The three lackeys were still groaning on the ground. Uchiha Zhuang looked down at them and said, "I hate people who bully girls. If you ever do this again, I'll break your legs." Then, ignoring the mess, he went over to the little girl, took her by the arm, carried her on his back, and headed out.