Early in the morning, a breeze swept through, leaving the room a little chilly. A gentle hand patted Qile's shoulder, slowly rousing him from his dreams.
Qile drowsily opened his eyes. The familiar, gentle face of Yeling came into view.
He slowly rolled over and sat up in bed, his body still languid and weak. Sitting on the edge, he rubbed his bleary eyes, trying to wake himself up properly.
Last night had been especially meaningful for Qile. Since arriving in the Ninja World, it was the first time he had fallen asleep on his own instead of passing out for various reasons, as he had over the previous two days.
Also, perhaps because he was in a child's body, Qile could think like an adult, but sometimes he acted like a child. Even he couldn't quite figure out his own temperament.
"Yeling, is Lord Madara still here?" Qile asked, yawning as he slowly rose, stretched, and picked up the clothes beside him to put them on.
Yeling quickly bent down and deftly helped him get dressed. In a soft, low voice, she replied, "The clan leader left before it was fully light."
"Oh, I see..." Qile nodded thoughtfully and didn't ask anything further.
Because of Qile's appearance and involvement, Madara Uchiha's course of action now seemed to be diverging from the original story.
In the original, Madara Uchiha had been eager to leave. Now he didn't seem to be in such a hurry, yet he kept leaving Konoha so frequently. Qile couldn't help wondering what the Asura of the Ninja World was so busy with.
"Are you planning to practice Hand Seals first?" Yeling carefully helped Qile put on the last piece of clothing, then handed him a towel dampened with warm water and asked gently.
"Yeah, that's right. I'll practice Hand Seals first." Qile nodded, took the towel, wiped himself a couple of times, and headed out into the yard.
He stopped beneath the cherry tree in the courtyard. Then he slowly exhaled, adjusted his posture, and planted his feet firmly apart. His hands began to move in an orderly fashion as he practiced the Hand Seals, following the specific sequence and rhythm one step at a time.
Hand Seals were different from other things; there were no shortcuts. Only by practicing over and over with unwavering persistence could he perform them quickly and accurately without having to think, allowing him to cast the Ninjutsu he needed at a critical moment.
Of course, if he could do what Hashirama Senju did—clap his hands and summon all sorts of powerful Ninjutsu at will—then he could do as he pleased...
But over the thousand-year history of shinobi, Hashirama Senju was the only one who could easily use Ninjutsu without Hand Seals!
Even someone as powerful as Madara Uchiha still had to follow the usual process and form Hand Seals to use Ninjutsu at this point in time. At most, he could skip a couple of Seals.
As for chakra refinement, Madara Uchiha hadn't said much about it, and Qile hadn't asked him about it either.
After all, they were members of the Uchiha Clan! Even if their chakra reserves weren't as vast as those of the Senju Clan, they still had more than enough for ordinary use.
What's more, once the Sharingan awakened and began to evolve, the amount of chakra in their bodies would continue to grow.
So chakra was the last thing Qile needed to worry about. He could simply let things take their natural course.
The chill left behind by the night gradually faded as the sun rose and golden light spread across the land.
During that monotonous stretch of time, Qile focused completely on practicing Hand Seals. With each movement of his fingers and each change in the Seals, time flowed by like water. Before he knew it, an hour and a half had passed in the blink of an eye.
Just then, a graceful figure emerged from the room. Yeling carried a delicate tray, laden with food.
She came over to Qile and said softly, "The clan leader specifically instructed me this morning not to let you practice Hand Seals for too long. If your fingers get too tired, your normally precise Seals can easily become distorted. Why don't you have breakfast first?"
At her words, Qile shook his hand, which was beginning to feel sore and stiff.
Then Qile slowly closed his eyes and took a deep breath before opening them again.
His originally dark, deep pupils instantly turned scarlet, and a Single Tomoe Sharingan appeared.
When he first awakened the Sharingan last night, he hadn't been able to take the time to savor the unique visual experience it brought.
Now, as he looked at the world around him through the Sharingan, an unprecedented sensation welled up inside him.
To his surprise, everything he saw seemed to move more slowly, while also becoming exceptionally clear.
From the subtle movement of grass in the breeze to the light hops of birds on distant branches, even the paths of dust motes drifting through the air—all of it was visible in perfect detail.
He could even see the dew on a blade of grass slowly evaporating in the rising sun...
He kept the Sharingan active for only a moment before his eyes returned to normal.
At last, he understood why Danzo in the original story hated the Uchiha Clan so deeply, yet was so fascinated by their Sharingan.
The moment the Sharingan awakened, the whole world became crystal clear, every detail laid bare. It was an intoxicating experience that was hard to resist.
He thought back to the moment he had used the Sharingan. It was as if an invisible veil had been lifted from the world around him, exposing every outline and subtle detail. The feeling of seeing everything so clearly made his heart race.
But when the Sharingan closed, that unique visual advantage vanished, and the world was once again veiled in a hazy blur.
Perhaps it was precisely this overwhelming allure of the Sharingan that made Danzo hate the Uchiha so fiercely on the one hand, while resorting to any means necessary to claim their eyes for himself on the other.
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