After returning home, Uchiha Hao brought Li into the study. It was still class time, so neither Uchiha Mikoto nor Uchiha Fugaku had returned. The study was quiet, with only Uchiha Hao and Li inside.
"Li, you were too impulsive this time!" Uchiha Hao said, shaking his head after taking his seat.
Li didn't reply. He knew Uchiha Hao had more to say, so he waited. After a while, Uchiha Hao looked at Li again, a trace of pride flashing in his eyes. "Still, personally, I think you did the right thing. Back in the Warring States Period, who would have dared insult the Uchiha Clan? No one would have dared say a single bad word about us. That's what it meant to be Uchiha. Back in the day, our Uchiha Clan in the Warring States Period..."
Uchiha Hao did all the talking after that, while Li listened. He went on about how powerful the Uchiha Clan had been during the Warring States Period. But Li knew more than Uchiha Hao did about the clan's history. So as not to bruise Uchiha Hao's pride, he listened attentively, treating it like a story.
After a long while, Uchiha Hao finally stopped talking. A trace of helplessness crossed his face, and he sighed before continuing. "After his battle with the First, Madara Uchiha vanished without a trace. And ever since Madara Uchiha disappeared, the Uchiha Clan has been repeatedly suppressed by the Hokage's faction. Today, we've become weak and voiceless. Even the Hyuga, who once could only cower beneath the Uchiha Clan, dare to stand up and claim their Byakugan is stronger than our Sharingan. Why? Because ever since Madara Uchiha, no one in the Uchiha Clan has managed to evolve the Sharingan to its final stage. That's why others dare to walk all over us. But you're different. You awakened the Two-Tomoe Sharingan at just six years old. Even Madara Uchiha didn't have that kind of talent at your age. You have a real chance of surpassing him and leading our clan back to the peak of the Warring States Period. Li, are you willing to lead our clan back to the top?"
Listening to this cringeworthy speech, Li was at a loss for words. Uchiha Hao was already so old, yet he was still trying to act like a hot-blooded youth. But Li didn't want to hurt his pride, so he nodded and said solemnly, "I'm a member of the Uchiha Clan. Naturally, it's my duty to restore our clan to greatness!"
"Good, good! That's what a fine son of the Uchiha Clan should be! Li, in a few days, you'll go study Ninjutsu under the Third Hokage. I may not like that Hiruzen Sarutobi, but there's no denying that he's known as the Professor of Ninjutsu. He knows countless techniques and has a wealth of knowledge about Ninjutsu. You must study hard. The Uchiha Clan will support you from behind!"
After parting ways with Uchiha Hao, Li went to his room and quickly entered the System Space. He remembered completing a mission earlier that day. It had rewarded him with not only a thousand points but also permission to upgrade his Kekkei Genkai once. He could set the thousand points aside for now; upgrading to the Three-Tomoe Sharingan cost ten thousand, and he was still nine thousand short. But the permission to upgrade his Kekkei Genkai had caught his attention.
"System, can this upgrade permission be saved?" As soon as he entered the System Space, Li asked. That was what he was hoping for. If he could save it, he could wait until his Sharingan reached the Three-Tomoe stage, then use it to upgrade to the Mangekyo. If possible, he'd rather save it for a future upgrade to the Rinnegan.
"Host, this upgrade permission is worth no more than one hundred thousand points. In other words, you can use it to upgrade to the Mangekyo, but not to the Eternal Mangekyo. Please don't try to exploit loopholes!" The system's icy voice rang out, crushing Li's hopes.
Li was a little disappointed. He sighed quietly, then checked his points and opened the Ninjutsu exchange panel. A vast list of techniques appeared, including forbidden techniques and secret techniques, even Dojutsu.
"Flying Thunder God Technique, First Stage (S): Costs ten thousand points. Each stage upgrade costs ten thousand points, so the Second Stage costs ten thousand points! Redeeming both the First and Second Stages costs twenty thousand points!"
"Chidori (S): Costs ten thousand points!"
Li looked through several S-Class techniques. They all cost more than ten thousand points, which he couldn't afford. He didn't want to waste points on lower-level techniques, either. After all, the Uchiha Clan was Konoha's largest clan, with countless techniques in its collection, covering every field. If he wanted one, he could always ask Uchiha Hao for it. Besides, he was only a Genin, with limited chakra. Learning more techniques wouldn't help.
"Maybe I should look at Genjutsu. With my Two-Tomoe Sharingan, I can make ordinary Genjutsu several times more powerful, giving me an unexpected advantage in battle!" With that thought, Li sorted the techniques and brought up the Genjutsu list. He looked through many of them, but they were all basic techniques, and none caught his interest. The Uchiha Clan had training scrolls for all those basic techniques, so there was no need to waste points on them. Just as Li was about to lose patience, one Genjutsu finally caught his eye.
"Crow Clone Technique (A): Created by Itachi Uchiha. An advanced Genjutsu that doesn't require eye contact. Physical contact alone can trap the target in an illusion, and the enemy is unlikely to notice. Costs one thousand points!"
It was a little expensive, but very practical. As long as he touched any part of the other person, he could put them under Genjutsu without their noticing. When he fought someone in the future, he could first find a way to touch them, then use this technique to take them out without anyone realizing.
"System, exchange this Crow Clone Technique for me!" He had no use for the thousand points sitting around, so he might as well learn a Genjutsu to protect himself.
The system received the command and quickly deducted a thousand points from Li's balance. A set of information appeared in his mind, and before long, he understood the principles behind the Genjutsu and how to use it.
After completing the exchange, Li nodded in satisfaction. He now had the Great Fireball Technique for attacking and the Crow Clone Technique for catching people off guard. As for Taijutsu, he would have to improve through practice; that couldn't be accomplished overnight. He exited the System Space, but before he could catch his breath, a knock at the door drew his attention. Two small figures were fidgeting outside. Li saw them and shook his head helplessly. There was no need to guess who they were: Uchiha Mikoto and Uchiha Fugaku.
He got up and opened the door. Uchiha Mikoto hurried over, anxiously patting and checking him all over. After a while, she finally asked, "Brother Li, I heard you killed a ninja today. You're not hurt, are you?"
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