The Uchiha Clan's Blind Swordsman

He adjusted his breathing, focusing his senses.

A moment later, a strange power surged within his body.

This power did not belong to the Hokage world; it was fundamentally different from chakra.

Even though he could not comprehend this power.

Even though this power was entirely foreign to him.

It felt as if the method to wield it was etched directly into his soul.

Chiba knew that this power was called [Gravity]!

The next moment, Chiba released this power from his body and began to extend it.

The extension of this power was very slow.

To Chiba, it felt like crossing a river by feeling for stones.

At first, the power extended rapidly.

However, as the distance increased, the speed began to wane.

It came to an abrupt halt after extending only one meter.

This one-meter radius was the current limit of Chiba's gravity manipulation.

Then—

Clang.

He tapped the ground with his Zanpakuto, which had taken the shape of a cane.

This was not a necessary action to trigger the ability.

Yet, this subconscious movement felt as if it were branded into Chiba's soul.

He knew this gesture belonged to the Fujitora Issho template.

Because Chiba had inherited Fujitora Issho's techniques.

It seemed the habits for activating those abilities had been inherited as well.

In an instant.

The ground within that one-meter radius shuddered.

As if pulled by some unseen force, it was ruthlessly suppressed.

Feeling the shift in power, Chiba murmured to himself.

"Is this... gravity?"

The next moment.

Chiba increased his output, and the ground within that one-meter radius trembled even more violently.

It was as if it were bearing an immense weight.

The earth instantly collapsed by a full centimeter.

This was gravity derived from atmospheric pressure.

Gravity Suppression—one of Fujitora Issho's signature moves.

It uses intense atmospheric gravity to pin all enemies within range.

The gravity is so powerful that it can even crush a hole into the earth.

Clearly, Chiba could not reach that level yet.

Chiba withdrew his power.

Through this simple test, Chiba already understood where the strength of gravity lay.

By imbuing his swordsmanship with gravity, he could overcome his greatest current weakness.

—A lack of physical strength.

Here, strength refers purely to raw power.

A five-year-old body inevitably has a gap in physical capability.

With 10% of the Fujitora Issho template, he could theoretically kill a Jonin through swordsmanship alone.

Yet, Chiba still could not do it.

His speed and strength were far inferior to a Jonin.

However, the appearance of the Gravity Fruit allowed Chiba to overcome his current shortcomings.

"Once I adapt to this gravity, my strength... will see a leap in improvement!"

This was absolutely no joke.

Chiba lifted his hand, and the cane in his grip transformed into a katana, which he sheathed at his waist.

The next moment, Chiba slowly drew it out.

The blade reflected a shivering cold light under the moonlight.

He raised the Zanpakuto high above his head, aiming it at a massive boulder in front of him.

He infused gravity into his Zanpakuto.

And then—

He slashed down.

In an instant, as the Zanpakuto swept downward, an invisible slash flew out from Chiba's blade.

It was sword pressure—an unprecedentedly powerful sword pressure, carrying the weight of gravity.

Before this, Chiba had only been able to draw out the light of the blade.

Chiba possessed the necessary level of swordsmanship, but due to a lack of raw power, it had been nearly impossible for him to unleash such sword pressure.

However, by relying on the Gravity Fruit, Chiba had done it.

The gravitational sword pressure soared into the sky, slicing the massive boulder before him clean in two.

The shattered rock stood as a testament to the unparalleled power of gravity.

Even though he had expended a significant amount of stamina, looking at the massive rock he had violently cleaved open, Chiba knew: he had grown stronger once again.

He loved this feeling.

"Oh no, the commotion is too loud... The patrolling Police Force will surely notice!"

Before he could attract any unwanted attention, Chiba hurried away.

Within the Uchiha Clan, there was no need to worry about eyes from the Anbu or Root.

As for the Uchiha Police Force, they... were not yet arrogant enough to go that far.

Tonight, Chiba slept very soundly.

Despite his habit of waking up early, Chiba rose even later than Koizumi today.

When Chiba woke up to find Koizumi sitting by his bedside in her cute pajamas, he truly experienced the feeling of being woken up by a sweet girl.

Although Chiba didn't have a particular penchant for such things, the feeling of being healed in both body and mind made him feel that his current life was worth protecting.

The stamina drain from the Gravity Fruit had indeed left Chiba exhausted.

Waking up naturally after a full night's sleep felt wonderful.

And Chiba—he was practically woken up by hunger.

"Honestly—"

"Brother Chiba, it's one thing to sleep in, but why is your stomach growling so loudly? You clearly ate so much yesterday."

Chiba smiled and patted Koizumi's head.

"That's because..."

"Even while I was asleep, I could smell the breakfast you prepared for me."

"If that's the case, then why aren't you getting up to eat it?"

Koizumi shook her little fist, looking very happy.

At the dining table, Chiba began to wolf down his food, leaving Koizumi stunned by his side.

"Brother Chiba... since when did your appetite become so huge?"

"Perhaps it's because my training has been more strenuous lately."

"No, no, no. No matter how much you train, this increase in appetite is just too exaggerated. It's almost doubled."

Before this, Chiba's appetite had already been quite large. After all, unlike other five-year-olds, he trained every day.

"My appetite will be this large for a while."

After all, his Daily Mission had changed from 1,000 sword swings to 10,000.

This tenfold increase in volume would consume Chiba's stamina.

Furthermore, Chiba needed to practice his Gravity Fruit abilities every day, and the stamina required for that was definitely unlike anything in the past.

"Brother Chiba, if you keep eating like this, our household's food supply won't last."

"Maybe by the time Father and Mother return, we'll have to go beg for meals at the neighbors'."

"Don't make it sound so pathetic!"

"The forest belonging to our Uchiha Clan is a natural hunting ground; it's quite simple to bag a couple of pieces of game whenever we want."

"Once the game is brought back, we might even eat better than we do now."

"Just make sure you don't eat yourself into a pig."

Hearing this, Koizumi rolled her eyes at Chiba and retorted indignantly.

"Brother Chiba, you're the pig!"

While eating, Chiba mapped out his training schedule.

His daily sparring session with Itachi was set in stone.

The Daily Mission had to be completed as a top priority, and the training and development of the Gravity Fruit also needed to be put on the agenda.

More importantly—

Chiba looked at his system panel.

That randomly triggered special mission.

This was a feature Chiba cared about deeply.

Up until now, the system had not distributed any so-called special missions to Chiba.