Learning Ninjutsu

Another day of dreary prison life.

Qiancao woke up on the creaking wooden bed. Wuming was curled up asleep in his arms.

At first, he'd been a little embarrassed about sharing a bed with a beautiful girl, but once he was actually sleeping beside Wuming, he didn't have any improper thoughts.

They simply used each other as pillows, keeping warm together in the dark, damp prison.

Qiancao couldn't bear to hurt the girl, whose life had been so tragic. Wuming had been treated as a weapon from childhood, and she had only the vaguest understanding of the differences between men and women. She felt no shame about such things at all.

Perhaps Qiancao's movements as he woke had disturbed her. Wuming stirred sleepily, rubbed her eyes, then stared blankly at him.

Qiancao smiled and greeted her. "Good, morning!"

By now, Qiancao had managed to learn a few common Japanese expressions, so he could communicate with Wuming in simple terms. He no longer had to gesture wildly like he had in the first few days.

Wuming stared at him blearily for a long while. Before she could say a word, her eyes closed heavily again.

The day before, she'd been forced to fight an elite squad from the Hyuga Clan without using her Mangekyo Sharingan. They'd fought for five whole hours without a result, then both sides had withdrawn.

Wuming hadn't returned to the cell until the middle of the night. Half-asleep, she'd drifted off in Qiancao's arms.

Qiancao knew how hard things were for Wuming, so he carefully slipped his arm out from beneath her head.

He got out of bed and did a set of broadcast calisthenics to warm up. After resting for the past few days, his body had recovered. He no longer felt sore all over whenever he moved.

It was the perfect time to start learning ninjutsu.

Since Qiancao was always confined to the dungeon, he couldn't keep track of the time. He could only guess when the sun rose and set based on the two meals delivered each day.

Shiri still brought them their daytime meal. There had been no unusual circumstances these past few days, so she had delivered food to the two of them every time.

Unlike usual, Qiancao didn't immediately start eating. Instead, he asked Shiri solemnly, "I, can, learn, ninjutsu?"

Shiri looked puzzled. "You want to learn ninjutsu? Why not just ask Wuming to teach you?"

Qiancao struggled to put his words together. "I afraid, Uchiha, not, happy, Wuming, teach ninjutsu."

Shiri admired his caution. "I'll ask Lord Naoto. If he agrees, then no one can complain about Wuming teaching you ninjutsu."

Qiancao lowered his head in gratitude. "Thank you." Shiri had never met an Uchiha Clan member so humble and polite. He really does seem a little slow.

In Naoto's little room, Shiri told Uchiha Naoto that Qiancao wanted to learn ninjutsu. Naoto frowned as he looked over the documents in his hands.

After waiting anxiously for a long time, Naoto finally spoke. But instead of answering Shiri's question, he asked, "Have you seen Keisuke's medical report?"

Shiri was startled. Although the truth might put Qiancao and Wuming at a disadvantage, she answered honestly.

"According to the investigation afterward, there were no signs that Keisuke had been affected by genjutsu. But his behavior was extremely strange."

"The intelligence team speculates that the Senju Clan developed a new and powerful genjutsu, which made Keisuke attack everyone present."

Naoto smiled after hearing this. "If we're talking about genjutsu, who can match the Sharingan of my Uchiha Clan?"

Shiri hurriedly replied, "But they didn't find any mark of Yachihoko on Keisuke."

Naoto remained unruffled. "Aside from you, me, and Wuming, wasn't there another member of the clan who had awakened the Sharingan and seen him?"

Realizing she couldn't hide it any longer, Shiri could only force herself to say, "You mean Uchiha Chigusa?"

"Although the boy has never had formal ninja training, he awakened the Three Tomoe as soon as he got the Sharingan. That's an exceptional talent, even within the clan."

"Given that his parents deserted the clan, he should have been executed long ago."

Shiri's heart tightened. She clenched the hem of her clothes behind her back, holding herself back with all her strength from crying out in alarm.

As if he had noticed her distress, Naoto gave her a knowing look and continued.

"But judging by his behavior lately, he probably won't seek revenge anytime soon. So I agreed to your proposed 'friendship plan.'"

Shiri was about to say something, but Naoto interrupted her.

"I've been observing Wuming these past few days. Not only has her visual prowess increased greatly in a short time, but her desire to fight has grown stronger as well."

"Before, she was intent only on dying. She might have been able to unleash some unknown potential, but she couldn't control it."

"If that boy Qiancao can become a way to control Wuming..."

Naoto went over to where Shiri knelt. From an angle where she couldn't see his expression, he patted her on the shoulder.

"I'll leave this matter in your hands. Don't disappoint me." With that, he walked straight out of the room. He didn't share his private thoughts with anyone.

Lately, I keep having strange, inexplicable urges. Could that be the effect of Qiancao's Sharingan too?

With permission to learn ninjutsu, Qiancao sat cross-legged on the wooden bed in the cell.

Wuming sat cross-legged opposite him and explained the basics of chakra.

"Chakra is the energy created by combining spiritual energy and physical energy. It can be used to perform ninjutsu or genjutsu."

"The process of combining them is also how chakra is created, and it uses up a ninja's stamina."

Qiancao looked completely lost. "Don't understand..." He hadn't learned these relatively complicated words yet, so he didn't understand what she meant. Wuming's explanation had been more for the readers' benefit.

Wuming thought it over, troubled, and decided to explain with gestures instead.

First, she pointed to her head and said, "Spiritual, energy."

Then she flexed her biceps. "Body, energy."

She repeated the gestures, pretending to take a ball of water from each spot and hold one in each hand.

Finally, she cupped her hands around the two imaginary balls of water and slowly brought them together, rotating her hands as if merging them.

Qiancao gradually recalled watching Naruto in his previous life, so he nodded as he repeated Wuming's words.

"Body energy, spiritual energy, combine, chakra."

Seeing that Qiancao understood, Wuming nodded again and again with relief. Then she pointed to her little feet and said, "Chakra."

Qiancao saw a faint blue glow appear around Wuming's feet. She rose from the bed, planted both feet on the wall, and stood there like Spider-Man, defying gravity.

"Oh, oh, oh!" Qiancao clapped and exclaimed in amazement.

Wuming climbed down from the wall and gestured for Qiancao to try refining chakra himself.