Unfortunately, none of this had anything to do with Mingye. As a blind man who couldn't even convert his chakra into Five Elements Ninjutsu to attack, he was no longer fit for the battlefield. Just then, Lianhuo pushed open the door to the medicine room and walked over to him. She took out a scroll and said, "The contents of this scroll are what you wanted. But Yin Release isn't easy to master. Are you sure you want to go down this path?"
"I know what you're going to say. But should I just give up because I've lost my sight?" Mingye raised an eyebrow, dissatisfied with her words, and shot back.
"Young Master Mingye, you know your talent for medicine is far greater than your talent for ninjutsu!" Lianhuo hurriedly explained, afraid Mingye would think she was insulting him.
"Enough! Stop wasting your breath. I've made up my mind. Just explain the training method in the scroll to me!" Joseph knew she was only trying to comfort him and meant no harm, but he was still a little irritable. He impatiently urged her to explain the scroll's contents.
As Lianhuo explained, Joseph gained a deeper understanding of how to cultivate Yin Release chakra. Yin-Yang Release was the sixth major category of ninjutsu, existing above the Five Elements Ninjutsu. In fact, it was even more advanced than the Five Elements. If one cultivated Yin-Yang chakra to its utmost limits, it could rival a Kekkei Genkai. Some clans had indeed done so, calling the result a secret technique and keeping it from outsiders.
Yin Release could give form to the immaterial, while Yang Release combined healing, restoration, and the gift of life. Yin Release excelled at offense, while Yang Release excelled at defense. Yet neither of these two chakra natures had any actual techniques of its own. Yin Release, combined with the Five Elements, could create the various chakra-based attacks a ninja needed. Yang Release, on the other hand, could be cultivated on its own. Combined with Taijutsu, it could strengthen the body, allow a person to grow or shrink, and even extend one's lifespan.
After Lianhuo finished explaining and took her leave, chakra slowly gathered in Mingye's palm. The pure black chakra gave off a faint glow. Rotating like a Rasengan, it gradually floated up and drifted in front of him. Mingye couldn't see how the chakra orb moved, but through his senses, he could still tell that it was right in front of him.
Thinking back on it, his sudden outburst had happened because he wasn't a Three Tomoe Sharingan wielder. Although the negative emotions in his heart had been strong enough to awaken his Mangekyō Sharingan, there were two flaws that couldn't be overcome. First, his training hadn't reached the level required to awaken the Mangekyō Sharingan. Second, and most importantly, his body couldn't withstand that immense power. That was why, after awakening the Mangekyō Sharingan, he had plunged into darkness in less than a minute. The despair from his memories of his past life, along with the pain of seeing his younger brother die in his arms in this life, had released a force within his soul that rivaled that of an adult. But Mingye's body wasn't strong enough to bear that power. His blindness had been inevitable. He just hadn't expected his visual prowess to be exhausted in barely a minute.
Using his blind cane to feel his way forward, he stumbled to the training ground and sat cross-legged beneath the moonlight. Once more, Mingye felt lost about his future, with no ideas and no sense of purpose. In the Warring States era, a blind man was a useless cripple destined to be cast aside. In a world like this, blindness meant death—especially in a powerful clan like the Uchiha. Of course, it was precisely because Mingye lived in a great clan like the Uchiha that he was still safe and sound, with three meals a day.
"Can't sleep again?"
Tajima's voice came from behind him. Mingye hurriedly stood and bowed in the direction he thought Tajima was standing. Tajima sighed as he looked at his exceptionally talented son and shook his head. "Practicing chakra again?"
"I don't want to amount to nothing."
Mingye calmly answered Tajima's question. Moved by how composed Mingye was, Tajima then scolded him sternly.
"Where was that attitude before? Have you finally realized that you shouldn't have been so lazy?"
"Your son has failed you."
Mingye bowed again to apologize. Tajima didn't want to keep discouraging him, so he praised some of the things Mingye had done well recently. "All right. What's past is past. I hear you're quite skilled at medicine. You even got Lianhuo to stitch up people's wounds, and you've been pouring alcohol over them, saying it can kill germs."
"That helps them recover faster. Strong alcohol can disinfect wounds, too. Many injuries among the clan's ninja get worse because they aren't kept clean. Alcohol can at least help with that. Scattering a little lime in the corners of the house can have the same effect."
The common knowledge of his previous life wasn't widely understood in this world. It wasn't simply that people here neglected the sick; once someone fell ill, it was as if their life had started counting down. The lack of doctors and the poor understanding of illness meant that even a common cold could take someone's life. Although Mingye's ability to train in ninjutsu had been ruined, Tajima was glad to see how much more mature he'd become. He spoke again. "You certainly haven't been idle. You've given Lianhuo quite a hard time lately! Keep working on your medical skills, and have Lianhuo help you treat people. That way, you can be of use to the clan."
"Making whatever contribution I can to the clan is my main goal now. The Uchiha Clan doesn't support dead weight."
"Good. Since you've been working so hard, is there anything you'd like to ask me for?"
Mingye nodded to show he understood. Tajima was pleased and wanted to reward him, but realized he had nothing suitable to give him. Rather than dwell on it, he told Mingye to ask for whatever he wanted. Mingye was taken aback by Tajima's question. As a blind man, what could he possibly need? Nothing came to mind. Then he suddenly remembered something. In the manga, Kabuto had once fought Uchiha Itachi in an epic battle. Kabuto had kept his eyes closed as he fought Itachi in a lightless cave.
"Ryūchi Cave."
"What did you say?"
"Father, I once came across a book that described summoning creatures. It said there were three great summoning-beast sanctuaries: Mount Myoboku, Shikkotsu Forest, and Ryūchi Cave. I want to receive the teachings of Ryūchi Cave. Snakes can move through the world without eyes. If I could inherit their abilities, perhaps I could help the clan even more."
"Ryūchi Cave, huh? I see you still haven't given up."
"Even if there's only the slightest chance, I want to try."
"I'll keep it in mind. I may be away from the clan for the next few months. Don't go running around with Madara, either. That brat took you out for a whole day last time. What if something had happened? Do you think he could have protected you? You shouldn't have gone along with his nonsense."
"This son was wrong."
"That's enough. If I find any information about Ryūchi Cave, I'll bring it back for you."
In the middle of an unnamed lake outside the Uchiha Clan, Mingye sat motionless. A breeze blew, but the ripples on the water stopped abruptly five meters away from him. Madara quickly leaped out of the trees and formed Hand Seals. A fireball shot from his mouth. Sensing it, Mingye pressed one hand against the water. A column of water rose from the lake and struck the fireball dead on.
Madara smiled at Mingye's move and didn't attack again. Instead, he sat down on the surface of the lake as well.
"I never imagined chakra could be used like this!"
"I can't control chakra well enough to perform Five Elements Ninjutsu. It took me a long time to come up with this way of controlling it."
Mingye smiled wryly, with a hint of pride. After three months of effort, he had finally managed to find a way to control chakra. But he could only use it in water. He couldn't infuse chakra into fire, lightning, earth, or wind at all.
final
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