Bloodline Mutation

Hane quickly finished dinner, taking the opportunity to cheer up his somewhat troubled mother at the table. He told a few jokes adapted from his previous life, making Mikoto, who had been lost in thought, laugh softly again and again.

After waiting for Itachi to finish eating at his usual unhurried pace, helping clear the dishes, and hugging Young Sasuke, who had been crying from his stroller for his big brother to hold him, Hane finally returned to his room in satisfaction.

It had to be said that without Fugaku around, the dining table felt much more relaxed. But when Hane thought of what the Hokage had called his father over to discuss today, his brow furrowed deeply again.

"Ah! If only I were a little older—at least old enough to have graduated from the Ninja Academy!" Hane sighed softly.

Once he became a Genin, he would be able to attend the clan meetings, and his words would carry at least a little weight. That was also one of the reasons Hane had no choice but to become a ninja.

"I hope Father can talk them around when he gets back," Hane murmured uncertainly.

He then went to his wooden bed, sat cross-legged, and opened his system panel.

Uchiha Hane

Realm: "Refining Essence into Qi"

Cultivation Method: "Azure Nether Art" Profound Rank +2

Techniques: "Five Elements Ninjutsu"

Fire: "Mastery" Lightning: "Mastery" Wind: "Ordinary" Water: "Ordinary" Earth: "Ordinary"

"Artifact Manipulation Art" Mastery "Basic Fist, Body, and Movement Technique" Mastery

"Artifact Refinement" Beginner "Alchemy" Beginner "Planting Art" Ordinary "Formation Art" Ordinary

Gratitude Points: 4250

Malice Points: 8000

Hane carefully examined his gains for the day, and his heart settled slightly. As expected of his treasured girl and most adorable little brother.

The Gratitude Points provided by the two of them alone were enough to raise his cultivation method by another tier. No sooner thought than done, Hane focused his Divine Sense on the cultivation method section.

"Upgrade!"

Boom!

In an instant, the spiritual energy around him rapidly gathered toward Hane's body. The spiritual energy in his dantian, which had originally been like a thin wisp of mist, steadily grew denser. It circulated through the meridians throughout his body, while threads of mysterious substance seeped into his flesh, skin, bones, and tendons, strengthening this mortal body.

At the same time, a cool sensation shot straight into Hane's mind. In an instant, his thoughts entered a state of selflessness. Neither sorrowful nor joyous, under the more efficient workings of his mind, his understanding of the cultivation method surged like enlightenment being poured directly into him, granting him countless insights.

Just as Hane was immersed in that wondrous state of enlightenment, he suddenly felt a sharp pain between his brows. His facial muscles twitched from the pain, and he involuntarily sucked in a cold breath, awakening from that marvelous state.

The intense pain came quickly and vanished just as fast. Hane hurriedly stood up and went to the mirror to inspect himself. Don't tell me I disfigured myself just by cultivating a method, he worried.

But the moment Hane stood up, he immediately felt that his condition was completely different. First was his vision—the entire world had become much clearer. He could now see even the tiniest things around him distinctly, and if he concentrated, he could even slow down their movements.

Could I have awakened the Sharingan? Hane felt a little delighted.

Yet after taking only a few steps, Hane realized that his body had become much lighter, as though he had broken through another layer of the world's restraints.

His entire body brimmed with explosive strength, yet Hane felt no unfamiliarity with this sudden power. He felt that if he wished, he could not only unleash enough force to smash a massive boulder, but could also gently hold a bubble blown by a child. His control over his strength was simply meticulous to the extreme.

Hane impatiently came before the mirror and looked expectantly into his own eyes. To his disappointment, however, they had not turned red. They remained as black and bright as ever, like crystalline black gemstones radiating a profound glow.

Hane was momentarily speechless. It seemed he had been overthinking it. But just as he was about to return to his bed, he noticed a scarlet red dot on his forehead. Looking at that gemstone-like mark, Hane suddenly had a bad feeling. Could I be growing a third eye?

Hane blinked and began furiously complaining about his system inwardly. Is this trying to turn me into some three-eyed freak? You damned system, why couldn't you just give me the Sharingan? Why do you insist on pushing me toward becoming something inhuman?

Though he was not yet sure whether he was growing a third eye, Hane's control over his body was extraordinarily precise. With a slight sense of awareness, he understood where the red dot had come from. An unknown power within his body was slowly gathering toward the space between his brows through his cultivation method.

Although the gathering process was slow, Hane was certain that with the next increase in his cultivation method's rank, it would definitely accelerate.

Hane could only silently pray that this new eye would be the kind that could open and close. Otherwise, walking around with a third eye open all the time would be far too strange. He would definitely be treated as a monster!

With a melancholy sigh, Hane silently returned to his bed. I should think about how to explain this to Mother tomorrow. If I can't explain it clearly, my gentle mother will worry again. Such were the troubles of happiness!

Sitting cross-legged once more, Hane saw that "Azure Nether Art" on his system panel had already reached Earth Rank. After six more enhancements, he would enter the next realm, taking another step toward attaining the Dao and becoming immortal.

Clearing the many thoughts from his mind, Hane calmed himself and began cultivating. He had originally planned to refine an artifact tonight, but his father had yet to return and the materials had not arrived. The Chakra Metal on that katana alone was not even enough to refine a single artifact blank.

Artifacts could not be refined from ordinary metal. At the very least, the metal had to be a precious metal capable of channeling spiritual energy. Since his birth, the only such precious metal Hane had discovered was Chakra Metal.

Moreover, a complete artifact required an enormous amount of Chakra Metal. If he had not been the young master of a great clan like the Uchiha, he truly would not have been able to afford such a pursuit.

Immersed in cultivation, Hane entered a state of serene clarity. Although cultivating on his own was nowhere near as fast as increasing the rank of his cultivation method, drops of water could still gather into an ocean. Having a cheat was not an excuse for him to be lazy.

Cultivate the Dao! Cultivate the Dao! First cultivate the heart; if the heart was not righteous, all else was meaningless!

That was the note at the beginning of his Azure Nether Art, and Hane felt it made perfect sense. What if he lost his cheat one day? Would he not become a useless person incapable of cultivating on his own? Without immediate worries, there would surely be distant concerns.

He did not know how much time had passed when a murmur of conversation outside woke Hane from his cultivation. He opened his eyes, and a sharp glint flashed through them.

After completing the closing movements of his cultivation, he took a deep breath, raised his hands, and slowly pressed them down. Exhaling a breath of stale air, Hane leisurely rose and walked outside. He knew his father had returned.

The full moon hung high outside the window. Hane looked at the clock on the wall—it was already two in the morning. It seemed the discussion over the clan's relocation had not gone very smoothly.

Fugaku and Mikoto, who had been discussing matters in the living room, instantly stopped talking and stared blankly toward the staircase.

Tap! Tap! Tap!

Hane came downstairs, his eyes still bleary with sleep.

"Hane, why are you still awake?" Mikoto was startled at first, then concern appeared on her face as her gaze repeatedly fell upon Hane's forehead.

"Mother, the insects outside were too noisy, so I couldn't sleep. Father's back?" Hane lazily explained to his mother, then looked toward his father with a sweet smile.

After all, he was about to make an outrageous request. Shouldn't he try to win his father's favor first? He could only survive by being cute. Being a child was too difficult.

Mikoto hurried forward, scooped Hane into her arms, and gently touched the ruby-like red dot on his forehead. She asked worriedly, "Hane, what happened to your forehead? Did you bump it while sleeping?"

Hane wanted to roll his eyes helplessly. What child would bump a ruby onto his forehead while sleeping? But seeing Mikoto's worried expression, he felt a little touched.

It was precisely this kind of meticulous motherly love that had slowly melted away the lonely, sealed-off heart he had carried for so long.

"It's nothing, Mother. It grew out on its own. It might be related to my Kekkei Genkai. When I was refining Chakra today, my forehead suddenly hurt, and this red dot appeared between my brows. My eyesight and observational ability have also become much stronger."

Hane gave a sweet smile, looking incomparably happy. Any mutation that could not be explained was the Kekkei Genkai.

Mikoto was not reassured by his words. Instead, she looked worriedly toward her husband.

Fugaku was stunned as he listened. He knew that his eldest son's bloodline had mutated. Compared to the excitement of Itachi awakening the Sharingan so early, his eldest son had never shown any signs in that regard. If it had not been for Itachi's case, he truly would not have noticed his eldest son's unusual nature.