His strength rose again!

"How are you feeling?"

Uchiha Tekka looked at Uchiha Ryuka, whom he was supporting, with concern.

"Not too bad. I might have broken a rib."

Uchiha Ryuka clutched his chest, his expression no longer defiant. A trace of lingering fear flashed in his eyes. When he looked at Uchiha Hui's retreating figure again, his face filled with conflicting emotions.

"Don't ask me. I don't know when he became this strong either. When I saw him again a couple of days ago, I already felt he'd changed. He even caught a Kirigakure spy. Still, I never expected him to improve this quickly..."

Uchiha Tekka seemed to have guessed what was puzzling Ryuka and spoke quietly, as though it were nothing.

At those words,

Uchiha Ryuka gazed intently at the departing figure before forcing a strained smile. "Sorry for the trouble, but could you take me to the Medical Room? I'll probably be laid up for a few days."

"Let's go!"

Uchiha Tekka said a quick word to his companions, then led Ryuka off in another direction.

The two got along fairly well.

Besides, both seemed interested in Uchiha Hui's transformation now, and they chatted as they walked.

Around them,

the crowd's discussions continued unabated.

Even though everyone could tell that Uchiha Hui seemed to be on his last legs, they no longer looked down on the Uchiha Clan Head's younger brother, who had become a Chunin through his connections.

Meanwhile,

Uchiha Hui returned home.

He did not even wash up.

He went straight to bed and lay down.

The battles had left him exhausted, but thinking of his gains clearly made him happy too.

And once he fell asleep,

Uchiha Hui slept all the way through to the next morning.

If hunger had not woken him, he might have kept sleeping.

He reheated his leftover food.

After washing up,

Uchiha Hui began eating his breakfast.

Name: Uchiha Hui (+)

Identity: Uchiha Chunin of Konohagakure, Land of Fire

Reputation: 4,500 points

Kekkei Genkai: Sharingan (Two-Tomoe 10%), Shikotsumyaku (5%)

Ninjutsu: Clone Technique (proficient 93%), Substitution Technique (proficient 90%), Transformation Technique (beginner 85%), Body Flicker Technique (mastery 6%), Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique (proficient 95%), Fire Release: Dragon Fire Technique (beginner 80%), Hidden Mist Technique (beginner 15%), Earth Release: Fissure Palm (beginner 33%)

His reputation had increased enormously.

He had defeated Uchiha Temple, Uchiha Tianshui, and Uchiha Ryuka in succession. Uchiha Ryuka in particular had been the strongest, with a reputation as high as 5,500 points.

So,

Uchiha Hui had expected his reputation to rise.

However,

he was thoroughly puzzled.

What exactly was this thing good for?

So far, it seemed just like something from the games he had played. It could apparently serve as a reference of some sort, but in practice, it was pretty useless!

Fortunately, Uchiha Hui did not dwell on it for long.

He turned his attention to the "skills panel."

After several fusions, his Sharingan had stabilized at Two-Tomoe, and its proficiency had now risen another 5%.

Aside from that,

some of his ninjutsu had also improved, but those gains had clearly come from his own training and their use in combat, so the increases were not very large.

The Great Fireball Technique, which he had upgraded twice, was now quite close to mastery.

The newly acquired Earth Release: Fissure Palm was also at beginner level.

"Now, it's time to crack open the loot!"

Uchiha Hui reviewed his current condition, then turned his attention to the rewards he had received after his fight with Uchiha Ryuka.

For some unknown reason,

Uchiha Ryuka had actually dropped twice the loot.

He first pulled out a black orb of light.

Uchiha Hui looked up and then wore an unsurprised expression.

[Demonic Illusion: Shackling Stakes Technique (Ninjutsu Card)]

He had more or less worked out some of his cheat's features. The rewards it dropped were closely tied to the battle. If his opponent used a ninjutsu during the fight, that technique would most likely become a reward when the battle was settled.

So,

since Uchiha Ryuka had used Demonic Illusion: Shackling Stakes Technique during their fight,

it made perfect sense for this technique to appear among his rewards!

"Learn!"

Uchiha Hui recalled how he had felt during that fight, unable to move as though someone had pinned him in place with nails. Anticipation appeared on his face, and he chose to learn this new ninjutsu without hesitation.

As a flood of information appeared in his mind,

Uchiha Hui acquired the new ninjutsu.

[Demonic Illusion: Shackling Stakes Technique (beginner 40%)]

What about the other one?

Uchiha Hui pulled out the remaining orb of light. It was black as well, so it was probably something similar.

[Trace Pupil Power x1]

It was more or less what he had expected.

But it was still a pleasant surprise.

He desperately needed pupil power right now!

After all, no matter how he looked at it, a two-tomoe Sharingan seemed fit for a background character. Only after reaching three tomoe would it gain that harmonious beauty and become much stronger. It would even meet the requirements for using quite a few of the Uchiha's "forbidden techniques."

"Fuse!"

Uchiha Hui lay down on the sofa and chose to fuse his third "trace amount of pupil power."

By his estimate,

the pupil power dropped by Uchiha Ryuka should be greater than what Uchiha Temple had dropped. After all, Ryuka was a ninja who specialized in genjutsu.

The familiar pain began in his brain and swept through his entire body.

Even though this was Uchiha Hui's third time fusing pupil power, he still found it difficult to bear. He let out muffled cries of pain on the sofa, and his Sharingan activated involuntarily, its tomoe spinning continuously.

After a long while,

Uchiha Hui felt the fusion finish.

His vision had become clearer, as though it had undergone some kind of transformation.

He walked over to the mirror.

To his disappointment,

his Sharingan had not actually evolved to three tomoe.

He glanced at its proficiency. It had risen another 10%, bringing it to two-tomoe 20%.

"Progress is progress!"

Uchiha Hui affirmed his efforts, not discouraged in the slightest.

Then,

he tidied up his home a little and headed straight out.

It was time for the Uchiha's Gladiatorial Arena to open again!

He headed straight for the place he had visited that day.

Soon,

the clan's ninja noticed his arrival as well.

"Isn't that Uchiha Hui?"

"Yeah, that's him!"

“I heard he defeated three Chunin yesterday. Even Uchiha Ryuka couldn't beat him?”

"They say Ryuka went down in an instant. Temple and Tianshui both lost to a single punch too. He's probably good at taijutsu and very strong in close combat!"

"Don't tell me he's here to fight someone else today?"

"Why don't you give it a shot?"

"..."

Quite a few people began talking, their gazes all fixed on Uchiha Hui. Some looked eager, while others wore mocking expressions.

The former were probably considering a bout with Uchiha Hui.

As for the latter,

They clearly had not fully acknowledged the strength Uchiha Hui had displayed. They felt he had only won by catching his opponents off guard, which was nothing worth praising!

Uchiha Hui walked straight to an empty spot.

Without the slightest hesitation,

he grabbed the banknotes in his pocket and shouted:

"Anyone willing to spar with me? Win, and this money is yours. Lose, and you only have to pay me a thousand ryo as compensation! Does anyone dare?"