"Huh? A little gift?"
Uchiha Mai froze at the Clan Leader's words. She had no idea what little gift he meant.
Shin Uchiha merely smiled, then activated his eternal Mangekyō Sharingan and focused his gaze on Mai's forehead.
"Dōjutsu-space mark."
With a slight turn of Shin Uchiha's eternal Mangekyō Sharingan, a blue space mark appeared on Mai's forehead.
Shin Uchiha was well practiced at this. Once he had placed the space mark, he casually deactivated his Mangekyō Sharingan and smiled at Uchiha Mai, who still stood there in a daze.
"There, you have your gift. If you ever face danger you can't escape, activate this space mark, and it will let you get away."
At that point, Shin Uchiha's expression grew serious, and he continued:
"But I placed this space mark on you to keep you alive. Unless you have absolutely no other choice, never use it, and don't treat it as something you can rely on.
"If you do, your strength could stagnate, or your progress could become very slow. Should that happen, I'll take the space mark back."
Shin Uchiha did not want a clan member with as much potential as Mai to rely on the space mark he had given her. Having that safety net could easily slow her progress considerably, which was why he warned her so sternly.
However, Uchiha Mai's reaction completely defied Shin Uchiha's expectations.
Uchiha Mai raised a finger and gently pressed it against the mark on her forehead. At first, she looked rather dazed, but then excitement slowly spread across her face. Her eyes lit up, and she said delightedly:
"This space mark... this space mark... could it be the legendary 'Clan Leader's protection'?"
The Clan Leader's protection? What's that supposed to be?
Shin Uchiha paused at Uchiha Mai's words, unsure what