One month.
For an entire month, Uchiha Makoto had felt like some cave-dwelling creature that never saw daylight, "growing mold" in an underground laboratory filled with formalin, the smell of blood, and the musty odor of forbidden jutsu scrolls.
Orochimaru's teaching was the real deal, and Makoto had gained a great deal from his lessons on the nature of chakra, souls, and Forbidden Technique.
But that was the downside of studying under Orochimaru. Once he buried himself in research, he lost all sense of time. Naturally, Uchiha Makoto could hardly say, "Teacher, I'd like to go outside, get some sun, and milk a few people for benefits."
As a result, most of the [Lie-Into-Reality] system's daily opportunities had gone completely to waste over the past month.
He could only occasionally squeeze out a few hidden boosts to things like "comprehension" and "talent" while discussing academic theories with Orochimaru.
But how could that compare to being outside, where a few casual remarks to Obito and Guy could bring immediate, substantial gains like more chakra or a stronger physique?
So when Hiruzen Sarutobi sent Orochimaru out on a mission, Uchiha Makoto practically charged out of that gloomy underground entrance like a prisoner who had served his sentence.
Standing beneath Konoha's sun again, with its warm rays spilling over his face, he couldn't help narrowing his eyes and taking a long, deep breath of air scented with fresh grass and cooking smoke.
"Ah! The smell of freedom!"
He bought a large skewer of Three-Color Dango from a roadside dango shop. Instead of heading to the Training Ground, he found a street-side bench in a lovely patch of sunlight and plopped down.
He did absolutely nothing. Dango in his left hand, his right basking in the sun, he lounged like a lazy cat, practically