" Obito, tell me, what do you think is your biggest weakness right now?"
Amaterasu Academy, training ground.
The morning sunlight filters through the gaps in the World Tree and leaves, casting dappled patterns of light and shadow on the ground.
Obito Uchiha stood in the center of the training ground, scratching the back of his head where his signature goggles were, looking somewhat apprehensive. Being personally chosen by the clan leader to teach him was an honor that made him both excited and nervous.
"The biggest weakness?"
Obito thought about it seriously for a moment, then grinned somewhat sheepishly. " Your Taijutsu is too weak?"
"Wrong."
Uchiha Gen'yō shook his head.
Your biggest weakness is that you have no idea how strong you really are.
Obito aback.
" The Kamui in your eye is a Dōjutsu that can distort space." Gen'yō stared directly into Obito's eyes, his voice steady and powerful. "Theoretically, it allows you to ignore all physical attacks, instantly banish any enemy to another dimension, and teleport an unlimited distance on the battlefield. In the current Shinobi World, only you and I possess this ability. And yet you're using this nuclear bomb like a firecracker."
Obito's face flushed red. He knew the clan leader was telling the truth. His Kamui was indeed very strong, but every time he used it, he either didn't have enough Chakra or his reaction speed couldn't keep up, so he couldn't unleash even one-tenth of the power that the Dōjutsu should have.
"From now on, follow me into the training pod."
Uchiha Gen'yō pointed to the towering tower in the center of the school.
"In there, one day equals seven days. I'm giving you seven days. No, to be precise, one day in the outside world. After one day, I want you to reach at least the level of Elite Jonin."
"One day later? Elite Jonin?"
Obito's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets. His current level was at best a Chunin! To Chunin to Elite Jonin in a single day? What's the difference between that and making a toddler run a marathon tomorrow?
Don't look at me like I'm crazy.
"It's ready," Uchiha Gen'yō said calmly. Then he reached out and placed his hand on Obito's head.
Buzz.
A warm, life-giving golden energy surged from Gen'yō's palm into Obito's body! It was the power Bloodline Gift! The excess life energy within Uchiha Gen'yō's Sage Body was flowing into every meridian and every cell of Obito's body in a precise and controlled manner!
"Ugh!"
Obito let out a muffled groan! He felt as if his body had been thrown into a furnace!
No, not a furnace, but a vast ocean! The life energy from a higher dimension poured into his meridian network like thousands of rivers flowing into the sea! His originally narrow meridians were expanding rapidly! His originally turbid Chakra was being purified frantically! He could even clearly hear his bones cracking, the sound of his bone density increasing dramatically!
Ten seconds later, Gen'yō withdrew his hand.
Obito collapsed to his knees with a thud, gasping for breath. But his eyes shone with an unprecedented light! He felt his total Chakra had at least tripled! His strength and speed had also undergone a qualitative leap!
"This..."
Obito looked down at his hands, which were trembling slightly. Not from weakness, but from the unprecedented, surging power within him roaring wildly!
"This is just the first step."
Uchiha Gen'yō's voice came from above, "Enter the training pod. I will personally train you for seven days. Inside, I will break down your Kamui into twelve modules, from the most basic Intangibility to the most advanced Spatial Exile, refining them one by one. If you still haven't reached the level of Elite Jonin after seven days, then I can only conclude that your talent doesn't match your eyes."
Obito sprang to his feet. "Impossible! Absolutely impossible! My talent Obito Uchiha, is absolutely worthy of any eye! Believe me or not, in seven days, I can beat ten of my current self!"
"Then let's wait and see."
Uchiha Gen'yō turned his head and looked at Shisui, who was standing quietly on the other side. " Shisui, come in too. But your training is different from Obito's."
Shisui Uchiha bowed slightly, his eyes calm and composed. "Please give your instructions Lord Gen'yō."
"Your Kotoamatsukami is the strongest Genjutsu in existence, bar none."
Gen'yō bluntly stated, "But its biggest drawback is that it requires a ten-year cooling-off period after each use, and each use will accelerate the loss of your eyesight."
Shisui's body stiffened slightly. This was his greatest hidden danger, a secret he had never told anyone. Lord Gen'yō even knew this?
I won't teach you any new Dōjutsu.
Uchiha Gen'yō walked up to Shisui and extended his hand. "What I need to do is repair your eyes."
Buzz.
Another torrent of golden energy surged into Shisui's body! But unlike the Bloodline Gift given to Obito, this energy was gentler and more precise. It didn't strengthen Shisui's physique or Chakra reserves, because Shisui was already exceptional in those areas. It went straight for Shisui's eyes!
The optic nerves that were on the verge of damage due to overuse of the Mangekyō Sharingan are being slowly repaired and reshaped by the energy containing the life essence of the World Tree!
Hmm.
Shisui let out a muffled groan, his eyes suddenly widening! He could feel his vision, which had begun to blur, becoming clearer than ever before! His previously depleted pupil power was recovering at an incredible speed!
Kotoamatsukami! The cooldown time for his Kotoamatsukami is decreasing rapidly! From ten years to five years, from five years to one year, from one year to...
"Three months."
Uchiha Gen'yō withdrew his hand and, without changing his expression, uttered a number that left Shisui speechless.
"Thanks to my treatment, the cooldown time for your Kotoamatsukami has been shortened from ten years to three months. At the same time, the damage to your eyes has been completely repaired. From now on, as long as you regularly receive energy nourishment from the Mother and Child Sanctuary, your Mangekyo will no longer be at risk of blindness."
Shisui stood there, stunned. His hands trembled slightly. He recalled the fear he had felt every time he used Kotoamatsukami over the years—the fear that this was the last time he would see this world, the fear that he would spend the rest of his life in darkness. And now, this man had simply reached out a hand and wiped away his greatest nightmare completely.
" Lord Gen'yō..."
Shisui's voice was hoarse. He solemnly knelt on one knee, lowering his head—a head he had never bowed before anyone. " Shisui, in this life I am willing to be your blade, sir. I will strike wherever you point, without hesitation."
"Get up."
Uchiha Gen'yō patted Shisui on the shoulder, "After you come out of the training pod, I have something even more important to give you."
"What's up?"
"I need you to assemble an elite force that is directly under my command."
Uchiha Gen'yō's gaze deepened. "A small but sufficient Shadow Guard to handle any unexpected situation. Because I have a premonition."
Gen'yō's eyes narrowed slightly, and the mysterious golden runes deep within his right eye flickered in and out of focus. "Our good days are probably numbered. Some people have been scared away, but that doesn't mean they've given up. Some eyes are watching us from the shadows, and their masters are brewing a conspiracy that will shake the entire Shinobi World."
Shisui's pupils suddenly contracted. He instinctively looked north, towards the Land of Lightning.
"You mean, Kumogakure?"
Uchiha Gen'yō didn't answer. He simply turned and walked towards the towering training tower. "Come in first. We'll talk about it in three days. Only then will you be qualified to discuss those things."
Inside the training pod, the seven-fold time acceleration effect of the mental space immediately took effect. Three days outside was equivalent to twenty-one days inside.
Uchiha Gen'yō personally took to the field. He showed no mercy. On the first day of training, he Perfect Susanoo to force Obito to repeatedly practice Kamui's Intangibility under extreme pressure. Obito was beaten black and blue, getting up only to be knocked down again, then getting up again. But each time he fell, his Intangibility speed increased by 0.01 seconds. Each time he stood up, the duration of his Kamui increased by half a second.
On the seventh day of training, Obito could move freely within the attack range of the Perfect Susanoo as if it were empty! His Kamui Intangibility duration had increased from the initial three seconds to an astonishing thirty seconds! He had even begun to learn how to launch attacks while Intangibility, a completely new tactic he had never imagined before!
But Shisui's progress was equally terrifying.
After twenty-one days of mental space training, Shisui's control over Kotoamatsukami had reached a completely new level. He could not only compress the activation time of Kotoamatsukami to an instant that was imperceptible to the naked eye, but also developed an unprecedented method of use: Unconscious Infiltration. Without needing to make eye contact with the target, he could exert a weak but continuous mental suggestion on the target at an extremely short distance simply through the residual Chakra fluctuations in the air!
The third day outside.
The training pod door slowly opened. The moment Obito and Shisui stepped out Uchiha Fugaku and Uchiha Itachi, who were waiting outside, both paled!
They sensed it. The Chakra fluctuations emanating from these two individuals were completely different from what they had been three days ago! Obito's Chakra was like a bottomless black hole, calm and restrained, yet exuding an indescribable danger. Shisui's aura, on the other hand, was like a drawn sword, its sharpness fully revealed, yet controlled with ease.
" Kage Level..." Uchiha Itachi murmured to himself, a genuine shock appearing in his black eyes for the first time. "Both of them have reached Kage Level- level!"
"Three days! Just three days!"
Uchiha Fugaku stepped forward, staring incredulously at Obito and Shisui. "This is impossible! Even if the First Hokage were alive today, he couldn't have Jonin in three days..."
His voice trailed off. He saw Uchiha Gen'yō's face, so calm it couldn't be more serene, as he stepped out of the training pod. The expression seemed to say, "What's the big deal?"
"Uncle Fugaku," Uchiha Gen'yō stretched his neck, "Record today's results. Three days, two Kage Level fighters. This will be Amaterasu Academy's first report card, and also our Uchiha's first calling card to the entire Shinobi World."
His gaze swept over everyone's heads, once again looking towards the northern horizon. The sky there was clear and cloudless. But his eyes, which were evolving into the Eye of God, seemed to pierce through mountains and rivers, seeing everything that was happening in a dark room deep within the Land of Lightning.
" Shisui."
"Exist."
"Your Shadow Guard will be assembled starting today. I'll give you one week."
Uchiha Gen'yō's voice turned cold, "Because some forgetful flies are almost at our doorstep."