He looked at Naruto with an intensely penetrating gaze, conveying encouragement through his ocular power.
"Don't give up," Uchiha Xin said softly.
Naruto froze for a moment.
He felt a strange force flow into his mind, easing his dejection a little.
But he was simply too exhausted and only managed a feeble reply.
"Got it, Xin. Thanks." Naruto turned and trudged away with heavy steps.
Uchiha Xin watched Naruto disappear into the distance, then turned toward his own apartment.
He returned home.
Uchiha Xin locked the doors and windows and drew the curtains.
He sat cross-legged on his bed and summoned the system panel he had not seen in a long time.
[Host: Uchiha Xin] [Limit Sharingan (Level 4): Proficiency 0/100000] [Current state: Mangekyō Sharingan] [Enhanced Eight Gates Released Formation (Level 4): Proficiency 2500/100000] [Current state: Fourth gate permanently open (advanced Gate of Pain)]
Looking at the figures on the panel, Uchiha Xin let out a long breath.
Five years of keeping a low profile had finally borne fruit.
His Limit Sharingan had reached level 4, successfully evolving into the Mangekyō Sharingan.
Although the system warned that these eyes still carried a risk of blindness.
They were different from the ordinary Mangekyō in the original story, which lost some sight with every use.
As long as he did not use the Mangekyō's exclusive Dōjutsu too frequently or excessively, his vision could slowly recover on its own under normal conditions.
His Enhanced Eight Gates Released Formation had also reached level 4.
Opening the fourth gate had given him a full fortyfold chakra boost.
Even without the Sharingan's enhancement now.
The amount of chakra his body produced alone had already reached the standard of an elite Jonin.
With that terrifying fortyfold boost on top of it, his total chakra reserves far exceeded those of ordinary Kage Level fighters.
Over the past five years, his deep wariness of the Mangekyō's risk of blindness meant he had rarely pushed these eyes too far.
Every day, he merely maintained the Three-Tomoe state, slowly accumulating proficiency.
As a result, even after five whole years, his Sharingan remained at level 4, unable to advance further.
Just as Uchiha Xin was lost in thought.
He suddenly sensed something and felt a violent throbbing in his optic nerves.
An unprecedented surge of immense ocular power erupted from the depths of his mind, instantly flooding his eyes.
Uchiha Xin jerked his head up and looked at the full-length mirror opposite him.
In the mirror, the three black tomoe in each of his eyes began spinning wildly.
They spun faster and faster, finally merging completely.
The pattern settled.
It was an exceptionally distinctive Mangekyō pattern.
Its overall shape was a sharp five-pointed star.
At the center of the star, two tomoe joined head to tail, forming an ancient and mysterious symbol.
Uchiha Xin stood quietly before the full-length mirror.
The patterns in his eyes had changed completely.
The three black tomoe had become a five-pointed star, with two tomoe joined head to tail at its center, radiating powerful ocular energy.
"The Mangekyō Sharingan..."
Uchiha Xin drew a deep breath, taking in the new information in his mind.
With the awakening of these eyes, he had successfully acquired three exclusive Dōjutsu.
His left eye held Amaterasu. Black flames said to never go out, capable of burning any target to ashes-the pinnacle of physical attacks.
Activating both eyes at once would summon the ultimate power symbolizing destruction and defense-Susanoo.
But what delighted him most was the unique Dōjutsu awakened in his right eye.
Vision Resonance!
It was an exceptionally unusual Genjutsu-type Dōjutsu with no direct destructive power.
Nor could it drag an enemy's mind into a Genjutsu space to torture them as Tsukuyomi did.
Yet Uchiha Xin found its effect powerful.
Vision Resonance could place a concealed mark of ocular power on a living target.
Once the mark was planted, no matter where the other person was.
Uchiha Xin could activate his right eye anytime, anywhere, and forcibly share their vision!
Most terrifying of all, this mark was almost impossible to detect.
For five years, the Konoha High Command had never stopped monitoring him.
Uchiha Xin had long since used the Three-Tomoe Sharingan's hypnotic ability.
To silently plant Vision Resonance marks on the Anbu and Root ninja lurking in the shadows.
By sharing those watchers' vision, he had not only mapped out the surveillance network.
He had also seen, with perfect clarity, the entire process of those ninja reporting to Shimura Danzō and the Third Hokage!
"Danzo, that old man the Third..."
Uchiha Xin sneered.
He reined in his ocular power, and the five-pointed star patterns in his eyes slowly faded, returning to ordinary black pupils.
He summoned the system panel in his mind.
[Limit Sharingan (Level 4): Mangekyō state] [Skill slots: 4/4 (one vacant)] [Slotted skills: Enhanced Eight Gates Released Formation, Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique, Flying Thunder God Technique]
The sight of that vacant fourth skill slot set Uchiha Xin's heart burning with anticipation.
Five years ago, when his Sharingan reached level 4, the system had unlocked this skill slot.
Unlike the previous three random draws, the system had informed him.
He could personally choose the Ninjutsu he wanted to put in this fourth skill slot!
The prerequisite was that he had to fully master the Ninjutsu's entire hand seal sequence, chakra circulation route, and core principles.
From then on, Uchiha Xin had set his sights firmly on one forbidden technique that could be called a cheat.
The Multiple Shadow Clone Technique!
For someone with a system like him, Multi Shadow Clone was unquestionably the ultimate divine skill for grinding proficiency.
As long as he created large numbers of shadow clones and had them activate their Sharingan together or train in Taijutsu together.
When the clones were dispelled, all their experience and proficiency would stack perfectly onto his original body!
But as an advanced Ninjutsu sealed within a forbidden technique scroll, the Multiple Shadow Clone Technique was simply inaccessible to ordinary people.
He could not steal it, as that would directly expose the strength he had hidden for five years.
So he could only wait.
Wait for the perfect opportunity.
Namely, tonight, when Naruto Uzumaki failed to graduate and Mizuki tricked him into stealing the Scroll of Seals!
"It's about time."
Uchiha Xin sat cross-legged on his bed and formed a special seal with his hands.
Chakra instantly surged toward his right eye.
"Vision Resonance, activate!"
Bzzzt!
The scene before Uchiha Xin's eyes changed instantly.
The dim apartment became a somewhat dim corridor.
The viewpoint swayed wildly, accompanied by rapid breathing.
This was Naruto Uzumaki's vision!
Earlier that afternoon, when they said goodbye outside Ichiraku Ramen.
Uchiha Xin had taken the opportunity to plant a Vision Resonance mark on Naruto while patting his shoulder and meeting his eyes.
Now, through Naruto's eyes, he could clearly see everything around him.
Naruto was tiptoeing through a corridor in the Hokage building.