To be safe, Senya didn’t dare to wander far, choosing to train near the clan compound.
Perhaps because everyone sensed the approaching storm, the area had become very quiet.
With no one around, Senya could train with peace of mind.
First was hand seals.
This was one of the fundamental skills of a ninja.
There were twelve basic hand seals, corresponding to the twelve Earthly Branches.
He was a bit rusty at first, but after practicing for nearly half an hour, he recovered the original owner’s normal level— Three seals per second, neither good nor bad.
Experience +15.
Hand Seals LV2: 185/300 ‘My hand seal speed is a bit too slow.
This will be a huge disadvantage in actual combat; I need to work hard to improve it.’ ‘Also, the experience growth rate varies for different skills.’ Having the Sharingan active for half an hour only yielded +0.5 experience.
In the same amount of time, practicing hand seals gave a whopping 15 points!
‘Is this significant gap due to the difficulty of the practice, or are there other factors at play?’ Keeping this question in mind, Senya began experimenting with other ninjutsu.
He started with the Great Fireball Technique.
Conjuring a fireball by hand was one of a man’s true romances.
‘Hmm, I remember the hand seal sequence for the Great Fireball is: Snake, Ram, Monkey, Boar, Horse, Tiger.’ Years of being single had left his hands incredibly steady as chakra gathered in his mouth.
The next moment, an orange-red fireball a meter in diameter heated the lake water until it glowed red, producing wisps of white steam.
The roaring flames reflected in his pitch-black pupils, igniting two bright sparks of light.
Senya cut off the chakra supply, and the flames over the lake dissipated.
Experience +1.
His LV3 Great Fireball Technique allowed Senya to compress the hand seal time to under 1.5 seconds.
‘It seems that leveling up a ninjutsu provides hidden bonuses in other areas.’ Of course, this didn’t mean the Hand Seals skill was meaningless.
It determined Senya’s baseline.
Six seals a second, one-handed seals—they weren’t just for looking cool.
In actual combat, hand seal speed could sometimes determine life and death!
Senya took a deep breath, not rushing to practice other ninjutsu.
He had an important hypothesis to verify.
If it worked as he thought, he would be on the fast track to power!
The hypothesis was: ‘Can Shadow Clone training be recognized by the cheat system to gain experience?’ Senya summoned a Shadow Clone.
Inheriting his personality, the Shadow Clone didn’t waste any words and immediately started grinding.
The chosen skill to practice was still Hand Seals.
He stared intently at the experience bar.
After completing a full set of hand seals, the experience value didn’t budge.
Refusing to give up, Senya tried a few more times, stopping right at the half-hour mark.
Unfortunately, the progress on the experience bar still hadn’t changed.
He pondered inwardly, ‘Perhaps it’s because the Shadow Clone hasn’t been dispelled yet?’ Senya tried dispelling the Shadow Clone, allowing its chakra and memories to return to his body.
The experience progress bar shifted!
Hand Seals LV2: 186.5/300 ‘Shadow Clones can only gain one-tenth of the original experience.’ This value was low, but Senya saw hope.
A cheat combined with a mini-cheat—this was a recipe for exponential, sky-rocketing growth!
Was there anything more thrilling than this?!
Not to mention, the number of Shadow Clones could be increased.
The only thing to watch out for was how to avoid the mental shock caused by the memories of multiple Shadow Clones returning at once.
Senya didn’t want to turn himself into an idiot.
Checking the time, he then tested his other ninjutsu one by one.
Through continuous training, the familiar yet strange feeling rapidly melted away.
Senya didn’t allocate the rest of his time to training.
While important, it wouldn’t produce miracles in such a short timeframe.
To break out of this dead end, he had to find another way!
Returning home, Senya began to seriously practice his acting!
Thanks to his miserable days as an extra, he had acquired LV1 Vocal Mimicry and Acting.
As evening approached, he left two Shadow Clones at home to separately practice Vocal Mimicry and Acting.
He went out alone to grab a quick bite at a street-side stall.
After filling his stomach, he set off toward the Naka Shrine.
Today was another day of meetings.
It was boring, but for Senya, it was crucial.
At 7 PM, the spacious shrine gradually filled with people.
Senya found a quiet corner on the edge to observe.
The others gathered in twos and threes, forming small cliques and discussing animatedly.
But upon closer observation, one would notice they were actually subtly divided into two factions.
One group on the left, one group on the right.
“Konoha must give us an explanation for Shisui’s death!” “Ever since the Nine-Tails incident, our clan has been constantly suppressed by Konoha.
I don’t think Konoha has ever treated us as one of their own!” “Which Ninja World War did we not fight in?
How many clansmen have died?
And what did we get in return?” “Exactly!
We have done right by Konoha; it’s Konoha that has wronged us!” “Alright, let’s all calm down a bit.
The Third Hokage has his difficulties too.” “I firmly believe our clan’s situation has nothing to do with the Third Hokage.
He must be deceived by the other higher-ups!” “We need to stay calm and not act impulsively.
Violence won’t solve the problem.” The arguments were endless.
Faces turned red from shouting, and it nearly escalated into letting their fists do the talking.
‘Uchiha Shisui is already dead, and they still haven’t realized that a catastrophe is imminent?’ Senya watched and secretly shook his head.
The Uchiha clan’s martial prowess was indeed strong, but the evolutionary path of the Sharingan was far too brutal.
Every evolution inflicted a severe negative impact on the original psyche, twisting the mind.
And the stimulus required for each evolution had to be more intense and extreme than the last.
Following this method, by the time one awakened the Mangekyo Sharingan, even if they didn’t go completely insane, their thought processes would be vastly different from ordinary people.
‘But the good news is that the hawks currently hold the upper hand in the clan, which benefits my plan.’ Just as these people were about to come to blows, Uchiha Fugaku and his precious eldest son stepped into the shrine, one after the other.
Their expressions were identical—both wore stern, emotionless faces.
The difference was that Uchiha Itachi exuded an aura that screamed for strangers to keep away.
It was as if the world owed him millions.
Interestingly, both the hawks and the doves silently chose to distance themselves from him.
In an instant, the area around Itachi’s seat was completely empty, forming a vacant circle.
Universally despised…
Behind them was a haggard, white-haired old man.
According to his memories, this was the Uchiha clan’s only elder—Uchiha Setsuna.
An old relic surviving from the era of Uchiha Madara.
Before Fugaku succeeded as the clan head, the clan had been managed by him.
After the end of the Third Shinobi World War, it was also him who appointed Fugaku as the clan head.
Senya noticed that Uchiha Setsuna walked right past Itachi without even looking at him, seemingly very dissatisfied with Uchiha Itachi.
Fugaku acted as if he didn’t see it.
He took his rightful place at the front center, raising his hands and pressing them down.
The noisy shrine instantly fell silent.
Everyone’s eyes were on him.
“Gentlemen, I have decided to go to the Hokage and the Konoha higher-ups to demand an explanation.” Fugaku paused, scanning the kneeling crowd below.
His square face was solemn, his tone firm and resonant.
“If they do not give us an explanation, then we will use our own methods to get an answer!” “Yeah!!” The hawks were thrilled.
In their eyes, Clan Head Fugaku had finally made up his mind to use the Uchiha way to converse with Konoha.
“That’s great.
Clan Head Fugaku will definitely work with the Hokage to find a way to resolve the conflict between the clan and the village.” The doves also breathed a sigh of relief.
Both sides found each other an eyesore, but both were very satisfied with Fugaku’s words.
While Fugaku was speaking, Senya lowered his eyelids, quietly activated his Sharingan, and carefully observed Uchiha Setsuna’s expression.
He noticed that when Fugaku spoke his first sentence, Uchiha Setsuna pressed his lower lip tightly, his nostrils flaring slightly.
In terms of micro-expressions, this indicated dissatisfaction!
Senya’s mind raced.
‘Uchiha Setsuna is a hardcore hawk who has always wanted to reclaim sovereignty from Konoha, while Fugaku has constantly endured Konoha’s suppression, trying to compromise.
Now that the clan’s genius ninja, Uchiha Shisui, is dead, Fugaku still wants to solve the problem through communication.
It would be a miracle if he was satisfied!’ When Fugaku mentioned using the Uchiha clan’s methods to demand an explanation, Uchiha Setsuna’s stern expression softened slightly, and he gave a small nod.
Seeing this, Senya shook his head inwardly.
‘Using the Uchiha clan’s methods…
If I didn’t know the Uchiha clan’s fate, I might have actually believed your nonsense.’ ‘Uchiha Fugaku is indeed just as unreliable as his precious son.
However, Uchiha Setsuna could serve as a cooperative partner.’ Uchiha Setsuna had managed the clan for decades and held high prestige.
Moreover, he was a hardcore hawk.
Comparatively speaking, he was much more reliable than the massive pitfall that was Uchiha Fugaku.
As long as…
Not long after, Fugaku and the elder left the shrine.
Itachi, the ninja world’s number one filial son, also disappeared with a gloomy face.
The hawks and doves glared at each other in mutual disgust before dispersing.
After the meeting ended, Senya found a public restroom, disguised himself inside, and walked out casually.
He deliberately took a detour and dispelled the Shadow Clone Technique near his home.
The Shadow Clones returned with their memories, and in an instant…
Experience +5!
Experience +6!
Vocal Mimicry LV1 → LV2: 0/300 Acting LV1 → LV2: 2/300 A wealth of related techniques and knowledge flooded his mind, giving him new insights into these two skills.
Without a doubt, these were the fruits of his own hard work.
‘I, Uchiha Senya, have reached where I am today entirely through my own hard work!’ The corners of Senya’s mouth curled up slightly as he turned and left.
His destination: Uchiha Setsuna’s house!
To say he wasn’t nervous would be a lie.
Whether he lived or died depended entirely on the outcome of tonight’s conversation.
The tension pressed heavily on his brain’s central nervous system.
Some people would be crushed by negative emotions, while others could quickly calm down and perform exceptionally well.
Senya was undoubtedly the latter.
He looked forward to the upcoming meeting.
Whether he would turn the tables against all odds or become a fugitive fleeing for his life, it all hinged on this one move!