Akira felt a faint burning sensation in his eyes.
The next moment, he opened them.
Instinctively, he sensed that something about his eyes had changed.
He picked up a mirror and looked into it.
A single tomoe slowly revolved within each of his eyes.
“So this is the Sharingan.”
Akira opened the window and looked outside.
A mosquito flew past.
His vision seemed to have improved significantly.
He had been able to see insects like this before, but never with such clarity.
More importantly, Akira discovered that he could track and even predict the mosquito’s next movement.
“So this is dynamic visual perception.”
Akira knew considerably more about the Sharingan than he did about ordinary ninjutsu.
When reading the original story, he had usually skipped over the specific fundamentals of ninjutsu.
However, most readers remembered something as important as the Sharingan.
Konoha possessed two particularly special kekkei genkai.
The Sharingan and the Byakugan.
The former primarily enhanced its wielder.
Its defining characteristics included exceptional dynamic visual perception and, after evolving into the Mangekyō Sharingan, awakening a unique ability that differed from person to person.
The Byakugan, meanwhile, possessed abilities such as telescopic and penetrative vision.
The next day, Akira had only just stepped outside when he saw Uchiha Itachi.
“Akira, I heard you’ve started learning how to become a shinobi from Father.
How is your training going?”
A small figure suddenly popped out from nearby.
“Brother Itachi, Akira said he’s already a hundred times stronger than you.”
Itachi rubbed Sasuke’s head and smiled.
“Is that so?”
“Then that’s truly impressive.”
Itachi turned back to Akira.
“Would you like to go to the training ground?”
“All right.”
Akira hesitated briefly before agreeing.
The two began walking toward the training ground.
“Brother Itachi!
Akira!
Wait for me!”
Sasuke chased after them from behind.
Standing in the doorway, Mikoto smiled as she watched the three brothers leave.
Fugaku, however, had a trace of worry on his brow.
“Fugaku, what’s wrong?”
“It’s nothing.”
Fugaku shook his head.
His suspicions regarding Itachi had yet to be confirmed.
He wanted to give Itachi another chance.
After all, Itachi was his biological son.
“How far have you progressed in your training, Akira?”
“I’ve only learned a few simple ninjutsu.”
Akira paused before continuing.
“Since you rarely have time to spare, teach me how to throw shuriken.
After all, Sasuke likes shuriken more than anything.”
Itachi looked at Sasuke and nodded.
“All right.”
He then turned toward the target ahead.
“Shuriken are important tools for shinobi.
Although they aren’t particularly powerful, they can be used in a wide variety of situations.
At times, they can even produce unexpected results.”
“Mastering them depends on three key factors.”
“The first is concentration.”
“The second is instinct developed through practice.”
“The third is creativity.”
Itachi continued, “Concentration allows you to hit your target more accurately.
Your throwing instinct can only be developed through extensive practice.
Creativity, meanwhile, is something possessed only by those who have truly mastered the use of shuriken.”
“An ingenious idea can allow an otherwise ordinary shuriken to achieve extraordinary results and catch an enemy completely off guard.”
“That makes creativity the most important factor.”
“It determines the limits of shurikenjutsu.”
Akira understood what Itachi meant.
The first step was being able to hit the target.
Next came developing enough skill to hit it even under difficult circumstances.
Finally, one needed to devise unexpected throwing methods that an opponent couldn’t anticipate.
Simply put, it was about tactics.
“Watch carefully.”
Itachi flicked his wrist.
Whoosh!
The shuriken tore through the air.
A moment later—
Thud!
The shuriken traced a perfect arc through the air and struck the center of the target with pinpoint accuracy.
A crack spread outward from the point of impact.
“Akira, give it a try.”
“All right.”
Akira picked up a shuriken.
Thud!
It struck the target, but missed the center.
Akira had secretly practiced throwing shuriken before, usually after watching Fugaku and Itachi train.
However, his results had been poor.
His inability to use shuriken properly had been one of the reasons he believed he was merely an ordinary Uchiha.
After all, this was one of the most basic skills for a shinobi.
That was especially true for a member of the Uchiha clan.
Even after learning chakra extraction and ninjutsu from Fugaku, Akira had realized that he wasn’t ordinary at all.
On the contrary, he was a genius.
Yet he still lacked confidence when it came to shuriken.
This time, however, Akira discovered that he could see everything much more clearly.
Although he hadn’t activated his Sharingan, his vision was still far sharper than before.
Itachi nodded and smiled.
“Hitting the target on your first attempt is already quite impressive.”
“When I first tried, I missed the target completely.”
“You’re very talented, Akira.”
“As long as you practice diligently, you’ll definitely master shurikenjutsu.”