The so-called Heart Reflection Technique works by transmitting one's inner emotions and thoughts through the eyes in the form of mental projections.
In doing so, it interferes with the target's senses and disrupts their judgment.
On the surface, it appears to be an ordinary visual genjutsu—nothing remarkable. But upon deeper understanding, it becomes clear that it is far from simple.
The most obvious clue lies in the mismatch between its learning difficulty and its apparent effect.
According to the scroll, the Heart Reflection Technique is classified as A-rank, yet its observable effects are not even comparable to some C-rank genjutsu of a similar type.
If Qingming's parents had simply wanted to study genjutsu, they would never have chosen this technique.
Yet they did.
And they preserved it with great care.
There could only be one reason:
This technique had the potential to assist members of the Uchiha clan in awakening the Sharingan.
At least, that was what the scroll claimed.
---
The ninja world had never lacked visionaries—and the Uchiha clan was no exception.
Long ago, some among the clan recognized the inherent flaws of the Sharingan:
Not only was it extremely difficult to awaken, but it also carried a tendency to drive its wielder toward emotional extremes.
This led to an important question:
Could the Sharingan be awakened in a gentler, more controlled way?
If so, it would not only strengthen the clan but also stabilize it.
It was in this context that the Hyūga clan's Byakugan came under scrutiny.
As one of the three great dōjutsu, the Byakugan was far more stable than the Sharingan.
Even those with less pure bloodlines could gradually awaken it through consistent training, even after reaching adulthood.
This was something the Sharingan fundamentally lacked.
The Sharingan required intense emotional stimulation to awaken.
By adulthood, a person's worldview is largely fixed, and most life experiences have already been encountered. Without extraordinary emotional shock, awakening the Sharingan becomes nearly impossible.
Thus, the Uchiha began exploring whether they could replicate aspects of the Byakugan's training method.
From this effort, the Heart Reflection Technique was born.
---
Its principle is to imitate the changes in chakra and mental energy that occur in the brain when the Sharingan activates its hypnotic abilities.
By reproducing these patterns artificially, it stimulates the brain, optic nerves, body cells, and mental energy—encouraging the awakening of the Sharingan.
In essence, it creates a "fertile environment" suitable for the Sharingan, allowing the latent bloodline power to take root and develop.
They succeeded.
And yet—they also failed.
The success lay in the fact that the technique could assist in awakening the Sharingan.
The failure was that its effectiveness was extremely limited.
According to the scroll, many Uchiha clan members had practiced this technique, yet none successfully awakened the Sharingan through it.
If not for the creator's firm insistence—and the confirmation from those who had already awakened their Sharingan that it did, to some extent, promote its evolution—this technique would likely have been dismissed as nothing more than wishful thinking.
However, its steep learning curve and barely perceptible results rendered it nearly useless.
Those who had already awakened the Sharingan had no need for it.
Those who hadn't struggled to learn it—and saw no tangible results.
Under such circumstances, it was only natural for the technique to fall into obscurity.
Today, only a handful of Uchiha unwilling to accept mediocrity still attempt to practice it. Most had never even heard of it.
No wonder Qingming had been unaware of its existence.
---
Clearly, his parents had been among those unwilling to remain ordinary.
Unfortunately, they had fallen on the battlefield before they could ever practice it.
But Qingming would inherit their will.
He would awaken the Sharingan through this technique—and become the first in Uchiha history to do so.
Others might fail due to lack of talent or patience, unable to advance the Heart Reflection Technique to higher levels.
But Qingming was different.
With the proficiency panel, every bit of progress was visible and measurable.
As long as the technique was genuine and effective, he would never give up.
This would be his path to the top.
---
"Hu—"
Letting out a long breath, Qingming calmed himself.
He picked up the scrolls containing the Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique and the Heart Reflection Technique, then left the study.
For the next half month, he planned to devote half his energy to practicing these two techniques.
He wasn't aiming for mastery—only familiarity.
The village remained relatively lively, suggesting that the front lines had not yet collapsed.
It was likely they wouldn't be sent directly to the battlefield just yet.
That meant he still had some time to prepare.
By then, he would use the Great Fireball Technique as a trump card—and test the effectiveness of the Heart Reflection Technique.
If possible, he might even awaken the Sharingan beforehand, greatly increasing his chances of survival.
With that in mind, Qingming began his training that very night.
---
In the blink of an eye, half a month passed.
Time reached the end of September.
Only one week remained before the graduation examination.
After learning the exam's contents, Qingming immediately requested a week of leave, intending to devote himself entirely to training.
Normally, such leave would be difficult to obtain.
But under the current circumstances, as long as the reason was reasonable, Sugimu Itō did not refuse.
Back home, Qingming opened the panel.
---
[Name: Uchiha Qingming
Age: 10
Constitution: 5
Spirit: 7
Chakra: 16 (192 → 372)
Bloodline: Sharingan · Unawakened (51/100)
Skills:
Chakra Refining Technique: lv1 (1/200) → lv1 (91/200)
Clone Technique: lv1 (20/200) → lv1 (95/200)
Transformation Technique: lv1 (19/200) → lv1 (94/200)
Substitution Technique: lv1 (18/200) → lv1 (93/200)
Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique: lv0 (30/100)
Heart Reflection Technique: lv0 (30/100)
Basic Taijutsu: lv1 (65/200) → lv1 (185/200)
Ninja Tool Throwing: lv2 (42/500) → lv2 (120/500)]**
---
Over the past half month, he had practiced the Chakra Refining Technique for six hours every night.
Thanks to its lv1 efficiency, his chakra limit increased by 12 points per day—180 points in total over fifteen days.
As a result, his chakra capacity had nearly doubled, rising from 192 to 372.
The Three Basic Techniques required about 20 chakra each.
With 372 chakra, he could perform them eighteen or nineteen times.
That level already matched an average Genin.
In other words, aside from combat experience, his strength was no weaker than that of seasoned Genin.
However, as his chakra continued to grow, Qingming began to sense a limit.
Not the limit of the technique—
But the limit of his body.
The Chakra Refining Technique merely improved the efficiency of extracting potential; it did not expand the body's inherent capacity.
If the body were a wooden barrel, then the technique was merely a ladle used to draw water.
No matter how efficient the ladle, the amount of water the barrel could hold depended entirely on its size.
Constitution: 5.
Spirit: 7.
Clearly, his "barrel" was still too small.
His body had a limit.
Once his chakra reached a certain point, it would stagnate.
At that stage, no matter how efficient the technique became, it would no longer help.
Fortunately, through continuous training in Basic Taijutsu, he could already feel gradual improvements in his physical condition.
And with that—
His body's upper limit continued to rise.
___________________________
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