A round of applause rang out.
Qingming looked in the direction of the sound and saw a figure appear not far away, then flash by and appear before him.
"Uncle!"
Qingming bowed slightly upon seeing the newcomer.
The newcomer was named Uchiha Hikaru, eighteen years old this year, his Sharingan had awakened to the three tomoe stage, and he was a rising genius of the Uchiha clan.
Unfortunately, Qingming had never heard of this name in his previous life.
He didn't know if Hikaru had died in the recent Shinobi World War, or in some mission, or perhaps been killed by Itachi, becoming an unnamed corpse.
Unaware of Qingming's inner turmoil, Uchiha Hikaru nodded, glanced around, and casually remarked, "Your Great Fireball Technique is quite good!"
Without waiting for Qingming's reply, he pulled a scroll from his robes and tossed it to him, saying, "Hey, this is the Shadow Clone Technique you applied for. Remember not to spread it."
Indeed, besides 'Fire Release: Phoenix Flower Technique', 'Fire Release: Dragon Fire Technique', 'Illusionary Technique: Shackles Technique', and 'Body Flicker Technique', he also planned to learn the 'Shadow Clone Technique'.
Any Uchiha clan ninja who graduates from the Ninja Academy and becomes a genin can apply to the clan for one ninjutsu, genjutsu, or taijutsu.
This is a benefit of the Uchiha clan.
Qingming hadn't claimed this benefit since graduation.
With his impending departure for the battlefield and no guarantee of return, he naturally wanted to secure this benefit.
Moreover, he genuinely wanted to learn this ninjutsu.
As skill levels increase, the required proficiency for each skill also increases, which is beyond his capacity to manage alone.
Shadow clones, as physical entities, can perfectly transfer experience and memories to the main body, so there's no need to worry about them not helping with proficiency training.
However, their efficiency remains to be seen.
Taking the scroll, Qingming quickly glanced through it, and after confirming there were no problems, thanked Uchiha Hikaru.
Uchiha Hikaru waved his hand, leaving without lingering, and vanished in a few flashes.
Qingming sat on the ground, carefully examining the scroll in his hand. After a long while, confirming that the other party had indeed left, he finally put the scroll away.
It wasn't that Qingming was so cautious; he simply had too many secrets, and exposing any one of them would bring him endless trouble.
Qingming just wanted to quietly progress and didn't want to get involved in any trouble.
Therefore, he had to be extremely careful.
Otherwise, he wouldn't have immediately used 'Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique' to destroy everything around him upon sensing someone approaching.
It's important to understand that the effects of ninjutsu performed with and without the Sharingan are different.
For example, while an Uchiha ninja without the Sharingan could indeed perform 'Fire Release: Phoenix Flower Technique,' they would never control it with the same precision as he did.
These subtle differences might go unnoticed by ordinary people, but experienced Uchiha ninjas, especially those who have awakened their Sharingan, could spot the trick with a single glance.
At that point, his secret of awakening the Sharingan might be exposed.
Qingming didn't want to gamble on whether the newcomer was an Uchiha ninja, nor on whether they could detect it, so burning it all was the best course of action.
Not only were there no traces of training, but even in his daily life, Qingming never allowed his chakra levels to exceed two thousand points.
It's important to understand that the Sharingan, Byakugan, and even some sensory ninjas can, to a certain extent, assess a ninja's chakra levels
and thus determine their strength.
Two thousand points is a safety line; below that, he might not be able to handle unexpected situations.
Above that, he might attract unwanted attention.
Although Qingming didn't think anyone would specifically target him, just to be on the safe side, he still didn't restore his chakra to above two thousand points.
Since leveling up his proficiency required a large amount of chakra, he easily controlled the amount of chakra within his body.
Now, the only thing he needed to consider was whether he should maintain this state when he set off for the Land of Rain with the team in a few days.
It was easy to imagine that the journey would be anything but peaceful.
Perhaps within the Land of Fire, the enemy wouldn't dare to attack so recklessly, but once they left the Land of Fire and entered the Land of Rain, things might change.
If he were to fall into a trap due to insufficient chakra, that would be a disaster.
Standing there in contemplation for a while, Qingming suddenly sighed softly and muttered to himself, "Sigh! Now I just hope there are more people when we set off, otherwise it'll be really difficult."
With that, he stopped thinking about it and began to practice his 'Body Flicker Technique' diligently.
As his intended escape method, Qingming had to level it up to a higher level.
...
In the blink of an eye,
three days had passed.
That morning,
Qingming dressed neatly, strapped on his ninja tool pouch, fastened his headband, slung his backpack over his shoulder, and stepped out of his room.
He traversed the streets and alleys, heading towards the gathering point.
Along the way, he could see one or two ninjas dressed similarly to him, carrying large and small bags, heading towards the gates of Konoha.
Yes, today was the day of departure.
They would first gather at the entrance of Konoha Village, then count heads, and finally, after confirming everything was correct, they would head together to the battlefield in the Land of Rain.
A few minutes later,
Qingming arrived at the entrance of Konoha Village.
At this time, quite a few people had already gathered there.
In addition, dozens of carts were lined up, some carrying grain, others loaded with ninja tools—all fully loaded.
These were all supplies they were to escort to the front lines.
Whether in his past life or this one, in the end, war tests logistical capabilities; without adequate logistics, victory is impossible.
Therefore, besides these rookies, many Jonin were traveling with them, all from powerful clans.
This relieved Qingming slightly.
After all, he only had two thousand chakra points, far from being able to unleash his full power.
Indeed, Qingming ultimately decided to maintain his usual approach.
He refused to believe he was so unlucky as to encounter an enemy he couldn't handle with two thousand chakra points; if he did, he'd simply run away.
"Qingming, over here!"
Just as Qingming was looking around, Ryosuke's voice came from the crowd.
Qingming looked in the direction of the voice and saw Ryosuke standing in front of a cart with Furukawa, waving at him. He quickly walked over.
Seeing Qingming approach, before Ryosuke could speak, Furukawa interjected, "How's your Body Flicker Technique coming along?"
Indeed, Qingming learned the Body Flicker Technique from Furukawa.
This technique wasn't among the ninjutsu left by his parents, and he didn't want to waste his precious opportunity on a mere D-rank ninjutsu by acquiring it from his clan.
Therefore, he turned his attention to Furukawa.
As a Jonin leading a team, he had an obligation to teach his students ninjutsu, so upon hearing Qingming's request, Furukawa didn't hesitate and taught him the technique.
Logically, he should have waited until Qingming was promoted to Chunin before teaching him.
However, Furukawa had witnessed Qingming use a C-rank ninjutsu—Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique—and knew that a mere D-rank ninjutsu was nothing to him.
Therefore, he didn't hold back.
Now, several days had passed, and upon hearing Furukawa ask again,
Qingming secretly opened his skill panel and glanced at it. The 'Body Flicker Technique' had gone from lv1 (10/200) to lv2 (15/500)!
With that level of proficiency, he could execute it in less than a second.
However, maintaining his usual low-key style, Qingming simply replied, "I've already learned it."
"Is that so?"
Hearing Qingming's answer, Gu Chuan remained noncommittal.
___________________________
You can read +100 advanced chapters in my patreon:
Patreon.com/Kakarot17