Time at the Ninja Academy passed swiftly. In the blink of an eye, more than three years had gone by.
Over those three-plus years, Uchiha Shunichi's greatest gain was managing—barely—to nurse his body back to health.
The reason it could only be called barely was simple: even now, Uchiha Shunichi still couldn't keep his eyes open for very long. His absolute limit was about an hour.
As for using them… unclear.
During these three years, Uchiha Shunichi lived an exceptionally peaceful life. There had never been a situation that required him to use the Mangekyō Sharingan.
However, as long as he kept his eyes closed, his physical condition was no different from that of an ordinary Ninja Academy student.
In the vast, empty Uchiha clan compound, only a single house still glowed with light. Inside, two boys soaked in wooden bathing tubs, easing the fatigue left behind by their training.
"Shunichi, this medicinal bath doesn't feel nearly as effective anymore," Uchiha Sasuke suddenly said after soaking for a long time.
"That's normal. We bought it from some washed-up samurai to begin with—of course it doesn't do much. Ordinary ninja wouldn't even bother with something like this," Uchiha Shunichi replied slowly, his eyes closed.
Over the past three years, Uchiha Shunichi had searched for countless tonics and medicinal formulas, but none of them had helped him very much.
Still… a little effect was better than none at all.
"Tomorrow I'll go see Granny Cat," Uchiha Sasuke said. "She should have something that actually works."
"Mm." Uchiha Shunichi nodded, stepped out of the tub, and began flipping through several books.
When Uchiha Shunichi read, he didn't use his eyes. Instead, he relied on a sensory ninjutsu to perceive the contents of the pages.
There was no other choice. After all, he could only open his eyes for a little over an hour—far from enough.
He was currently teaching himself medical ninjutsu as well as studying this world's technological texts. As the saying goes, long illness makes a good doctor. Uchiha Shunichi could clearly feel the immense strain his Mangekyō Sharingan placed on his body. If he didn't find a way to compensate for it, he would eventually be crushed by it.
And the solution was actually very simple
Fuse Hashirama's cells.
Unfortunately, that solution was extremely difficult to realize. Even if Uchiha Shunichi defected right now, it would make no difference.
After bathing, Uchiha Shunichi chose to read and study, while Uchiha Sasuke began training of his own accord.
What that guy was thinking was anyone's guess—working out after taking a bath.
After Sasuke finished his training, Uchiha Shunichi handed him a slip of paper.
"These are materials I need for experiments. Tomorrow, pick them up from Granny Cat while you're there."
Uchiha Sasuke took the note and was visibly startled.
"This is way too much—and these items are expensive. We don't have enough money left," Sasuke said, shaking his head.
"Then sell some things. The assets left behind by the clan are meant to help us grow stronger," Uchiha Shunichi replied without hesitation.
The Uchiha clan had actually been quite wealthy. However, most of that wealth had been taken by Konoha—ostensibly for safekeeping, to be returned once either Uchiha Sasuke or Uchiha Shunichi came of age.
That said, neither of them cared much about that money.
"When you sell things, be careful not to expose yourself. It's best to let Granny Cat and her people handle the transactions. Konoha… isn't something we should trust too much," Uchiha Shunichi reminded him.
"I know." Uchiha Sasuke nodded, not rejecting the suggestion.
In truth, even though Uchiha Shunichi had never told him the full truth, Sasuke had already begun to vaguely piece things together on his own.
But just like Uchiha Shunichi, Sasuke had no real choice. Besides, the person he hated most now wasn't the village—but his own older brother.
…
The next day, the Ninja Academy was on break.
Uchiha Sasuke went out alone to purchase supplies, while Uchiha Shunichi stayed behind, training by himself at the Uchiha training grounds.
Shunichi's body had recovered significantly by now, yet he could still feel waves of weakness coming from all over. Every few hours, he needed to consume specially prepared nutrient solutions.
Even so, he was already capable of undergoing standard ninja training.
That said, his training differed from that of most ninja. Aside from daily sword practice, the majority of his time was spent on physical conditioning—simple, brutal, and exhausting.
"One, two… three hundred ninety-one…"
When Uchiha Shunichi threw his three hundred ninety-first punch, a sharp pain shot through his arm. A strange depression appeared in the muscle, as if something had caved in.
Overtrained…
Even in the ninja world, improper methods or excessive intensity could still lead to muscle tears.
But for Uchiha Shunichi, this was easy to deal with.
The ocular power in his right eye vanished—then, in an eerie instant, filled up again. His arm reverted to the state it had been in one second earlier.
"My arms have reached their limit. Time to train my lower body instead."
Muttering to himself, Uchiha Shunichi released chakra throughout his body to ease the soreness in his arm. He then grabbed a bottle of high-concentration nutrient solution from the side and downed it in one gulp.
And then, he continued training.
In this world, aside from cheat-like abilities, the only way to grow stronger was through training. Any powerful ninjutsu required a robust body as its foundation.
If the body couldn't bear the load, the result would be like Uchiha Shisui—activating Susanoo with a single eye and immediately falling to the brink of death.
Or like Uchiha Itachi—his body drained to the limit, ultimately dying in a battle where he deliberately held back.
After about half an hour, Uchiha Shunichi felt his legs starting to lose control. The aching sensation caused his muscles to twitch uncontrollably.
Time to stop.
Even with an ability that made him unafraid of external injuries, it was still better not to overdraw his body.
Just as Uchiha Shunichi was about to end his training, a voice—both familiar and unfamiliar—rang out.
"Boy, your training method… is wrong!"
Uchiha Shunichi turned, fully aware of who had arrived. The other party's distinctive outfit was simply too memorable.
"Who are you?" Uchiha Shunichi asked, his guard clearly up.
Might Guy looked at Shunichi's wary expression, then split into a wide grin, flashing his gleaming front teeth.
"I am Konoha's proud, noble, sapphire-blue beast—Might Guy!" Guy struck an odd pose, wearing his trademark smile.
"Mm… and?" Uchiha Shunichi nodded calmly.
"Uh… hahaha! Did you not hear what I just said—"
"I heard you. This is the Uchiha clan's training ground. Normally, no one comes here. You came for me… so who sent you?"
"Uh… well… um…"