"You're looking for me?"
Qingming stopped in his tracks and looked at the figure standing at the corner, a hint of confusion in his voice.
"It's me."
Uchiha Chiren replied, stepping out from the shadows. His expression was a mix of emotions as he gazed at Qingming.
Not bothering to address the strange expression on Chiren's face, Qingming was more curious about the purpose of his visit. He was certain that Chiren was waiting specifically for him. Otherwise, who would be wandering around at this hour?
Thus, Qingming didn't waste time with formalities and asked directly, "Did you need something?"
Hearing this, Uchiha Chiren didn't hesitate. He nodded, then shook his head. "It's not me looking for you; it's the Elder, the Great Elder."
"The Great Elder?"
Qingming's confusion deepened.
Over the past two years, the only Uchiha elder he had interacted with was Uchiha Hosen. However, Hosen was not the head of the Uchiha clan, so there had been no real connection between Qingming and this so-called "Great Elder."
'Why is he suddenly looking for me?'
'Could it be related to Danzo again?'
Qingming thought to himself, just as Uchiha Chiren continued, "Yes, the Great Elder himself. He asks that you come to see him."
'Great, it's probably related to Danzo after all.'
Hearing this familiar request, Qingming was sure of his guess. The situation was murkier than ever, so he didn't refuse and immediately agreed.
The two then changed direction and headed directly to the residence of the Great Elder.
Unlike Uchiha Fugaku's home, the Great Elder's residence was relatively remote, located deep within the Uchiha clan's grounds. The courtyard was still spacious but felt much quieter, with fewer servants.
The eerie atmosphere was enhanced by the deep night as they walked through the compound, giving it a somewhat sinister air.
"We've arrived!"
Just as Qingming was lost in thought, Uchiha Chiren's voice snapped him back. Chiren straightened his clothes and respectfully knocked on the door.
"Knock, knock, knock~"
Soon, an old voice came from within.
"Come in!"
At the sound, Uchiha Chiren nodded at Qingming before opening the door.
Creak~ The door slowly opened.
Chiren and Qingming entered one after another.
The room was a study, filled with shelves stacked with books. There was only a desk and a few chairs.
At the desk sat an elderly man who appeared very frail. His back was leaning against the chair, eyes closed, and his brows occasionally furrowed as though he was deep in thought.
As the two approached the desk, Uchiha Chiren carefully spoke, "Great Elder, the person is here!"
The old man finally opened his eyes upon hearing this.
Immediately, Qingming felt a wave of invisible pressure descend upon him. It wasn't a spiritual attack, but the natural aura that developed from being in a position of power for so long.
Fortunately, Qingming had been through more than two years of battles, living through life-and-death situations, so he didn't buckle under the pressure.
The Great Elder sized him up for a moment, and upon seeing that he remained calm, nodded in approval and said, "Not bad."
Then, he turned to Uchiha Chiren and said, "Alright, you're dismissed now. There's no need for you here, Chiren."
"Yes, Great Elder!"
Uchiha Chiren obeyed without a word, turning and leaving as soon as he was dismissed.
Once the door was shut, the Great Elder turned his full attention back to Qingming, saying, "Qingming, you're a good child!"
He praised Qingming before continuing, "Do you know? I've been watching you for quite some time, and I've always known that you are an emotionally rich child."
"During the time your parents passed away, I even had someone keep an eye on you—yes, Chiren, who just left—to confirm if you would awaken your Sharingan."
"Unfortunately, by the time your parents' compensation was given to you, you still hadn't awakened the Sharingan, which was a great disappointment to me."
Qingming couldn't help but feel a little uneasy hearing this.
At that time, he hadn't noticed anything.
It was a good thing that the surveillance had ended early. Otherwise, with an elite jōnin watching him 24/7, he didn't think he could have kept his secret for long.
Sure, others might not notice his proficiency panel, but they would certainly notice his sudden strength. Who knows what would have happened?
Perhaps he would have been recognized as a genius and given special treatment, but it could also have led to a memory scan to check if something was wrong with him.
Either way, his fate wouldn't have been in his own hands.
It was a stroke of luck that he came to this world late and that his strength came from a gradual increase in proficiency, or things might have turned out very differently.
Suppressing the turmoil in his heart, Qingming kept his expression neutral.
The Great Elder's tone suddenly shifted, becoming more elevated. "Fortunately, fortunately, you didn't disappoint me. You finally awakened the Sharingan, and it's been unstoppable ever since."
"Do you know?"
"When I heard about your continuous breakthroughs on the battlefield, how your Sharingan reached the level of three-tomoe within just a year, I was overjoyed. It proves that my judgment was correct!"
'No, your judgment is very flawed. If not for the proficiency panel, not to mention three-tomoe, the original owner of this body would have been lucky to awaken even one-tomoe.'
"Now, Qingming, tell me, have you awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan?"
'Ugh, how did we suddenly go from talking about the Sharingan to Mangekyō Sharingan?'
The abrupt shift in topic caught Qingming off guard.
He watched as the Great Elder, like Uchiha Fugaku earlier, activated his own three-tomoe Sharingan before finishing his sentence. It seemed like he was trying to push Qingming into showing his true power.
Qingming couldn't help but feel exasperated. These Uchiha really were alike, with similar methods of operation.
In Qingming's senses, while the Great Elder had grown weaker with age and couldn't sustain high-intensity use of his Sharingan, the power he unleashed in brief bursts was even greater than Fugaku's.
Unfortunately, it didn't matter. Without Mangekyō Sharingan, it was impossible to comprehend the difference between the two.
Qingming easily withstood the pressure from the Elder's Sharingan.
Just like with Fugaku, the power Qingming displayed barely exceeded the Elder's, but it was still enough to hold firm.
At first, the Elder seemed pleased to feel Qingming's power surpass his own, but when he saw that Qingming's Sharingan was still only three-tomoe, his expression froze.
"What's going on? Impossible! You haven't awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan? How did you kill Danzo then?"
"I didn't kill Danzo."
Although there were no outsiders nearby, and the Elder clearly belonged to the more radical faction of the clan—meaning his secrets would likely remain safe—Qingming had already made his decision and would not back down.
He stuck firmly to his story. "It wasn't me who killed him."
The Elder, of course, didn't believe him, but at that moment, his focus shifted. He was more interested in continuing to test Qingming's limits and the power of his Sharingan.
However, his age was catching up with him, and he soon found himself unable to maintain the intensity for long.
After only a few moments, his energy faltered, and his aura began to fade.
Thud~ He collapsed back into his chair, staring at Qingming with frustration.
"You really haven't awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan?"
"No."
Qingming replied with absolute certainty.
Upon hearing this, the Great Elder's face grew somber.
Earlier, based on his comparison of Qingming's strength to Danzo's, he had believed that Qingming's ability to kill Danzo and his men meant he must have awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan.
But now, he wasn't so sure, as Qingming's power had already surpassed his peak, and he seemed to handle it effortlessly.
What kind of power was Qingming truly wielding? Without Mangekyō Sharingan, the Elder could no longer make an accurate estimate. Perhaps Qingming could indeed have killed Danzo and his men without it.
After a brief silence, the Elder stopped dwelling on the matter.
After all, Qingming was still young, and whether or not he had awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan, there would be opportunities for that in the future.
There was no need to rush.
"Hoo~~~"
The Elder sighed deeply.
He looked at Qingming and said, "Alright, if you say you haven't, then you haven't. Don't worry about the summons from the Hokage. The clan will handle it, just focus on your training. Also."
He opened a drawer under the table, pulled out a letter, and handed it to Qingming.
"This is a pass I personally signed. With it, the clan's secret archives will be fully open to you. You can browse and study them as you please."
"Thank you."
Qingming accepted the letter, feeling as though a sudden stroke of luck had come his way.
He had been wondering how to access the clan's secret archives again to study the techniques exclusive to the Uchiha clan.
For instance, the "Transcription Seal" technique was something he absolutely wanted to learn.
This technique allowed the user to seal a jutsu into their or someone else's eyes, which would activate automatically when certain conditions were met.
It was like programming a condition that would trigger a specific action.
As long as the jutsu and conditions were set, the possibilities were endless. Qingming definitely wasn't going to pass this up.
What he hadn't expected was that the opportunity would come to him so easily.
He couldn't refuse such a generous offer, and his gaze toward the Elder became much friendlier.
Qingming didn't care whether the Elder was from the more radical faction. As long as he could offer him benefits, he could even be persuaded to side with him.
In comparison, Uchiha Fugaku had summoned him in the middle of the night, and while he had been cordial at first, he didn't offer any real assistance.
Perhaps Fugaku thought that shielding him from the Hokage's pressure was enough of a favor, but when compared to the Great Elder, it felt somewhat stingy.
Thinking of this, Qingming genuinely thanked the Great Elder. "Thank you, Great Elder."
The Elder simply waved his hand. "No need."
He then yawned and said, "Alright, it's late. Go get some rest. And remember to train hard."
"Yes, Great Elder!"
Qingming replied, and after the Elder nodded, he turned and left.
Creak~
Bang~ The door opened and closed again.
The study was once again empty, with only the Great Elder left.
He stared blankly at the ceiling, murmuring, "Mangekyō... Mangekyō..."
As someone who had followed Uchiha Madara since the Warring States period, the Great Elder understood just how important the Mangekyō Sharingan was for the Uchiha clan.
If only the Uchiha clan could awaken a pair of Mangekyō Sharingan, many things would be resolved.
"What a pity..."
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