Sharingan Evolution: Proficiency's Path

Back at home, Qingming sat for a while before starting to pack his gear.

Although they were leaving the next day, it was better to prepare early, so he wouldn't be flustered later and could check for anything he might have missed.

He took his ninja tool pouch and began filling it with items.

Six kunai, fifteen shuriken, a roll of wire, five explosive tags, a jar of ointment for treating wounds, two rolls of bandages, three common antidote pills, and a pack of soldier pills.

As for other things like maps, Furukawa would bring those, so he didn't need to worry.

After finishing these tasks, Qingming focused on his training.

Since there were no missions today, he could complete his training early and save up chakra for tomorrow's mission.

Though it was just a simple bandit-clearing task, Qingming wouldn't take it lightly.

They were leaving the village, and in wartime, he couldn't be careless.

Countless enemy ninjas had infiltrated the Land of Fire.

Although their main tasks were to disrupt the stability of the Land of Fire, attack logistical supply lines, assassinate important figures, and gather intelligence, who knew if they might encounter someone who would kill them on sight?

No matter how strong Furukawa was, he was only a jonin; if they were besieged, he couldn't guarantee their safety.

Of course, it was also likely that the two sides would not encounter each other.

If that were the case, they could complete their task without worry.

But what if?

Qingming never relied on luck, so he had to prepare properly.

It wasn't realistic to learn a new ninjutsu at the last minute, and he couldn't upgrade the ninjutsu he already knew in such a short time.

His biggest trump card—the Sharingan—wouldn't just awaken on command.

Thus, apart from his equipment, the most important thing was to ensure he had enough chakra in his body before they set out.

This meant he had to finish today's training quickly, allowing him to stockpile chakra for tomorrow's actions.

With this thought in mind, Qingming closed his eyes and began to refine his chakra.

Time passed slowly.

The room gradually fell silent, leaving only the faint sound of Qingming's breathing.

······

The next day.

Morning.

Just before ten o'clock, Qingming arrived at the gate of Konoha.

From a distance, he spotted Ryo and Mizutani Shizuko.

Both of them were fully armed today, but their spirits were even lower than yesterday.

When they saw Qingming approaching, Ryo forced a smile, stifled a yawn, and said, "Why are you here so early today?"

Qingming didn't answer the question but instead asked, "You two look like you didn't sleep well last night?"

Hearing Qingming's question, Mizutani Shizuko, sporting panda eyes, shyly lowered her head, while Ryo awkwardly replied, "N-no, it's nothing."

Clearly, they didn't want Qingming to know about their predicament.

After all, Qingming looked as energetic as usual, even more so than them, which made them feel a bit inferior.

While the three of them were lost in their thoughts, Furukawa appeared before them.

"Teacher!" ×3

Qingming and the others greeted him.

"Hmm."

Furukawa nodded, his gaze sweeping over the three of them, taking in their conditions, but he didn't say much. He simply asked, "Is all your gear ready?"

"Ready."

The three replied in unison.

"Alright, let's head out now."

With that, he took the lead and headed toward the village exit.

Qingming and the others immediately followed.

Along the way, no one spoke. Ryo and Mizutani Shizuko, who had been somewhat anxious, gradually calmed down during the monotonous journey.

······

A few hours later.

The sky was getting darker.

About a few hundred meters from Little Black Mountain, Qingming and the others stopped.

After traveling for so long without a break, even though they hadn't gone very fast, everyone was quite exhausted.

More accurately, it was Ryo and Mizutani Shizuko who were worn out, especially Shizuko, who was almost completely spent.

Among the four, she had the weakest physique.

If it weren't for her sheer willpower, she would have collapsed long ago.

Furukawa, needless to say, found this level of exertion trivial as a jonin.

After Qingming's physical condition improved slightly, he surpassed ordinary people. Coupled with his abundant chakra, he was only slightly out of breath.

As for Ryo, he was in a slightly better situation than Shizuko but still had little energy left. Fighting would be a tall order for him.

Fortunately, Furukawa wasn't cruel enough to make them rush to deal with the bandits right away; otherwise, Qingming would have to act alone.

Once they stopped, Furukawa glanced at the three of them and said, "Take a moment to rest. We'll start the mission in two hours."

Upon hearing this, Ryo and Mizutani Shizuko plopped down on the ground.

They opened their ninja tool pouches, each taking out a soldier pill to eat, crunching and swallowing it before starting to rest.

Qingming also swallowed a soldier pill but didn't rest. Instead, he climbed up to the treetop and took out a monocular to observe the direction of Little Black Mountain while the night had not yet completely fallen.

This monocular was something he specifically bought that morning; without any scouting ninjutsu, he had to make do with this for now.

As for why Furukawa was staying nearby, Qingming was cautious for a reason.

Earlier on the road, Furukawa had said that once they arrived here, he would no longer provide any advice or suggestions, and he wouldn't intervene during the mission; they had to rely on themselves.

Because of this, Qingming was being especially careful.

Fortunately, the bandits hadn't received news about their arrival and hadn't launched an attack while he was observing; they were all safely staying on the mountain.

What? You say the bandits could never get this information?

Well, who knows?

What if Furukawa wanted to increase the difficulty of the mission and deliberately leaked information? Wouldn't the bandits know then?

For a jonin, hiding such a thing from them wouldn't be difficult.

Fortunately, Furukawa hadn't gone that far.

In fact, Qingming had misunderstood him.

Furukawa cared about the practical abilities of his students and wanted to quickly cultivate them, hoping to give them a better chance of survival in the battlefields to come.

But he also considered the students' capacity for bearing pressure.

Clearly, aside from Qingming, both Ryo and Mizutani Shizuko were mentally and physically nearing their limits, so there was no need for unnecessary difficulties.

So when Furukawa saw Qingming's actions, even he, who usually maintained a serious demeanor, couldn't help but twitch his lips.

Evidently, he had guessed Qingming's intentions.

'Am I really that cruel?'

Furukawa recalled his actions and thought, "It doesn't seem like I am."

However, he found himself appreciating Qingming even more.

It was one thing to train hard, but the key was that he remained humble and approached his tasks with caution.

Being cautious at all times is an essential trait for a ninja.

If he had to choose one among the three most likely to survive on the battlefield, Furukawa would undoubtedly pick Qingming.

Because his personality maximized his chances of survival.

As for strength?

Sorry, in a battlefield that resembled a meat grinder, even a jonin might not survive, let alone a genin.

"Ah, I hope they all make it out alive."

With a sigh, Furukawa turned his gaze away from Qingming and flashed to another tree, gazing into the distance.

His eyes seemed to penetrate mountains and forests, looking at the ninja from various villages engaged in battle at the front lines.

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