Chapter 50: A Way to Further Enhance Ocular Power
"You've unlocked a new trait: [Apprentice Medical Ninja (White)]."
A translucent panel appeared before Seiji's eyes.
[Trait: Apprentice Medical Ninja (White)]
Condition Fulfilled: Use a basic medical ninjutsu.
Progress: 100%
Effect: Your training speed with medical ninjutsu increases by 10%.
Note: Can be upgraded.
Seiji dismissed the pop-up interface.
Simply separating the coffee and milk counted as using medical ninjutsu, huh?
"These books—make sure to read them thoroughly."
Yakushi Nono handed him a hefty stack of books.
For a medical ninja, precise chakra control wasn't enough—deep, comprehensive knowledge was just as vital.
Seiji carefully stowed the books away.
The contents were indeed essential. But more importantly, they signaled that he had officially established a connection with Yakushi Nono.
That connection would be key to furthering his development—whether in medical ninjutsu or in other ways.
Afterward, Nono explained a few more fundamentals of medical ninjutsu before sending him off for the day.
"Got it," Seiji nodded.
He headed downstairs, returning to the first floor of Konoha Hospital.
The place bustled with activity—people constantly coming and going.
There, on the first floor, Seiji ran into someone familiar.
"Hazuki, I really owe you this time. I'll pay back the money you covered for me as soon as I can."
Yamada Hiroshi's arm was in a cast and sling as he spoke to a beautiful woman ahead of him.
"Hiroshi, be more careful next time."
Uchiha Hazuki waved dismissively, indicating that it wasn't a big deal.
Konoha Hospital was notoriously expensive, but as a ninja, she had a decent income.
Seiji narrowed his eyes, observing from a distance.
In Itachi Shinden, Uchiha Hazuki was the one who married a man from outside the clan and gave birth to Uchiha Izumi.
That outsider later died during the Nine-Tails attack, and Hazuki brought Izumi back to the Uchiha clan afterward.
The Uchiha had a neutral stance on intermarriage with outsiders—not encouraged, but not forbidden either.
"Hazuki, huh…" Seiji gave her a meaningful look, then slipped into the crowd with his arms full of books.
Perhaps it was time to collect a bit of interest.
After all, it had been a while since she had maliciously mistreated him.
"What's wrong, Hazuki?" Yamada Hiroshi asked.
Uchiha Hazuki glanced around, the teardrop mole under her eye shifting slightly with her expression—but she couldn't find the source of the gaze she'd felt earlier.
She was a Chūnin—not especially powerful—but her instincts were sharp. She was sure someone had been watching her.
"Never mind. Let's just pick up the medicine. The sooner I take it, the sooner I'll recover."
With a stack of white prescription slips in hand, Hazuki convinced herself she was just being paranoid.
Yamada Hiroshi nodded, feeling a warm sense of gratitude in his chest.
If she weren't an Uchiha, he'd have proposed already.
After all, he was just a commoner ninja.
"What are you spacing out for?"
Hazuki turned her head slightly as she walked, the green flak jacket over her black mesh armor accentuating her graceful, curvy figure.
"Coming!"
Hiroshi quickly caught up, secretly vowing to make a name for himself—so he could one day be worthy of marrying a woman as virtuous as Hazuki.
After a few hours of training at home, Seiji received an unexpected invitation.
"I'm Uchiha Inabi. Lord Fugaku asked me to inform you—there's a clan gathering tonight. The location is Naka Shrine."
Inabi's tone was calm.
His hair, unlike the signature black of most Uchiha, leaned toward a lighter brown.
"I understand," Seiji replied, slightly surprised at how quickly word had spread.
He had only just passed the graduation exam and received his forehead protector. He still needed to take a photo the next day to complete his official ninja registration.
Yet the Uchiha clan already knew of his promotion—and even extended an invitation to their secret gathering, an event reserved solely for Uchiha who had officially become shinobi.
After delivering the message, Uchiha Inabi offered a few polite congratulations before turning to leave.
Seiji watched him go.
His home sat on the outskirts of the Uchiha district, far from where most clan members resided.
Inabi was a member of the Konoha Military Police Force. In the original timeline, he kept a close eye on Itachi following Shisui's death. Alongside Uchiha Yashiro and Uchiha Tekka, he had once confronted Itachi, questioning him directly about Shisui's demise.
Seiji quietly closed the door.
Removing his shirt, he revealed a muscular physique and resumed his training.
Crackle!
Electric current from his technique Lightning Style: Iron Body coursed beneath his skin, gradually toughening its surface.
At first, the currents were faint—just a gentle flow running through his limbs, torso, and neck.
But now, Seiji could channel electricity to areas that were once too delicate to temper.
That included his face and scalp.
Originally, Lightning Style: Iron Body didn't cover these regions. It had been classified as a D-rank taijutsu technique—created with genin-level chakra control in mind.
The meridian systems in the head were far more complex and required extreme caution.
But with his unique system traits and natural talent, Seiji had finally reached the point where he could attempt training those sensitive zones.
If not for the eyelids being too thin—risking the current numbing the eyes—he would've trained those muscles too.
After all, ocular muscles are the fastest in the human body, capable of blinking in just 100 to 150 milliseconds.
If someone were to attack his eyes, being able to reflexively shield them with just the eyelids would be invaluable.
Because no matter how advanced a Sharingan might be—it didn't make the eye physically tougher.
Even the likes of Momoshiki Ōtsutsuki, wielding the Rinnegan, could still have their eyes pierced and blinded.
"Almost there…" Seiji murmured.
Enhancing his ocular power was the quickest way to grow stronger. It would sync his physical body with his mental power, boost his chakra reserves, and refine his chakra control across the board.
That, in turn, would earn him more system traits—creating a feedback loop of continuous improvement.
And the fastest way to strengthen the Sharingan?
Experiencing intense emotional highs.
Last time, it was Rin Nohara's emotional impact that triggered the awakening of his right eye's Sharingan.
This time…
---
Night fell.
Seiji made his way toward Naka Shrine.
The shrine was nestled beyond the Uchiha district's dense clusters of houses. Its vermilion gates looked weathered under the moonlight, and the wood inside had long faded with time.
One by one, clan members arrived at the shrine.
To outsiders, it was simply a place of worship for the Uchiha. But beneath it—secrets awaited.
By the time Seiji arrived, most had already gathered.
Some Uchiha glanced his way, clearly having guessed that he had officially become a ninja.
Seiji followed them into a hidden passageway.
At the end of the corridor lay a wide underground chamber, with tatami mats lining the floor.