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Chapter 53: The Reason for Poor Ninjutsu
Fugaku rushed to Kaien's residence as soon as possible.
As soon as he arrived, he saw a tired-looking Kaien walking out of the room.
"Kaien, what's wrong? Why did I sense a wave of pupil power just now?"
Kaien waved his hand wearily. "It's nothing, just a test of my ocular technique. Sorry to make the Patriarch worry."
"Ocular technique?" Fugaku's eyes narrowed. An ordinary dojutsu wouldn't cause such a large disturbance.
There was only one explanation—Kaien had used a Mangekyō Sharingan ability.
Kaien had once claimed his eye technique was called The Gap in the Sky, a powerful dojutsu that could peer into the future.
Did he use it again just now?
Noticing Kaien's fatigued face, Fugaku softened his tone.
"Kaien, does peering into the future really drain you this much?"
Kaien looked visibly exhausted. Dark circles hung under his eyes, and the whites of his eyes were filled with bloodshot veins. He seemed completely worn out.
Kaien paused, then closed his eyes for a moment to rest.
Finally, he replied, "I can't control when The Gap in the Sky activates. Over the years, its activation has become less frequent."
"That's why I've been trying to record as many useful things from the future as I can."
"I just saw another series of images—but this time, they lasted longer than ever before."
"I have a strong feeling... that The Gap in the Sky may never activate again."
Fugaku stood in stunned silence. Kaien's Mangekyō Sharingan had brought immense value to the Uchiha Clan.
Though it had obvious limitations, suddenly losing such an ability was still unsettling.
Fortunately, the Uchiha Clan was already on the right path.
Whether in Otogakure or in the main village, the clan's development had far surpassed its state a year ago.
These days, not even the Third Hokage or other ninja clans dared to underestimate the Uchiha.
"Patriarch, I'll go rest first," Kaien said as he yawned and began walking away. "I'll share everything I saw after I've sorted it out."
Fugaku, long accustomed to Kaien's casual demeanor, had no complaints.
Instead, he summoned the Fourth Elder, Yōhei, and issued a clan-wide gag order:
No one was to speak of what happened tonight.
In truth, any Uchiha with a Three Tomoe Sharingan had already sensed the fluctuation of ocular power. But as a precaution, Fugaku still made the order official.
Back in his room, Kaien flopped face-first onto the bed and instantly fell asleep.
In truth, he hadn't expended much pupil power or chakra.
The real reason he was so drained was because he had been experimenting with a new ocular ability—inside a dream.
One technique, called Suzhan Wuzun's Eye, simply enhanced his visual observation skills. Kaien found that rather disappointing.
The other enhancement affected Susanoo's weapons, making them sharper and more dangerous.
When continuously strengthened to their peak, they became known as the Heavenly Cloud Style, capable of devouring space itself.
Obito? You won't be able to show off in front of me anymore.
But since it was all done in a dream, it cost him no chakra or pupil power.
Still, when he woke up, the mental fatigue hit him hard. He stepped out briefly, then crashed straight into bed.
More importantly, as he experimented, his Sharingan had finally evolved—
He had awakened the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan.
Strangely, the pattern in his eyes hadn't changed, so no one could tell just by looking.
Feeling the surge in chakra and pupil power, Kaien smiled.
Finally, he wouldn't have to worry about exhausting his eyes anymore.
With that comforting thought, he drifted into a deep sleep.
Kaien slept until noon on the third day. No one disturbed him.
Fugaku had checked on him earlier and confirmed that Kaien wasn't unconscious—he was just deeply asleep.
He could only marvel at how taxing The Gap in the Sky truly was.
When Kaien finally woke up, he realized he was starving.
After drinking some water, he quickly headed toward Konoha's Eighth Street.
…
…
Konoha Eighth Street
After the [Chinese Food] restaurant on Eighth Street became famous, Naruto and Sasuke became its most loyal customers.
Naruto favored stinky tofu, while Sasuke preferred hot and sour noodles.
Today, Naruto scored the lowest on the ninjutsu test. After class, he dragged Sasuke to Eighth Street to cheer himself up with food.
Forking a piece of stinky tofu into his mouth, Naruto tried to convince Sasuke:
"Sasuke, you've got to try this fried stinky tofu. It's so good!"
Sasuke made a face. "I'm not eating that. It stinks. The smell stays in your mouth forever."
Naruto sighed at Sasuke's lack of taste and went back to brooding over the test.
The Nine-Tails inside him often messed with his chakra control, making precise techniques like the Transformation Jutsu difficult.
He had once transformed into Sasuke fairly accurately, just missing some minor details.
But during the test, he messed up so badly that the result didn't even look human.
Still, Naruto had a strange feeling—like something was interfering with his chakra.
He slowed down as he walked, lost in thought.
Sasuke glanced back and saw Naruto looking unusually downcast.
Thinking Naruto was still upset about the test, Sasuke hesitated, then said reluctantly:
"...Fine. I'll try the stinky tofu."
Naruto's eyes lit up.
He quickly picked up a piece and held it out to Sasuke.
Sasuke chewed slowly, holding back his disgust. But then—surprisingly—he liked it.
The crispy black crust, the layers of spicy, salty, and savory flavor—it all hit at once.
He was instantly hooked.
He snatched Naruto's tofu and kept eating.
Naruto stared in disbelief.
"Wait, WHAT?! You just said you hated it!"
"Too late now," Sasuke said between bites.
The two began bickering, though Naruto wasn't trying to win.
Then—
A figure descended from above.
"You two, what are you doing fighting on the street?"
It was Uchiha Kaien, holding several skewers of candied fruit.
He lightly knocked Naruto and Sasuke on the head with his free hand.
Sasuke grinned. Kaien-sensei was always easygoing and didn't act superior.
Naruto, however, looked embarrassed.
Despite all Kaien had done for him, he'd still flunked ninjutsu.
Kaien handed each of them a skewer.
"What's wrong, Naruto? Don't want to see me?"
Naruto didn't know how to answer.
Sasuke spoke first. "Teacher, Naruto didn't do well on the ninjutsu test."
"Oh?" Kaien raised an eyebrow. Sasuke was fishing for praise.
"So how did you do?" he asked with a smirk.
Sasuke puffed out his chest. "I was number one, of course."
"Haha, well done. The Patriarch will reward you when you get back."
Kaien praised him casually—Sasuke was still young and not yet in his rebellious phase.
A little praise went a long way.
Later on, you'd have to beat him down to earn his respect.
Hearing Kaien praise Sasuke made Naruto feel worse.
His physical scores weren't bad, but when it came to ninjutsu, he was hopeless.
His chakra always seemed to spiral out of control.
Kaien rubbed Naruto's head. "Why the gloomy face? It's just one bad test. You'll do better next time if you work hard."
Naruto rubbed his face, trying to appear less miserable.
"Senior Kaien… this time feels different. When I try to extract chakra, I always feel like something is interfering with it."
"Normally, I can use the Transformation Jutsu just fine. But during the exam, it always goes wrong. I don't know why."
…
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Translated By – Ancient Lores
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