I woke up at six again.
By now, it felt natural—like my body had accepted that this was the hour it belonged to the world. I slipped out of bed, washed up quickly, and headed to the dining table.
Both my parents were already there.
That alone told me something.
My father was fully dressed, flak jacket secured, forehead protector tied neatly. He was drinking tea in silence while my mother set breakfast down.
"So early?" I asked, even though I already knew.
He nodded. "Mission. Long one."
My mother added, "About a week."
I accepted that without comment and ate quietly. Rice, soup, fish—nothing special, nothing wasted. A shinobi household's breakfast didn't need ceremony.
Afterward, my father motioned toward the garden.
"Let's train."
Training with him felt different today.
He watched more closely. Corrected less, observed more. When I placed the leaf on my forehead, he didn't interrupt. When I ran through hand seals, he didn't slow me down.
He was measuring.
"Your chakra control is stabilizing," he said after a while. "That's fast—for anyone."
I shrugged lightly. "I just do what you taught me."
"That's exactly the point," he replied.
We continued until the morning wore thin. My chakra moved with less resistance now, responding smoothly when I guided it. My fingers flowed through seals without conscious hesitation.
The system responded almost immediately.
[Skill Level Up!]
Leaf Concentration → Level 3
Moments later—
[Skill Level Up!]
Hand Seal Drill → Level 3
I felt it—not just as numbers, but as refinement. Less waste. More precision.
[Skill Status]
Leaf Concentration — Level 3 (Active)
Experience Until Next Level: 99.29% / 100%
Description: Allows the user to increase chakra control.
Chakra Usage: 1 Chakra per second
Passive Effect: +4% Chakra Control
Hand Seal Drill — Level 3 (Passive)
Experience Until Next Level: 87.67% / 100%
Description: Increases speed and efficiency of hand sealing.
Passive Effect: +4% Hand Seal Speed
My father exhaled slowly.
"It's only been days," he said. "But you're already getting the hang of it. Your hand seals are stable. Controlled."
I smiled.
He crouched in front of me. "I'll be gone for a week. Keep training—but don't overdo it."
"I'll be fine," I said.
He nodded once. "Be good to your mother."
"I will. Come back safe."
That made him pause.
Then he stood and turned away.
Lunch was quiet but warm.
Afterward, I told them I was going to play by the river again.
My mother narrowed her eyes slightly. "You're spending a lot of time there."
"I like it."
She sighed. "Just don't do anything dangerous."
I nodded—and left with the flint match hidden carefully away.
The large ant nest was exactly where I remembered it.
I didn't rush.
I gathered dried leaves. Small branches. Placed them carefully. Then I struck the flint.
Fire caught quickly.
I fed it once—then threw the burning mass toward the nest.
The system reacted immediately.
+4 EXP
+4 EXP
+4 EXP
The notifications stacked rapidly.
Then—
[Level Up!]
Level 3 Achieved
The shift was immediate. My body felt lighter, stronger, steadier. Chakra circulation improved at once.
But the system adjusted too.
EXP per kill reduced
From that point on—
+2 EXP
+2 EXP
By the time the nest was completely destroyed, the total settled.
[Status Update]
Level: 3
Experience Points: 400 / 2,173
Health Regeneration: 1.30 HP/s
Chakra Capacity: 550 / 550
I wandered afterward, scanning the area carefully.
No more large nests.
Only small ones.
I marked their locations instead.
Tomorrow, I'd decide what to do with them.
I returned home before nightfall, washed up, and sat down for dinner. My father was still there—for now. He spoke little, conserving words the way shinobi conserved chakra.
That night, as I lay down, I opened the system one last time.
[Status]
Name: Uchiha Keisuke
Level: 3
Experience Points: 400 / 2,173
Health Regeneration: 1.30 HP/s
Chakra Regeneration: 1.30 CP/s
Chakra Capacity: 550 / 550
Skills:
Leaf Concentration — Level 3 (99.29%)
Hand Seal Drill — Level 3 (87.67%)
I closed my eyes.