Sharingan Evolution: Proficiency's Path

Three days had passed in the blink of an eye. Qingming had encountered neither enemies nor dangers. Apart from routine patrols, he devoted his time to training.

The two sword techniques he had been focused on were progressing remarkably well; their proficiency levels had both increased significantly, especially the Konoha Style Swordsmanship, which was nearing its perfected state.

Qingming was eager to complete his task and return to his training grind. However, things often unfold contrary to one's wishes.

Just as Qingming thought today would be as peaceful as the previous three days, he suddenly received a distress signal from one of his subordinates.

Indeed, it was from a subordinate.

Since his promotion to Chūnin, he was no longer a dispensable pawn. Thanks to his prestigious Uchiha clan lineage, he often held significant roles in missions. In this instance, he was the leader of a patrol squad composed of three Chūnin, and the signal came from one of them.

By the time he and the other two arrived, the individual was already dead.

Immediately, all three became alert, scanning their surroundings with heightened vigilance. Qingming activated his Sharingan, keenly attuned to the slightest movements in the environment.

Their nervousness was justified; the enemy's strength was not to be underestimated. From the moment they detected the signal to their arrival, no more than a minute had passed. The ability to kill a person within such a brief span of time suggested a formidable opponent.

After a while, Qingming raised his right hand, signaling for a temporary safety. Only then did the other two ease their guard.

"Shikou, examine the body," Qingming ordered directly.

"Understood, Captain!"

In response, one of the Konoha ninjas approached to inspect the corpse closely. After a moment, he stood up, his expression grave.

"Captain, it's highly likely that the one who killed Kuramaki was a puppet master from Sunagakure."

"A puppet master?" Qingming immediately perked up, gesturing for him to elaborate.

"Captain, look at the wounds on Kuramaki's body; they are very clean. While a human could do this, it would be unnecessary," Shikou explained.

Qingming understood why it would be unnecessary; making wounds neat was laborious and counterproductive. Anyone capable of delivering a fatal blow wouldn't waste time on aesthetic details.

Qingming nodded, indicating he understood, and encouraged Shikou to continue.

Unlike Qingming, who was new to the field, Shikou had executed several missions here and had encountered Sunagakure ninjas more than once. His knowledge of them was undoubtedly greater than that of the newcomer.

With Qingming's encouragement, Shikou continued, "Such injuries are typical of Sunagakure puppets. Also, look here…"

He pointed to the areas around the wounds, where darkening signs were evident.

"There's poison spreading near these wounds. Puppet masters from Sunagakure often coat their puppet weapons with toxins. Furthermore, there are no traces of other individuals nearby. Thus, I believe the enemy was likely a puppet master, hiding in the shadows, controlling a puppet to ambush Kuramaki as he passed by."

After listening to Shikou's analysis, Qingming nodded, acknowledging his assessment.

After pondering briefly, he commanded, "Shikou, continue searching the perimeter. Although the enemy can control puppets, they likely won't hide too far away. Please look carefully to see if you can find any traces of them."

"Understood, Captain!" Shikou responded.

Next, Qingming turned to the other subordinate, who had been silent up to this point. "You, Yoichi, notify the nearby squads and have them encircle the area. We must not let the enemy escape."

Upon hearing Qingming's words, Yoichi nodded silently without further comment.

He then bit his right thumb, allowing blood to flow into his palm, and swiftly formed the hand seals Hog—Inu—Tori—Saru—Umi, summoning a spirit beast.

With a puff of chakra smoke, a parrot-like creature appeared.

"Yoichi, what's up this time? I warn you, don't expect me to do this for free!"

As soon as the parrot appeared, it began chattering, only to stop abruptly upon seeing Qingming's crimson Sharingan.

Taking advantage of the moment, Yoichi quickly relayed the situation to the spirit beast and instructed it to pass on the information to nearby squads.

Fearing a mistake, Yoichi repeated the details several times.

However, the parrot simply flapped its wings impatiently and said, "Okay, okay, I got it."

After saying that, it glanced weakly at Qingming before flapping its wings and soaring into the sky.

Watching the quickly retreating parrot, Qingming pondered whether he should also acquire a spirit beast.

However, a spirit beast with average strength seemed useless to him, while a powerful one was currently beyond his reach.

Considering that spirit beasts tended to flee in the face of danger, Qingming decided it would be better to wait until his Sharingan's evolution rate increased enough to control one using genjutsu.

At critical moments, it could even serve as a shield.

As Qingming was lost in thought, Shikou's voice rang out again.

"Captain, I found something!"

Hearing this, Qingming activated Body Flicker Technique, instantly appearing beside Shikou.

Shikou, surprised by Qingming's sudden appearance, thought to himself, The Captain's Body Flicker Technique is still so fast!

"What did you find?" Qingming asked, ignoring Shikou's internal musings.

Upon hearing Qingming's inquiry, Shikou regained his focus and pointed to the grass nearby. "Captain, look here; these are signs of someone lingering for a long time."

Following his finger, Qingming noticed flattened grass and, beneath it, two faint footprints.

Thanks to the incessant rain in the Land of Rain, the plants and soil in the forest were moist enough to preserve such traces.

However, Qingming turned around to find that this spot was nearly twenty meters from where Kuramaki had died, with no obvious signs in between.

This indicated that the enemy controlled the puppet from at least twenty meters away.

To be able to manipulate a puppet with such precision and kill a Chūnin like Kuramaki in such a short time illustrated the enemy's strength.

Once again, Qingming tightened his focus.

However, he didn't give up.

As a member of the patrol squad, his duty was to prevent enemies from infiltrating the main base. More importantly, the enemy's identity as a puppet master was reason enough for him to pursue relentlessly.

He opened his panel, glancing at his Chakra Control level of lv3 (530/1000), realizing that if he could acquire the puppet secret technique early, it would indeed be a fortunate opportunity.

Initially, he had intended to take his time.

But unexpectedly, the first Sunagakure ninja he encountered after the troop change turned out to be a puppet master, and it seemed their skill was quite impressive.

Naturally, he couldn't let this chance slip by.

"Captain, there's more over here," Shikou called again.

Qingming quickly walked over and found new traces.

After careful examination, he confirmed that these were left behind by the earlier individual as they departed.

With this certainty, Qingming no longer hesitated and immediately ordered Shikou and Yoichi to continue searching ahead.

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