Whoosh~ whoosh~
A faint sound of slicing through the air rang out as six shuriken flew from Qing Ming's palm, cutting through the air and landing precisely on the target.
Proficiency +3!
This was a newly discovered technique by Qing Ming — throwing multiple shuriken or kunai simultaneously. If they hit the target, more proficiency points would be gained.
Thanks to this, in less than two hours, his "Ninja Tool Throwing" proficiency had already reached Lv0 (96/100)!
Just a couple more practice throws, and he would officially enter the beginner level.
Whoosh~ whoosh~ whoosh~
Several more shuriken were thrown.
Proficiency +2!
Proficiency +3!
Ninja Tool Throwing: Lv0 (96/100) → Lv1 (1/200)!
At the moment his proficiency leveled up, it was as if Qing Ming had broken through a thin layer of paper — he suddenly gained a whole new understanding of ninja tool throwing.
In the past, he had felt something similar whenever his proficiency increased, but never as clearly as now.
With a thought, Qing Ming picked up a nearby kunai and casually threw it. Even without much focus, the kunai still embedded itself into the target.
"So this is what it feels like to reach the entry level?"
Thinking this, Qing Ming began throwing all the practice kunai and shuriken beside him — shh shh shh — just like before, all of them hit the target.
Casually opening the interface and glancing at it, the joy on Qing Ming's face instantly vanished.
There was a simple reason: despite throwing so many kunai and shuriken in succession, his "Ninja Tool Throwing" proficiency had only increased by 1 point.
"Is this due to the Lv1 cap, or something else?"
Qing Ming pondered for a moment and immediately began testing.
About half an hour later, Qing Ming stopped.
After dozens of tests, he had figured out the reason.
The reason the proficiency increase had slowed down so drastically likely came down to two factors. First, the skill level of his body's previous owner was already around this level.
In other words, the inherited experience and memory could no longer help him improve.
Thus, the rate of progress had naturally slowed.
As for the second reason —
It was because his earlier practice had been too casual.
At Lv1, Ninja Tool Throwing required him to hit the bullseye, and specifically the bullseye of a ten-meter target, in order to gain proficiency.
Otherwise, it was all wasted effort.
Of all the kunai and shuriken he had just thrown, only one shuriken had happened to hit the bullseye — the rest had landed outside it.
As a result, he had only gained one point of proficiency.
From this, it was clear that the Proficiency Panel wasn't something that could be easily fooled or exploited.
If he wanted to improve his skills, he had to put in real effort. The proficiency system simply visualized and quantified that hard work.
But that alone was already enough.
Many people give up not because they don't want to try, but because they see no hope in their efforts — and so they choose to stop.
If every drop of sweat could lead to visible progress, Qing Ming believed that most people would persevere.
Shaking his head, Qing Ming stopped overthinking and once again fully focused on Ninja Tool Throwing.
For him at this point, hitting a ten-meter target wasn't a problem.
But to strike the bullseye — that was another matter entirely.
He had to fully concentrate just to have a chance of hitting it — and even then, it was only a chance.
Time ticked by second after second.
Kunai after kunai flew from his hand — most of them missed the bullseye.
Only a little more than 10% managed to hit it directly.
And so, Qing Ming's Ninja Tool Throwing proficiency began to slowly and painstakingly rise, bit by bit.
Before he knew it, school was over.
Amidst the growing noise and chatter, Qing Ming opened his panel:
[Name]: Uchiha Qing Ming
[Age]: 10 years old
[Body]: 5
[Mind]: 7
[Chakra]: 21 (131)
[Bloodline]: Sharingan · Not Awakened (51/100)
[Skills]:
Chakra Refining Technique: Lv0 (8/100)
Clone Technique: Lv0 (46/100)
Basic Taijutsu: Lv0 (35/100)
Ninja Tool Throwing: Lv1 (29/200)
After a whole afternoon of practice, his "Ninja Tool Throwing" proficiency had increased by another 28 points.
To achieve that, he had also consumed over 20 points of chakra to replenish his stamina.
Otherwise, even a superhuman wouldn't have been able to keep going.
Fortunately, it was all worth it.
At this pace, it wouldn't even take a week before he could grind it up to Lv2.
By then, in terms of ninja tool throwing alone, his skill level would be on par with students who had been enrolled for six years.
That way, even if he graduated early, he'd at least have some ability to protect himself.
However, just mastering "Ninja Tool Throwing" wasn't enough.
He also needed to keep up with "Basic Taijutsu" and the Three Basic Techniques.
"Basic Taijutsu" wasn't urgent — thanks to the foundation left behind by his body's former self, he would reach entry level quickly. After that, he could just grind it up as well.
As for the Three Basic Techniques...
Once he got through the weekly test three days from now, he could start focusing on "Substitution Jutsu" and "Transformation Jutsu".
Although the Three Basic Techniques were relatively ineffective against higher-level ninja, they were still quite useful when dealing with those at the same level.
So, before graduation, he had to learn them all, ideally grinding them to Lv2 or even Lv3.
Only then would he have a sense of security.
Thinking as he walked, Qing Ming made his way home.
After eating a little something to fill his stomach, he immediately began training.
First, he refined chakra for two hours. Once his chakra was replenished, he began practicing the Clone Jutsu.
After exhausting his chakra, he spent another two hours refining chakra again. Once he recovered about 100 chakra points, he resumed practicing the Clone Jutsu.
After two full cycles of this, night had fully fallen.
By then, his body had nearly reached its limit — and it was finally time to rest.
When he woke up, it was the start of a new day.
School, training—repeating the same cycle over and over.
Just like that, a week passed.
Qing Ming had just returned home when he heard a knock at the door.
Knock knock knock~
The sudden knocking left Qing Ming puzzled.
Ever since he transmigrated, aside from his classmates and teachers, he had hardly interacted with anyone else.
So who could possibly be looking for him?
Though full of doubt, Qing Ming still went to open the door.
As for safety—
Not only was this the heart of Konoha, but just the name Uchiha alone was enough to deter most people.
Unless some petty criminal was looking for trouble, being in the Uchiha Clan compound was absolutely safe.
And right now, the few who might actually cause trouble were either still not strong enough or simply not in the village.
So what was there for Qing Ming to worry about?
Creak~
The door opened.
Standing outside was a ninja in the uniform of a Konoha jōnin, clearly also an Uchiha.
"Qing Ming?"
The man spoke up.
"Yes."
Qing Ming nodded, confused. "That's me. And you are?"
"My name is Uchiha Zhìrén (Chihito). I'm here today to deliver the consolation payment issued by the village."
Upon hearing that, Qing Ming instantly recalled the memories of his body's former self, and a touch of sorrow appeared on his face at just the right moment.
Seeing this, Uchiha Chihito didn't suspect anything and continued,
"Additionally, the clan will provide you with a monthly living allowance of 10,000 ryō, until you become a genin."
As he spoke, he handed over a thick envelope.
"Thank you,"
Qing Ming said softly, bowing his head as he took the envelope from the man's hand.