For the first time, Jun was about to leave the village.
Even with all his previous bluster, a faint unease churned in the pit of his stomach.
"It's just your first mission, no need to get all worked up. I'll let you in on the details," Inuzuka Tsume said coolly, glancing at the three genin. "It's a C-rank mission. You'll be delivering supplies to the frontlines."
Frontlines? C-rank?
Jun and Mizuki exchanged confused looks. Those two things didn't usually go together.
Meanwhile, Anko was practically vibrating with excitement.
"I already told you, relax," Tsume continued. "The supplies aren't secret documents or critical intel, just standard medical materials being delivered to a designated forward outpost. The whole mission is to proceed with stealth and avoid combat unless absolutely necessary. This is just to broaden your horizons."
Jun let out a breath. "Captain, where exactly are we going?"
The Third Shinobi World War was escalating fast. Right now, Konoha was engaged on three major fronts—against Suna, Kumo, and Iwa.
If he could choose, Jun hoped they were heading toward the Suna front. It was closer, and Suna was the weakest of the three. Konoha had been pushing them back hard—less chance of actual danger.
"That's enough questions," Tsume said, already growing impatient. "You'll get your full briefing when we depart."
—
Tsume left with Mizuki, who was still apologizing profusely, and Anko, who could barely contain her excitement.
The room fell silent again.
Jun lay back on the hospital bed, closing his eyes to reflect on what Tsume had said.
Maybe he was being overly cautious.
But compared to missions during peacetime—like collecting garbage or helping old folks cross the street—being assigned to the frontlines right out the gate?
Didn't sit well.
Tch… still too weak.
Wait.
Jun's hand reached up to touch his eyelid.
Last night—he had felt something.
Almost automatically, as if he'd done it a hundred times before, Jun focused his chakra.
Open!
A familiar warmth bloomed behind his eyes—but this time, no searing pain.
A slight pressure built up behind his eyelids, and then…
The world changed.
Chakra trickled out of him, barely perceptible, but his senses sharpened to an absurd degree.
Time felt like it had slowed.
Power and clarity surged through him.
Step.
Jun swung his legs over the bed and padded barefoot to the mirror.
That rush... had he truly awakened it?
Was he a genius like Obito? First activation already at two tomoe? A few days more and he'd be Mangekyō?
"…Tch. Still can't match Kenji."
Disappointment flickered in Jun's mutter.
But even so—Damn, he looked good.
In the mirror, his crimson eyes spun slowly. One tomoe in each eye, gleaming from behind the tousled fringe of his hair.
Now he understood why so many Uchiha walked around like they owned the world.
Especially the ones who had awakened their Sharingan.
The difference between this new perception and his usual senses was so vast, it almost gave him the illusion he could control the entire world.
Almost.
Jun didn't let himself fall for it.
He was a transmigrant—he wasn't about to become one of those short-sighted fools who thought a bloodline made them invincible.
Sigh…
He closed his eyes, then reopened them.
Back to black.
Open.
Sharingan again.
Jun played with it like a kid who just got a shiny new toy. Opening, closing, adjusting chakra flow. The way his brain responded, the way his vision changed—he studied it all.
Soon, he had a solid grasp on how to activate and sustain it.
One tomoe.
Not impressive by elite standards, but still—he'd awakened it at eleven.
Not bad.
He might not be a natural-born freak like some of the prodigies in the clan, but it gave him some confidence for the mission ahead.
"Heh…"
Jun chuckled softly at his reflection.
Last night's insanity had clearly triggered the right emotional storm.
So the system had helped him awaken his Sharingan…
Do I curse it or thank it…?
Open status panel.
[Name: Uchiha Jun]
[Age: 11]
[Rank: Genin / Uchiha Clan]
[Ninja ID: 010250]
[Chakra Affinities: Fire, Water, Wind, Yin]
[Skills: ▽ (Collapsed)]
[Kekkei Genkai: Sharingan (One Tomoe – 0%)]
[Combat Evaluation: Genin]
There it was.
The Sharingan entry had activated, complete with a training progress bar.
Jun already knew that while strong emotional triggers could awaken the eye, it could also grow stronger through consistent usage in training and combat.
The catch?
It was a slow process.
Each activation consumed chakra. Uchiha might be more efficient with it than others, but chakra reserves weren't infinite.
Without an overall increase in power, even a two-tomoe Sharingan wouldn't change much.
Just look at Obito in the early days—two tomoe didn't make him invincible.
Shaking his head, Jun checked his skills.
[Eight Gates: Gate of Rest – 2%]
[Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique – Level 0 (17%)]
He closed the panel and sat in thought.
The Eight Gates progress had gone up by 1%, even though he hadn't trained taijutsu much.
Most of the time last night had gone into practicing the Great Fireball.
And just one session had raised its mastery by 17%.
The jutsu wasn't too difficult, but still—those numbers surprised him.
Maybe his future techniques could reach absurd levels.
Like Madara in the original timeline—his basic Fire Style was so strong that the Allied Shinobi Forces had to use combined water jutsu just to suppress a single fireball.
Yeah… the future might actually be bright.
No—Jun shook his head.
He'd sworn to never use "Auto-Practice" again.
But…
Damn it, the results spoke for themselves.
Jun ran a hand through his hair, torn with frustration.
Why was the system's training so effective?
Two sessions of temporary control had already taught him a lot.
It was simple, really: perfection.
When the system took over, whether it was taijutsu forms, chakra extraction, hand seals, or jutsu casting—it all happened with flawless execution.
No wasted motion.
No trial and error.
He started from the answer key.
Even more, it wasn't just numbers. He felt the improvement.
His fight with Tekka—easy domination.
Even last night, when Inuzuka Tsume, a seasoned chunin, attacked him—
He'd instinctively shifted into a perfect defensive stance.
Sure, she'd still kicked him through a wall with Fang Over Fang, but that was pure gap in raw stats.
The key point?
Every action taken by the system left behind a trace.
If he had to define it, it'd be…
Muscle memory.
And Jun had first noticed it during his brief clash with Kuromaru—the ninja hound.