Uchiha Sogetsu was a Spectator.
Not the ordinary kind who just watched from the sidelines—but a Spectator in the sense used by Lord of the Mysteries, one of the twenty-two divine pathways.
By drinking the potion corresponding to a pathway, you could elevate your very level of existence… and, in the end, become a god.
[Name] Uchiha Sogetsu
[Age] 15
[Roles] Shinobi; Psychiatrist
[Path] Idealist (the Spectator pathway from Lord of the Mysteries)
[Rank] VII — Psychiatrist
[Relics]
• Moonlit Paper Doll — Takes one lethal blow or one attack aimed at the spirit in the user's place.
• Foul Words — Forces the target to hear horrifying whispers that erode sanity.
• Slumber Charm — After a brief chant, lulls the target into a calm, dreamless sleep.
• Hermes' Brass Candlestick — Burns fragments of a spirit to weave an almost-real dreamscape, and drags any other sleepers into the same shared dream.
"If possible," Sogetsu muttered, lips twitching, "I'd really like to swap this cheat out for a better one."
He stared at his so-called golden finger, face set in the dead-inside look of a man who had given up on life.
Just looking at the Lord of the Mysteries power system, the higher the rank, the greater the risk of losing control. Even gods had to rely on mortal "anchors" to stop themselves from sliding out of humanity altogether.
And Uchiha Sogetsu was very fond of staying alive.
So out of all twenty-two divine pathways, he'd chosen the Spectator. Simple reason: this path specialised in the mind and the spirit. Compared to most others, it was much harder to lose control on.
Add on the Uchiha clan's bloodline, the Sharingan—perfectly suited for mental interference—and the match was almost unfair.
Stack the two together and his genjutsu, hypnosis, suggestions and mental manipulations had been boosted to a frankly terrifying level.
He could even, for a brief time, mimic something like Infinite Tsukuyomi.
That was, in fact, what Uchiha Fugaku had experienced just now: the fifty-thousand-ryō "luxury therapy session" known as Wish-Fulfillment.
In Konoha—no hype—his therapy was expensive and still fully booked.
After all, in a world as brutal as this ninja world, who wouldn't want a dream journey where everything went exactly the way they wished?
"Finally got all the main ingredients for Hypnotist."
Sogetsu looked down at the nearly transparent pituitary gland in his hand, a complicated emotion rising in his chest.
"I've been playing 'psychiatrist' for a whole year just to scrape this thing together."
With the main material in hand, there was no reason to delay.
He opened his Sharingan and scanned the area. Once he was sure no one would be dropping in, he carefully set up a few ninjutsu traps, then shut the door and windows tight.
He'd fully digested the Psychiatrist potion using the acting method half a year ago. If not for the missing main ingredient, he would've stepped into Rank VI long ago. No need to wait until now.
For the Rank VI promotion, the key materials were the Mind Dragon's pituitary gland and a single fruit from a hallucinogenic Windchime Tree.
Sogetsu unsealed a scroll, gently took out the long-prepared Windchime Tree fruit, and tossed it into a pitch-black cauldron together with the young Mind Dragon's pituitary gland. One by one, he added the remaining ingredients.
A short while later, the potion for Rank VI — Hypnotist was ready.
The liquid was colourless and viscous, reflecting everything around it like a mirror. As it swayed, tiny vortices swirled just beneath the surface.
Thump. Thump.
His heartbeat was loud in the enclosed room.
Sogetsu stared at the clear, sticky fluid. Even though he'd mentally prepared himself, every promotion potion still made his nerves tighten a little.
In his previous life, he'd absolutely hated textures like this.
The kind of guy who couldn't even get a bowl of thick starch soup down—now being forced to chug this sludge. He could only blame the damned "cheat system" that had shoved this pathway onto him.
"Calm."
He triggered one of his Psychiatrist skills; the jagged edges of his emotions smoothed out.
Then he picked up the black cauldron, tipped it back, and drank it in one go.
Glug, glug.
The viscous liquid slid down his throat, icy-cold all the way.
The next instant, his consciousness erupted.
Buzz.
Sogetsu's eyes went blank. He felt as if his soul had peeled free of his body.
Weightless, he rose and fell without end, drawn toward some immense intellect that wanted to absorb and digest him—a condensed knot of pure thought drifting through an infinite "sky."
No. This wasn't a sky at all.
It was a boundless ocean of the collective unconscious, a sea that linked every living mind.
In that deep, dark sea, every droplet shone like a shard of light, each one the symbol of a single being's consciousness. Together, those countless glimmers built the ocean.
The first time he sensed this sea of shared subconscious, a strange urge stirred within him—an impulse to sink and dissolve into it.
Fortunately, he was already a seasoned Psychiatrist.
He didn't panic. He held onto clarity and calm, severing the thought of merging with the sea. The vast field of awareness he'd spread out began to curl back in under deliberate control.
He didn't know how long it took.
Then, suddenly, a sharp gleam flashed through the emptiness in his eyes.
His awareness snapped back into his body.
He drew in a deep breath, then exhaled slowly, relief spilling out with it.
"Success. I've finally advanced to Rank VI—Hypnotist."
From Rank VI onward, he had stepped into the middle tier. The Idealist Path—what Lord of the Mysteries called the Spectator pathway—was no longer a fragile, pure-support road. From here, its ranks came with real combat power.
Sogetsu looked down at himself.
His skin was covered in a fine mesh of dense, golden scales.
If anyone else had been in the room, they would have seen a nightmare: the three tomoe spinning in his blood-red eyes with a strange abyssal vortex at their centre, his body plated in gold like some rampaging beast, an aura of violence and dread radiating off him in waves.
He clenched his fist slightly and threw a simple straight punch.
Bang.
The air itself cracked with a sharp, explosive report.
The potion had massively boosted his physical stats. Strength, speed—both had shot far past the level of an ordinary shinobi.
The golden scale-mail gave him another layer of security. A kunai raked across his arm would only throw up sparks, shrieking like metal scraping metal.
And advancing to Hypnotist had granted him three new abilities.
First, subconscious suggestion: in non-combat situations, he could plant or tweak hints in a target's subconscious.
Second, combat hypnosis: forcing an enemy into trance mid-battle.
Third, psychological blind spot: slipping himself into a perceptual "blind spot" so others' perception simply slid off him.
"It still doesn't give me a straight-up attack, but…"
Sogetsu's lips curled in an amused smile.
"If I stack this with the Sharingan, I should be able to ram subconscious suggestions through even in a fight… and stretch both the duration and depth of my hypnosis."
Honestly, the synergy between this pathway and the Sharingan was absurd.
Once his excitement gradually settled, Sogetsu pulled up the system reward.
[Main Quest: Promotion to Rank VI — Hypnotist] — COMPLETED
Drink the potion and advance to Rank VI: Hypnotist.
Reward: Relic — "Lie".
A delicate silver mask lay quietly on the tatami.
Item:Lie
Effects: Allows the wearer to truly alter their appearance, and grants three special abilities—flame manipulation, damage transference, and danger intuition—while sharpening balance and agility.
Side Effect: Emotions are amplified while the item is worn.
Sogetsu watched the mask twist and fold under his will; Lie shrank down into a simple ring. He slid it onto his middle finger, mood bright.
"With this, working in ANBU is going to be a lot more convenient."
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