I woke up at exactly 6 AM.
At this point, my body had already adapted to the routine. I washed up quickly, rubbing the sleep from my eyes, then headed straight to the dining table. My mother was already there, setting out breakfast.
"The usual?" she asked.
I nodded and sat down.
It was the fourth day in a row that my father wasn't there. Neither of us commented on it anymore. The silence had become… familiar. Still, I caught my mother glancing at the empty seat across from us for just a second before sitting down.
We ate quietly.
After breakfast, I rested for a short while, letting my chakra settle, then headed to the garden to train.
I had barely been practicing for an hour when I heard footsteps behind me.
"Keisuke."
I turned around to see my mother smiling, with Obito standing beside her. He looked a little nervous, scratching his cheek like he always did.
"Good morning," he said quickly.
"Morning," I replied, standing up.
"You two can train or play together," my mother said. "Just don't overdo it."
"Yes, Auntie," Obito said immediately.
She laughed softly and went back inside.
I motioned for Obito to follow me. "Let's start with hand seals again."
His eyes lit up. "Okay!"
I showed him the sequence slowly, exaggerating each movement. His fingers tangled almost immediately.
"Like this," I corrected, gently adjusting his hands.
"…It's hard," he muttered.
"I know," I said calmly. "Just keep going."
Honestly, his learning curve was exactly what I remembered from the original timeline. No natural talent, no sudden brilliance—just stubborn effort. Still, he didn't complain. He kept trying.
While Obito practiced, I sat down and resumed Leaf Concentration, placing a leaf on my forehead. Chakra flowed steadily as I balanced physical and mental energy, switching to hand seals whenever my chakra dipped too low.
Obito kept sneaking glances at me.
"How does it not fall?" he asked.
"Control," I answered. "Nothing special."
"…You're amazing," he muttered.
By the time morning training ended, the system notifications appeared quietly in my vision.
Both skills had advanced again.
Skill Update — Morning Training
Leaf Concentration — Level 7 (Active)
Experience Until Next Level: 87.19% / 100%
Passive Effect: +8% Chakra Control
Hand Seal Drill — Level 7 (Passive)
Experience Until Next Level: 59.67% / 100%
Passive Effect: +8% Hand Seal Speed
We ate lunch together afterward.
Obito praised my mother's cooking nonstop.
"This is really good!"
"Better than my grandma's!"
"I wish I could eat here every day!"
My mother laughed, clearly pleased. I just ate quietly.
After lunch, Obito and I told her we were going to the Naka River again.
"Be careful," she said, as always.
"Yes!" Obito replied enthusiastically.
The moment we arrived, my focus shifted.
Yesterday confirmed it: any kill Obito made while in my party counted fully as mine.
So today, I took command.
"You scout that side," I told him. "Mark anything you find."
"Got it!"
We spread out, marking beehives instead of ant nests this time. Most of the ants in the area were already gone thanks to yesterday.
Within an hour, we had located three small beehives.
"Are we burning them?" Obito asked.
"Yes," I said.
His eyes sparkled.
We started with the smallest hive. Flames, smoke, panicked buzzing—then silence.
The system began ticking rapidly.
Each bee was still worth experience, and Obito's kills flowed directly into me.
By the time we finished the first hive, I felt the familiar surge.
Level up.
The numbers shifted again and again as we continued.
Level 7 → bees gave 8 EXP
Level 8 → 7 EXP
Level 9 → 5 EXP
Level 10 → 4 EXP
Level 11 → 3 EXP
When I hit Level 10, the system surprised me.
Bonus Applied: Chakra Capacity Growth Increased
Instead of the usual +50 per level, my chakra capacity jumped higher.
+100.
That alone made the grind worth it.
By the time we finished all three hives—roughly 6,000 bees total—the sun was already dipping low.
Obito wiped sweat from his forehead. "That was awesome."
"…Yeah," I admitted.
I couldn't have done this alone in one afternoon.
We headed back before it got late.
At Obito's house, he waved enthusiastically. "Tomorrow too?"
"Yeah," I said. "Tomorrow."
I walked home, washed up, and joined my mother for dinner.
"How was your day?" she asked.
"It was great," I replied honestly.
She smiled.
That night, as I lay in bed, I reviewed everything.
Skills were stable. Party mechanics were broken in the best way. Obito was useful—and loyal.
Tomorrow, I'd start teaching him chakra sensing.
Slowly, carefully.
If I wanted influence in the clan…
If I wanted to change the future…
I needed allies.
[Status]
Name: Uchiha Keisuke
Level: 11
Experience Points: 4,848 / 5,883
Health Regeneration: 2.10 HP/s
Chakra Regeneration: 2.10 CP/s
Chakra Capacity: 1,000 / 1,000
[Skills:]
Leaf Concentration — Level 7 (87.19%)
Hand Seal Drill — Level 7 (59.67%)