The fusion lasted an hour. When Ronin opened his eyes again, the Scarlet Eyes inside the bottle in his hand had completely vanished.
But when he picked up a mirror, what he saw wasn't the three-tomoe Sharingan he'd dreamed of.
He was still at the two-tomoe stage.
Even so, he could clearly feel his aura capacity had increased again. Overall, his strength should be about twice what it had been before his Sharingan fusion. At this point, if he ran into Uvogin again, even without relying on terrain restrictions, he felt he'd have a real chance to fight him head-on.
He could also feel that his eyes truly were evolving toward three tomoe—he was just missing something…
Energy.
Or more accurately: one pair of Scarlet Eyes wasn't enough to push a two-tomoe Sharingan into three tomoe.
If he had another pair, he was absolutely certain his eyes would evolve straight to three tomoe.
To be honest, Ronin had considered this possibility even before the fusion.
But what he'd worried about wasn't that the fusion wouldn't evolve his eyes—it was that the chakra increase still wouldn't be enough to let him use higher-level ninjutsu, especially A-rank or S-rank.
By his earlier calculations, fusing two more pairs of Scarlet Eyes should evolve his eyes into the Mangekyō state.
At that point, he wouldn't just be able to use A-rank jutsu—he'd also gain the Mangekyō's built-in ocular techniques, including Susanoo.
But whether it was A-rank jutsu or Susanoo, both were massive chakra hogs.
And judging by how much his aura increased after the first fusion, even if he fused two more pairs, his total aura might only be a few times higher than what he'd had when he first awakened Nen.
That still wouldn't be enough.
So Ronin could accept this outcome.
After all, only two pairs of Scarlet Eyes were needed to reach three tomoe—and so far, it seemed to be three tomoe without side effects.
But to reach Mangekyō, and then Eternal Mangekyō, he would likely need far more Scarlet Eyes.
Which meant he had to seriously think about getting his hands on the dozen-plus pairs in Tserriednich's collection as soon as possible.
It also meant he had to revise his earlier idea of using "extra" Scarlet Eyes as fuel for the Uchiha clan's ultimate ocular technique, Izanagi.
Fortunately, even though his eyes didn't evolve, this fusion did unlock the conditions for using B-rank ninjutsu.
So it seemed that eye evolution and ninjutsu "unlocking" were separate systems.
However, after testing B-rank techniques, Ronin realized the chakra cost was still heavy for him right now.
That was probably because his chakra volume still couldn't keep up.
"I can't put all my growth on fusing Scarlet Eyes. I have to work on increasing my own aura too. That way, once higher-level jutsu are unlocked, I'll actually be able to use them properly," Ronin murmured.
Then he raised both hands and rapidly formed seals. A large amount of chakra split off, and the instant the seals completed, another Ronin appeared in the room.
B-rank Ninjutsu: Shadow Clone Jutsu!
This technique was created by the Second Hokage, Senju Tobirama. It used chakra to create physical clones—clones that could act like the caster, had independent consciousness, and could take hits.
Not like the earlier clones Ronin had made—those "poke and they pop" illusions.
And most importantly: when the clone was dispelled, its memories and experiences returned to the original body.
To Ronin right now, this was basically a cheat-code ability.
It was also the jutsu he'd wanted most when he began evolving his Sharingan by fusing Scarlet Eyes.
From here on, he could have a shadow clone act in his place. That way, even if Uvogin or other Phantom Troupe members found him and assassinated him, what they'd kill in a surprise attack would only be the clone.
His real body could stay focused on training while the clone handled outside activities.
Shadow Clones had a drawback, of course: if used too long, dispelling them would bring the fatigue back as well.
But compared to the benefits, that drawback was nothing.
Besides, Ronin didn't have the Multi Shadow Clone Jutsu—just one clone. It wouldn't push him into a dangerous state when it returned.
After taking an airship back to Heavens Arena, Ronin settled into a life where the clone handled outside matters while his true body trained at full intensity.
First, through Milia's connections, he secretly rented a room on the 188th floor. Once his real body lived there, the clone stayed in his old Room 2333.
Ronin had a very strong sense of routine.
He woke up at 7:00 a.m. sharp every day. After handling small chores, he began training at 8:30 on the dot.
At 11:30 he took a break—he preferred cooking his own meals, which was one of his hobbies.
He wasn't an amazing cook, but the food suited his own tastes.
He still wasn't fully used to this world's more Western-leaning cuisine, so sometimes he'd treat himself with braised pork or a hotpot to reward himself.
After that, Ronin would read for a while—books or manga.
In this new world, there were plenty of excellent works too. Over time, he even collected a lot of figurines and good-looking outfits.
Wearing eccentric clothes was normal here. Ronin had even put on cosplay and gone to conventions in this world—it felt like a whole different kind of fun.
At 1:00 p.m., he returned to training, continuing until 5:30 p.m.—right on time, "clocking out," or rather, finishing the day's training tasks. After that, the remaining time was completely his.
Sometimes he'd watch matches, play games, or even go to a club to soak his feet and flirt with maids—the older sisters there spoke sweetly and were soft and gentle.
Ronin cared a lot about getting stronger, but he also understood how to enjoy life.
In his view, if you poured every second into training, you'd just be draining your own happiness—putting the cart before the horse.
Strength, to him, was more like a tool to live better.
And with that calm mindset, Ronin found that his improvement speed wasn't slow at all.
He even humbly asked Milia—his "mentor," a veteran Nen user—for advice.
"Training your state of mind is also training," Milia said, showing her understanding. "It's a crucial part of getting stronger. And high-intensity training puts a real load on your body. Balancing work and rest is simply more scientific."
She even offered a suggestion:
"If you pair it with a proper diet, your training could become twice as effective. Want that? I have a professional team. It's a bit pricey, but it tastes good."
"Sure. Thank you," Ronin replied politely.
"Oh—by the way." Milia asked with anticipation. "Feeling confident about your next match?"
"Of course." Ronin smiled faintly, giving her the look of someone who already had victory in hand.
~~~
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