Right now, my Sharingan comes from Madara's character card, not from awakening it myself. I wonder if this process can speed up my own awakening, or even let the ocular power of two pairs of Sharingan stack.
Uchiha Gen thought for a moment, then stopped worrying about distant possibilities and pulled open a large drawer in the cabinet.
Several rubber balls were stuffed inside.
He picked one at random, released chakra steadily into his palm, and made it spin randomly inside the ball. A few seconds later, the rubber ball burst.
The Rasengan was the most thoroughly demonstrated jutsu in the original story; naturally, Gen had tried to replicate it. But the technique was an A-rank jutsu, meaning its difficulty exceeded the level of a Jonin. Naruto had only managed it because he exploited the Multi-Shadow Clone Jutsu.
The Multi-Shadow Clone Jutsu itself was an A-rank kinjutsu with high risk; without massive chakra reserves, it was unusable. Gen hadn't mastered that yet either. Still, as a non-elemental jutsu, the Rasengan was an excellent gauge of chakra control, and he had gotten used to "rubbing" rubber balls to train his Shape Transformation.
Popping a balloon wasn't hard he had done that back in the fourth grade. Popping a rubber ball was tougher, but he could manage it now. The real hurdle was condensing high-density chakra into a tiny cyclone that maintained its form while moving randomly inside the ball without tearing the surface.
After obtaining the Young Madara card, however, he felt his control improve; the rubber ball held out for a few extra seconds before failing.
"Time to see the Great Elder. First, though, I'll stop by the Ninja Cat Clan's shop and pick out a shinobi sword."
The past month's training had been packed; he hadn't devoted much time to Kenjutsu. The bamboo practice blade he'd bought a month ago had barely been touched. Luckily, Young Madara excelled at swordplay; in the card's memory, he had fought evenly with Young Hashirama through superior technique.
Thinking of this, he glanced at the shredded rubber, formed a seal, stirred Wind Release chakra, and used Gale Palm to sweep the scraps into a corner bin before heading out.
Master Wind Style even chores like sweeping become effortless.
After lunch at a popular restaurant in the clan district, he didn't head straight to the weapon shop. Instead, he left the district for the main commercial street near Konoha's center. The street drew the village's biggest crowds; the Uchiha, Hyuga, Yamanaka, and others all had stores here, raking in ryo by the day.
Following the tide of people, he arrived at a shop rich with the scent of herbs.
Nara Pharmacy.
Behind the counter stood a middle-aged shinobi with a pineapple-shaped ponytail.
"Ah, an Uchiha kid. Catnip's over there. We've got a deal: buy two packs, get a free yarn ball. If you want soldier pills or wound salves, they're ready right here."
The Nara yawned, spotted the red-and-white Uchiha crest, and pointed to another counter.
Catnip also called nepeta clears wind-heat, moves blood, and stanches bleeding; it was a common ingredient in healing formulas. It was also known as catmint. At some point, Uchiha shinobi had taken to bringing catnip when visiting the Ninja Cats. So the Nara, recognizing the clan, immediately directed him to it.
"Two packs, please."
"One hundred and sixty ryo. Thanks."
"Much obliged."
Five minutes later.
Near the Uchiha district, he stopped at a weapon shop with a maneki-neko statue out front.
"Mmm sniff Nara stuff, nice and pure!"
A plump orange tomcat buried its pink triangular nose in the two packets, eyes half-lidded in bliss.
"Senior cat, a small gift. Do you have a shinobi sword that suits me?" Gen asked politely.
"Heh, polite kid! Let your cat uncle see this height, this reach. Follow me. What's your price range?"
"Um… under fifty thousand ryo."
He estimated the contents of his wallet. Ever since contracting the Ninja Crow summons, his finances had been tight. He fed the crows only top-grade food to boost their chakra quality. Many Uchiha Ninjutsu and Genjutsu relied on crows; he couldn't let them go hungry. Even with missions under the Orochimaru Squad, a D-rank only paid about five thousand ryo, and after splitting it three ways, little remained.
"Fifty grand? Forget top-tier blades. But for the catnip, I'll find you something decent."
The fat tom waddled down an aisle.
"These five are all under fifty, but over thirty. Not masterpieces, but better than mass-produced junk; they meet our clan's standards for edge, strength, and flex. Add a bit more, and these two over here feel nicer and tougher a good fit for you."
Following the cat's directions, Gen lifted the swords from the racks. Five blades, varying in shape and weight, were all matched to his height and reach. He picked up the nearest one.
Forty-five thousand ryo. The balance felt good. He drew it, cut the air, spun it once, and sheathed it again.