THE UCHIHA ASCENSION

"Earth Release: Earth-Style Wall!"

A two-meter-high earthen barrier rose from the ground, standing solidly in front of Uchiha Kiyo.

Looking at the compact yet sturdy defense, Kiyo felt reassured. While it wasn't as formidable as the full-scale version seen in the village, he had refined a simplified variation through continuous training. Against most chunin-level attacks, it was enough.

"Unfortunately, this jutsu still consumes too much chakra. With my reserves, I can only cast it three times in a row."

Shaking his head, he dispelled the wall, allowing the ground to return to its original state. He formed hand seals again.

"Earth Release: Earth Shield!"

This time, he executed the jutsu faster—just three seals, taking less than a second. A sturdy, earthen shield materialized before him, quickly followed by three more, positioning themselves at his back, left, and right.

Not stopping there, Kiyo tested his control. The shields rotated around him, shifting their positions seamlessly—a testament to his recent training progress.

It had been over three months since their last mission—the one that had escalated from a C-rank to a B-rank ordeal.

Originally, Kiyo had hoped to acquire efficient defensive jutsu from Orochimaru, ones that required minimal chakra consumption. However, his mentor's arsenal consisted mainly of high-level techniques—B-rank and A-rank jutsu that were too costly in terms of chakra.

Left with no other option, Kiyo had begun experimenting with his own defensive ninjutsu.

The result: the Earth Shield Technique.

By analyzing the principles behind the Earth-Style Wall, he eliminated unnecessary chakra operations and incorporated a localized chakra cycle, a concept inspired by the Earth-Style Thorns technique. The outcome was a jutsu that, while not exceptionally strong, provided a lightweight and efficient defense.

In terms of classification, it wasn't even necessarily a full C-rank jutsu. Its defensive capability was limited—barely enough to withstand a weak C-rank attack.

Yet, despite its shortcomings, this was a significant breakthrough for Kiyo.

At his current stage, raw defensive strength wasn't the priority. He needed a technique that he could use repeatedly without exhausting himself. If the shield's durability was lacking, he would simply layer multiple shields. Similar to how the Great Fireball Jutsu functioned, he could deflect and mitigate attacks instead of blocking them head-on.

More importantly, this was the first ninjutsu he had developed on his own. While basic, it proved that his theoretical approach was effective.

This was just the beginning.

If he could refine the Earth-Style Wall and Earth-Style Thorns, then as his understanding deepened, he could eventually create advanced techniques.

The Uchiha Clan was famous for their mastery of Fire Release. Yet, there was no widely known A-rank Fire Release jutsu aside from those belonging to a select few.

"What if I develop my own?"

A grand vision formed in his mind. What about an attack akin to the Buddha's Wrath Fire Lotus seen in certain martial arts legends? A multi-layered inferno, each flame with a distinct explosive property?

"Yes, yes! I need to document this idea and revisit it when I'm ready."

For now, though, Kiyo was satisfied with his Earth Shield Technique—an economical defensive measure with minimal chakra consumption.

---

Beyond Earth Release, his progress in other areas over the past three months had been substantial.

Current Status:

Name: Uchiha Kiyo

Chakra: 340 cal / 340 cal (Max: 370 cal)

Nature Transformations: Fire Release (Burning), Earth Release (Hardening)

Ninjutsu: Various (Details Omitted)

Secret Techniques: Self-Cultivation Technique, Modified Body Replacement Technique

Other Skills: Basic Sealing Arts, Fire Sealing Method

His chakra reserves had increased, but his most significant advancement was in Nature Transformation Training.

During his academy days, Kiyo had already begun refining the Fire Release Nature Transformation, but his progress had been slow. He had focused on burn intensity, but back then, it hadn't been combat-ready.

Now, however, he had achieved a functional mastery of it.

A strong first strike could often decide the outcome of a battle. A well-timed fire jutsu could disrupt an enemy's strategy, forcing them into a defensive stance from the start.

With his enhanced fire techniques, Kiyo momentarily entertained the idea of transitioning into a more offensive combat style.

But reality quickly dismissed that notion.

"An offensive ninja? First, learn how to stay alive. You're still a chunin at best. Where's your ninja essence?"

On the Earth Release side, he had chosen hardening as his primary nature transformation. His Earth-Style Walls and Earth-Style Thorns were now significantly tougher.

However, three months wasn't enough time to master this transformation completely. At best, he had reached an intermediate level. It was useful but not yet viable for combat.

"Defensive techniques? Check. Survival strategies? Check. Now, what about my escape techniques?"

Kiyo had been developing an advanced Substitution Technique—what he referred to as the Instant Substitute Technique.

This was still theoretical, but it aimed to improve upon the traditional Body Replacement Jutsu.

The standard Body Replacement Jutsu functioned through an instant swap, often using logs or similar objects. Minato's Flying Thunder God was an entirely different approach, utilizing reverse summoning to move between pre-marked locations.

While the two techniques were different in mechanics, both manipulated space.

Since space-time ninjutsu was difficult to study, Kiyo had opted for an incremental approach—starting with refining the most fundamental spatial exchange principle in the Body Replacement Jutsu.

His improvements focused on two key aspects:

1. Expanding Swap Distance – By embedding his chakra into his chosen substitute, he enhanced his ability to sense and activate the swap from farther away.

2. Upgrading the Substitute Object – The traditional log was impractical. It had to be placed in advance, making it unreliable.

His goal was to model his technique after Minato's Flying Thunder God Kunai, using ninja tools as his replacement markers.

This was theoretically achievable.

By incorporating principles from Sealing Jutsu, he aimed to store chakra inside kunai, allowing him to swap locations with them at will.

In the past three months, Kiyo had obtained basic sealing techniques from Orochimaru—simple enchantments similar to those he had previously studied. While basic, they laid the groundwork for his future research.

Luckily, his team's unique composition granted them considerable privileges.

Nawaki Senju was the grandson of the First Hokage. Sarutobi Shuo was the nephew of the Third. And Kiyo himself was an Uchiha, placed under Orochimaru's tutelage.

They received preferential treatment. Their missions were fewer and safer. The so-called C-rank mission that turned into a B-rank mission had been an exception. Compared to civilian ninja teams, they were in a much better position.

Still, the last mission had shaken Tsunade.

She had imposed a restriction on Nawaki Senju—no missions outside the village for at least half a year.

Hiruzen Sarutobi and Orochimaru had acknowledged her concerns, leading to a decision: Team Three would focus solely on training within Konoha for the next six months.

Kiyo had no objections.

"More time to prepare. More time to grow stronger."

With a clear goal in mind, he resumed his training, refining his skills step by step.