Chapter 44: Eyes of the Mind

"Oh!"

Suddenly, Gin felt his awareness explode outward. The world around him slowed, expanded. Snowflakes seemed suspended midair. Every movement within a hundred meters pulsed clearly in his mind—as if his senses had transcended physical limits.

Observation Haki—awakened.

He sidestepped an incoming snowball effortlessly, then fired one back at Mikoto, who was still struggling. At the same time, he summoned his status panel.

[Observation Haki (1/1000) — Novice Level]

One thousand points just for the initial tier? Gin winced internally. That's ten times higher than the Uchiha Chakra Purification Technique. So each stage might multiply by ten or more? Mastery is going to take ages…

Still, for a skill as rare and powerful as this, it made sense.

Mikoto paused mid-throw, her eyes narrowing.

"Gin… did you just awaken Observation Haki?"

Gin gave a short nod, snowball in hand. "Just now. You want to keep going?"

"Of course!" she said, biting her lip. "If you can awaken it, so can I!"

She readied herself. "Any tricks?"

"No tricks. Just calm down and focus. You already have the spiritual talent. Trust yourself. I'm going to speed up and come at sharper angles now. Be ready. I believe in you!"

"All right!"

She took a deep breath, anxiety easing slightly under Gin's confidence in her.

"Swish! Swish! Swish!"

The flurry resumed—faster, sharper, unpredictable. Snow came from all sides like a storm. Mikoto couldn't keep up. She was too slow to return fire and took hit after hit. Still, she clenched her teeth and pushed through.

Her Sharingan began to stir instinctively—but she crushed it back down. Hikari had warned her: activating Sharingan would interfere with awakening Haki.

No shortcuts.

Just focus.

Focus again.

And again.

Her whole world narrowed into a single thread of attention. At some point—she lost track of time, lost awareness of pain, even forgot what she was doing.

Until—

"Oh!"

A sudden clarity. A sharp buzz rang through her mind. The world changed. She could feel it—snowflakes, air pressure, movement in every direction. The snowballs seemed to crawl through space.

She had awakened Observation Haki.

"Swish! Swish! Swish!"

Mikoto dodged gracefully, her body responding before her mind could even process the danger. Gin saw the shift instantly and stopped throwing.

"Congratulations," he said with a warm smile, stepping forward.

"Hah… hah… thank you…" Mikoto was panting, hands on her knees, sweat on her brow—but grinning. "I couldn't have done it without your help. Your method worked."

"Creak—"

The front door opened. A surprised face peeked out—it was Kureha, Hikari's former pirate world companion and their current housemate.

"You two… really awakened Observation Haki? Minutes apart? That's insane!" she said, stunned.

"People train their whole lives and never get there. You brats did it during a snowball fight?"

She stepped outside, arms crossed.

"Let me be clear—Observation Haki isn't easy. Even in the Pirate World, most people never awaken it. Unlike Armament Haki, which you can brute-force through training, this one needs a strong will and intuition."

Gin and Mikoto exchanged proud, sheepish glances.

"We… might've found a method that works for us," Gin offered.

"Oh, I heard your little secret technique," Kureha rolled her eyes. "If dodging snowballs were all it took, everyone would have Haki. No—the real reason is your Uchiha blood. Your clan's affinity for spiritual strength and perception is off the charts."

She looked at Mikoto, then Gin. "Her eyes are already starting to shift. Yours aren't far off either. Just a matter of time."

Gin stayed quiet, slightly stunned by her words—but didn't deny them.

"Anyway! Since you're done, stop the snow war already," Kureha huffed. "I'm trying to read in peace!"

She disappeared inside with a grumble.

Gin and Mikoto looked at each other and laughed.

"Well, that's enough for today?" Gin asked.

"Yeah," Mikoto nodded. "I want to test out how this new perception works in the ninja world."

She teleported back.

Gin followed a moment later.

Back at the Uchiha compound, the smell of food filled the air.

"You're back? Dinner's ready. Go wash up," Hikari called from the kitchen. Mikoto was already there, helping her plate the food.

Gin nodded and headed to his room. He swapped into lighter clothes, washed up, and sat at the dining table.

"I heard from Mikoto," Hikari said, placing a bowl before him. "You both awakened Observation Haki?"

"Yeah," Gin confirmed, chewing a piece of roasted meat.

"Excellent!" Hikari's eyes sparkled. "That's quite the achievement."

She sat down with them, smiling. "With Observation Haki, your survivability skyrockets. Keep training it—it improves more than just evasion. It sharpens the mind and fortifies willpower."

"Train both it and our Uchiha meditation techniques. They complement each other. Got it?"

"Yes!" both Gin and Mikoto replied in unison.

Hikari's experience with Haki over the past few months had paid off. And now, her younger clanmates were following the path she had paved.

The Uchiha clan was evolving—not just in chakra, but in spirit.