Time in the tent passed slowly.
During this time, Muzan tested his abilities and discovered a few things. For example, he was certain that whenever he morphed his body, a warm energy flowed through him. This energy was chakra. Another thing he noticed was that after the change occurred, it didn't consume any more chakra to maintain.
The most important discovery was that his body grew hungrier as he consumed chakra, and his chakra didn't seem to refill by itself. He wasn't quite sure if others could refill their chakra or not. But if he had to guess, a living shinobi should recover their chakra over time through rest, eating, drinking, and meditation. But his body was always at peak condition, so rest didn't work. He didn't know anything about meditation. And he couldn't consume anything but humans.
Hours passed. The light filtering through the tent gradually dimmed as the sun moved across the sky. Muzan remained still, conserving his energy.
Finally, when the tent had grown completely dark, he heard footsteps approaching. The tent flap opened, and Amanai stepped inside carrying a small oil lamp. The flickering light cast shadows across his face.
"It's night now," Amanai said. "Time to begin your education."
Muzan stood up. "Where's Toshiro?"
"On patrol. I'll be teaching you tonight." Amanai set the lamp down and sat cross-legged. He gestured for Muzan to sit across from him.
Muzan did so.
Amanai studied him for a moment. "Lord Tajima has ordered me to teach you everything from the beginning. That means we start with the absolute basics. Do you know what chakra is?"
"Energy," Muzan said simply.
"That's... partially correct," Amanai said. "But not complete. Chakra is the combination of two energies—physical energy and spiritual energy. Physical energy comes from the cells of your body. Spiritual energy comes from your mind and consciousness. When these two energies are combined, they create chakra."
He held up his hand. "Every living person has chakra, but not everyone can use it properly. Shinobi are those who have learned to mold, control, and utilize their chakra to perform techniques."
Muzan listened carefully.
"There are pathways inside your body called the chakra pathway system," Amanai continued. "These pathways are like rivers flowing through you. At certain points along these pathways, there are gates called tenketsu—chakra points. There are 361 tenketsu in the human body."
He pointed to various spots on his own body. "When you mold chakra, it flows through these pathways. If the pathways are blocked or damaged, you cannot use chakra properly. That's why pressing certain pressure points can disable a shinobi temporarily."
Muzan thought about the night before when they'd tried to press his pressure points. It hadn't worked on him, but he said nothing about that now.
"Now," Amanai said, "there are different types of chakra techniques. The most basic are called ninjutsu—ninja techniques. These use chakra to perform various effects. Then there's genjutsu—illusion techniques that affect the mind. And taijutsu—physical combat techniques that can be enhanced with chakra."
He paused. "Do you understand so far?"
"Yes," Muzan said.
"Good. Now, to perform most ninjutsu, you need to use hand seals. Hand seals are specific hand positions that help you mold and shape your chakra in the correct way for a technique." Amanai held up both hands. "There are twelve basic hand seals, each named after an animal from the zodiac."
He formed the first seal. His hands came together, fingers interlocking in a specific pattern. "This is the Rat seal. It's used in many water and lightning techniques."
He shifted to another position. "This is the Ox seal. Used in earth techniques."
One by one, Amanai demonstrated each seal:
"Tiger—used in fire techniques."
"Rabbit—used in earth techniques."
"Dragon—used in water and fire techniques."
"Snake—used in earth and wood techniques."
"Horse—used in fire techniques."
"Ram—used in lightning and earth techniques."
"Monkey—used in various transformation techniques."
"Bird—used in wind techniques."
"Dog—used in water and lightning techniques."
"Boar—used in earth techniques."
After showing all twelve, Amanai lowered his hands. "These are the foundation. Most techniques require a sequence of several seals performed in rapid succession. The faster you can form seals, the faster you can execute techniques."
He looked at Muzan. "Try to copy the Rat seal."
Muzan raised his hands and formed the seal perfectly on the first try. His fingers aligned precisely, thumbs crossing right over left.
Amanai blinked. "That's... correct. Try the Ox seal."
Again, Muzan replicated it flawlessly.
"Tiger seal."
Perfect.
"Dragon seal."
Perfect.
Amanai's eyes narrowed slightly. He went through the remaining seals, calling them out one by one. Muzan copied each one without a single mistake. His movements were precise and controlled, as if he'd been practicing for years.
When they finished all twelve, Amanai was silent for a long moment. He stared at Muzan with an unreadable expression.
"You've never done this before?" Amanai asked carefully.
"No," Muzan said.
Amanai studied him. His instincts were screaming at him. No one—absolutely no one—learned hand seals this quickly. Not even prodigies from the main family. Either this man had incredible natural talent, or he'd been trained before and was lying about it.
But Amanai kept his thoughts to himself. If Muzan was hiding something, pushing him now wouldn't reveal it. Better to watch and wait.
"You pick things up quickly," Amanai said neutrally. "Let's move on."
He stood up. "Knowing the seals is only the first step. You need to be able to mold chakra while performing them."
He placed a hand on his chest. "Close your eyes. Focus inward. Try to sense the energy inside your body."
Muzan closed his eyes. He focused on the sensation he'd felt earlier when morphing his body—that warm, flowing energy.
"Can you feel it?" Amanai asked.
"Yes," Muzan said.
"Good. That's your chakra. Now, try to gather it. Pull it from your body and your mind, and bring it together in your core—near your stomach area."
Muzan concentrated. The energy responded immediately to his will, gathering in his center smoothly and efficiently.
"You're doing it," Amanai said quietly. His tone was flat. Since Muzan had already awakened the Sharingan, it was normal for him to be able to mold chakra.
Muzan opened his eyes.
"Now comes the hard part," Amanai said, keeping his voice even. "Controlling how much chakra you use. Too little, and the technique won't work. Too much, and you waste energy or the technique becomes unstable. Finding the right balance takes practice."
He picked up a leaf from a small pile near the entrance. "This is the Leaf Concentration Exercise. You place the leaf on your forehead and use chakra to keep it stuck there. It teaches you basic chakra control."
He demonstrated, pressing the leaf to his forehead. It stayed there even when he tilted his head.
"The key is to emit a small, steady amount of chakra from your forehead. Not too much, not too little. Just enough to create adhesion." He pulled the leaf off and handed it to Muzan. "Your turn."
Muzan took the leaf and pressed it to his forehead. He focused on channeling a precise amount of chakra to that single point.
The leaf stuck firmly. Muzan tilted his head left, then right. The leaf didn't move.
Amanai's jaw tightened. Being able to mold chakra was one thing, but being able to control it with precision took time. "Move around. Walk."
Muzan stood and walked around the tent. The leaf remained perfectly attached to his forehead.
"Jump."
Muzan jumped. The leaf stayed in place.
"Shake your head quickly."
Muzan did so. The leaf didn't budge.
Amanai watched all of this with growing suspicion. This wasn't talent. This was either impossible, or Muzan had done this exercise before. Many times.
But again, he said nothing. He just observed.
"Adequate," Amanai said, his voice carefully neutral. "You seem to have natural control. Let's try the next exercise."
He pulled out another leaf. "This one is more difficult. You'll walk up that tent pole using only chakra adhesion on your feet."
He pointed to one of the wooden poles supporting the tent structure.
"You focus chakra into the soles of your feet—just like you did with your forehead, but adjusted for your body weight. Too little chakra and you'll fall. Too much and you'll repel yourself away from the surface. It requires constant adjustment as you move."
Amanai demonstrated, walking up the pole easily until he was standing horizontal to the ground. Then he walked back down.
"This usually takes days or even weeks to learn," Amanai said, watching Muzan's face carefully. "Don't be discouraged if you fall multiple times."
Muzan approached the pole. He placed his foot against it and channeled chakra into his sole. Then he took a step upward.
His foot stuck. He took another step. Then another.
Within moments, he was walking up the pole as if gravity didn't exist. He reached the top, paused, then walked back down smoothly.
Amanai's expression didn't change, but his mind was made up. There was no way this was Muzan's first time. No way at all.
This man knew exactly what he was doing. He'd been trained—probably extensively. Everything else was an act.
But why? What was his purpose?
"Good," Amanai said simply. "You're a fast learner."
He sat back down. "Before we finish for tonight, I need to explain something about the Uchiha clan."
Muzan sat across from him again, the leaf still stuck to his forehead.
"The Uchiha clan is one of the most powerful shinobi clans in existence," Amanai began. "Our bloodline gives us the Sharingan—the eye technique you possess."
"What does the Sharingan do?" Muzan asked.
"Many things," Amanai said. "At its most basic, it enhances your perception. You can see things more clearly, track movement better, and predict your opponent's actions. As it develops—as more tomoe appear—its powers increase."
He activated his own Sharingan. Three tomoe spun in each red eye.
"With three tomoe, you can copy techniques you see, cast and break genjutsu, and perceive chakra flow. Some Uchiha awaken even more advanced forms, but those are rare."
Muzan studied Amanai's eyes carefully.
"The Sharingan awakens or evolves during moments of extreme emotion—usually trauma, loss, or intense stress. That's when the tomoe appear or increase." Amanai deactivated his Sharingan. "You have two tomoe in each eye, which is respectable. With training and experience, you may awaken the third."
"What are we fighting for?" Muzan asked. "You mentioned a war with the Senju clan."
Amanai's expression darkened. "The Senju clan is our mortal enemy. For generations, we've been hired by opposing nations to fight each other. The cycle of violence continues."
"Why not stop?" Muzan asked.
Amanai looked at him as if he'd said something absurd. "Because that's not how this world works. Countries need protection. They hire shinobi clans. If we refuse, another clan takes the contract and we starve. And the Senju..." His jaw tightened. "They've killed too many of our people. Too many of our children. This isn't just business anymore. It's personal."
Muzan said nothing. He had no attachment to this clan war, but he needed to play along.
"That's enough for tonight," Amanai said, standing up. "Tomorrow night we'll continue. I'll teach you some basic techniques. Till then you can practice the hand seals and improve their speed."
He headed toward the tent exit, then paused. "One more thing. Don't try to leave this camp. The guards have orders to kill you if you attempt to escape. Understood?"
"Understood," Muzan said.
Amanai left, taking the lamp with him.
Amanai stood outside the tent, his mind racing. Muzan's performance had been too good. No one learned that quickly.
But then another thought struck him. The Sharingan.
Amanai's eyes widened slightly. He'd been so focused on Muzan's suspicious skill that he'd overlooked something obvious. The Sharingan enhanced perception dramatically. It allowed users to see and copy movements with incredible precision.
If Muzan's Sharingan had been active the entire time, that would explain his flawless replication of the hand seals. It would explain his perfect chakra control. The Sharingan could see chakra flow, after all.
Amanai frowned, thinking back. Had he ever seen Muzan without the Sharingan active?
No. Not once.
His eyes had been red with two tomoe since the moment they'd found him. Even now, even during rest, those red eyes remained.
A cold feeling settled in Amanai's stomach. There was only one reason someone would never deactivate their Sharingan.
They couldn't.
Outsiders who transplanted Sharingan eyes couldn't turn them off. The chakra drain was constant. It was one of the ways to identify a thief who'd stolen Uchiha eyes—they always had the Sharingan active. Always.
Amanai's hand moved to his kunai pouch. Was Muzan an outsider? Had he killed an Uchiha and taken their eyes?
That would explain everything. The memory loss. The strange abilities. The sunlight weakness could be unrelated, or some side effect of the transplant procedure.
Amanai's jaw tightened. He needed to test this. Now.
He turned and pushed the tent flap open. Muzan was still sitting where he'd left him, looking toward the entrance.
Those red eyes with two tomoe stared back at him.
"One more thing," Amanai said, stepping inside. His voice was calm, but his body was tense, ready to move. "Deactivate your Sharingan."
Muzan tilted his head slightly. "Why?"
"Just do it," Amanai said. His hand remained near his kunai pouch.
Muzan looked at him for a moment. Then his eyes shifted.
The red faded. The tomoe disappeared. His eyes turned completely black—normal, ordinary eyes.
Amanai stared. The tension in his body didn't immediately release. He studied Muzan's eyes carefully, looking for any sign of strain, any indication that this was a genjutsu or trick.
But no. They were just black eyes now. Plain and simple.
"Is that all?" Muzan asked.
Amanai's mind scrambled to adjust. If Muzan could deactivate his Sharingan, then he wasn't an outsider with stolen eyes. He was a real Uchiha.
Which meant his rapid learning was either genuine talent enhanced by the Sharingan, or he'd been trained before and was lying.
But proving the latter would be much harder now.
"Activate it again," Amanai said.
Muzan's eyes shifted back to red, the two tomoe spinning lazily before settling into position.
"Keep it deactivated when you're not training," Amanai said. "It wastes chakra to keep it active constantly. Even for an Uchiha, the drain adds up over time."
"Understood," Muzan said.
Amanai nodded slowly. "Get some rest."
He left the tent again, this time heading back toward his own sleeping area.
His suspicions weren't gone—not entirely. But at least Muzan had proven he was truly an Uchiha. That was something.
Still, Amanai would keep watching. Something about this man wasn't right. He could feel it.
---
Inside the tent, Muzan's eyes remained black. He'd noticed earlier that most clan members didn't walk around with red eyes constantly. Their eyes were black unless they activated the Sharingan for a specific purpose.
So when Amanai had asked him to deactivate it, Muzan had simply morphed his eyes back to black. It was easy enough. He'd already changed his eyes once to give himself the Sharingan—changing them again to hide it was no different.
He could feel the chakra cost of the transformation, but it was minimal. Once the change was complete, it didn't require constant chakra to maintain.
Muzan lay back on the bedroll. He'd passed Amanai's test, but he understood what it meant. They were watching him closely. Any mistake could expose him.
He would need to be more careful.