So you're White Fang's nephew

After some time.

Hatake Harukaze sat on the ground, panting, with bead-sized sweat dripping from his face.

He said, with both shock and admiration, "Uchiha classmate, you are truly strong. I can't gauge your strength at all."

"You must have been hiding your strength during your last match with Uehara Isami."

Regarding Uehara Isami's strength, Hatake Harukaze didn't believe he was weaker; however, the strength Uchiha Yuan displayed in his previous match with Uehara Isami only seemed a little stronger than Uehara Isami's.

But after personally sparring with Uchiha Yuan, Hatake Harukaze truly felt how powerful he was, completely beyond his imagination.

A sense of immense powerlessness enveloped his heart. He felt as if he had just been striking a hill.

Because even with his full effort, he couldn't shake Uchiha Yuan in the slightest. All his attacks were like stones sinking into the sea, without causing even a ripple.

Hatake Harukaze's face showed confusion, and he asked, "Uchiha classmate, why aren't you hiding your strength this time? Aren't you worried I'll expose you?"

Uchiha Yuan smiled slightly, looking at Hatake Harukaze, and said, "Then will you keep it a secret for me?"

Hatake Harukaze was stunned. After a few minutes of silence, he said with an extremely serious expression, "Although I don't understand why Uchiha classmate is hiding his strength, since you trust me and have shown me your true power.

How could I betray your trust? Don't worry, I will keep it a secret for you."

Upon hearing this, the smile on Uchiha Yuan's face bloomed, and he said, "You can call me by my name from now on, Harukaze."

Hatake Harukaze was taken aback for a moment, then a smile also appeared on his face, saying, "Hello, Yuan."

They looked at each other and smiled. Then Hatake Harukaze asked, "Yuan, what do you think of my Taijutsu?"

Uchiha Yuan said directly, without politeness, "Weak, too weak."

"Your foundation is unstable, your stamina is insufficient, your movements are chaotic and lack system. Like your previous straight punch..."

After listening to Uchiha Yuan's critique, Hatake Harukaze said with some disbelief, "Am I really that weak?"

Uchiha Yuan glanced at him sideways and said, "In my eyes, you are very weak. But in the eyes of others, your Taijutsu might be quite good.

Perhaps you think these problems don't matter, as long as you have chakra reinforcement, they can all be solved."

Hatake Harukaze didn't speak, but his expression showed a meaning of 'Isn't that true?'.

"Chakra can indeed enhance our physical strength and reaction speed; however, you should also understand that the power of the same amount of chakra applied to an iron rod and a wooden rod is different."

Hearing this, Hatake Harukaze fell silent for a moment and said, "Yuan, I understand what you mean now."

"I'll trouble you for guidance in my future training."

Uchiha Yuan assumed a stance and said, "Follow this posture with me, and then perform the breathing method I teach you; remember, no matter how uncomfortable you feel with your breathing, you must persevere."

"This is called standing meditation. Combined with a special breathing method, it can help you circulate your blood and strengthen your body's stability."

"Stronger blood circulation means a stronger body, which in turn allows you to refine more chakra."

After listening to Uchiha Yuan's explanation, Hatake Harukaze felt a sense of novelty and began to try standing meditation. His breathing gradually became slow and steady, exhibiting a special rhythm and cadence.

Uchiha Yuan stood by, occasionally pointing out when Harukaze's breathing rhythm was off or his posture wavered and became incorrect.

After a moment, Hatake Harukaze's face turned red, his body trembled slightly, and sweat dripped from his face.

"That's enough training for today. I didn't expect you to last nineteen minutes on your first try at standing meditation. That's a very good performance."

Hearing Uchiha Yuan's words, Hatake Harukaze quickly straightened up. He first exhaled a long breath, then gasped for air in large gulps.

His entire body was drenched in sweat, and a wave of heat emanated from him. He had never imagined that simply standing still could be so exhausting and tiring.

"Yuan, is it alright for you to teach me such a powerful training method?"

Despite his extreme fatigue, Hatake Harukaze's intuition told him that the standing meditation had been beneficial for his body.

Uchiha Yuan said, "You don't need to worry about that, but you shouldn't spread it around casually either."

Hatake Harukaze quickly replied, "Don't worry, I won't tell anyone."

Uchiha Yuan continued, "The two of us are just exchanging knowledge and growing together as classmates. I know the Hatake Clan's Taijutsu is very strong.

Especially the Hatake sword art. The clan highly regards White Fang's swordsmanship. His reputation was forged through battles in the ninja world."

"Yuan, you seem different from the others in the village."

Looking at the expression on Uchiha Yuan's face, Hatake Harukaze suddenly spoke.

Uchiha Yuan asked, "Different how?"

"When people in the village mention Konoha White Fang, they have looks of disgust and curse him. But you don't. Your expression tells me you seem to respect him."

After speaking, Hatake Harukaze looked at Uchiha Yuan with a mixture of nervousness and anticipation.

Uchiha Yuan nodded, his expression solemn and serious as he said, "Yes, I deeply respect White Fang. In my eyes, he is a hero beyond reproach."

Hatake Harukaze was stunned. Although he had expected Uchiha Yuan's answer, he was still taken aback when he heard such a direct and earnest response.

"But everyone in the village says White Fang is a disgrace to ninjas, a sinner of the village. Why do you... respect him?"

Uchiha Yuan let out a cold laugh. "The village's opinion is the village's opinion. Why should I follow their views?"

"You have no right to speak without investigation. In my opinion, there are too many fools in the village who just blindly follow and have no thoughts of their own."

"Harukaze, as a member of the Hatake Clan, do you know about White Fang's deeds?"

Hatake Harukaze shook his head, indicating he didn't know.

Uchiha Yuan sighed, "I don't know much either. I only know that White Fang successfully completed many S-rank missions.

It is said that during the Second Shinobi World War, White Fang single-handedly killed high-ranking officials on the Sunagakure front line, forcing Sunagakure to surrender.

Facing White Fang, even the Kage of the major ninja villages had to take him seriously and dare not slack off.

The Konoha Sannin are famous throughout the ninja world, but White Fang's name is even more renowned than the Konoha Sannin."

The Konoha Sannin were the star figures heavily promoted by the village in recent years, and they were now objects of reverence for all ninjas.

Hatake Harukaze couldn't help but murmur, "So, uncle has such great prestige in the ninja world."

Uchiha Yuan raised an eyebrow upon hearing this, surprised, "White Fang is your uncle!"

Hatake Harukaze nodded, his voice low, "Yes, my father is my uncle's younger brother. He was a special jonin and was severely injured in a mission a few years ago, leaving him crippled."