Encountering Kakashi Again

Hatake Harukaze had never felt time pass so slowly; every minute and second was filled with torment.

At this moment, he felt all the muscles in his body trembling slightly. Steam rose from his head like mist, and his clothes were completely soaked in sweat.

After an unknown amount of time, Hatake Harukaze could no longer hold on. His body suddenly swayed, and he was about to fall.

Swish!

Uchiha Yuan flashed and appeared beside Hatake Harukaze, reaching out to steady him.

"Not bad. You lasted a minute and twenty-six seconds longer than yesterday. It seems your physical foundation is very good, and the effects of the standing meditation are very obvious."

Hatake Harukaze gasped for breath, too exhausted to speak.

After resting for a while, he flipped over and leaped up, then began Taijutsu sparring with Uchiha Yuan.

"Bang bang bang..."

Amidst the fierce collisions, Uchiha Yuan stood his ground, his right hand moving repeatedly, easily blocking Hatake Harukaze's attacks.

After dozens of rounds of offense, Hatake Harukaze failed to dodge in time and took a kick to the face from Uchiha Yuan, sending him flying heavily.

He clutched his nose and scrambled up from the ground, blood gushing from his nose.

"Yuan, that kick was too heavy."

Uchiha Yuan stretched his limbs, and a series of crisp cracks echoed from his joints.

He raised an eyebrow and chuckled, "Sorry, taking hits is also an important part of Taijutsu training. Besides, the opening you showed just now was too big, I couldn't help but kick."

By a small stream near the Hatake Clan Land, several cleaned fish were skewered on branches and roasted by the campfire.

Uchiha Yuan sat cross-legged on a rock, holding a golden-brown roasted fish. He gently and delicately tore off pieces of fish with his hands, eating them slowly.

Splash.

Suddenly, the water in the stream churned, and Hatake Harukaze leaped out of the water and onto the bank.

In his hands, he held a large fish, over a foot long.

He skillfully scaled and gutted the fish, then washed it with water before skewering it on a branch and placing it by the campfire.

Picking up a roasted fish, Hatake Harukaze gnawed on it voraciously, finishing one in the blink of an eye.

Before long, Hatake Harukaze had eaten six roasted fish in one go.

"My stomach finally doesn't feel hungry anymore."

Hatake Harukaze wiped the oil stains from the corner of his mouth and continued, "Yuan, after practicing according to the method you taught me, I feel like my appetite has suddenly increased."

Uchiha Yuan casually tossed aside the remaining fish bones in his hand and said, "You know about the Expansion Jutsu of the Akimichi Clan in the village, right?"

Hatake Harukaze nodded and said, "I know. It's said that once they use the Expansion Jutsu, their bodies can become enormous, even transforming into giants."

"Although I don't understand the Expansion Jutsu, I know one thing: to use this secret technique, the body must be strong enough to support the body's enlargement."

"It's said that before the Akimichi Clan cultivates the Expansion Jutsu, they have a special training method; I guess this training method of theirs is to continuously strengthen the body; that's why we see students from the Akimichi Clan constantly eating."

The world of extraordinary power also has to obey the law of conservation of energy.

"The standing meditation method I taught you is also continuously strengthening your body, so you'll feel hungry easily and your appetite will increase."

Upon hearing this, Hatake Harukaze's expression froze slightly.

Although the Hatake Clan was a small clan, it was also a ninja clan with many years of inheritance. Therefore, it was only at this moment that he realized the standing meditation method Uchiha Yuan taught him might be very precious; it actually had similar effects to the secret technique cultivated by the Akimichi Clan.

"Yuan, does the cultivation method you taught me make things difficult for you?"

Hatake Harukaze said solemnly. He knew that the secret techniques of each ninja clan were related to their inheritance. Once they were passed on to others, it could even cause intense conflict between ninja clans.

Noticing Hatake Harukaze's slightly nervous expression, Uchiha Yuan chuckled, "You don't need to worry. This standing meditation method is mine, and it has nothing to do with the Uchiha Clan."

Then he pointed to a fish by the campfire and said, "That fish is almost burnt."

Hatake Harukaze quickly looked back and then picked up the grilled fish.

A moment later, all the grilled fish had entered their stomachs.

Hatake Harukaze threw away the fish bones in his hand, sat cross-legged on the grass, and then said to Uchiha Yuan, "Yuan, I thought about it all night yesterday and still couldn't understand what happened to my uncle."

"Uncle was a hero of the village. The name White Fang struck fear into the ninja world. The village has no reason to lie and target Uncle."

Uchiha Yuan stood up, his gaze sweeping over the forest towards the Hokage Rock in the distance, and said indifferently, "Perhaps it's precisely because he was a hero of the village that his prestige was too high."

Hearing this, Hatake Harukaze looked confused, not understanding what Uchiha Yuan meant.

Seeing his expression, Uchiha Yuan didn't say much, just patted his shoulder and said, "What happened to White Fang has passed. If you can't figure it out, don't overthink it."

Hatake Harukaze shook his head, "No, I must figure it out."

After leaving the Hatake Clan Land, Uchiha Yuan passed through a bustling street in the center of the village and saw a lonely figure.

It was Kakashi.

Judging by his appearance, he seemed to have just returned from outside.

"Hi, Kakashi."

Suddenly, a girl's voice rang out.

In a roadside snack stall near the block, two girls were greeting Kakashi.

One of the girls was charming in appearance, with a pair of very beautiful red eyes. The other girl was delicate and quiet, and she smiled at Kakashi, "Kakashi, long time no see."

Kakashi glanced at the two girls, did not respond, and continued to walk forward.

At this moment, a figure suddenly darted out and blocked Kakashi's path.

The one blocking Kakashi was a young man, with a cigarette dangling from his lips and a thick beard already grown on his face.

At this moment, he grabbed Kakashi's collar with an unhappy expression and said, "Hey, Kakashi, why are you ignoring Hong and the others? That's so rude of you!"

Seeing this, Yuhi Hong and Shizune hurried out of the snack stall and called out, "Asuma, let go of Kakashi quickly!"

Looking at Yuhi Hong, who was running over, Asuma quickly let go and said somewhat flusteredly, "Hong, I just can't stand the way Kakashi is acting right now."

Yuhi Hong glared fiercely at Sarutobi Asuma, then looked at Kakashi with Shizune and smiled, "Kakashi, it's rare to meet like this, why don't we get together today?"

Kato Shizune also said, "Kakashi, don't forget, you still have classmates like us. Seeing you like this makes us very sad too."