A Little Cheat Isn't Really Cheating!

Shimura Danzō spoke calmly.

"Indeed."

A trace of remembrance appeared in Sarutobi Hiruzen's eyes.

There were not many ninja in present-day Konoha who could use Water Release.

And perhaps Qingyu was the only one who could use the Water Release ninjutsu left behind by Teacher Tobirama.

After all, the Senju clan had now disbanded, and most of its inheritance had gone to Tsunade alone.

As the princess, Tsunade naturally enjoyed such privileges.

"So why not let me train him? In three years, he'll surely recreate some of Teacher's former brilliance."

Shimura Danzō stayed true to his original intentions and continued speaking to Sarutobi Hiruzen.

Recently, his and Orochimaru's experiments had made some progress.

It turned out that the Senju clan and the Uchiha clan had an inexplicable connection and could suppress one another.

For example, the Yang Release power within Senju cells could suppress the Yin Release power of the Sharingan.

Of course, ordinary Senju cells were not very effective. The best results in this regard still came from "Hashirama Cells."

Shimura Danzō was extremely interested in an unusual existence like Qingyuan.

He felt this would speed up his acquisition of the Sharingan's power.

As the saying went, learn the enemy's strengths to defeat the enemy. Although Shimura Danzō hated the Uchiha, he did not hate the Sharingan.

"Enough. Don't bring this up again."

Sarutobi Hiruzen, whose expression had just softened, suddenly turned stern again.

How could he not know about all the schemes going on over at his old friend's place?

This would simply ruin Qingyu.

"Hmph."

Seeing his proposal rejected once again, Shimura Danzō forcibly held himself back. Instead of slamming the door, he pushed it open and left.

Last time, Sarutobi Hiruzen had already put the blame on him!

After Shimura Danzō left, Sarutobi Hiruzen shook his head and summoned an Anbu ninja, ordering him to gather Qingyu's recent intelligence and bring it to him.

That night, in the Uchiha clan grounds.

Uchiha Tekka knelt on the wooden floor of the training ground, while Uchiha Yashiro stood before him with deeply furrowed brows.

"Even you lost?"

Uchiha Yashiro's voice carried a hint of disbelief.

If Obito, that dead last, losing to Qingyu was still within expectations, then Uchiha Tekka's defeat made him unable to sit still.

Though Uchiha Tekka was not among the most outstanding geniuses of his generation in the clan, he was still a pure-blooded Uchiha who had received formal training from a young age. He had built a solid foundation in both Fire Release and shuriken techniques.

It was said that he had performed as usual and successfully used Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu.

Although its power was somewhat weaker than a true Great Fireball, it was not something that could be blocked so casually.

"His speed was very fast."

Uchiha Tekka lowered his head.

"And that Water Release ninjutsu... was very refined."

He did not know what rank Qingyu's Water Release was, but he guessed that it carried some sort of propulsive force.

Qingyu had already been fast to begin with. He leaped straight up, then came at him with the momentum of his descent. Uchiha Tekka had no time to react at all.

But... a loss was a loss.

Uchiha Tekka did not want to make excuses.

This was a disgrace to the Uchiha.

"Water Release..."

Uchiha Yashiro pondered.

Was it an inheritance left behind by Senju Tobirama?

He waved his hand, and his tone softened somewhat.

"Forget it. Work harder next time."

After Uchiha Tekka withdrew, Uchiha Yashiro stood alone in the empty training ground, his brows knitting tighter and tighter.

A mixed-blood who had been cast out, who had not received even a single day of training from the Uchiha clan, had defeated a pure-blooded junior carefully raised by the clan in actual combat.

What did that mean?

Could he really be a genius?

Or perhaps a genius especially suited to the Uchiha, only mistakenly born into the Senju?

Uchiha Yashiro stroked his chin.

Back then, Qingyu's custody had sparked a series of disputes, but in the end, Tsunade had taken him in to raise.

What Uchiha Yashiro was considering was whether he should tell Lord Fugaku about this.

But if he did, would that not make Lord Fugaku seem derelict in his duties back then?

As Uchiha Fugaku's loyal confidant, Uchiha Yashiro suddenly found himself in a difficult position.

Although it was currently a time of peace, the atmosphere in the ninja world had already begun to grow subtly tense.

There were faint signs of minor friction along the borders. Though not particularly frequent, it was clear that the major ninja villages were secretly amassing strength.

If Qingyu truly was a rare genius, should the Uchiha clan consider drawing him in?

A few days later.

The monthly assessment rankings were posted on the classroom bulletin board.

Qingyu stood at the back of the crowd, his gaze passing over the shifting heads as he glanced at the rankings.

First place, Hatake Kakashi. Second place, Qingyu. Third place...

Just as expected.

In this class, only he and Kakashi were well-rounded in every aspect.

Qingyu estimated that he would surpass Kakashi next semester.

After all, he now possessed traits and was only in the early stages of accumulating them.

If he still could not beat Kakashi after gaining traits, would that not mean he had cheated for nothing?

A little cheat did not count as cheating!

"Qingyu, you really are outstanding."

Rin Nohara was also among the crowd, looking at the rankings.

"Not bad."

Qingyu nodded slightly.

When he turned around, he could see Obito standing on tiptoe and occasionally hopping up, trying to get a clear look at his ranking.

But when he discovered that his ranking was actually below Might Guy's, his face immediately crumpled like a bitter melon.

Just as Qingyu withdrew his gaze, a line of text suddenly appeared at the corner of his vision.

[Detected collectible trait: Talented Player]

[E-rank trait: Talented Player]

[Effect: When not relying on Kekkei Genkai, ninjutsu learning efficiency increases by 10%.]

There was hardly any need to guess where this trait had come from.

He turned to look at Rin Nohara, who was studying the rankings beside him.

Noticing his gaze, the girl turned her head and smiled.

"I hope I can become as outstanding as you too, Qingyu."

"Rin, you definitely can."

Qingyu said.

Rin Nohara ranked fifth in theoretical studies and in the top ten in practical training. Among the civilian ninja, she already stood head and shoulders above the rest.

More importantly, this newly dropped trait completed the piece he had been waiting for.

Over the past half month, Qingyu had gradually collected quite a few more traits.

One of them was [Superb Memory], which increased the speed of memorizing things by ten percent. It had come from a resident physician in the corridors of Konoha Hospital who flipped through medical records while reciting the pharmacopoeia.

And now, with Rin Nohara's [Talented Player], the synthesis requirements had finally been fulfilled.

With a thought, Qingyu opened the Trait System.

[Synthesis: Add "E-rank trait Straight-A Student" + "E-rank trait Superb Memory" + "E-rank trait Talented Player" to synthesize D-rank trait: Innate Medical Saint Body.]

[Proceed with synthesis?]

"Synthesize."

Qingyu murmured inwardly.

The next moment, a new trait appeared.

[D-rank trait: Innate Medical Saint Body]

[Effect: Regardless of the medical ninjutsu used, its effectiveness is additionally increased by 20%.]

Qingyu let out a breath.

Twenty percent.

That was already a considerable bonus for a D-rank trait.

Combined with the [Healing Talent] he had previously obtained from Tsunade, his treatment effectiveness for traumatic injuries had already reached a thirty percent increase.