Three Months Later

"Whoosh..."

"Whoosh..."

With his eyes closed, Uchiha Yue leaped from the top of a towering tree. He dropped through the air upside down, then threw six kunai.

Each kunai Uchiha Yue threw traced a graceful arc through the air. At the same time, it felt as if the whole world had gone quiet. All he could hear was the sharp whistle of the kunai cutting through the air, and all he could see in his mind was the marked bull's-eye. At last, as the six kunai followed different paths and each struck the bull's-eye, Uchiha Yue landed steadily on the ground. The entire sequence had been flawless.

"Whew, I finally did it."

He opened his eyes. Seeing all six kunai lodged in the bull's-eye, Uchiha Yue's lips finally curved into a faint smile.

After a full three months of training, Uchiha Yue could finally control six kunai at once and accurately hit the bull's-eye he had marked in advance.

After finishing that day's kunai practice, Uchiha Yue wiped the sweat from his forehead and clenched his fists. After three whole months of hard training, the day of our match is finally here!

Hatake Kakashi, tomorrow I'll settle things with you at the Ninja Academy!

Tomorrow, I'll show all of Konoha that I, Uchiha Yue, am the top talent at the Ninja Academy!

At that moment, Uchiha Yue clenched his fists, brimming with confidence. He was certain that three months of hard training had given him the strength to defeat Hatake Kakashi!

Because of objective factors like his age and physique, Uchiha Yue knew he wasn't yet at the ideal age to train in Taijutsu. On top of that, he had realized at the Ninja Academy that he had a real talent for throwing weapons. So, over the past three months, he had cut back on Taijutsu training and focused more on his throwing skills, all in preparation for tomorrow's decisive match.

Defeating Hatake Kakashi was not only Uchiha Yue's goal, but also the best way to test his strength.

If he could defeat Hatake Kakashi, Uchiha Yue felt that his strength would be comparable to a Genin's. He might even have what it took to graduate straight from the Ninja Academy.

And to defeat Hatake Kakashi, Uchiha Yue had spent three months preparing and training hard.

Throughout those three months, Uchiha Yue had kept to a very regular routine, following a training plan he had drawn up himself every day.

Since he had to go to the Ninja Academy each day, Uchiha Yue scheduled his chakra training for the morning. After training his chakra, he would head to the academy for class. Perfectly using his Body Energy to train his chakra left him feeling tired for a while afterward. Uchiha Yue didn't want to waste too much time at the academy, so he deliberately saved that post-training fatigue for the morning lessons.

The Ninja Academy spent its mornings teaching theory, which gave Uchiha Yue plenty of time to rest.

Lunchtime was also when Uchiha Yue had to face challengers. For three whole months, he had gone to the Ninja Academy Training Ground every day, sacrificing some of his mealtime to deal with a seemingly endless stream of challengers. Of course, this also gave Uchiha Yue a wealth of combat experience and further improved his strength.

Every afternoon, Uchiha Yue practiced alongside Uchiha Obito. Since the Ninja Academy held its practical training in the afternoon, Uchiha Yue didn't mind spending some time helping his friend. Practicing with Uchiha Obito also let Uchiha Yue reinforce his own foundations. A towering structure rose from the ground up, and he didn't want to discover later that a weak foundation was holding back his progress.

Uchiha Yue's real training time always began after classes at the Ninja Academy ended.

After three months of hard training, Uchiha Yue's strength had improved tremendously. His throwing skills had improved the most.

Just as Uchiha Yue had demonstrated, after repeated failures, he could now throw six kunai at once and hit the bull's-eye. His throwing skills were already pretty good, but they still fell a little short of Uchiha Itachi's in the original story. After all, unlike the bull's-eye Uchiha Yue had to hit, Uchiha Itachi's targets had been in blind spots.

Still, Uchiha Yue wasn't discouraged. Even Uchiha Itachi in the original story hadn't developed such outstanding throwing skills until he was in his teens. As long as Uchiha Yue continued training, he believed he could reach Uchiha Itachi's level within a year. Making progress at that rate was something to be pleased about, not troubled by.

Besides his throwing practice, Uchiha Yue hadn't neglected chakra training, Hand Seals, basic Taijutsu, or basic ninjutsu.

Hand Seals, basic Taijutsu, and basic ninjutsu were all things Uchiha Yue needed to learn at a basic level. His daily training in them was simply meant to build a foundation for the future; there was no need to delve too deeply into them yet. But he had to practice Falling Moon Style: Afterimage Fist properly every day. It was the most useful ninjutsu he had in actual combat, and the first one he had developed since coming to this world.

As he practiced Falling Moon Style: Afterimage Fist, Uchiha Yue realized there was still room to improve his newly created technique. For instance, he could create two clones while using it to confuse his opponent. He had other novel ideas, too, and planned to incorporate them into Falling Moon Style: Afterimage Fist. He intended to keep developing the technique he had created, hoping to turn it into a whole series.

Chakra training was one of the practices Uchiha Yue cared about most, so he naturally wouldn't slack off for even a moment.

Over the past three months, thanks to his ability to make perfect use of his Body Energy and the expansion of the chakra pathways in his body, Uchiha Yue had developed as much chakra as any beginner-level Genin. Having chakra at a beginner-level Genin's level had rapidly increased his strength and given him the means to defeat Hatake Kakashi.

Uchiha Yue was sure that none of his peers could match the amount of chakra he had.

So, if Uchiha Yue and Hatake Kakashi fought a battle of attrition, Hatake Kakashi would be the one to lose.

That was exactly why Uchiha Yue was even more eager for his fight with Hatake Kakashi tomorrow. He could hardly wait to prove himself!

The more eagerly he looked forward to something, the faster time seemed to pass.

After finishing all his training, Uchiha Yue finally reached the day of his match with Hatake Kakashi. He could barely focus on the Ninja Academy's morning lessons. Meanwhile, countless spectators eager to watch Uchiha Yue and Hatake Kakashi face off had gathered early at the Ninja Academy Training Ground.

When Uchiha Yue arrived at the Ninja Academy Training Ground with Uchiha Obito and Rin...

Sure enough, Hatake Kakashi was already standing there. When he saw Uchiha Yue and the others approach, he crooked a finger at them in challenge.

"You finally showed up, Uchiha Yue!"