First Meeting with Shizune

"Substitution Technique!"

"Poof..."

As the smoke cleared, Uchiha Yue's figure had long since vanished from the spot, replaced by a wooden log pierced by a kunai.

Seeing Uchiha Yue use the Substitution Technique perfectly to evade his kunai, a flash of admiration crossed the eyes of the Ninja Academy instructor, Sarutobi Shinsuke.

"Clap, clap, clap..."

"As expected of a genius from the Uchiha Clan. Yue, you have passed your practical exam!"

Applause rang out as Sarutobi Shinsuke walked over to Uchiha Yue, clapping his hands. He then reached out and gave Uchiha Yue's shoulder a heavy pat, saying, "Two months ago, I already felt you were capable of passing the practical exam. I truly didn't expect you to drag it out for two whole months, Yue! However, having now passed the basic, drill, and practical exams in succession, you have effectively broken the Ninja Academy's record. What are your plans for the next step, Yue? Are you preparing to take the graduation exam and become a genin?"

Hearing Sarutobi Shinsuke's words, Uchiha Yue shook his head directly and said, "I intend to continue training at the Ninja Academy for a while longer to accumulate more experience before taking the genin exam to advance." As he spoke, Uchiha Yue suddenly looked up at Sarutobi Shinsuke and asked, "By the way, Shinsuke-sensei, is Hatake Kakashi preparing to advance to genin?"

"No, his thoughts are the same as yours. You two are truly worthy of being called geniuses of the Ninja Academy!"

Upon hearing this, Sarutobi Shinsuke shook his head as well, saying, "I feel that both your and Kakashi's ideas are correct. Accumulating more time at the Ninja Academy is beneficial for your future strength. It's a pity those brats don't understand the importance of building a foundation; they all clamor to become genin as soon as possible. They drive me crazy every time I have to schedule exams!"

As he spoke, Sarutobi Shinsuke looked at Uchiha Yue and sighed again, saying, "Sigh, if everyone were as worry-free as you and Kakashi, I could finally rest easy!"

Completely ignoring Sarutobi Shinsuke's complaints, Uchiha Yue was busy calculating the time until Hatake Kakashi would advance to genin, while simultaneously planning his own training schedule.

Time flew by; two months had passed since Uchiha Yue tested his chakra nature.

During these two months, Uchiha Yue continued his daily training regimen, though he had now hit a bottleneck and required more accumulation to continue rapidly increasing his strength. Take shurikenjutsu, for example: Uchiha Yue had stalled at the level of throwing six kunai simultaneously two months ago, and even now, he could only manage to hit the bullseye in a blind spot with six, completely unable to control seven at once.

Taijutsu training, seal-weaving, and ninjutsu training were not the primary goals for Uchiha Yue at this stage. Consequently, his achievements in these three areas were not even as high as his shurikenjutsu. The only thing that gave Uchiha Yue any sense of satisfaction was his chakra training; after all, chakra cultivation relied on steady accumulation rather than so-called talent.

The training for the Rasengan had also hit a bottleneck within these two months.

For two full months, in order to win his bet with Tsunade, Uchiha Yue had focused all his energy on mastering the Rasengan.

However, while Uchiha Yue had completed the three stages of Rasengan training—he had been able to control his chakra to burst a water-filled balloon a month ago—he encountered significant difficulties in maintaining the Rasengan itself. After all, controlling the massive amount of chakra required to create a Rasengan with a single palm was no simple task.

Still, Uchiha Yue remained confident that he could win the bet with Tsunade.

Although he could not yet control the Rasengan's chakra with one hand, he was capable of doing so if he used both palms. However, since the purpose of training the Rasengan was to hone chakra control techniques, using both hands was a shortcut. Uchiha Yue was not as easily satisfied as Uzumaki Naruto, so he naturally pursued perfection in his training.

Therefore, the goal Uchiha Yue set for himself was to use the Rasengan with one hand.

If possible, Uchiha Yue even hoped to be able to use the Rasengan with just a single finger!

Overall, Uchiha Yue had gained quite a lot in these two months; at the very least, his strength was steadily increasing.

Furthermore, on this day two months later, Uchiha Yue had finally completed the three Ninja Academy exams. He was only one graduation exam away from becoming a genin. Originally, Uchiha Yue's target was Hatake Kakashi, so upon learning that Kakashi was about to become a genin, Uchiha Yue no longer intended to stay at the Ninja Academy for comfortable training alongside Uchiha Obito, Rin, and the others.

Only by truly becoming a ninja could one grasp the true mysteries of the shinobi world.

Having studied at the Ninja Academy for so long without experiencing real combat, Uchiha Yue felt he would never be able to become a powerhouse.

The reason Uchiha Yue wanted to graduate alongside Hatake Kakashi was precisely because he still viewed Kakashi as his benchmark.

Over these two months, Uchiha Yue had sparred with Hatake Kakashi more than ten times, and each time, Uchiha Yue had been forced into a bitter struggle. Of course, Kakashi's situation was much the same; the two were evenly matched, and all ten-plus spars had ended in draws.

Perhaps it was because of Uchiha Yue's persistent pursuit that Hatake Kakashi wanted to become a genin as soon as possible!

With the Ninja Academy exams concluded, Uchiha Yue had successfully become a student on the verge of graduation, and his status was different from that of ordinary students. While regular students had to attend the Ninja Academy every day, students like Uchiha Yue and Hatake Kakashi, who were facing the graduation exam, only needed to train at home.

It was precisely for this reason that Uchiha Yue had taken the Ninja Academy exams to qualify as a graduating student.

After all, this would give Uchiha Yue more time to train, wouldn't it?

After the exam ended, Uchiha Yue looked at the long-winded Sarutobi Shinsuke and truly wished he could sew the man's mouth shut. The Ninja Academy instructor Sarutobi Shinsuke was fine in every other regard, but he talked a bit too much. Every time Uchiha Yue saw him, he had the urge to give him a good beating. Perhaps Hatake Kakashi felt the same way every time he saw Sarutobi Shinsuke.

However, just as Sarutobi Shinsuke was rambling on and on to Uchiha Yue about Ninja Academy affairs, Uchiha Yue suddenly noticed the door to the room being pushed open. Following that, a slender figure walked in from outside. The owner of that figure was quite delicate in appearance, with long black hair—it appeared to be a girl.

Seemingly noticing the presence of the black-haired girl as well, Sarutobi Shinsuke stopped his endless lecture, turned around, and said to the girl, "Oh, it's Shizune! Aren't you always by Lady Tsunade's side? What brings you here to see me?"

"Shizune?"

Hearing Sarutobi Shinsuke's address, Uchiha Yue's eyes flickered, and his gaze landed once again on Shizune.

She... is Shizune?