Breaking a Record (Part One)

"Zzt..."

Looking at the leaf in his palm, finally split in two, Uchiha Yue wiped the sweat from his forehead. A delighted smile spread across his face.

"Phew..."

"After six whole months of hard training, I finally did it!"

That's right. Uchiha Yue wasn't playing around. He was practicing Wind Style Chakra nature transformation, following the training method from the original story.

Six months ago, just after he started working at the Ninja Hospital, Uchiha Yue had already planned to begin training in Wind Style Chakra nature transformation. By then, he had completed his Rasengan training. He still couldn't form a Rasengan with just one finger, but simply practicing the Rasengan no longer satisfied him.

Throughout those six months of training at the Ninja Hospital, Uchiha Yue had never stopped making progress. As his Medical Ninjutsu improved, his control over his own chakra became increasingly precise. Three months ago, he had already learned to form a Rasengan with one finger, and he had even mastered the Falling Moon Style: Rasengan Manipulation Technique.

However, being able to use powerful ninjutsu didn't mean Uchiha Yue could match a Chunin in strength.

After six whole months of hard training, Uchiha Yue's strength was still at the Genin level, though he was far stronger than an ordinary Genin.

While working at the Ninja Hospital, Uchiha Yue treated countless wounded patients every day, and his Medical Ninjutsu improved at a remarkable pace. Two months ago, he still needed Tsunade's guidance to treat every patient at the hospital. But now, his skill in Medical Ninjutsu could rival that of some Chunins. Treating ordinary patients posed no challenge at all, and even the more seriously injured only gave him a little trouble.

And while training in Medical Ninjutsu, Uchiha Yue hadn't neglected his other training.

Even though his work at the Ninja Hospital was exhausting, he still completed his training regimen every time he got home.

By now, Uchiha Yue's chakra reserves far surpassed those of a Genin and could even rival those of some ordinary Chunins. His fastest progress had been in his shurikenjutsu, which could now give some Chunins trouble. Unfortunately, Taijutsu and combat experience were still his weak points. Otherwise, his overall strength might no longer be stuck at the Genin level, and he might have truly reached the level of a Chunin.

Still, although Uchiha Yue couldn't yet match a true Chunin, he had already laid a solid foundation.

Uchiha Yue believed that with enough combat experience, he would be as strong as a Chunin within just one year.

Moreover, during those six months, Uchiha Yue hadn't forgotten to refine the new Taijutsu he had developed, or to create ninjutsu of his own. That made him an outlier among Genin. If a Chunin let their guard down while fighting him, they could easily lose to him.

After all he had accomplished over those six months, Uchiha Yue felt it was time to graduate from the Ninja Academy.

Until he became a real ninja, Uchiha Yue's strength would remain stuck at the Genin level. Working at the Ninja Hospital could improve his Medical Ninjutsu, but it couldn't improve his combat ability. So, now that six months had passed, Uchiha Yue told Tsunade that he would stop training in Medical Ninjutsu at the Ninja Hospital and take the graduation exam at the Ninja Academy instead.

Tsunade already knew that Uchiha Yue had made more than enough progress in Medical Ninjutsu, so when he brought up the idea, she agreed without hesitation. Now that Uchiha Yue had also completed the basic training in Wind Style Chakra nature transformation, he was even more eager to become a real ninja.

And then...

Once Uchiha Yue had recovered his chakra at the training ground, he got up and headed to the Ninja Academy to apply for the graduation exam.

But just as Uchiha Yue arrived at the Ninja Academy, before he could even see his instructor, Sarutobi Shinsuke, a voice suddenly came from behind him.

"Yue? Is that really you?"

Hearing the familiar voice, Uchiha Yue's lips curled into a smile. He turned around and said, "Obito, long time no see!"

"It really is you, Yue!"

Seeing that the person in front of him was indeed his friend, Uchiha Obito hurried over and gave him a hearty slap on the shoulder. "Yue, it feels like we haven't seen each other in six months. I heard you've been working at the Ninja Hospital all this time? You're incredible! You learned such amazing Medical Ninjutsu from Lady Tsunade. The whole village is saying your Medical Ninjutsu will surpass Lady Tsunade's in a few years!"

"That's just a rumor. I still have a long way to go before I can match my teacher."

Seeing the envy in Uchiha Obito's eyes, Uchiha Yue shook his head and dismissed the village rumors.

That's right. Because Uchiha Yue was still a student at the Ninja Academy and had managed to work at the Ninja Hospital, people in Konoha had been saying that he had completely inherited Tsunade's legacy. And since Uchiha Yue had indeed performed very well at the hospital, the rumor had gradually spread that his Medical Ninjutsu was about to surpass Tsunade's.

But only Uchiha Yue knew how far his Medical Ninjutsu still lagged behind Tsunade's.

The more skilled he became in Medical Ninjutsu, the more he realized how profound it was. If he wanted to master it completely, he would need at least ten years of study. That was precisely why Uchiha Yue had stopped working at the Ninja Hospital. He was ready to become a real ninja and begin training in actual combat.

After all, Uchiha Yue wanted to become powerful, not just master Medical Ninjutsu.

No matter how powerful Medical Ninjutsu was, it couldn't give him the strength to protect his family and parents.

Tsunade's Medical Ninjutsu was incredibly powerful, but hadn't she earned her title as one of the Sannin with her own fists?

Still, seeing Uchiha Obito made Uchiha Yue genuinely happy.

Throughout those six months, Uchiha Yue had been so busy training that he'd barely seen even his friend, Uchiha Obito. He hadn't seen much of his less-close classmates, either—Rin, Might Guy, or Hatake Kakashi. Now that he was back at the Ninja Academy, Uchiha Yue wanted to see how strong Konoha's future elite ninja were at this point.

Most of all, Uchiha Yue wanted to see how strong Hatake Kakashi was—the person he had once set out to catch up with.

But just as Uchiha Yue thought of this, Uchiha Obito's words interrupted him.

"By the way, Yue, what are you doing back at the Ninja Academy?"

"Could it be..."

"You heard that news too?"