Three Years

Doubling the weight, swinging the blade three thousand times, honing his swordsmanship, and diligently studying all manner of knowledge—Ueno Kei repeated these dull, simple, and highly fundamental training exercises day and night.

Three years had passed since he first obtained the Lingyu Blade. Over these three-plus years, Ueno Kei had been absorbing countless pieces of knowledge like a sponge. Whether it was something he could understand now or something he would only grasp in the future, Ueno Kei was impatient to learn it, to memorize it!

Three years later, Ueno Kei, now nearly ten years old, had shot up to a height of 1.4 meters. He wore a black short-sleeved ninja windbreaker over a tight-fitting training suit (similar to the one Lee wore in the original work, though, of course, the color wasn't quite as flashy) and slim-fit black trousers.

With the Lingyu Blade strapped to his back and his long purple hair tied back in a simple ponytail, he cut the figure of a handsome young ninja.

Consequently, even though Ueno Kei's academic grades weren't particularly outstanding, he was unexpectedly, yet predictably, popular with the girls in his class. However, except when he was in front of Naruto, Ueno Kei was always reticent, projecting an aura that kept strangers at a distance.

This made the girls hesitant to approach him easily. Besides, Ueno Kei wasn't the type to spend his time or energy on such things; considering himself to have mediocre talent, he wouldn't waste a single moment of his training time.

Training! Training! Absorb all the knowledge that could be absorbed! In such moments, Ueno Kei was always extremely fanatical.

He had practically worn out the threshold of the ninja academy library. He had committed countless basic theories to memory, and no matter how the teachers questioned or tested him, Ueno Kei could always answer without a moment's hesitation.

Although he had been diligently studying various fundamental ninja knowledge during his three and a half years in Konoha, everything had remained strictly theoretical.

When it came to practical application, Ueno Kei was consistently in the lower-middle tier of his class in terms of time spent, even after inheriting the chakra and experience of the Wind Wing clan head to study the Wind Wing Sword Technique.

Ueno Kei's progress was not as satisfactory as he had hoped.

Therefore, his training in the Wind Wing Sword Technique had remained stuck at the foundational level. It wasn't that Ueno Kei didn't want to learn the subsequent moves, nor was it that he couldn't; with his current strength, he could barely manage to learn the first of the nine moves of the Wind Wing Sword Technique.

He could even execute it, and with the power of the Lingyu Blade, its might was not to be underestimated.

However, Ueno Kei did not do so. Instead, he followed the training benchmarks of the Wind Wing Sword Technique to the letter, first memorizing the execution of all the moves and the way his chakra needed to circulate.

He then threw himself heart and soul into the practice of the Wind Wing Basic Mental Method. "Do not enter the path, do not execute the sword technique!" These eight words were the core tenet of the Wind Wing Sword Technique. Ueno Kei did not know what function this basic mental method served.

He also didn't know why these nine moves had to rely on this mental method to guide the chakra's trajectory when executing the techniques.

It didn't matter if he didn't understand; Ueno Kei copied everything exactly. He lacked talent in this area and, for the time being, hadn't innovated any methods suited to his own cultivation. However, Ueno Kei placed great importance on the insights and methods of his predecessors.

He firmly believed that the methods of those who came before him would at least not be wrong at the foundational level. Issues regarding his own style could be addressed later when he had the ability; the foundation had to be solid. If he didn't understand it, he would just memorize it first. Fortunately, while he lacked talent for cultivation, he possessed an unexpectedly useful brain. He could always memorize all theoretical knowledge in the shortest possible time and mimic it without making significant errors. Though he lacked the "spirit," he at least had the "form."

This day, with a gentle breeze, was a fine day in Konoha, as usual.

In his training ground on the western outskirts, Ueno Kei sat slumped on the ground, gasping for air.

His face looked utterly exhausted, yet he wore an expression of excitement. After three years, Ueno Kei's Wind Wing Mental Method had finally reached the initial stage of mastery.

This meant he could finally attempt to execute the Wind Wing Sword Technique he had been coveting for so long.

"Haha, haha! Hard work pays off! I, Ueno Kei, will learn it, and I will definitely succeed!" A look of determination shone in Ueno Kei's eyes.

He slowly stood up and brushed the dust off his body. To be fair, today's initial breakthrough was actually an inevitable result born of coincidence. Although the training methods for the Wind Wing Sword Technique mentioned that those with talent for swordsmanship could master the mental method upon first learning it, it never denied that the mental method could be mastered gradually through persistent practice.

For example, when geniuses look at something, they can always see through the surface at a glance, easily grasping its essential meaning, and naturally understanding the mysteries within.

When a certain ninjutsu is handed to those gifted individuals, they can quickly analyze the composition of the technique and the structure of its chakra circulation. Tell me, when a person knows what something is made of and how it is made, how could they not understand it?

But for someone like Ueno Kei, who had no talent for techniques, he could only rely on simple exploration, memorization, and repeated application. Even if he didn't understand the essential meaning of the technique, how could he fail to remember it after using it so many times?

Ueno Kei's method of learning ninjutsu and swordsmanship was this "clumsy" approach. In his previous life, there were many elderly people in society who lacked formal education. They didn't understand high-tech products, nor did they know how they were made.

But that didn't stop them from using them. After a period of time, once these elderly people became familiar with these high-tech products, even without any education, they could easily use and control them.

Therefore, when learning techniques, Ueno Kei would never give in to discouragement. If he couldn't do it ten times, he would do it a hundred; if he couldn't do it a hundred times, he would do it a thousand. He didn't mind the trouble, nor would he call it tiring.

Achievement is directly proportional to effort; this is the most common and obvious truth in any world.

Hard work does not lie! Ueno Kei held this belief with unwavering resolve.

Ueno Kei silently felt the changes within his body. According to the mental method, once the initial stage was achieved, using the mental method's circulation trajectory to guide his chakra would bring about subtle changes without affecting the execution of other techniques.

However, when executing the Wind Wing Sword Technique, inputting chakra would become much smoother, and the power of the moves would be a cut above the rest.

Ueno Kei couldn't wait to run the mental method, guiding his chakra through a full cycle, passing through every acupuncture point in his body.

A sense of fullness! That was the only thing Ueno Kei felt at this moment.

As the speed of the mental method increased, the circulation of his chakra changed accordingly. A unique aura stirred around Ueno Kei—a feeling of intimidation.

Of course, this pathetic little aura would be a joke in the eyes of a ninja above the level of Chunin; it lacked killing intent, lacked substance, and exerted no pressure at all.

However, for a brat still in the ninja academy, it was the most solid step he had taken toward becoming a true ninja. Once he had seen blood in the future and infused his will into it, he would be even more adept when facing enemies.

Ueno Kei let out a soft breath, looked around with satisfaction, and glanced up. Seeing that it was getting late, he packed up his things and strapped the Lingyu Blade, which had been hanging under a tree, onto his back.

Afterward.

He leaped lightly onto a tree branch, bounded through the forest a few times, and under the glow of the setting sun, his figure gradually disappeared as he headed straight for home.