The days are getting more and more hopeful

With his resolve hardened, Uchiha Hayato resolutely stepped onto a brand-new path of training.

He moved his hands in a blur, pouring his full concentration into the practice of accelerating his hand seals. Before long, a sudden system notification chime shattered his focus.

What is going on? Didn't I already accept the mission? Hayato wondered, feeling puzzled.

He pulled up the system interface once more, only to be surprised to find that it wasn't the mission screen flickering, but his character panel.

With a mere thought, he brought the character interface into view.

As his mind focused, the character interface appeared before his eyes. Hayato stared closely and discovered that a tiny increase of (+0.006) had appeared next to the hand seal value in his data column.

Could it be that after this major system update, even this has changed? Hayato speculated to himself.

Carrying this hypothesis, Hayato attempted his training again, moving his hands even more rapidly.

"It really is so!" Hayato felt a surge of joy.

Being able to see his training progress so intuitively was a fantastic feeling. From now on, he could carry out various training regimens with much more focus.

His days were becoming increasingly promising.

Currently, Hayato's panel data was as follows:

[Host: Uchiha Hayato]

[Base Stats:

Ninjutsu: 2

Taijutsu: 3

Genjutsu: 3

Intelligence: 6

Strength: 2

Speed: 3

Chakra: 5

Hand Seals: 2(+0.01)

Total: 26]

[Ninjutsu: Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique, Shadow Clone Technique]

[Taijutsu: Baji Quan]

[Kekkei Genkai: Sharingan (Three-Tomoe in both eyes), Wood Release]

Looking at his current stats, Hayato had a plan for his next stage of training and a more intuitive understanding of how to train each module.

To earn system rewards sooner, he needed to develop comprehensively. Thus, Hayato decided that starting tomorrow, he would use a Shadow Clone to attend class whenever possible, while his real body focused on training.

The next morning, Hayato took advantage of a bathroom break to create a Shadow Clone to follow Misaki to the Ninja Academy, while his real body quietly slipped out of the house once his family had left.

He headed alone toward the forest on the east side of the village.

"Today's training will start with tree climbing," Hayato muttered to himself, looking at the towering tree trunks before him.

He intended to use tree climbing to further refine his chakra control. More precise control would allow him to release ninjutsu more effectively.

And so, Hayato began his day of training. Holding a kunai, he controlled his chakra to adhere to the soles of his feet, pressed firmly against the large tree, and began to climb slowly upward.

Whenever he felt his control slipping, he would use the kunai to leave a mark on the trunk.

The first attempt was always a bit clumsy; Hayato only reached a height of about six meters before he could no longer maintain his balance.

"It seems this is still quite difficult," Hayato murmured, looking up at the tall trees. "I wonder what species the trees in this world are to be so thick and tall."

He shook his head, cast his distracting thoughts aside, and threw himself back into his training.

As the number of times he climbed increased, Hayato's ninjutsu stat also grew slowly. The growth rate was fairly fast at first, increasing by 0.01 every half hour or so of climbing. However, as he became more proficient with the technique, the rate of improvement gradually slowed.

This was consistent with reality. When he first started, his ability to control chakra was weak, so there was plenty of room for improvement. As his control improved, the gains from tree-climbing practice would naturally diminish.

But Hayato was not in a hurry. He understood that there were still training projects like water walking waiting for him later.

He could take his time training his chakra control. Once these basic controls were mastered, he could then increase his output intensity by practicing various ninjutsu.

After a day of training, Hayato was drenched in sweat. He looked at the ninjutsu value of 2(+0.11) on his panel and revealed a satisfied smile.

"It's getting late, I need to hurry home," Hayato muttered, watching the sun about to dip below the horizon.

A short while later, he returned home. After sending his Shadow Clone directly to the bathroom, he dispelled it.

Suddenly, a wave of memories flooded his mind—the events his Shadow Clone had experienced at the Ninja Academy today.

After processing the information, Hayato took a shower and then appeared seamlessly in the main hall to have dinner with his parents.

The Shadow Clone school attendance plan was a perfect success.

After dinner, Hayato returned to his room to continue practicing his hand seal speed.

The days passed in an orderly fashion. Hayato continued his routine of having his Shadow Clone attend school in his place, while his real body focused on various training—tree climbing, water walking, mountain climbing, and the practice of the five elemental releases, among others.

On this day, as Hayato was practicing Fire Style ninjutsu by the lake, a sound of footsteps suddenly reached him. He immediately stopped his movements and turned to look.

"Who is it?" he asked, his guard up.

Focusing his gaze, he realized it was an acquaintance—Minato.

Minato waved at Hayato with an apologetic smile. "Sorry to bother you, Hayato. Let me explain first; I didn't mean to eavesdrop, I just happened to be passing by."

In truth, it wasn't entirely a coincidence. Minato liked to train at a nearby waterfall during his usual practice sessions.

He had seen Hayato training before, but he hadn't approached him at the time, partly out of concern for interrupting his training, and partly to avoid any misunderstandings.

Hayato gave a slight nod to show he understood, then looked at Minato and asked, "So, is there something you need from me?"

If there wasn't a reason, Minato could have just left. Appearing before him now meant there was surely something to discuss.

Minato explained, "It's like this: thanks to your help earlier, I was able to find her quickly. After I told her about it, she kept saying she wanted to properly thank you."

To this, Hayato simply waved his hand and smiled. "I didn't really do much, it was just a coincidence. There's no need for thanks."

Hearing Hayato's refusal, Minato pressed his palms together in a plea. "I promised her I'd bring her to meet you. Please."

Seeing Minato so persistent, Hayato found it difficult to refuse again. He decided to just give himself a little break for the day. "Fine," he agreed.

Seeing Hayato accept, Minato was overjoyed and hurried to lead the way. After walking for a while, the two arrived in front of a small cottage on the north side of the village.

Though the house was small, it was elegant. The stones in front of the door were smooth and covered in moss, like a naturally laid green carpet, adding a sense of rustic tranquility. As the breeze blew, the moss swayed gently, inviting one's imagination to wander.

Minato stepped forward and knocked lightly on the door.

"Coming! Who is it?" a pleasant female voice called from inside. Moments later, the door opened halfway, and Kushina's head, with its vibrant red hair, poked out.

Seeing it was Minato, Kushina pulled the door wide open. "Minato, why are you here?" Her face was beaming with a happy smile.

Minato stepped aside and said, "I brought someone with me. You'll definitely be happy to see him."

Only then did Kushina notice Hayato standing behind Minato, who was a head shorter than him, and she began to form a guess in her mind.

Kushina crouched down and asked, "Minato, is he...?"

Minato introduced him from the side, "That's right, he is the Hayato I mentioned to you before."

Upon hearing this, Kushina was overjoyed. She stepped forward and grabbed Hayato's hand, shaking it up and down. "Thank you, Hayato! I heard everything from Minato; it's thanks to you that I was able to return safely."