Chapter 70: The Preliminary Effect of the Catfish

The next morning, after having breakfast, Sasuke left his shadow clone in the village. His true body quickly exited the village and used the optimized low-level Body Flicker Technique to swiftly reach his daily training spot.

This speed was still fast enough to be difficult for ordinary people to follow with their eyes, but not too fast within the ninja community.

For Sasuke, using this Body Flicker Technique during normal travel, although not as fast as in actual combat, had the advantage of consuming less [physical strength].

Especially along the way, he followed the path that consumed the least physical energy while being the most direct.

Upon reaching his destination, he breathed evenly and felt as if he hadn't expended any [physical strength] since setting out. Clearly, he hadn't wasted any energy in his movements.

As the most extraordinary individual of the Uchiha generation, he possessed the highest potential.

After years of rest and recuperation, the power hidden within him was as vast as a wide river, continuous and far superior to ordinary ninjas, granting him incredible stamina.

But he carefully controlled his strength, naturally avoiding unnecessary waste. That would make his years of chakra control training feel redundant.

Waste of chakra was unnecessary unless demonstrating the power of the Uchiha was required.

"You're early, host!" Ivory, the system projection, appeared beside Sasuke and remarked, "It seems you've advanced your practice time today. Otherwise, why would you be at this secret training ground now?"

"I won't strain myself too much. This morning, I'm dedicating my best energy to ninjutsu research," Sasuke explained. "This practice will end in the morning. If I can get a handle on this Lightning Release Ninjutsu, it should be enough."

"That's definitely enough; you could even practice a few more," Ivory agreed.

In reality, these techniques weren't very difficult, but given Sasuke's current conditions, using them forcefully was enough for one attempt.

However, Sasuke now had new requirements for practicing new techniques—he must truly master them, not just use them.

There was a significant difference between the two.

He recalled the principle of the technique he had studied and the corresponding chakra pathways, then began to form seals.

But soon, he paused, rehearsing the original process.

Midway through practice, he took out a piece of cloth, covered his eyes, and began forming seals again.

This ninjutsu could theoretically be used without seals, but for him, it was essential to first demonstrate proficiency with seals and thoroughly understand the technique's basics.

With his eyes closed, he listened to the various sounds within his body, quickly receiving a wealth of information in his mind—some useful, some redundant. Eliminating the redundant and retaining the essential became a necessary procedure.

Seeking truth from the pseudo...

Now, after slowly forming the seal, thunderclouds naturally appeared around Sasuke, enveloping all directions.

Crack, crack, crack—

Thunder rumbled, but soon returned to calm. The entire thundercloud seemed to have entered a strange state of balance.

It seemed that breaking this balance would unleash a storm.

Sasuke moved within the thunderclouds, unharmed by the thunder's power, as it was his own. Currently, this power primarily came from his chakra.

After using this technique for the first time, he didn't immediately test its destructive power but continued to supply chakra to further deduce the technique's changes.

Understanding words and observing reality were fundamentally different.

When Sasuke truly began honing his ninjutsu that day, his understanding of the technique differed from the previous night.

Even if the answer he saw hadn't changed, his comprehension deepened, and he gained further insight.

...

In Konoha Village, graduation season was approaching.

The fresh graduates of the entire ninja village were in a rare state of leisure, but this leisure was short-lived.

It was used to prepare every graduate to adjust their status.

In the Nara clan, Shikamaru found his father and, taking advantage of their leisure, played a few games of shogi, chatting while playing.

Shikaku asked about Shikamaru's recent situation: "Since graduation, you seem to have gotten rid of a big trouble. Was your time at the ninja academy unpleasant?"

"No, not at all. The students were actually pretty good. My time at the ninja academy was unforgettable," Shikamaru said, adding, "If there's anything unpleasant, there is.

"I always failed in practical combat classes. Maybe the genius of the Uchiha family is truly amazing! It's a daunting gap."

"Did you mean Sasuke? I've heard of him. He also graduated at the top of his class, excelling in all subjects. It's not embarrassing to lose to him."

Shikaku comforted.

Shikamaru was helpless: "But we lost even when we teamed up. At first, he might have seemed a bit arrogant, but now he seems quite genuine."

"We lost even when we teamed up... Uchiha is indeed synonymous with genius."

Shikaku sighed softly, "But although you're a little upset, as a classmate, you seem to have a good relationship with him?"

"He gets along well with everyone in our grade," Shikamaru said, beginning to recall, "Although he sometimes seems conceited, he's the one who values teamwork the most in group assessments.

"Thanks to him, our class is very familiar with each other. Whether it's said or not, Uchiha's talent outside of ninjas is unique. It's amusing; it seems Sasuke doesn't even realize it."

"A person with great talent who also values teamwork? It's your luck to have such a companion."

Shikaku catered to him all the time, and his chess speed was not slow at all. The chessboard, which was originally disadvantaged, had now turned into an advantage.

Shikamaru wanted to say something, and suddenly rubbed his eyes and said, "Dad, is there something wrong with this chess?"

"Is that so? Maybe you've read it wrong!" Shikaku said vaguely, "Come on, continue playing chess, ignore so many things that are not available."

On the same day, at the house next to the street entrance, a girl dressed in youthful beauty left home and greeted her parents, "I'm going to practice ninjutsu, Mom and Dad."

"Oh, be careful."

"Actually, you're already very good, and sometimes it's okay to relax properly."

Her parents' concern came.

Sakura greeted them with a smile, but her steps did not stop for a moment. She performed well in the graduation assessment, and it was more than enough to become a Chunin with normal development.

But as long as she thought of following the figure that seemed to be standing in the clouds, she felt immense pressure.

She knew that Uchiha could treat everyone equally.

But only the strong could truly earn Uchiha's respect.

As a civilian ninja with no bloodline limits and no special physique, becoming an excellent ninja wasn't difficult for her, but truly becoming an elite in a ninja village was indeed challenging.

All she could rely on was extraordinary chakra control.

After beginning to focus on this ability, she used it as a basis to continue improving her strengths, playing to her strengths and avoiding weaknesses, and studying related ninjutsu. She had to rely on techniques to compensate for her physical strength deficiency.

The genius worked so hard; what right did she have not to work hard as an ordinary person?

At a training ground next to the Inuzuka family, Kiba took Akamaru for a diligent walk, shouting the slogan of working hard to become stronger.

Being the same age as a true genius was both a kind of luck and a kind of misfortune for ordinary people.

For this group of ninja students, it was evident that they were all very motivated and did not give up because of the genius working hard.

Instead, they were like fish stimulated by catfish, each working much harder than previous students.

The only one who hadn't been paying attention to this matter for the time being was the yellow-haired boy.

After recording his ninja identity information, he was entangled by the Hokage's grandson, who was still studying at the ninja academy, wasting some time.

After a round of tossing, he asked the other party impatiently why he wanted to defeat Naruto, and then he heard the corresponding answer.

"In everyone's eyes, I'm just the Hokage's grandson. No one acknowledges me. I've had enough! So I want to make a name for myself beyond Hokage."

Under the shade of the tree, Naruto listened to Konohamaru's words and said with a serious face: "Since you think so, then go! I will never teach you."

"Why?"

"Because you're still using the privilege of being the Hokage's grandson." Naruto stretched out his finger and shook it gently, with a serious expression.

"If you want anything, you can get it immediately with quick success and instant benefits, which means you want something else before. There is something, so you feel that everything should follow your thoughts. The so-called dream beyond Hokage is just a child's nonsense.

"Do you know that even I don't dare to say something like Hokage lightly."

When Konohamaru was a little sluggish, Naruto stood up, bathed in the golden sunshine, and said with a serious look: "If you really want to gain recognition from others, try to make yourself better! Do you know what efforts I've made for this kind of thing?

"How can something like dreams be as casual as a child wanting candy!"

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