The Third Generation looked at Yuichi with satisfaction.
"It's not that simple to become Hokage! Do you know what it takes?"
Of course, Yuichi knew that to become Hokage required three things:
Timing, reputation, and strength.
Yuichi nodded and said,
"You have to train hard to become stronger."
Hearing his answer, the Third Generation shook his head.
"No, it's not just about training hard. The real purpose of becoming stronger is not to become Hokage—but to protect Konoha. Everyone here is your family, Yuichi."
"I understand, Master Third Generation."
"Good." The old Hokage smiled faintly, then took two steps back, glancing at the training ground that was now a mess.
"I didn't expect such a big commotion. I promised to teach you ninjutsu before, but it won't work today. I've been out too long, and there are still matters to handle. Come to me tomorrow—I'll teach you new ninjutsu then."
"Thank you, Lord Third Generation."
The Hokage waved his hand, dismissing him, and Yuichi left.
Watching Yuichi's back fade into the distance, the Third Generation sighed softly. He raised a hand to his waist, his face darkening in pain. A faint glimmer of light flickered in his weary eyes.
Yuichi walked down the wide road, replaying the earlier battle in his mind.
'I lack powerful finishing techniques. Without Wood Style, I can't defeat a Kage-level opponent like the Third Generation.'
'But… with Body Flicker and my Wood Style physique combined with unlimited Chakra, I can reach the Valley of the End from Konoha in less than ten minutes.'
'With this speed, not even the Third Generation could catch me.'
Recognizing his own shortcomings, Yuichi decided he had to push his ninjutsu training to the next level.
Practicing all styles—like Water Style—served two purposes:
First, to maintain the image of a Water Style genius in the eyes of the Third Generation.
Second, because advancing ninjutsu to higher levels greatly increased their power.
He even considered developing Rasengan.
But Wood Style had to be shelved for now. It was too dangerous.
Being discovered once had already been a mistake. To be exposed again would be foolish.
Still, setting aside Wood Style left Yuichi slightly frustrated.
He stopped and glanced back at the half-destroyed training ground.
'So the Third Generation didn't take me as his disciple, huh…'
He shook his head, feeling a trace of disappointment.
With the status of an official apprentice, many things would be easier. What a pity.
"Keep training. My strength is still far too weak."
Yuichi muttered, then suddenly leapt upward.
Bounding swiftly across Konoha's rooftops, he darted through the village until he reached a remote hill.
As Yuichi moved, a pair of eyes silently followed him from a distant rooftop.
But the gaze didn't linger long—it soon turned away, the watcher descending from the building.
By the time evening fell, Yuichi emerged from Ichiraku Ramen.
A pity—he hadn't run into Naruto today.
His plan of observing at Ichiraku had been a cautious move to avoid attention.
But now things were different.
Yuichi had already caught the eye of the Third Generation.
There was no longer any need to be so reserved.
It was time to take the initiative.
Back home, Yuichi opened his character panel.
Chakra Attributes: [Water, Earth, Wind, Fire]
At the Hokage's office earlier, he had chosen to acquire Fire. Now, with four attributes under his belt, only Lightning remained. Once mastered, he would wield all five.
Physique: Intermediate Ninja Physique (95/10000)
(The recent battle against the Third Generation had earned him a few more points.)
Newly Learned Ninjutsu:
Lightning Style: Ground Walking (Elementary)
Fire Style: Fire Dragon Technique (Elementary), Great Fire Dragon Technique (Elementary), Phoenix Immortal Fire Technique (Elementary)
But these were still at the beginner stage. His earlier Earth Style (Substitution) and Wind Style (Great Breakthrough) hadn't advanced either.
[Fire Style: Fire Dragon Technique (0/800), Great Fire Dragon Technique (0/1000), Phoenix Immortal Fire Technique (0/700)]
[Earth Style: Earth Substitution (0/400)]
[Lightning Style: Ground Walking (0/750)]
[Wind Style: Great Breakthrough (0/800)]
Water Style remained his most legitimate front.
That afternoon, in the remote hills near Konoha, he had successfully upgraded both Water Dragon Bullet and Water Fang Bullet to intermediate level.
Even Water Severing Wave had nearly advanced, just a few points away.
With the upgrades, the hand seal time for Water Dragon Bullet and Water Fang Bullet had shortened to 1.5 seconds.
Water Severing Wave still needed about four seconds, but once promoted, it too would likely be cut in half.
[Water Style: Water Clone (Perfect), Waterfall Technique (Advanced, 1282/4000), Water Turbulent Wave (Advanced, 8/3500), Water Barrier (Advanced, 4/3800), Hard Vortex Water Blade (Elementary, 3/10000), Water Dragon Bullet (Intermediate, 5/1600), Water Fang Bullet (Intermediate, 3/1400), Water Severing Wave (Elementary, 1482/1500)]
The rest of his panel remained unchanged.
Closing the display, Yuichi muttered,
'I need to learn Shadow Clone as soon as possible.'
With a faint smile, he stepped forward to begin his wall-climbing training.
At present, he could already walk along the ceiling and cling upside down for a second or two.
But to him, his Chakra control still felt rough.
In truth, however, his situation was unique.
Because his Chakra was limitless, he could regulate the excess flowing to his feet without draining himself at all.
Yuichi's talent for Chakra control wasn't as poor as he believed.
Quite the opposite.
Ordinary shinobi couldn't even dream of controlling 100% of their Chakra.
For Yuichi, the challenge was even greater—he had to control not just all of his Chakra, but also the excess that endlessly replenished itself.
Every bit consumed was instantly restored.
Thus, clinging to walls and water-walking weren't just control exercises.
They were advanced training—pushing Yuichi's mastery far beyond the ordinary.