From that day on, Uchiha Hayato had a few more followers.
One was Dekai, who, according to himself, wanted to learn from Hayato to change Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi's opinion of him. It turned out he really wasn't messing around with those other boys anymore. Since one doesn't hit a smiling face, Uchiha Hayato didn't bother with him.
The other two were Yakushi Nonou and Hyuga Ruri. Nonou originally didn't want to come along, as she wasn't familiar with them, but Hyuga Ruri dragged her along, claiming it was to investigate how Uchiha Hayato secretly learned Gentle Fist. Having no way to refuse her friend, she had no choice but to follow along.
"Minato, have you also learned the Shadow Clone Technique?" Uchiha Hayato asked.
Minato Namikaze's mouth curved into a smile, "Of course, it's just the Shadow Clone Technique after all." He shook his head. "But the Shadow Clone Technique isn't very useful right now; my Chakra reserves aren't enough. At most, I can only create three Shadow Clones at once, and they don't last very long."
"That's enough. The Shadow Clone Technique's ability isn't just for combat; it can also be used to learn Ninjutsu," Uchiha Hayato explained. Minato was being a bit too ambitious. The Shadow Clone Technique is already a B-rank Ninjutsu. For him to learn it and be able to use Shadow Clones at all is already the mark of a genius, yet he's still complaining about not having enough Shadow Clones.
Not everyone has the massive Chakra reserves of the Uzumaki Family and the Senju Family.
"This much Chakra is already sufficient. Our next step is to practice controlling Chakra usage." Uchiha Hayato glanced at Minato. The future development of Rasengan would also depend on Chakra control. If he couldn't precisely control the flow of Chakra, then developing and using Rasengan would cause him to injure himself.
Uchiha Hayato lightly tapped his feet, walking directly from the ground onto a tree as if it were flat ground. He said to the inverted figures in his vision, "Tree climbing is the first step. By evenly and calmly concentrating Chakra on the soles of your feet, you can do this."
"If you can't control your Chakra for a long time, it will be like this..." Uchiha Hayato flipped in the air and landed steadily on the ground.
"You'll lose your balance on the tree and fall off." Uchiha Hayato's expression was serious. "This kind of mistake could be fatal in future battles."
"Hayato-sensei, I remember this is something Genin learn. Isn't it a bit too early for us?" Kushina raised her hand, as if she were really in class.
"Kushina, you're absolutely right, but you all must learn it." Uchiha Hayato smiled, then gave Kushina a playful flick on the forehead. "In my opinion, everyone here is a genius. And when geniuses go to the battlefield, they are sure to be targeted by the enemy. If they can't survive in battle, then a genius will forever only be a dead genius."
Not many famous people came from Minato's generation; most likely, a large number of them died in the war.
Is this Uchiha Hayato's way of thinking? Dekai felt ashamed. While he was still playing Ninja games in the Village with other boys, Uchiha Hayato had already thought this far ahead. Not only him, even Minato Namikaze himself was far inferior. The dark-skinned boy's face subtly flushed, overwhelmed with shame.
"Next, who wants to be the first to try tree climbing?"
Uchiha Hayato picked up a branch, pointing at everyone like a real teacher.
After a moment of silence, Yakushi Nonou was the first to step forward. She was also curious to see what level she could achieve.
"Nonou, is it?" Uchiha Hayato nodded. "For the next half hour, you'll try the tree climbing training."
Everyone sat around, watching Nonou slowly climb the big tree.
One, two, three. After taking a few steps, Nonou fell down. There was no look of disappointment on her face. She pondered for a moment and continued her tree climbing training. After dozens of failures, Nonou was finally able to climb to the top and hang upside down from a branch.
Of course, the training ground was on the outskirts of the forest. Although the trees here were tall, they weren't exactly towering. But for her, who was only seven years old, it was already quite impressive.
Minato Namikaze remained silent. Indeed, he couldn't underestimate others. He definitely couldn't achieve this level of Chakra control right now.
"That's amazing, Nonou." Uchiha Hayato clapped, truly worthy of being called the "Walking Miko" in the future. She had a talent for Medical Ninjutsu, and her Chakra control was evident.
"Next, you'll do your last tree climbing training for today." Uchiha Hayato showed a mischievous smile. "For this last tree climb, you must climb to the treetop in one go."
Nonou's sixth sense told her something was amiss, but she still chose to proceed with the tree climbing training.
One step, two steps… four steps, five steps. Good, this was her most successful attempt. Nonou felt happy for herself. This time, she might actually be able to climb all the way up in one go.
"Now, Xiao Yan, use Ember."
"Woof!"
Orange-red flames spewed towards Nonou on the tree, causing her to lose her footing. Her Chakra could no longer be maintained on the soles of her feet.
"Ah!"
"Nonou!"
Hyuga Ruri flashed forward and cushioned Nonou's fall before she hit the ground.
She helped Nonou up, checked her clothes, and, seeing no burn marks from the flames, she relaxed slightly. Then she glared at Uchiha Hayato.
"Uchiha Hayato, what are you doing? This is training, not a real battle. Nonou could get hurt!"
The crimson Sharingan instantly drew close, leaving Hyuga Ruri speechless. Uchiha Hayato was very close, yet she didn't feel shy; instead, a sense of fear arose within her.
"In a real battle, will the enemy watch you and let you move freely?" A cold Kunai was pressed against Hyuga Ruri's neck. "Especially for a Bloodline Limit user like you, enemies would be eager to pluck those Byakugan from your eyes."
She trembled, her lips quivering, feeling a warm sensation gradually descend in her lower abdomen, and sparkling tears welled up in the corners of her eyes.
"I hope that with Pokémon and the current enemies, we can become partners and live in harmony in the future. But that doesn't mean we don't need strength." Uchiha Hayato's tone softened. "Of course, I have medicine prepared."
He pulled a Potion from his Ninja pouch.
"Nonou won't be severely harmed. If she gets hit by Chimchar, I have not only Potions but also Burn Heal. Nonou will recover very quickly." He shook his head. "This training method not only improves Chakra control and reaction speed but also simultaneously trains the Pokémon's move accuracy. If you can't even accept this level of training, then go home early!"
Hyuga Ruri finally couldn't hold back, and tears fell with the wind as she turned and ran away.
Nonou gave Uchiha Hayato an apologetic smile. She knew Hayato was right, but Ruri was her friend, and it was better to consider her feelings.
"Hayato, aren't you going a bit too far? Everyone is only in second grade right now." Minato Namikaze gave a wry smile. He wouldn't be able to react to such a situation either.
"Really?" Uchiha Hayato stroked his chin. "Is the difficulty really too high?"
"What a passionate and exciting training! It's decided, a hundred laps of handstand running around the Village!"