"Kiyoshi Uchiha actually won?"
"So... so strong."
"Wait, the previous bets don't count. This is an unexpected event..."
A moment of silence was followed by a more intense discussion.
Some students had made bets on whether Kiyoshi or Obito would win.
"Hey, are you trying to welch on your bet?"
"Fine, I'll give you my adult magazines."
...
Defeating the Dead Last would not be shocking.
But a "normal person" who could only crudely refine chakra, meaning he had only trained for a few days, could immediately defeat an aspiring ninja student.
The implications were profound.
Years of cumulative training were not comparable to the starting point of someone who had only trained for a few days.
The students in the class all assigned a new label to Kiyoshi:
Taijutsu Genius.
The most terrifying thing was that Kiyoshi Uchiha was rumored to have awakened the Sharingan at this age and could use its power.
Coupled with the Uchiha clan's renowned Fire Release talent, no one knew if Kiyoshi possessed the same genius in other areas.
"I didn't think this guy was actually pretty good," Asuma Sarutobi said.
"He is," Kurenai Yūhi nodded.
Her red eyes fixed on Kiyoshi.
Her long, curly black hair swayed gently in the wind, falling down onto her face.
"What will his Genjutsu be like?" Kurenai Yūhi muttered.
"Hm, what?" Asuma Sarutobi didn't hear clearly.
"Nothing." Kurenai Yūhi shook her head.
"Alright, Obito, don't be discouraged. Try harder next time."
Instructor went forward to check on Obito. He lifted him up and saw it was only minor bruising, so he comforted Obito with a few words.
"Hmph, I just didn't perform well this time!" Obito was furious, thinking about how he had lost face in front of Rin.
"It's okay, Obito. You already tried hard enough." Rin Nohara also comforted Obito.
Hearing Rin Nohara's comfort, Obito's expression immediately became cheerful and playful again.
"It's a shame Kiyoshi isn't training Taijutsu with me," Might Guy said with a look of extreme pity.
"If he trained the youthful way with me, he would have great gains."
"No, that would be ruining him." Kakashi shuddered at the thought of an Uchiha wearing a green jumpsuit and getting a bowl cut hairstyle.
"Kiyoshi Uchiha, I should observe him for a while longer," Kakashi mused.
He was tired of the playful sparring at the Ninja Academy.
The idea of graduating early was becoming stronger.
His father, Sakumo Hatake, the White Fang of the Leaf, was renowned throughout the ninja world, yet he was wasting time here.
Earlier, at the age of four, he could fully execute the Earth Release: Earth-Style Wall technique even before entering the Ninja Academy.
He even participated in a ninjutsu competition, won first place, and received a silver kunai as a prize.
"If Kiyoshi Uchiha can also graduate early, being his teammate wouldn't be a bad idea." Kakashi thought.
Kiyoshi, back in the crowd, dealt with the conversations from those around him.
[Lightning Release: Iron Armor] was very useful.
He could feel his development speed increasing.
During his fight with Obito just now, Kiyoshi had clearly noticed that he was more agile than the previous day.
[Lightning Release: Iron Armor] allows Lightning Release chakra to concentrate in muscle fibers beneath the skin. Through a specific chakra release frequency, the electrical current permeates the deeper layers of every muscle.
The electrical current stimulates the activity of fast-twitch muscle fibers, triggering the protein synthesis mechanism within the fibers, causing muscle cells to rapidly expand.
This would lead to better results for Kiyoshi than traditional training.
The drawback was that it could not train internal organs or bones, only increasing the toughness and some defense on the skin's surface.
For now, this was sufficient for Kiyoshi's use.
Currently, Kiyoshi had not yet mastered this technique, having only experimented with local muscle fibers using the methods described in the scroll.
Once he fully mastered this technique, Kiyoshi's body would quickly become robust.
Next, Instructor began calling out the next group for sparring.
Kiyoshi, meanwhile, continued to quietly practice [Lightning Release: Iron Armor] within the crowd, guiding the Lightning Release chakra inside his body.
If someone were to use the Byakugan to look through Kiyoshi's chakra network, they would see a faint current radiating and spreading outward from the network.
He was getting stronger bit by bit.
The current Kiyoshi could easily defeat the version of himself from a month ago, just after arriving at the Hidden Leaf!
***
Dusk.
There were still many figures at the Third Training Ground.
Near the edge of the Third Training Ground, there was a small river.
"Today, we are going to learn Water Surface Walking," Rin Nohara explained the trick to Kiyoshi.
Kakashi and Obito were also there.
Obito crossed his arms, deliberately staying away from Kiyoshi and moving closer to Rin Nohara.
Kakashi's expression beneath his black mask was still emotionless as he quietly listened to Rin's explanation.
He already understood all of this.
The reason he had been here for several consecutive days was that he noticed Kiyoshi was making progress every day.
Sometimes, the ability to make progress is a talent in itself.
In contrast, reaching a plateau despite efforts is the usual state of affairs.
"How will Kiyoshi handle this? The difficulty is quite a bit higher than Tree Climbing."
Kakashi's eyes looked toward Kiyoshi.
In Tree Climbing, one only needs to gather chakra in the corresponding part of the body and maintain it at a certain amount.
Because the tree does not move, one only needs to be able to adhere to it.
This is the most basic and crucial point for a ninja: learning how to generate a precise amount of chakra.
For Water Surface Walking, to stand on the water's surface without sinking, one must "continuously" release an appropriate amount of chakra.
And this amount must be precisely enough to support one's body.
This is much harder than maintaining a steady amount of chakra, it tests a ninja's ability to maintain chakra gathered at the soles of their feet for an extended period.
"When ninjas refine chakra, they are basically doing so while constantly moving. Facing such conditions, 'controlling' and 'maintaining' chakra is extremely difficult. Therefore, one must build a solid foundation," Rin Nohara explained seriously.
She seemed to have paid close attention in class, memorizing all this theoretical knowledge.
"Oh, I see."
Obito, who often spaced out in class, realized that Rin had just explained a lot of theoretical knowledge, much of which he didn't know.
Obito turned his head and looked at Kakashi.
Kakashi's expression was unchanged.
Clearly, like Rin Nohara, he knew all this information.
He looked at Kiyoshi, who seemed lost in thought.
*Crap*, was he the only one who was completely confused?
Obito's heart tightened.
He decided that when he went home, he would urgently brush up on his knowledge.
"I'll give you a demonstration."
Rin Nohara took off her shoes. Her feet stepped onto the gently flowing water, creating small ripples.
She walked a few steps, her posture very steady.
"It's simpler without shoes," Rin Nohara shared a little trick.
Without shoes, one only needs to focus the chakra on the soles of the feet.
Wearing shoes requires considering the thickness of the shoes and how they conduct chakra.
"Okay."
Kiyoshi walked forward a few steps and removed his Uchiha robe, leaving only a long-sleeved inner shirt.
He performed the hand signs, gathered a certain amount of chakra, and began attempting to stand on the water's surface.
***
Please Add to library and vote power stones if you can
Thanks for reading.