Hokage, no one knows better than me how to cultivate talent.

Qiu Shui had already mastered the Great Fireball Technique, and his proficiency in fire attribute nature transformation and form transformation had reached an advanced level. The fireball he spewed from his mouth was like a small meteorite, with a diameter of fifteen or sixteen meters. It crashed onto the grass not far away, carrying an astonishing heat wave. The high temperature instantly scorched the grass into a blackened patch, and the air was filled with the pungent smell of burning grass and trees. Even the ground was scorched and cracked slightly.

"So big..." Sasuke Uchiha was stunned, his face showing great shock.

Even among the Uchiha clan back then, he had never seen many people use the Great Fireball Technique to this extent. Moreover, he remembered that the Great Fireball Technique that Shusui used before was not this large. In other words, in just one month, he had increased its size and power by nearly a third.

"Although you train very diligently, your training method is wrong," Qiushui explained slowly. "To unleash ninjutsu that is more powerful than that of an ordinary person, you must master your own chakra, followed by chakra nature transformation and form transformation."

Chakra form transformation and attribute transformation are relatively advanced knowledge. The teachers at the school are mostly Chunin, and they themselves are not very proficient in these two aspects. Only when one reaches the Jonin level can one be said to be truly familiar with them.

In the anime, Sasuke Uchiha only learned from Kakashi how to master his chakra by climbing trees and treading water after graduation. As for chakra nature transformation and form transformation, he only truly began to learn them a month before the Chunin Exams when he was learning Chidori.

"Chakra nature transformation and form transformation are still far beyond your current level. What you need to master first is to skillfully control your chakra." Shusui repeated the method he had taught Naruto and Hinata, then pointed to a thick tree in front of them and said, "Try it the way I told you."

Sasuke Uchiha had previously thought that Naruto and Hinata's daily tree-climbing was a waste of time, but he never expected there to be such a reason behind it. This time, he didn't hesitate at all. His eyes became focused, and following the method that Shusui had taught him, he concentrated his chakra in his feet, took a deep breath, and rushed towards the tree trunk, his feet firmly stepping out on the vertical trunk.

"Isn't this pretty simple?"

The moment the thought crossed Sasuke's mind after he had run five or six steps, the chakra in his feet became slightly disordered, causing him to lose his balance and plummet straight down from a height of five or six meters.

"Hahaha, Sasuke, you're no good either!" Naruto, who had just climbed out of the river and was soaking wet, immediately burst into gloating laughter upon seeing this scene.

"Damn it, the bark was too slippery just now. I'll try again." Uchiha Sasuke gritted his teeth in frustration, got up from the ground, and dusted himself off.

He took a deep breath, gathered his chakra again, and rushed towards the tree once more. This time he was a little better than before, running seven or eight steps, but in the end he slipped and fell down.

"Sasuke, keep up this pace. You're much better than Naruto was back then," Shusui said gently. "He fell down after only two or three steps the first time he tried, and it took him almost a month to fully master the skill of climbing trees."

Naruto's face fell. He opened his mouth but didn't refute it because what Shusui said was true. He could only mutter something under his breath and turn around to continue practicing his water-treading technique.

In Qiu Shui's view, Sasuke is different from Naruto and Hinata. The more you laugh at him and put pressure on him, the more motivated he becomes. After all, he was able to withstand the tragedy of his clan's massacre and was repeatedly tortured by Itachi Uchiha's Tsukuyomi. His ability to withstand pressure is second to none among his peers. Even some adults are probably not as strong as him. However, this kind of pressure should be in moderation. It cannot be applied indiscriminately. Encouragement should be given at the right time.

Just as Shusui had expected, Uchiha Sasuke became exceptionally serious about his tree-climbing training. He charged towards the tree trunk again and again, falling down repeatedly, but he never complained. Instead, he would silently adjust his chakra allocation each time he got up, his eyes more focused than before. Shusui created a clone to guard the tree, catching him steadily when he fell from the sky to prevent unnecessary injury.

"Alright, that's enough for today's training. We'll continue tomorrow," Qiu Shui said, looking up at the darkening sky.

"Shusui-sensei, I can still keep going." Uchiha Sasuke was panting heavily, his forehead covered with fine beads of sweat. He wanted to catch up with Naruto and Hinata as soon as possible, and didn't want to be left behind by them.

"Training also requires a balance between work and rest," Qiu Shui said, shaking her head. "Excessive training will not only damage your body, but also reduce your efficiency. You have absorbed enough today and need time to digest it."

Uchiha Sasuke remained silent for a moment, then finally nodded.

As soon as the afternoon training ended, Hinata Hyuga ran home immediately.

She walked much faster than usual, almost jogging through the corridors of the Hyuga clan's mansion.

In the past, after each monthly exam, Hiashi Hyuga would ask her to report her grades, but the results were always unsatisfactory. Either she ranked low or she performed poorly, which always earned her father a disappointed look and a silent sigh.

So today, when she finally saw her name prominently listed first on her report card, the joy that welled up from the bottom of her heart almost overflowed her chest. She immediately thought that she must tell her father the good news as soon as she got out of school.

However, since Teacher Qiushui started training again today, she had to keep this good news to herself.

Hinata had just stepped through the door and was walking hurriedly toward her father's room when she suddenly stopped after a few steps.

She looked down and realized that she was still wet. During the afternoon training, there was a water walking exercise, and she had accidentally fallen into the water several times. Although her clothes were half dry, her hair was still damp and there were water stains on the corners of her clothes.

The Hyuga clan places great emphasis on rules and etiquette, with strict requirements for everything from speech and behavior to appearance.

Hinata knew very well that if she appeared in front of her father in this disheveled state, even if she had gotten first place in the exam, she would still be scolded.

She had no choice but to go back to her room first, take a quick shower and change into clean and tidy casual clothes. She then carefully tidied herself up in front of the mirror before heading to the study where Hiyashi usually stayed.

Standing in front of the study door, Hinata took a deep breath and slowly exhaled, repeating this several times before finally mustering the courage to gently knock on the door.

"Come in."

Hiashi Hyuga's authoritative voice came from inside.