I just returned to Konoha and found that my entire clan was gone.

"It's alright. My mastery of this technique isn't perfect yet; I need further practice," Ye Lan said casually.

"There's no need for physical training tomorrow. Just come straight to the training field. I have something to tell you."

Sakura nodded, curious about what Ye Lan had to say to him.

The next day, Sakura went straight to the training ground, just as Ye Lan had told her.

"Sakura, you and I will have sparring today. I will use a Chunin shadow clone to spar with you. Don't hold back. Let's see how far you can go," Ye Lan said directly upon seeing Sakura's arrival.

"Yes." Sakura was a little excited when she heard that today was a practical training session. She was ready. Although it was just a shadow clone, Sakura was not careless after witnessing Ye Lan's water jutsu yesterday.

"Take off the weights on your legs. Don't wear them unless you're doing physical training. Wearing them for too long will affect your physical development, and you're still at the age where you're growing taller," Ye Lan instructed before training.

After Sakura removed her weights, the combat training officially began. Sakura immediately tried to get close to Ye Lan. Her strength was her fists, and she believed that if she landed a punch, Ye Lan's shadow clone would be defeated.

Ye Lan, in his shadow clone form, didn't give her that chance. He constantly used his speed to maintain the distance between himself and Sakura, while using shuriken to harass Sakura's progress with one hand. Sakura dodged left and right, and although her strength and speed had increased considerably after a month of training, she still couldn't keep up with the shadow clone's speed and could only passively take hits.

Sakura knew she couldn't continue like this, so she quickly turned and hid behind a huge rock. She remembered that Ye Lan had said this was a practical training exercise, but hadn't explicitly stated that she couldn't hide. Therefore, if the shadow clone wanted to attack, it would have to get close to her, and that would be the perfect opportunity for her to counterattack.

Ye Lan watched Xiao Ying's actions, a slight smile appearing on his lips. He immediately ordered his shadow clone to head directly towards Xiao Ying's hiding place. The shadow clone slowly approached Xiao Ying's hiding place, but when it reached behind the boulder, it was astonished to find that Xiao Ying had already vanished without a trace.

Just then, the shadow clone heard some faint noises above and alertly began to dodge to the side. At the same time, a cloud of smoke billowed out, and an arm suddenly reached out from the smoke, tightly grabbing one of the shadow clones. It turned out that after hiding, Sakura had cleverly used her transformation technique to disguise herself as a pile of rubble next to the rock. The Sakura that appeared above was just one of her clones.

"Got you, Brother Yelan!" Sakura shouted excitedly. Then, she gathered her strength and threw a punch, hitting the captured shadow clone solidly, instantly turning it into a cloud of smoke and dissipating into the air.

Ye Lan saw everything and couldn't help but clap his hands. He walked up to Xiao Ying and said, "Well done."

Sakura smiled shyly after hearing the compliment.

"But Sakura, have you noticed your shortcomings?" Ye Lan then asked.

"Is it still not fast enough?" Sakura felt that if she were faster, she could finish the battle much faster.

"I suppose so, but you have to understand that there are many ninjas who are faster than you during missions. No matter how much you train, you can't reach the limit of speed. There will always be ninjas who are faster than you."

“Your current weakness is that you lack any ranged attack methods, and sometimes you don’t need to actively approach the opponent,” Ye Lan said. “Think about what you would think if you were a ninja and encountered one like that?”

Seeing that Sakura was thinking, Yelan pointed it out directly, "A medical ninja or some ordinary female genin, you definitely wouldn't expect that your strength is your fists."

Hearing Ye Lan's words, Xiao Ying suddenly understood. "So, the other party will take the initiative to approach me?"

“In that case, the enemy isn’t particularly powerful. You still need to confuse the enemy.” Ye Lan took out a scroll and handed it to Xiao Ying.

"There are three ninjutsu here: Earth Release, Rock Pillar Spear, and Earth Release: Rock Fist, as well as a genjutsu, Fox Mind Technique," Ye Lan said, forming hand seals as he began demonstrating to Sakura.

First, a spike suddenly materialized in an open space in the distance, piercing through a tree. Then, Ye Lan's fist covered the rock, and the fist grew twice its original size.

"The Rock Pillar Spear is a ranged attack technique that can strike the opponent unexpectedly in certain situations, while the Rock Fist can further enhance the power of your punches." As he spoke, Ye Lan deactivated the Rock Fist. "As for genjutsu, I won't hide it. The effect of genjutsu is mostly to trap the enemy in an illusion, allowing you to attack more effectively. What I'm trying to tell you is that in combat, you can use the Rock Pillar Spear and genjutsu to attack first. This will make the enemy think you are a ninja who focuses on ninjutsu, and they will want to attack you at close range. In this way, your punches will come in handy."

"So that's how it is..." Sakura took the scroll, her eyes filled with thought, as if she had found a new way to fight.

"The competition will begin in a few days, and my training for you will end here. The rest is up to you. I've fulfilled Kakashi's entrustment to me," Ye Lan said.

"Is it over already?" Sakura suddenly felt a little reluctant to leave. She could feel that this past month was the month in which her strength had improved the most since she was a child, and she didn't expect it to end so quickly.

"It's over. I'm not suitable to be your teacher. I've taught you everything I could. Our fighting styles are different. You'll meet a more suitable teacher in the future. You'll have to walk your own path from there." Ye Lan patted Xiao Ying's head. Xiao Ying didn't refuse, but her face turned a little red.

"There's one more thing." Seeing Sakura's appearance, Ye Lan couldn't help but think of Sasuke.

"You like Sasuke, don't you?"

"Ah? This..." Sakura, who was already blushing a little, became even more embarrassed. Moreover, Ye Lan was Sasuke's cousin, and being asked this question suddenly made her feel a bit like she was meeting his parents.

"How much do you know about the Uchiha clan?" Ye Lan asked directly, having already confirmed Sakura's thoughts.

"The Uchiha clan?"

Seeing Sakura's questioning expression, Ye Lan realized that most of the common people in the village and the low-ranking ninjas with no background were not very clear about what had happened to the Uchiha clan.

“Five years ago, not long after I left the village, a horrific tragedy occurred within the Uchiha clan,” Ye Lan said slowly. “I only learned about it when I returned to the village. Five years ago, one night, Itachi Uchiha, together with an unknown expert, massacred the Uchiha clan.”

This is the first time Sakura has learned about this.

"This man named Uchiha Itachi is Sasuke's older brother. He killed his own parents and everyone in the Uchiha clan with his own hands. After that day, only Sasuke and I were left in the entire Uchiha clan."

Killing his own parents? How could such a thing happen? No wonder Sasuke looked so cold. Sakura remembered that five years ago, Sasuke suddenly missed a few days of class; that's when it happened.

"Sasuke and I have only one goal: to find Itachi Uchiha and kill him. This is not only for ourselves but also for the Uchiha clan members he killed." Ye Lan recounted the tragic story of the Uchiha clan. "I'm telling you this to let you know that I won't interfere if you like Sasuke. However, Sasuke probably has no intention of being in a relationship right now. I just hope that you can keep your feelings buried in your heart for now and express them after everything has settled down. After all, you are still young."

After listening, Sakura nodded silently and stopped talking. It seemed that the events that happened to the Uchiha clan had greatly shocked her.

"Don't overthink it. Just treat Sasuke the same way you always have. I'm just telling you about Sasuke's past experiences so you can better understand him." Ye Lan then took out a gift box. "Finally, I'll give you something as a gift to mark the successful completion of your training with me."

"No, no, no, I can't accept this. My training has already caused you trouble," Sakura said, trying to decline, her face showing a hint of panic.

"Take it. I just happened to think it suited you, so I bought it." Ye Lan handed it directly to Xiao Ying.

Sakura didn't refuse again, but opened the box with some curiosity, only to find a pair of dark gloves inside.

"Although you've already mastered the Hardening Technique, you still need to take good care of your fists. They'll be your most important weapons in the future. These gloves will not only protect your fists but also allow you to better circulate chakra. I saw them while I was looking for a ninja sword, and I thought they were a good fit for you, so I bought them."

Sakura tried on the gloves, circulated her chakra, and just as Ye Lan had said, she immediately fell in love with them.

"Thank you so much." Sakura knew that this gift was indeed very suitable for her.

"Well then, I'll be leaving now that training is over." Ye Lan waved his hand and turned to leave. Xiao Ying quietly watched his departing figure, a deep sense of gratitude welling up in her heart. She knew that Ye Lan had been by her side all month, guiding her training and helping her overcome difficulties. Without Ye Lan's patient teaching and encouragement, she could not have made such great progress. At this moment, she wanted to express her deepest gratitude to Ye Lan, but felt that no words could fully express this feeling.

Sakura bowed deeply to Ye Lan's retreating figure, expressing her sincerest gratitude.

Chapter 20 The Competition Begins

Brilliant fireworks lit up the venue as nobles from the big city arrived. Village ninjas and some curious residents also came to watch the competition.

"Brother Ye Lan!" Xiao Ying saw Ye Lan in the venue and quickly ran to him.

"You're here too. The match is about to start." Ye Lan saw that Ino was with Sakura, and the two of them had agreed to come to watch the match together.

"Since we've met, let's play together. He can give us some analysis later," Ino said from the side. Watching the game with a handsome guy would make her feel much better.

"That works too." Although the Hokage had tasked him with keeping an eye on Gaara to prevent him from going berserk, he hadn't been explicitly told which specific location in the venue he had to stay in. Furthermore, if he were with Sakura and the others, he could protect them should anything happen. Therefore, after some consideration, Ye Lan agreed.

"Speaking of which, who do you think will win the first match between Naruto and Neji?" Sakura asked with some concern after finding a seat. Despite her usual bad attitude towards Naruto, she still cared about him a lot during the match.

"Neji will definitely win! Naruto is no match for Neji no matter what." Ino expressed her opinion before Ye Lan could speak.

"If we look at it from a month ago, Neji would definitely have a better chance of winning. However, we don't know how much both sides have improved in the past month, so we'll have to see how they perform." Ye Lan knew that Naruto was a descendant of the Uzumaki clan. If he awakened some of the Uzumaki clan's talents, it was uncertain whether the Byakugan could win.

Time ticked by, and the stands gradually filled with spectators, creating an incredibly lively atmosphere. Meanwhile, the participating genin gathered in the center of the arena. The referee for this match was Genma Shiranui, who stood at the sidelines, his expression serious as he watched each contestant. As the match drew closer, the tension on the field intensified.

Finally, the Kazekage appeared in everyone's sight. He wore the usual shadow robes and hat, but his face was completely obscured, perhaps a custom of Sunagakure. Nevertheless, he nodded slightly to those around him. Immediately afterward, Hiruzen Sarutobi stood up and announced, "This tournament officially begins!" His voice resounded throughout the arena, instantly igniting everyone's enthusiasm.

All the other genin left the stage, leaving only Naruto, Neji, and the referee. At Genma Shiranui's command to begin, both sides immediately sprang into action.

Naruto immediately used the Shadow Clone Technique, cleverly distributing his chakra evenly among each shadow clone, thus preventing the Byakugan from seeing through his true form. However, the difference in taijutsu between the two was too great; each shadow clone was defeated in less than two moves by Neji. In desperation, Naruto attacked with shuriken, which shot towards Neji from all directions, seemingly impossible for him to dodge.

Neji raised his arm and began to spin rapidly, his entire body enveloped in a hemispherical chakra, deflecting all the shuriken Naruto threw.

"What kind of attack is this?" Ino asked in surprise, as she hadn't seen Neji use this kind of ninjutsu a month ago.

"It's the Reversal of Fortune." As a member of the Uchiha clan, Ye Lan knew the Hyuga clan's trump card. However, only members of the main family could use this move. Neji was a member of the branch family and was so resistant to the main family. Given the Hyuga main family's structure, it was impossible for them to teach him. So he had to learn it on his own. Unexpectedly, the Hyuga branch family produced a remarkable person.

"The Heavenly Reversal can defend against physical attacks from all angles, which can be considered absolute defense in a certain sense," Ye Lan explained to Xiao Ying and the other girl.

"No matter how Naruto attacks, he'll be blocked by the Rotation. How can Naruto win like that?" Sakura asked worriedly.

"Even the strongest ninjutsu depends on how it's used. Besides, a technique like Rotation consumes a lot of chakra, so Neji can't use it many times. It depends on how Naruto handles it," Ye Lan comforted him.

In the blink of an eye, Naruto's clones were all dealt with by Neji, leaving only the original Naruto in front of Neji. Neji seized the opportunity and used the Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms to knock Naruto to the ground.

"It's over, Naruto lost." Ino, who had never thought highly of Naruto, covered her face and said.

Naruto struggled to his feet once more; having been hit by the Gentle Fist, he couldn't muster any chakra. Seeing Naruto's disheveled state, Neji began to mock him, saying that fate was predetermined except for death, and recounting the main branch's malice towards his father, even revealing the Caged Bird Seal on his forehead as proof. Unlike Hinata, Naruto didn't verbally retaliate against Neji, saying that if he became Hokage, he would abolish the Hyuga clan's rules. Neji, upon hearing this, looked at Naruto with a laugh, saying that this loser knew nothing and lived in his own fantasy world.

Just when everyone thought Naruto was about to lose, a burst of red chakra erupted from Naruto's body, instantly healing all his wounds.

"That chakra!" Ye Lan looked at Naruto in surprise. It was the Nine-Tails! This guy was the legacy of the Fourth Hokage. The Uzumaki clan, the Nine-Tails... So that's it! This kid was the village's Jinchuriki. Ye Lan knew there was a Nine-Tails in the village, but he didn't know who the Jinchuriki was. Perhaps most Jonin knew, but because he had been away from the village for a long time, he didn't know anything about this, and he couldn't possibly ask about the Jinchuriki himself. That's why he only now realized that the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki was Uzumaki Naruto.

After Naruto unleashed the Nine-Tails' chakra, his speed and power instantly increased to a new level, while Neji also activated his Byakugan to enhance his strength. The two clashed repeatedly in the arena; the sound of kunai colliding and the dust kicked up on the ground indicated the intensity of the battle.

However, as time passed, both of them gradually exhausted their strength. Finally, they used their last move. Neji used the Heavenly Rotation technique, and Naruto's Nine-Tails chakra collided with it, creating a loud bang. Then, both of them collapsed to the ground. Genma Shiranui watched the two fall, secretly marveling at the intensity of the match.

After a while, Neji was the first to stand up. He walked to where Naruto had been lying, a smug smile on his face: "Sorry, loser, this is reality. The winner..."

Just then, a sound came from the ground beneath his feet. Before Neji could react, Naruto burst from the ground, delivering an uppercut directly to him. Caught off guard by this sudden attack, Neji was thrown backward and crashed heavily to the ground, unable to get up again. It turned out that the person lying on the ground was just a clone of Naruto.

Naruto walked up to him and said, "The graduation exam used to be the Shadow Clone Jutsu. I failed it three times, but now I've mastered it. So stop saying things like 'fate can't be changed,' because you're different from me; you're not a loser."

These words extinguished Neji's will to resist, and he willingly accepted defeat. Genma Shiranui then announced Naruto's advancement.

"Naruto actually won!" Ino exclaimed in surprise, never expecting that Naruto, who used to be at the bottom of the class, had grown to this level.

Naruto has always worked very hard. Sakura thought to herself after hearing Naruto's words.

"He can already use the Nine-Tails' chakra? I wonder how Kakashi found Naruto a teacher. It seems the month wasn't wasted." While Ye Lan was pondering, Ino said anxiously, "By the way, why hasn't Sasuke arrived yet? The first match is over. If he doesn't come soon, it will be considered a forfeit."

"Don't worry, Kakashi should know what he's doing. In my opinion, he'll definitely wait until Sasuke's match is about to start before arriving."

Seeing Sakura's puzzled look, Ye Lan continued to explain, "You know Kakashi's habit of being late, so he definitely won't show up until the crucial moment."

After hearing Ye Lan's words, Sakura thought about Kakashi's past actions and felt that this was very likely the case.

Chapter 21 Reanimation Jutsu

After Naruto's match ended, the next match was supposed to be Sasuke vs. Gaara, but since Sasuke hadn't arrived yet, the other matches started first. Unexpectedly, Kankuro surrendered in his match against Shino, leaving only Shikamaru and Temari.

"Why did that puppeteer from Sunagakure forfeit after all this time?" Sakura didn't understand why Kankuro would forfeit after they had finally reached this point.

"Shikamaru might not necessarily forfeit if he sees something like that," a chubby ninja said while eating potato chips. It turned out to be Choji Akimichi, Ino's teammate.

"Choji, are you all better now?" Ino had visited him in the hospital before. Choji had gotten an upset stomach from eating something and had been in the hospital for several days.

"It's all set now." Choji munched on potato chips, finishing one bag and opening another.

"Why do you say that about Shikamaru? He's also undergone special training, so he might not necessarily lose to Temari," Sakura asked curiously.

“You guys really don’t understand Shikamaru at all. That guy has never had any motivation.”

Upon hearing Choji's words, Sakura and Ino both looked at Shikamaru in the arena and noticed that he was muttering something to himself.

"I'm afraid that guy is saying things like 'It's just so troublesome' all the time."

Ye Lan's hearing is excellent. Shikamaru is indeed complaining as Choji said. On the contrary, Temari is full of energy. After the referee announces the start, she begins to attack, using her three-star fan to continuously release wind release attacks on Shikamaru. At the same time, she is also paying attention to Shikamaru's shadow imitation technique. She has already learned this technique during the preliminaries. As long as she is not caught by Shikamaru's shadow, she will win.

However, Shikamaru's intelligence amazed everyone present. He cleverly forced Temari to the vicinity of the pit left by Naruto in the previous match, and used the Shadow Imitation Technique to grab Temari through the pit. Just when everyone thought Shikamaru was about to win, he raised his hand to announce his forfeit, saying that he had no more chakra and had tried many methods but could not defeat his opponent, so he had no choice but to forfeit.