Even without activating her Sharingan, Ling's vision remained exceptional. A Shuriken appeared in her hand, and following the sensation from her memory, she threw it directly.
With Ling's physical prowess, the casually thrown Shuriken sliced through the air at an incredibly high speed, embedding itself deeply into the tree trunk, completely out of sight, leaving only a deep crack.
It was evident that the power of a five-year-old loli like Ling's Shuriken was terrifying, which was truly against common sense.
Swoosh, swoosh, swoosh!
Several whooshing sounds echoed consecutively as seven Shuriken arced through the air, then intersected, sparks flying upon impact.
"One, two, three, five… only six hit the bullseye again."
This level of Shuriken throwing skill was something even an ordinary Chunin couldn't achieve, yet Uchiha Shisui showed a hint of dissatisfaction after observing it.
Uchiha Shisui looked up at the clouds drifting through the gaps in the branches and leaves, sighing softly. The Ninja Academy's opening day was approaching, and as a member of the Uchiha Clan, he had to possess strength far exceeding that of a Ninja Academy Student.
This was not only an elder's demand but also his own. He could sense a conflict between the Village and the Clan.
He wanted to change things, but the premise for all of it required sufficient strength.
Just then, he suddenly heard the sound of trees collapsing. The birds in the forest were startled, chirping and flying into the sky.
"This commotion? Could it be a Clan member training?"
If it was a Clan member, he would go say hello. Shisui had learned from the Third Hokage's discourse on Konoha's unique fire will that Ninja needed to forge more bonds and gain recognition, which was the embodiment of the fire will.
He believed it was very true, because through his observations, he found that the Uchiha Clan had almost no bonds with the Village's Ninja, and instead, their arrogance caused fear and dislike.
Although he didn't know how to change his Clan members, he could start with himself. By making the fire will his guiding principle, he would surely first gain the recognition of his Clan members, then the Ninja of the Village, and finally change the current situation between the Uchiha Clan and the Village.
He immediately leaped onto a tree branch, like a nimble leopard, jumping between branches and heading towards the sound of the falling trees.
Not long after, Shisui arrived at his destination.
However, he didn't immediately go out to greet them, but instead hid behind a nearby tree to observe.
"Hmm? It seems to be a five or six-year-old girl? She doesn't have a Clan crest? Is she from the Village?" Uchiha Shisui was somewhat surprised, as no one from the Village usually came to the Uchiha training grounds.
In a clearing within the forest, Ling's long hair gently swayed in the breeze, sweat trickled down her cheeks, and her expression was focused.
Ling could already throw three Shuriken simultaneously, hitting different targets.
However, for some hidden corners, the Shuriken still couldn't hit, as she hadn't mastered the curved trajectory of the Shuriken.
Uchiha Shisui noticed some issues with the little girl's Shuriken throwing technique, which limited her to only simple, straight throws.
Just as Shisui was about to reveal himself and point out the little girl's technique problems...
"Who's there! Come out! I've known you were there for a while!" A clear and ethereal shout, like a spring, came, interrupting Shisui's movement.
And Ling directly pinched a Shuriken and threw it straight through the large tree where Shisui was hiding.
The Shuriken directly pierced the side of the large tree, flying past Shisui's cheek, and the exploding wood chips made him involuntarily close his eyes.
Shisui could hardly imagine what kind of strength it would take to pierce the side of a large tree with a single Shuriken, as he hadn't sensed any Chakra on the Shuriken, which was why he hadn't dodged.
One must know that although the thickness of that position couldn't compare to the center, it was still over ten centimeters thick.
This kind of power could only be achieved by imbuing the Shuriken with wind-style nature transformation.
And involving Chakra nature transformation is generally only mastered by Jonin; most Chunin only attempt to learn it, and only elite Chunin or Special Jonin can master one type of Chakra nature transformation.
In other words, this little girl, relying solely on wrist strength, had surpassed most Chunin and even Jonin.
He estimated that the little girl's strength could already rival an elite Taijutsu Chunin with Chakra enhancement.
This showed how terrifyingly talented this little girl was, and she was roughly his age. In his perception, the little girl's Chakra was several times his, almost comparable to some veteran Genin.
Shisui looked at the wary girl, sighing in his heart, "Not only is her talent great, but her perception is also so keen?"
"Sorry for interrupting your Shuriken throwing practice. My name is Uchiha Shisui. I heard someone training here, so I came to investigate."
Shisui slightly brushed off the wood chips from his clothes, jumped down from the high branch, and walked out of the dense forest, awkwardly scratching the back of his head.
At this time, Shisui was not yet the Body Flicker Technique Shisui who had joined Root and fought against the Hidden Mist Village Anbu, but he was still that foolish person brainwashed by the fire will.
"My name is Yagyu Ling, you can also call me Uchiha Ling."
Ling collected the Shuriken she had scattered around during her training; she was ready to go back for lunch.
"Uchiha Ling, is she the branch family girl who Elder Kazuya mentioned, the one who awakened the Sharingan?"
Shisui recalled the information about Ling. He hadn't expected Ling to be even more of a genius than Elder Kazuya had described.
She was even more of a genius than he was, because he hadn't even awakened his Sharingan, his strength couldn't compare to the supposedly weaker Ling, and he didn't have as much Chakra as her.
Ling was tidying up her Ninja tools, and Shisui was lost in thought. For a moment, the scene became strangely quiet.
Uchiha Shisui snapped out of it and subconsciously looked at Ling's small face. Due to just finishing her training, it was slightly flushed, and her wispy bangs were damp with sweat, like a rose about to bloom with morning dew, making her exceptionally endearing.
Their eyes, Ling's bright and clear like autumn water, met for a moment. His heart seemed to skip a beat, and he immediately looked away, but his heartbeat remained unsettled for a long time.
He wasn't sure if it was just his imagination, but Shisui always felt that Ling seemed to recognize him, giving him a surprised look during his self-introduction.
Uchiha Ling packed her Ninja tool pouch, her eyes sparkling with Smart. She gave Uchiha Shisui a deep look, said nothing more, and left directly. After a few flashes and jumps, she disappeared from Shisui's sight.
Uchiha Shisui only then reacted, subconsciously chasing forward, then stopped again.
Since he knew the girl was Uchiha Ling, there would be another chance to meet. He could correct Ling's Shuriken throwing technique then.
By then, they could probably become friends, right? Shisui couldn't help but recall Ling's cool yet adorable face and her ethereal, orchid-like demeanor.