A year has passed since he had left Konoha and he really didn't miss the place too much. There wasn't really anything for him, as his family wasn't alive anymore and he got no real close friends. Just three teammates that he got along with, nothing more.
Now in the sound things weren't that different, he didn't really have family or friends. No, he only had a student that he cared about more then anything else besides his ambitions. Though he got great training from the Sannin and Kabuto, he wasn't that close to them. No they were just a step in the stairwell to his goals.
Still he got along with many people, all had hard pasts in that place and no one pitied the other, just respected them for it, for getting through and wanting to change. It was a great time, especially since he could train with whoever he wanted, as everyone was interested to learn more and to challenge themselves against the famous last Uchiha.
Besides that he had created a few lightning jutsu, though they were all based on the principle of the chidori and they were quiet effective as no one seemed to suspect such jutsu. They seemed to expect far more flashier jutsu, so it was good a few of his own were subtle. Fire jutsu came to him far easier than these lightning ones, even while his first affinity was to lightning.
He was proud of his student that she was able to use now a good repertoire of different jutsu to make use in a battle. Though he had taught her even one of the jutsu he had created to help her along and she had gotten it down pretty fast within in a week, though just barely.
Learning and creating was a whole different matter altogether. It showed as he had taken almost half a year for his first jutsu, which wasn't even that spectacular. Though since then he had gotten better at improvising to use jutsu that he knew to shape into a new one, which was easier than making one from scratch.
Hanabi had gotten stronger too, she had become capable to fight evenly with him when he only used hand to hand combat and slowed himself down so that she could keep up. It was fun sparring with her, though she was no real challenge, but it was training to his reflexes and at reading people without the sharingan.
In the end though Kimimaro was the best spar he had thus far, as the guy was just as skilled and fast enough to keep up with him. With both of them having Kekkai Genkai no one had the advantage over the others, bit still he won more often than not, as he was strategically more inclined.
He dodged a strike from his student lazily, not even trying as they had been going at it for the better part of the morning and it was nearing noon. She moved sluggish, clearly exhausted, but she didn't give up. She clearly wanted to land a strike, but he was still fit, his breathing almost normal and just a light sweat layer coating his skin.
He could respect it, as on the battlefield she would too need to fight until the bitter end through her exhaustion, or she would die even sooner. Though as he dodged her follow up strike he moved in just in time to catch her as she collapsed.
"Stupid girl, taking on too much at a time" he whispered softly as he stood and brought her to her room to rest.