The Senju training grounds were silent at sunrise. The earth and surrounding trees were wet with morning mist. In the middle of the dew soaked grass, stood Senju Raizen! Shirt was off, body trembling, fists clenched.
"Four hundred... ninety two... ninety three..."
Each push ups sent waves of pain in his arms. But he refused to stop. Sweat dripped down from his face and mixed with the dirt below.
His muscles screamed with pain. His joints screamed. His breath came in gasps. But the system's interface hovered calmly in his vision.
Daily Task Progress:
Push ups: 493/500
Squats: 0/500
Run: 0/5km
Time Remaining: 17 hours
"Just... a few more," Raizen growled.
When he finished doing push ups he collapsed face first into the grass. He could not get up for several minutes. Birds chirped above him. Somewhere in the distance, the sounds of young shinobi practicing echoed.
No one noticed him training alone.
No one cared.
Three weeks ago, he'd awakened in this body, reborn into the Senju clan at one of its most dangerous moments. Hashirama was still alive but barely. The air in Konoha was tense. Every elder spoke in hushed voices. War loomed like a storm cloud.
And here Raizen was. No Kekkei Genkai. No Wood Release. Just an overworked office worker's mind in a teenage body and a system that demanded pain.
But pain he could endure.
By the time the sun had risen high, he had completed all tasks. Every muscle in his body burned. But deep inside, something strange stirred. A quiet joy.
He was improving.
And the system confirmed it.
+1 Endurance
+1 Strength
He smiled. Just a little. Then dragged himself to the nearby river to wash.
But not before the voices came.
"Hey, it's that kid again."
Raizen turned slowly. Three other Senju boys, around his age, stood near the edge of the forest path.
"Doing push ups in the mud again, Raizen?" one laughed. "Trying to become a Taijutsu master now? What a joke!"
"You should join the academy kids. Maybe you'll finally beat someone younger than you." Another added with a smirk.
Raizen didn't respond. He looked at them and nodded politely and continued walking.
They laughed harder at that. "What an idiot!"
But he didn't care.
Let them laugh.
He had a promise to keep with himself.
And the real results would speak for him soon.