Perhaps complaining to the Hokage really worked. For the following period, Taiichi never saw Danzo again, nor did he receive any threats from Root.
Life seemed to have returned to normal, but only Taiichi knew things were different. Feeling the pressure, Taiichi worked even harder. He not only spent more time training every day but also became stricter with himself. During practice, he would never rest early if he could swing his sword one more time. Every night, he would try to exhaust all his Chakra before going to bed.
Such high-intensity training didn't just affect him; it influenced his friends around him too. Consciously or unconsciously, everyone began to follow Taiichi's rhythm, increasing their own training intensity.
Finally, in the small woods after school today, as everyone sat down to rest, utterly exhausted again, even Might Gai—who usually focused solely on training—noticed something was up.
"Taiichi... what's going on with you... lately? Why are you pushing yourself... so desperately every day?! You've got my blood... burning non-stop too!" Might Gai gasped, asking between heavy breaths.
"Yeah, yeah! I've been eating extra bowls of rice at dinner every day recently. Grandma even asked if I was sick!" Obito chimed in.
Taiichi saw everyone looking at him curiously, their faces full of concern, waiting for his answer. His heart warmed; he was lucky to have such a group of friends.
"It's nothing, really. I got into a fight a while ago and lost... badly. So, I figured I'd work hard to get my revenge later!" Of course, Taiichi couldn't tell them the truth. Knowing about Danzo and Root would do them no good; strictly speaking, it could be considered discussing sensitive high-level matters.
"Oh? Who could beat you, and beat you badly at that?" Obito looked excited upon hearing this. "Is it an upperclassman? Should we go beat him up together?"
Kakashi rolled his eyes. He knew Taiichi's strength. There were probably few students in the Ninja Academy who could beat Taiichi, and definitely none who could beat him that badly.
"Could it be a real ninja?" Rin Nohara guessed closer to the mark.
"Something like that," Taiichi said calmly. "It's just the motivation I needed to train harder. We're going to be ninjas, after all. Strength is the foundation."
Seeing Taiichi unwilling to say more, they didn't press him. After all, while it had been tough lately, their progress was indeed significant.
After recovering their stamina, everyone resumed their individual training. Gai punched a tree stump, shaking a tree half a meter thick until leaves rained down. Kakashi practiced his Kenjutsu nearby, his blade moving so fast it seemed impervious to water. Rin and Obito were sparring in Taijutsu, trading blows back and forth.
Taiichi was practicing Basic Taijutsu alone on the side. He had used too much ninjutsu earlier and had no spare Chakra left. His body moved instinctively, but his attention was focused on the system panel.
> [Chakra Refining Technique Lv10 (Max Level). New Trait Acquired: Instinct]
> [Instinct: From now on, Chakra refinement becomes a bodily instinct. You can refine the maximum amount of Chakra using the minimum amount of physical and spiritual energy, with zero waste. Effect: Chakra recovery speed doubled; daily maximum autonomous Chakra refinement doubled.]
> [Basic Taijutsu Lv10 (Max Level). Constitution +2, Strength +1, Agility +1. Evolved into Advanced Taijutsu Lv1 (0/1000)]
> [Basic Meditation Lv10 (Max Level). Spirit +2. Mental Resilience and Mental Resistance doubled. Evolved into Advanced Meditation Lv1 (0/1000)]
> [C-Rank Healing Jutsu Lv10 (Max Level). Yang Nature Transformation Experience +500]
> Name: Taiichi Matsushita
> Class: Apprentice Ninja Lv9 (52/1600)
> Talents: Diligence, Academic Genius
> Age: 6
> Constitution: 17
> Strength: 18
> Agility: 15
> Spirit: 22
> Chakra: 6000 (13500)
> Attribute Points: 11
> Skill Points: 12
> Nature Transformation:
> Fire Nature Transformation Lv4 (12/600)
> Wind Nature Transformation Lv4 (4/400)
> Water Nature Transformation Lv3 (376/400)
> Yang Nature Transformation Lv6 (324/800)
> Skills:
> Advanced Taijutsu Lv0 (0/1000)
> Advanced Meditation Lv0 (0/1000)
> Ninja Tool Throwing Lv9 (535/1600)
> Three Basic Jutsu Lv9 (231/1600)
> Hatake Style Kenjutsu Lv7 (534/1200)
> [Fire Style]
> Flame Bullet Lv8 (623/1400)
> Phoenix Flower Jutsu Lv9 (423/1600)
> Dragon Flame Bomb Lv5 (13/800)
> [Wind Style]
> Great Breakthrough Lv8 (312/1400)
> Gale Palm Lv5 (23/800)
> [Water Style]
> Water Wall Lv4 (589/600)
> [Medical Ninjutsu]
> Mystical Palm Jutsu Lv7 (23/1200)
> Delicate Illness Extraction Technique Lv6 (563/1000)
> Chakra Scalpel Lv5 (697/800)
> [Max Level Skills]
> Healing Jutsu
> Chakra Refining Technique: Instinct
> Evaluation: The shortcoming of Chakra has been slowly remedied. You can start to show off a little, but take note: absolutely do not show off too much.
Taiichi was stunned by the changes in his panel; he even stopped moving. Although he had guessed there would be changes when skills hit max level, he hadn't expected them to be this drastic. After silently digesting the influx of experience brought by the skill upgrades, Taiichi carefully felt the changes in his body.
First was his body. The increase in strength was acceptable, but the vibrant feeling of life made Taiichi feel like his previous self had been an old man. Seeing his daily maximum Chakra extraction break through 10,000, Taiichi finally felt he didn't need to be so stingy with his Chakra usage anymore.
Then there were the changes in Taijutsu and Meditation. Based on the surging experience, moving from Basic Taijutsu/Meditation Lv9 to Advanced Taijutsu/Meditation Lv0 placed him firmly in the Chunin range. once he raised the Advanced skills to Lv1, he would step into the realm of a Jonin.
He had just been worrying about his lack of strength, but the upgrades to these few skills instantly diminished that worry. Gathering his thoughts, Taiichi slowly began to practice the new Advanced Taijutsu based on the memories in his mind.
Advanced Taijutsu was far more complex than Basic Taijutsu, and the movements were much harder. Taiichi tried to slow down as much as possible, yet he still stumbled through the routine once. But to his surprise, after finishing the set, he didn't gain a single point of experience. Taiichi, refusing to believe it, practiced it again. The result was the same.
He practiced again and again. Only when Taiichi was able to perform the routine fluidly did the notification "Experience +1" appear. He practiced a few more times and finally realized: if his mind wandered even slightly or if there was a tiny flaw in his movement during practice, he wouldn't gain experience. This meant improving Advanced Taijutsu required not only vast amounts of experience points but also immense mental effort during training. It required full coordination of body and mind.
The difficulty had jumped by more than one magnitude. No wonder Advanced Taijutsu Lv1 was Jonin level.
His friends also noticed Taiichi's strange behavior. Obito was about to go ask him, but Kakashi stopped him. Facing Obito's puzzled look, Kakashi explained, "Taiichi seems to be practicing a new Taijutsu style. It looks like he shouldn't be disturbed. We'll watch over him."
"Okay!"
So, they scattered to four corners, doing basic exercises while intercepting anyone who might disturb Taiichi. It wasn't until nearly an hour later that Taiichi stopped, and everyone gathered around him again.
Taiichi, having stopped, looked at his friends' positions and instantly understood their intentions. While moved, he didn't forget to thank them. "Thanks, everyone. I had a bit of an epiphany with my Taijutsu just now. Sorry to make you worry."
His friends were happy for him. After all, such sudden epiphanies were rare, and each one meant a leap in strength. It was definitely something to celebrate.
"To thank everyone, I'm treating you all to BBQ today! I heard the Akimichi clan's BBQ restaurant is the best in Konoha." Taiichi invited his friends.
"Yay! BBQ! Let's go!" Everyone agreed happily.
The evening glow on the horizon illuminated their figures, shining bright red like the passionate flames of youth.