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The time of cultivation passes like a fleeting white horse.
In just a few days, Sosuke learned a lot about Kido from Kyōka Suigetsu.
He is still training vigorously in the forest.
The training ground is full of uneven terrain, with wood chips and rubble scattered everywhere.
Sosuke stands facing a several-high boulder, his eyes closed, expressionless. He lightly touches Kyōka Suigetsu with his hand.
When a gentle breeze blows, a green leaf dances in the wind, drifting past him.
"I feel it!"
Suddenly, Sosuke opens his eyes.
A glimmer flashes in his eyes!
The hands that were gently caressing the blade are now swirling like a wild wind.
"Shi!"
With a slight sound, Sosuke stops his movement, sheathes his sword, and slowly catches his breath as he looks at the massive rock in front of him.
In an instant, the huge boulder cracks into several pieces and slowly slides to the ground.
"Boom!"
It kicks up a cloud of dust on the ground.
If you look closely, you'll notice that each rock has a smooth blade mark, shining like a mirror. Next to the smooth stones, twelve green leaves lie quietly on the ground.
In that moment when the green leaves floated by, Sosuke swung his sword six times!
This is his understanding of Zanpakutō these past few days!
Sosuke gently touches Kyōka Suigetsu, as if it were an extension of his own body. His training in swordsmanship has progressed at an extraordinary speed, surpassing that of an ordinary person!
As for Kidō training, due to the issue of chakra consumption, he can only release a level Hadō #31. Shakkahō.
There is no way to solve the problem of low chakra reserves at the moment, so he can only extract it through daily practice.
As for Bakudo, during this time, Sosuke has mostly mastered unarmed combat and Zanpakutō techniques.
Unfortunately, there are no suitable opponents for him to hone his skills in unarmed combat. Sosuke can't help but feel regretful.
Lastly, what troubles Sosuke is Shunpo, the Flash Step.
He is eager to acquire this high-speed movement technique, but after attempting it, Sosuke realizes that he currently cannot master this practical and effective ability.
The requirements for physical fitness are too high for this high-speed movement technique. If he forcefully uses it with his current eight-year-old body, it will put a severe burden on him!
Therefore, in these few days, Sosuke has decided to enhance his physical fitness.
After a day of training, Sosuke feels somewhat tired. As he is about to leave with his exhausted body, a voice in the distance catches his attention.
The training ground he chose is located in a remote corner of the Konoha Forest, where no one usually comes. Hearing the voices of others at this moment piques his curiosity.
Curious, Sosuke walks towards the source of the sound, wanting to see who would appear in this place.
"397!" "398!"...
"If you can't reach 500 frog jumps, then punch the training post 1,000 times!! Keep moving forward! Youth does not allow failure!"
Hearing those strange slogans, Sosuke is greeted with an unexpected sight!
He sees a young boy wearing a green bodysuit, currently carrying a massive, thick log and continuously... frog jumping in his direction!
The log weighs at least a 100kg!
The boy with thick eyebrows and a watermelon rind hairstyle has a red face, his body drenched in sweat, continuously dripping off him!
Sosuke is shocked as he looks at him!
This guy... is he fearless or what?
The boy, who is still frog jumping, also notices Sosuke standing ahead of him.
Only to see him struggle to lift his head and look at Sosuke. Then he grins, revealing a set of white teeth, and struggles to throw the giant log to the side.
He brushes off the dust from his body, grinning widely, and looks at Sosuke.
"Hello, Sosuke! Nice to meet you. I'm Might Dai from the neighboring class!"
Sosuke, hiding his surprise behind his glasses, lightly touches his frames and smiles politely at Might Dai.
"Hello, Might Dai. I've heard of your name before, and I'm glad to meet you today."
Might Dai? Is he the guy from the neighboring class who's considered weird? So it's him.
Thinking this, Sosuke glances at the giant log on the side and is slightly amazed by the physical strength of the guy in front of him.
Upon hearing Sosuke's words, Might Dai's eyes light up!
To be able to have such a close encounter with the genius student who has various rumors among their ninja class! And to hear him acknowledge his existence! It makes him extremely excited!
He deeply bows to Sosuke!
Then he suddenly raises his head, tears welling up in his eyes, and says with excitement, "It's truly an honor! To think that you, Sosuke, know my name. It gives me a new understanding of the meaning of youth! Thank you, Sosuke! Youth should be as excellent as you!"
Upon hearing Might Dai's words, Sosuke maintains a polite smile on his face. Although he finds Might Dai's behavior somewhat strange, there is no doubt that he is a very capable ninja!
"Thank you for your praise, Might Dai."
"May I dare to ask, are you practicing Taijutsu?" Sosuke remains courteous and polite, giving Might Dai a level of respect he seemingly has never experienced before.
Upon hearing Sosuke's words, Might Dai nervously answers, his face slightly red, "Yes, Sosuke, I am... I am practicing Tai... Taijutsu because... because that's all I know..."
Taijutsu practice... He can only practice Taijutsu. For Might Dai, Taijutsu is everything to him. As a ninja school student who only knows Taijutsu, he is mocked and ostracized by his classmates.
But so what? He simply cannot perform the dazzling ninjutsu that other ninjas can, not even the most basic Bunshin no Jutsu.
Only by practicing Taijutsu can he preserve the title of being a ninja!
Only by exerting a hundredfold or even a thousandfold effort to practice the most demanding and thankless Taijutsu can he catch up to others and not be left behind.
At this moment, standing in front of Sosuke, one of the most outstanding students in the ninja school, Might Dai feels extremely insecure and nervous. Would the excellent Sosuke look down on him for being a fool who can only practice Taijutsu?
He has even prepared himself for Sosuke's change in attitude and departure after learning that he is such a fool who could only struggle with physical techniques?
At this point, Might Dai was even prepared to turn and leave if Sosuke reacted negatively to him being such a fool.
But who would have expected it!
"Physical techniques... Might Dai, you are a very outstanding ninja!" Sosuke's warm and gentle voice came softly.
Upon hearing Sosuke's voice, Might Dai couldn't believe it as he looked up at him.
The sunlight shone on Sosuke's face, exuding a warm and comforting aura, just like an older brother from the neighborhood.
An excellent ninja... an excellent ninja...
Finally... someone... recognized me...
Might Dai could no longer hold back the surging tears, allowing the tears of the past few years to flow uncontrollably.
"Tha... thank you, Sosuke! You... you are... the second person to acknowledge me, besides my father! Thank you!!"
Despite the tears streaming down his face, he once again bowed deeply to Sosuke.
He could see the sincerity in Sosuke's eyes, the same kind of gaze his father had when he believed in Might Dai's ability to become an outstanding ninja!
Tears flowed incessantly from the eyes of this eight or nine-year-old boy...
.....
Under the fading sunset,
On the way back home, a faint smile hung on Sosuke's lips.
Thinking about the encounter today, the calloused hands of that boy and the bandages wrapped around his arms, Sosuke murmured softly.
"Might Dai... truly a terrifyingly hardworking guy."