"One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight."
"Two, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight."
...
On the rooftop of the ninja school building, cheerful and rhythmic music played, accompanied by Might Duy's hearty and robust commands echoing in the air.
Listening to his father's voice, Guy, as if on adrenaline, performed various gymnastic moves in time with the beat. Behind him, his classmates looked on in amazement, watching their bodies move involuntarily along with Guy's.
"It's really moving by itself!"
"I can't control myself!"
"How amazing!"
Everyone couldn't help but exclaim.
Natsuhiko clapped his hands and said, "Everyone, focus and try to understand the key points of these movements."
"Yes, sir—"
Everyone finally suppressed their excitement and began to contemplate the movements seriously.
The warm-up exercises, stretching, limb movements, shoulder exercises, chest expansions...
As the series of simple and joyful gymnastic exercises continued, the expression on Kushina, who was watching, gradually became strange. It felt like a strong sense of disparity. After all, Natsuhiko had earlier combined the ancient monk's training methods, cultivation techniques, and the Eight Gates, speaking so mystically that it raised her expectations sky-high.
And then... this?
Why does it feel no different from the exercises elderly people do in the park?
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Kushina couldn't help but lean closer to Natsuhiko and whispered, "Natsuhiko, why do these movements seem so... ordinary?"
"Ordinary? How?" Natsuhiko, who was examining everyone's meridian scrolls, pretended to be surprised at her words.
"Can't you see that these movements are highly effective for exercise? Each movement targets specific body parts but generally covers both upper and lower limbs, providing comprehensive exercise for all body parts."
"And these movements are graceful, combining the pursuit of aesthetic beauty and practical effectiveness."
"It allows students to not only exercise but also to cultivate an elegant posture, greatly enhancing their aesthetic sense."
"It's truly a set of broadcast gymnastics suitable for all ages."
"—So why is it broadcast gymnastics!!"
"Where's the meridian training method you mentioned?" Kushina couldn't help but retort.
"Alright, alright," Natsuhiko said, smiling. "What I mentioned earlier was just the external explanation."
"External explanation?" Kushina asked curiously.
Natsuhiko explained, "Since this set of broadcast gymnastics will be popularised in the ninja school, we have to consider confidentiality."
"If other villages learn it right away, wouldn't everyone be back on the same starting line?"
"So, Mr. Duy and I put a lot of effort into combining the training principles of the Eight Gates to design these seemingly simple movements."
"Although these movements are quite good in themselves, suitable as warm-up exercises for students, what you see is just the surface. The real key lies in the invisible muscle movements within, which stimulate the chakra to follow through specific meridian routes."
"These muscle movements are precise and counterintuitive and can only be learned through repeated practice with the training suit's movement copy function, making it difficult to teach verbally."
"Even for someone as skilled as Guy, Mr. Duy had to put on the training suit and demonstrate the movements many times for him to learn. It's even harder for others."
"Moreover, the training suits come with various confidentiality mechanisms, such as chakra recognition and self-destruction when leaving the school."
"Therefore, unless other villages crack the training suit's principles, it would be hard for them to learn this 'simple' set of broadcast gymnastics."
Kushina finally understood, realising that this seemingly ordinary set of exercises had so much thought behind it. She couldn't help but feel touched as she watched Natsuhiko's focused profile.
Film projection, ninja card games, school-enterprise plans, research groups, and now broadcast gymnastics...
Even though Natsuhiko was just an elective course teacher, he never spared any effort to help the students grow. She thought to herself, if only she had such a teacher when she was in school.
Wondering what other novelties Natsuhiko would come up with in the future, she felt a bit envious of the future ninja school students.
As if reading her mind, Natsuhiko pulled out a tight-fitting suit from nowhere and said seductively, "Kushina, are you also interested in this set of broadcast gymnastics? No problem, I've got the suit ready for you."
"..."
Kushina stepped back expressionlessly. Imagining the entire school in tight-fitting suits, she suddenly didn't feel as envious of future students...
At that moment, the students' groans of pain brought Kushina's attention back. She saw a strange scene: except for Guy, the other students, though still moving in time with the cheerful music, had faces twisted in pain, occasionally letting out groans.
What kind of dark gymnastics is this? The stark contrast between their expressions and movements made Kushina feel a bit creeped out.
She quickly said to Natsuhiko, "Natsuhiko, look at them. What's happening?"
Without lifting his head from the scroll, Natsuhiko casually explained, "This is a normal reaction."
"Since they're using muscles that are rarely used under Guy's lead, those muscles start to ache after a few movements. It will pass after some time."
"Moreover, many of these muscles require extreme training. By exhausting commonly used muscles to the limit, the body is forced to use the target muscles, gradually learning how to control them actively."
"This not only enhances the students' control over their bodies but also helps maintain confidentiality."
Natsuhiko glanced at the students' pained expressions and stifled a laugh, "But the reaction does seem intense. We'll need to introduce it gradually, designing several transition versions to train each muscle group step by step."
Kushina rolled her eyes. She bet five ryo that he did it on purpose. What a naughty guy.
But she also felt relieved. Thankfully, there wouldn't be scenes of students doing exercises with cheerful music while screaming in agony.
Though she was a bit curious to see that.
Then she heard Natsuhiko say, "Due to confidentiality, most students won't know the true purpose of this broadcast gymnastics."
"What they'll know is that the school came up with another silly idea, making them do a set of ordinary broadcast gymnastics every morning."
Kushina was slightly stunned. This meant the students wouldn't know about Natsuhiko's efforts for them. She felt it was a bit unfair for him.
But looking at Natsuhiko checking everyone's movements, she smiled. Natsuhiko must have considered this. Since he didn't mind, she would just do her best as his assistant, supporting his work.
Indeed, the students would one day understand Natsuhiko's good intentions.
...
Before long, the music stopped. After much struggle, the students had finally finished the set of broadcast gymnastics.
Except for Guy, who seemed unaffected, the other students were gasping for air, drenched in sweat as if they had just been pulled out of water. However, due to the constraints of the training suits, they could only stand straight.
Natsuhiko snapped his fingers. The students regained control of their bodies and immediately collapsed to the ground, letting out sighs of relief. The rough rooftop felt more comfortable than a Hästens mattress.
But their respite was short-lived. Natsuhiko's devilish voice rang out: "Alright, five-minute break, then we'll do it again."
"Eh—!"
The rooftop echoed with cries of despair.
Kurenai Yuhi, tears welling up, pleaded, "No, teacher! I'm exhausted!"
Obito lay on the ground, mumbling, "I don't want to dance anymore!"
Rin and Ebisu, being more mature, could only smile wryly.
Asuma was bargaining with Natsuhiko: "Teacher, this set of exercises is too effective. It feels like my meridians are fully opened. Once a day… no, once a week is enough."
The other students chimed in, agreeing wholeheartedly with Asuma.
Unfortunately, Natsuhiko's response was as cold as ever: "Four minutes and fifteen seconds left of the break."
"..."
The students fell silent.
Realising their teacher wasn't swayed, they decided to conserve energy and rest as much as possible. Natsuhiko pulled out bottled water and towels from a storage card and handed them to Kushina to distribute to the students.
He then walked with the still-energetic Guy to a corner, making slight adjustments to the broadcast gymnastics based on feedback from the meridian scrolls.
Before they knew it, the five-minute break was over.
Rin and Ebisu stood up shakily while the others remained on the ground, seemingly unable to move.
Whether they were genuinely exhausted or pretending, Natsuhiko was prepared. He raised his hand and snapped his fingers again under the students' fearful gazes.
The rooftop was filled with groans as the training suits' movement copy function activated, forcing everyone to stand. The sudden movement strained their overworked muscles, causing another wave of pain.
But this was just the beginning.
As Natsuhiko infused chakra into a card, Might Duy's spirited voice rang out again: "The second set of Konoha Ninja School Broadcast Gymnastics, the call of the times… ready, go!"
"One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight…"
With resigned expressions, the students' bodies moved in unison with Guy's, their muscles protesting with every move.
This painful exhilaration was unending!
(End of This Chapter)
Chapter 109 is up on my Patreon. Minato Namikaze makes his first appearance in the fanfic~
Chapter 89 is free on my Patreon. I have posted a new translated fic on my Patreon today, which is accessible to all members, including the Free Members. So, make sure to check it out, as it is arguably my best translation project so far.