"Five hundred seventy-one... Five hundred seventy-four..." Chiba counted as he squatted, each time pondering over his battle with Kakashi.
There... it was there, his oversight was simply not paying attention to the pit he had made.
In other words, he hadn't calmly observed the terrain at the time, too preoccupied with devising ways to defeat Kakashi and anticipating Kakashi's strategies against him. Although his plan eventually succeeded, in a real fight to the death, it would be different. Kakashi might not choose the heart decapitation technique, and he might not be able to use the substitution technique.
It was his negligence to not observe the terrain.
He had thought too much about how to defeat Kakashi, considering too long a cycle, making it easy to get lost in his own thoughts and ignore the surrounding environment.
'If it were a life-or-death battle... I lack experience!' Chiba reflected.
Although he had accumulated quite a bit of actual combat experience, facing elite Ninjas like Kushina, his real life-or-death struggle experience was limited.
His only one was against the badly wounded Ninja from the Hidden Stone.
However, that Ninja was seriously injured after all, providing him with limited experience.
"Five hundred ninety-nine... six hundred!" Chiba took a deep breath and completed the last squat.
Then, he stood up.
The rigorous training during this period had significantly improved his physical strength. The daily physical training had also increased to 600 squats, in an effort to close that small gap.
Physical strength was a matter of hard work, after all. Even if his Chakra volume had improved after dueling with Kakashi and getting trained by Kushina, he still felt stretched. Currently, the water escape techniques Kushina taught, mostly C-level and B-level, were straining his Chakra reserves.
Even Kushina had mentioned that if he reached a certain level of Chakra, she had a secret technique to teach him.
However, he couldn't act too hastily and risk opening the *Eight Gates* rashly. After opening the gates, Chakra became more potent and violent, and Chiba didn't feel confident in controlling it to enter the gate-opening mode.
Regarding this, he could only strive to undergo extreme training while ensuring he could train normally the next day without excessively damaging his body.
Although the Gate of Life mode was beginning to show signs of strain, reaching the Chakra level of a Jonin Ninja would enable him to learn the secret technique Kushina mentioned and possibly develop the gate mode further, likely achieving high-Jonin Ninja Chakra levels.
But, because of this, caution was paramount.
Chiba's mind was clear. At times, he wondered why he couldn't just be given a system to directly exchange techniques.
Whenever he thought this, Chiba would shake his head, smile bitterly, and discard the idea.
In his previous life, he had indulged in the world of animation to escape reality, ultimately allowing others to control his life, leading to a solitary end. Chiba knew that the biggest culprit of his demise was himself. His own laziness and cowardice had led him to leave his fate in others' hands.
And now, having entered the dream world of Naruto, mastering the *Eight Gates* technique, and possessing a remarkable talent for Ninjutsu, what reason did he have to be lazy? To hope for instant power?
Now, his only option was to work hard! There was no other way but to solidly improve his strength and take control of his destiny in this life.
Besides...
Chiba glanced to the side, where Yukina was pushing against a tree with one palm, her Gentle Fist colliding with the tree, making a "pop" sound.
Even further away, the sound of shuriken piercing into a tree echoed, seeming a bit ethereal in the evening breeze.
'Besides, I have these two as well.' Chiba thought.
Chiba did push-ups one by one until he completed all six hundred, then stood up, took a breath, and ran a 10,000-meter run around the training area.
While the trio was training hard, they didn't notice a pair of eyes watching them from the depths of the dense forest.
Only after they finished training and met up for supper did these eyes depart.
In the Hyuga Clan's residence, in Kayami Hyuga's room, Kayami sat calmly, slowly opening his eyes and asked, "How is the situation?"
"Kayami-Sama, Miss Yukina and the traitor's son have been training again," a shadowy figure outside the door reported, kneeling.
"Is it just for training?" Kayami nodded, then frowned, asking, "Since you're back, Yukina should have returned by now, right?"
"No, Miss Yukina, the traitor's son, and the prodigy Hirohiko from the Uchiha clan went to Ichiraku Ramen and will be back soon," the silhouette reported.
Kayami looked annoyed and said, "I told you, you return when Yukina returns! What do you mean by coming back soon?"
"Kayami-Sama..." The figure seemed to tremble, kneeling silently.
"Huh!" Kayami snorted coldly, instructing, "Go and keep watch! If that disgraceful traitor makes any move, do you know what to do?"
"As long as he dares to approach Miss Yukina, he will be killed on the spot," the figure said in a panic, obviously afraid of Kayami.
"Since you know, why are you still here? Go and keep an eye on that traitor's son!" Kayami was even more angry, as if merely mentioning this "traitor's son" was enough to enrage him.
"Yes!" The figure left in a hurry.
After perceiving the departure of the figure, Kayami snorted again.
'Chiba Taki, if you dare to touch Yukina, you son of a traitor, I will not hesitate to kill you!'
At this moment, another door in his room slowly opened.
Kayami immediately became alert, but upon looking over, he saw a middle-aged man with handsome long hair and a faint light in his white eyes.
"Master Shinsuke," Kayami quickly got up and bowed in respect.
Shinsuke Hyuga nodded, indicating that Kayami didn't need to be overly formal, and then walked to the center of the room to sit down, gesturing for Kayami to sit as well.
Kayami quickly sat down in front of him and lowered his head slightly.
"Kayami," Shinsuke began, "I heard that you were permitted to take the Chunin exam?"
"Yes, Lord Shinsuke," Kayami answered honestly.
This Shinsuke Hyuga was Yukina's father and the youngest brother of the current Patriarch, nearly twenty years his junior. He was the posthumous child of the previous generation's Patriarch and was raised by the current Patriarch, who held deep affection for him. This younger brother was so cherished that he wasn't even subjected to the "caged bird curse." His status within the clan was noble, his power second only to the current Patriarch, and even greater than that of the future Patriarch.
"That's very good," Shinsuke smiled and nodded. As the Patriarch's younger brother, Shinsuke enjoyed great popularity within the clan and even among the branch families. He was known for his gentleness, politeness, and respectfulness, earning the admiration of many.
"Yes," Kayami responded.
"Then, this time, Yukina has encountered a formidable opponent. Apart from the young genius of the Uchiha clan, I believe only you can compete with her," Shinsuke said, his eyes full of relief.
"Master Shinsuke, I will definitely support Miss Yukina to win the Chunin exam," Kayami stated solemnly.
"Hahaha," Shinsuke chuckled, "You child, Kayami, your father and I were old friends, graduating from the Ninja academy together. He was excellent even as a child. If he were here... well, in short, his son is like my own son. You're too earnest, which could complicate your relationship with Yukina and affect your judgment. I came here because I was concerned you might go easy on Yukina during the Chunin exam. I'm here to tell you to give it your all and ensure Yukina is eliminated from the exam."
Kayami was visibly startled, raising his head in surprise, but saw Shinsuke looking at him with a smile, his eyes, however, were serious.
"This... But Miss Yukina is your daughter, Master Shinsuke," he hesitated before speaking.
"Because she is my daughter, she must be treated strictly, especially in combat. Going easy on her could harm her in the future," Shinsuke explained. "You are far superior to her. You've been holding back to spare her feelings, but in my view, you are the Hyuga clan's greatest genius in a century. Don't hold back anymore; just be yourself."
"Master Shinsuke..." Kayami was moved.
"You have always supported Yukina, and for that, I thank you deeply," Shinsuke said, looking at Kayami and nodding.
"This is what I should do," Kayami hurriedly replied.
"Well, it's getting late. You have the Chunin exam in a few days, so take a good rest," Shinsuke said as he got up and left.
Kayami quickly got up to see him off.
After seeing off Shinsuke, Kayami secretly swore in his heart: 'Dear sister Yukina, I will protect you, and I will never let you be tainted by filthy people like Chiba Taki!'