"Clang!"
"Clang!"
"Clang!"
"Clang!"
Saitama leaped into the air, first throwing four shuriken. Then, as soon as his feet touched the ground, he threw another pair.
The four shuriken collided midair, scattering in different directions before finally lodging into the bullseyes of four targets positioned at blind spots!
This was a shuriken-throwing technique Saitama had seen in one of Itachi Uchiha's moves. Of course, his version wasn't nearly as difficult.
After all, Itachi spun through the air with his eyes closed, jumping and twisting mid-flight before landing on one knee.
Two months had passed since school started, and Saitama's daily routine remained consistent: during school hours, he focused on extracting chakra and practicing [Hand Seals]; after returning home, he trained in [Swordsmanship] and throwing techniques using gear bag.
Recently, however, he'd been seeing less of Shisui. After class, Shisui always rushed home for training his dad arranged—partly because the clan noticed his talent, and partly because his dad had high hopes for him.
They were standing in the Uchiha clan's private woods, near their secluded training grounds.
But obviously, Saitama didn't have free access to the training grounds. Moreover, he preferred keeping his true abilities hidden from others.
The Uchiha were already under constant scrutiny. If he acted like a prodigy too, he might end up like Shisui—with everyone watching his every move.
Back at school, aside from that impressive display on the first day, Saitama had shown nothing particularly remarkable.
Eventually, school stopped paying much attention, thinking he was just another Uchiha kid who had potential but never bothered to use it.
Time had passed, and now Saitama hit a plateau in his chakra reserves.
In recent days, his progress in extracting chakra had slowed significantly.
It was as if whatever chakra he produced was being absorbed by something unseen inside him.
That got Saitama wondering—if there was some old guy secretly living inside him.
After quickly masking any traces of his training, Saitama prepared to return home.
Today was a school holiday, so he hadn't missed any classes. After working out all morning, it was time for lunch.
Creak!
Saitama turned toward the sound.
Shisui stood under a tree not far away—his foot had snapped the branch.
"I knew you'd be here when Ka Po-pu said you went out," Shisui said with a smile.
Though they had only met several months ago, Saitama and Shisui felt like lifelong friends who had known each other for decades.
Recently, ever since starting special training arranged by his family, Shisui had changed—he had grown quieter, losing the energetic and somewhat goofy personality he'd displayed when they first met.
"Yeah, I just came out for some training since I had nothing else to do."
Just a casual conversation.
Saitama readjusted his gear bag, making it sit snugly against his thigh.
"I might take leave from school in a few days. My father is going to train me outside."
Shisui spoke softly, glancing downward toward Saitama's feet.
Saitama easily sensed that something was bothering Shisui.
"Let's spar!"
Shisui drew the tanto slung across his back.
Shisui knew that Saitama's strength was no weaker than his own.
The Saitama at school had clearly been hiding his abilities.
Saitama's talent was undeniable—this had already become apparent during sword training.
A faint smirk tugged at the corner of Saitama's mouth as he became interested.
He also wanted to find out how much he had improved through independent training compared to Shisui.
Reaching behind his back, he tightly gripped his sword.
"Come!"
Both boys, who were six years old, now wore equally serious expressions.
They had sparred many times before, but never taken things seriously.
In the forest, only the rustling of leaves in the wind broke the silence.
The atmosphere between them seemed frozen, filled with building tension.
"Swish!"
Saitama moved first.
Lowering his stance, he pushed off hard with his right foot.
His figure shot toward Shisui like an arrow.
This was Saitama's test—a way to evaluate his solo training!
"Ding!"
Shisui blocked the downward slash with his sword, crossing blades with Saitama's strike!
He hadn't expected Saitama to be this strong—he was forced into a lower stance by the sheer power.
Since they were nearly the same height, when Shisui lowered his position, Saitama's abdomen suddenly became exposed.
Without hesitation, Saitama leapt backward, not giving Shisui any chance for a counterattack.
He structured his sword style around single cuts—if a strike missed, he'd withdraw and look for another opening.
Gripping his sword firmly, Saitama said to Shisui, "Your reflexes are fast."
Shisui smiled slightly too.
All this came from constant training. The hardships he had endured were known only to him. At this point, he wasn't far off from being a Genin.
Holding his tanto horizontally in front of his chest, Shisui called out, "My turn!"
Then, he charged aggressively toward Saitama.
Only a few steps separated them, so Shisui quickly closed the gap on Saitama.
Saitama narrowed his eyes.
Shisui was fast—just as fast as when he had first attacked.
Drawing two shuriken from his thigh pouch, he placed them between his fingers and rushed forward to meet Shisui.
"Ding!"
Shisui easily deflected the thrown shuriken, then quickened his pace.
"Ding!"
"Ding!"
They clashed several times mid-air, their blades meeting repeatedly. They fought evenly, blow for blow.
This kind of prolonged sword fight wasn't Saitama's usual style.
Breaking apart once more, both dropped to one knee and slid backward across the ground.
Shisui's sword technique was indeed impressive—after all, someone had personally taught him.
"Boom!"
Their legs collided and immediately separated.
Continuing this sword fight wasn't wise. Saitama decided it was time to change tactics.
Another slash—he swung his sword fiercely at Shisui once more!
"Ding!"
Shisui blocked the attack.
He had already figured out Saitama's pattern—it was nothing but continuous slashes. Though fast, there was nothing particularly difficult about countering them.
The angles lacked precision, and the force behind the strikes wasn't strong enough.
Blocking the strike, Shisui anticipated that Saitama would immediately withdraw again. That moment would be his opportunity to counterattack.
"Dong!"
Saitama slid down along Shisui's blade, continuing his swing all the way until he reached Shisui's hand gripping the sword—the hilt finally stopped the blade.
Shisui was also caught off guard by Saitama's sudden attack. As he loosened his grip, his left hand darted into the ninja tool pouch on his hip and grabbed a kunai, slashing toward Saitama's right hand.
He was trying to force Saitama to release his sword too, resetting the fight to an equal footing.
Saitama willingly let go of his katana and kicked straight into Shisui's chest.
"Bang!"
Shisui staggered backward from the impact.
Now holding a kunai himself, Saitama stared at Shisui from a distance.
The kick hadn't really hurt—Shisui had leaned back just before it connected, letting the foot graze him lightly.
So almost no actual force reached Shisui.
"Now that you've dropped your sword, what are you gonna do?"
Saitama smirked slightly.
"Ninjas aren't defined only by their swordsmanship!"
Shisui replied with seriousness. Those days of training had matured him quite a bit.
Pulling out another kunai and gripping both in reverse hold, Shisui charged at Saitama again.
The battle wasn't over yet.
Frowning slightly, Saitama pulled out a kunai as well and rushed forward to meet him.
...
"That's enough for today. I didn't expect that even after all this training, I still couldn't beat you, Saitama."
"While you were training, I wasn't slacking off either."
Smiling, Saitama tossed the tanto lying on the ground to Shisui.
In the earlier fight, neither side had managed to gain an advantage—they were evenly matched, each unable to quickly finish off the other.
Without awakening the Sharingan, there was a limit to how strong he could get.
Once he did awaken the Sharingan, things would definitely become easier.
Suddenly, Saitama thought about his missing chakra.
Could it possibly be related to the Sharingan?
Come to think of it, Shisui should awaken his soon, too.
After all, he was already six years old.
"Let's go. Keep working hard to grow stronger, Saitama!"
Shisui secured his tanto behind his back and waved goodbye.
Looking at Shisui's retreating figure, Saitama noticed something—he actually looked more mature now.
Shaking his head slightly, Saitama tidied himself up before leaving the forest.
Training without a reliable mentor guiding him personally definitely limited his growth.
Even with his raw talent, his progress remained frustratingly slow.
He needed to graduate from the Ninja Academy as soon as possible and hopefully find a powerful Jonin teacher who could help him avoid unnecessary detours.
...
Throughout the rest of the term, Shisui never showed up at school again.
Saitama continued training steadily according to his original plan.
Passing regular tests with minimal effort while barely maintaining passing grades, Saitama felt he'd shown enough respect for the teachers' efforts at the Ninja Academy—after all, they were here to teach.
The New Year arrived, marking the beginning of Year 45 of Konoha's Era.
Not long ago, a shocking rumor spread: the Third Kazekage of Sunagakure had disappeared, suspected of being assassinated.
The entire shinobi world began to stir.
It had been many years since the last Great Ninja War, yet the villages had regained their strength.
After dinner, sitting cross-legged on the tatami mat,
Saitama felt restless inside—he had recently hit a plateau in his training and couldn't move forward.
He had absolutely no idea how to proceed with improving his strength.
There's nothing to go on!
He gave his sore eyes a rub.
This body's talent was seriously strong, but even now, not a single hint of an eye ability had shown up.
Was some intense stimulation really necessary!?
Saitama felt confused.
The Secret Cheat Ability from his reincarnation was supposed to be the ultimate gift.
That divine being had promised him the strongest talent possible — once Saitama reached a certain stage, his Kekkei Genkai would activate automatically!
No limits like those tormenting the Uchiha clan.
Saitama took a deep breath and noticed his eyes beginning to feel hot, continuously devouring the chakra he had just extracted.
A sudden idea struck him, sending excitement surging through his heart.
Calmly, [Chakra Refinement Jutsu] began to circulate as he focused entirely on extracting chakra.
Time dragged on, and Saitama stayed like that for over an hour.
Meanwhile, his eyes felt like an endless void, constantly absorbing chakra.
"This won't work!"
Though thinking this, Saitama still gritted his teeth and continued extracting chakra.
There was no way he should get stuck here!
A wave of warmth coursed around his eye sockets, stinging his eyes and making tears flow nonstop.
His pupils shrank repeatedly as Saitama saw the world inside his vision starting to shift.
Sharper!
As he kept channeling chakra, Saitama knew victory was near. The absorbed chakra was gradually decreasing.
Accompanied by a sharp pain in his eyes, Saitama painfully covered both eyes with his hands.
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