Within the forested training grounds, Shin snapped his wrist and released a kunai.
The blade sliced cleanly through a taut steel wire. The moment the wire parted, the trap sprang to life.
Seven or eight shuriken burst outward from multiple angles, whistling through the air.
Shin twisted left and right, dodging with practiced precision—but still took two hits. Fortunately, the shuriken were blunted.
Trap construction was basic knowledge required of every ninja. Shin knew it well. These mechanisms were something he had designed himself, originally meant to sharpen his reaction speed.
He had already adapted to the original number of projectiles and had planned to double them today. However, after donning the weighted gear, his movement speed was reduced, causing him to be struck twice.
Looks like I can only increase the number once I fully adapt to the weight. Shin made a mental note.
In the future, once he adapted to the number of shuriken, he would increase the weight. Once he adapted to the weight, he would increase the shuriken count again.
Step by step.
After resetting the traps, Shin continued training his neural reflexes.
To ensure realism, the launch force of the traps was not reduced. The shuriken and kunai were fired at speeds comparable to an average ninja's throw.
Even though the weapons were blunt, it didn't take long before bruises began to bloom across his body.
Still, it wasn't a serious problem. Minor injuries like these were easily treated—especially when one's mother was a medical ninja.
Enduring the pain, Shin continued with his standard training routine, all while wearing the weighted suit.
If a four-year-old from his previous life tried something like this, they'd be rushed straight to intensive care.
But this was the Ninja World.
Here, being "half-vegetable" was practically the baseline. Why half?
Because above everyone stood the truly monstrous figures—like Senju Hashirama—and higher still, the Ōtsutsuki clan, beings who could compress themselves into something like living data.
Unknowingly, more than a month had passed since the meal at Yakiniku Q.
Early summer had arrived. Konoha sat in the southern part of the continent, and the days were growing steadily warmer.
During the final days of his leave, Jiro trained Shin's combat skills daily. Once his rest period ended, however, he returned to work.
This time, it was routine village duty.
He left early and came back late—no different from clocking in for work—but he still made time to instruct his son in combat whenever possible.
It wouldn't be until the next border defense rotation that he'd be away from home for an extended period again.
Shin, meanwhile, returned to his usual rhythm of training and study.
Ever since chakra extraction had become instinctive, he had begun focusing heavily on precise chakra control.
One morning after breakfast, Shin was studying medical ninjutsu fundamentals at home as usual when a long-unheard knock echoed through the house.
With a slight expansion of perception, he immediately knew who it was.
At the moment, Shin was upside down—his feet adhered to the thick wooden ceiling through chakra control—reading a book.
Too lazy to climb down, he simply walked along the ceiling, transitioned onto the wall near the door, bent down, and opened it.
The entire movement was fluid and effortless, as natural as walking on flat ground—an unmistakable display of refined chakra control and balance.
Standing outside were Yūgao Uzuki and Gekkō Hayate.
When the door opened, they didn't see anyone at first. Then they looked up.
Yūgao yelped in shock and dropped straight onto her bottom. "Shin! Who stuck you to the wall?!"
Hayate stared, equally stunned. "This… this is chakra control training, right? I heard my father mention it. I didn't think you'd already be this good."
"That's right," Shin replied calmly. "With this much free time every day, not training would be a waste. So—what brings you here?"
Yūgao scrambled to her feet, brushing imaginary dust off her clothes and letting out a relieved sigh. "That scared me to death! I thought you'd run into a ghost."
"As for why we're here—of course we came to play! We finally got some time off, so we wanted to get some fresh air."
She suddenly puffed up her cheeks. "But didn't you say you'd come find us after the last dinner? You disappeared for so long! What were you doing?"
At that, Yūgao grew indignant. "It's all your fault!"
"Oh? How is this my fault?"
Hayate explained quietly, "Ever since Uncle heard about you, he and my father decided to give us special training when they got back. We've basically been stuck at home."
Shin nodded. "Training isn't a bad thing. We're all going to be ninja someday—you can't avoid strength. Hayate, you wouldn't want to be powerless if Yūgao were in danger, right?"
Hayate glanced at her, then nodded solemnly. "You're right. Only with strength can I protect my little sister."
The two families had been close for generations, and at this age, Hayate truly treated Yūgao like his own sibling.
As for how things would develop in the future—childhood friends becoming something more—those who knew, knew.
Yūgao grew anxious. "Hey, Big Brother Hayate! Didn't we say we were coming out to play with Big Brother Shin? You're not going back on your word, are you?"
"Uh…" Hayate hesitated. He wanted to play, but seeing Shin's discipline made him want to train too.
After all, he was still just a five-year-old—not the Tokubetsu Jōnin he would one day become.
Shin waved it off. "Going out for a walk is fine. Just don't expect me to play silly ninja games."
Hayate immediately perked up and patted his backpack. "No problem! I don't like those either. We planned to go fishing by the river and have a picnic. I brought the tools and seasoning."
"That sounds good."
Konoha's central district remained lively and prosperous, encircled by dense forest. Several rivers flowed along the outskirts of the village.
The largest was the Naka River, said to run alongside the Uchiha Shrine.
That river, however, was dangerous. Its current was fast, much of it cut through deep gorges, and it was unsuitable for leisure—though excellent for training.
Or drowning.
Once swept in, a body wouldn't resurface. After two days, not even a strand of hair would remain.
Shin was enjoying life just fine and had no interest in testing that theory. Instead, they headed to a smaller river nearby—a tributary of the Naka.
The three walked leisurely through the residential district, chatting as they went and enjoying the familiar scenery.
Even though Shin had lived in Konoha for years, changing perspective always brought fresh appreciation.
When they reached the riverbank, Shin asked, "How were you planning to catch fish? A net? Scooping them out?"
"Just so you know—wading into the river is dangerous. There's a waterfall where it connects to the Naka. Get swept down, and you're done."
"Don't worry!" Hayate said confidently, pulling gear from his backpack. "My father said this is good training for patience."
He revealed several compact, retractable fishing rods and bait.
Shin blinked. He hadn't expected actual fishing.
Still, the three each took a rod and sat quietly by the water, waiting for their lunch to bite.
Less than half an hour passed before Yūgao snapped. "There are no fish! This is a total waste of time!"
She tossed her rod aside and ran off to pick wildflowers, occasionally returning to stick blossoms onto their heads—and to check whether food had magically appeared.
Hayate remained stubbornly seated, clearly competing with Shin to see who would give in first.
With flowers haphazardly woven into their hair, the two boys looked less like ninja trainees and more like walking flower baskets.