Yuya frowned bitterly. Even if his ninjutsu talent was poor, being treated like a helpless freeloader was taking things too far.
Still filled with frustration, he returned to his room—not to rest, but to train.
"One hundred twenty-six, one hundred twenty-seven… two hundred thirty-one, two hundred thirty-two…"
Sweat poured down, soaking the floor. His arms stiffened and trembled under the weight of exhaustion.
He could almost see scenes of the Ninja War, flashes of his past life's mediocrity, and his accidental death.
His arms had gone completely numb. Only sheer willpower kept him moving, forcing his body to its limit.
Last time, he'd done 276 push-ups.
This time, clenching his teeth, he reached 320 before collapsing at 345.
He lay on the floor, gasping hard—but satisfied. He had once again broken his limit.
"Good… next goal—add another hundred. If I don't train like this, I'll never catch up to guys like Might Guy."
Though his arms were nearly paralyzed, Yuya's eyes shone with resolve.
After a short rest, he forced himself up and started squats.
"One hundred more than last time!"
He pushed on relentlessly. Sweat dripped. Muscles burned.
By the end, he had done 160 more than before—surpassing even his goal.
Completely drained, he toppled onto the bed and instantly fell asleep.
By the next morning, he had recovered—his body long adapted to such training.
After all, this was a ninja world. Even someone with weak chakra control still possessed chakra.
"Seems like my body's a bit stronger after breaking two limits yesterday."
He flexed his fists, feeling a slight increase in power, and smiled.
Maybe daily breakthroughs were the key.
It was also possible that gaining the Seismic Release bloodline limit from the Quake-Quake Fruit had strengthened his body.
The Seismic Release imbued physical attacks with vibration—capable of striking the air itself, shaking the ground, and even stirring the sea.
"Let's test the air quake again."
Excited, Yuya clenched his fist and punched into the air.
Buzz!
A faint white glow shimmered, then burst outward.
Crack!
The air fractured like glass, thin cracks spreading a short distance before fading.
"The air quake's power really has grown."
He withdrew his fist with satisfaction.
Right now, his shockwaves could probably block ordinary projectiles unless they carried chakra nature transformation.
"But the range is still too short."
His air quake only extended about a meter—too close for comfort.
Still, he knew the distance would increase as his power did.
For now, his punches were limited to close combat.
But for ranged attacks, he had an idea.
Grabbing a kunai, Yuya tightened his grip.
Buzz!
A faint white ring of light surrounded the blade.
He hurled it at a distant tree.
Crack!
The kunai buried itself deep into the trunk, releasing a small shockwave that shattered the bark around it.
"Not bad. Even if I lose some power over distance, it's still effective."
"Most Genin and Chūnin can't even add nature transformation to their kunai yet."
He retrieved the weapon, inspecting the damage, and nodded in approval.
Remembering the academy's combat test that day, Yuya decided not to overtrain. He wanted to conserve his strength.
After breakfast, he headed to the Ninja Academy.
Founded by the Second Hokage to train future shinobi, the academy had existed for only about ten years at this time. It was still far less developed than in the later era.
The Senju Clan had only just begun its decline.
The Uchiha Clan was still in its prime.
And the Hyuga Clan remained a distant contender.
Yuya could only observe from afar. As an outsider, he could never compare to such powerful families.
"Yuya, you made it!"
As he entered the classroom, Uzumaki Kushina waved happily. She was probably the only one who did.
The other students either ignored him or glanced over with mild contempt.
"Yeah."
Yuya smiled slightly and took his seat.
Kushina looked surprised. "Didn't you bring the ointment I gave you yesterday?"
"Uh… I think I forgot."
"How can you be so careless? What if you get hurt later?"
Kushina puffed her cheeks, annoyed.
Yuya: "…"
Seriously?
Did she already assume he'd get beaten up?
Couldn't she have a little faith in him?!