Heading upstream, it didn't take long before Yuya found an ideal place to train.
On one side stood dense forest; on the other, rolling hills formed of solid rock. Clear river water flowed nearby.
"Perfect. This is it."
Setting his rations aside, Yuya walked up to a massive rock wall. He loosened his body, then suddenly threw a punch.
He didn't deliberately exert force—but shock force still surged out with that strike.
Humm—!!
The air fractured. Although Yuya's punch was aimed at the rock face, it actually struck the air itself first.
Boom!!
The rock took the impact, but since Yuya hadn't intentionally tried to destroy it, only a faint, shallow crack appeared.
"Good. Keep going!"
Satisfied, Yuya pulled back his left fist and swung his right again.
His fists alternated continuously, pounding the rock as deep, rhythmic booms echoed.
Although Yuya could technically use the air as his training target, air wasn't something that resisted him.
Having resistance—and not having it—produced completely different results.
As he continued striking the rock, Yuya's body began to tremble—skin first, then muscle, then blood, and finally bone.
His entire body remained in a state of continuous vibration.
This was the first time Yuya had used shock force nonstop like this. When the vibration spread throughout his whole body, a tingling, numb sensation surged up—
So pleasant it nearly felt euphoric.
This was the first time training had ever felt comfortable.
"If I'd known it'd feel this good, I should've trained like this from the start."
Chuckling inwardly, Yuya grew even more focused.
Punch after punch.
His heart beat powerfully. Blood surged through his body along with the vibration, flowing through every limb.
Bones and flesh alike trembled.
This vibration further refined his muscles and skeleton.
The effect was even better than Yuya had expected.
After permanently opening the True Eight Gates' First Gate, the strengthening of his heart and the chakra from the gate fed into each other, circulating through his bloodstream. Even when sleeping, his physique steadily improved.
With training layered on top of that—
The results were explosive.
In taijutsu training alone, one month for him was equivalent to two months for others.
What Yuya hadn't expected was that not only did the First Gate boost his training speed—
The shock force itself could also assist his cultivation.
Stacked together, his physical growth was nothing short of a leap.
Originally, Yuya had thought that three months would barely be enough to meet the conditions to open the Second Gate.
Now, it seemed that two months would be more than sufficient.
Still, Yuya didn't let himself get carried away.
Because the True Eight Gates were permanently opened in reverse, each gate required time to adapt to.
And the more gates opened, the longer the stabilization period—and the stronger the physique required to open the next gate.
The further one went, the harder it became—no different from the standard Eight Gates.
"Ha—!"
Another punch landed, finally shattering part of the rock face. Only then did Yuya step back, breathing heavily.
His entire body was sore and numb, carrying a lazy heaviness that seeped from bone and flesh alike.
He collapsed onto the ground.
Sweat mixed with dirt, instantly leaving his clothes filthy.
Yuya didn't care at all, lying there with a relaxed expression.
The shock force cycling through his body left him feeling utterly refreshed—tingly, comfortable, and deeply satisfied.
Far more pleasant than endless push-ups and squats.
When the numbness gradually faded and his body recovered, Yuya could clearly feel it—
His strength had directly increased by a noticeable margin.
That was almost unbelievable.
To feel strength increase so clearly—what an absurd rate of growth!
"It must be because this is my first time training like this," Yuya reasoned.
"The shock force probably expelled impurities from my body, causing such a dramatic boost."
Sure enough, when he continued training afterward, the increase wasn't as drastic as the first time.
But it was still twice as effective as normal training.
The day passed quickly. Yuya dragged his exhausted body home and fell asleep instantly.
The next morning, he packed rations again and returned to the back hills to train.
Although training outside the village carried some risk, few people came here.
And even then, it wasn't truly far from Konoha.
In the blink of an eye, more than a month passed.
Yuya's body now showed visible muscle definition.
He still looked slender—but packed with strength.
For a child not yet nine years old, it was almost unbelievable.
Yuya's physical growth during this month was fast enough to terrify anyone.
Especially during the first week—it had been explosive growth.
Only later did it gradually slow into a steadier phase.
Boom!!
A full-force punch landed.
The air roared and shattered. The rock in front of Yuya cracked densely, then violently exploded open with a hole blasted straight through it!
"Whew. My punches now definitely surpass C-rank ninjutsu."
Yuya nodded in satisfaction as he examined the damage.
"Even a combined Wind–Fire composite C-rank technique could be shattered with one punch."
His gaze then turned sharp with anticipation.
This level of power was still slightly inferior to the B-rank ninjutsu Uchiha Han had used that day.
But once he opened the True Eight Gates' Second Gate—
Shattering B-rank ninjutsu would be absolutely possible.
At this moment, there was one month left until his life-and-death duel with Uchiha Han.
During this period of training, the village itself remained calm.
Or rather—everything concerning Yuya was calm.
No one came to interfere with him.
It was as if Hiruzen Sarutobi, Danzō Shimura, and the Uchiha Clan were all restraining each other, leaving him completely untouched.
But Yuya knew this wasn't neglect—
It was a silent standoff.
And there was another reason people were gradually paying him less attention.
That reason was—
The Second Shinobi World War was beginning to reveal its fangs.
Across the entire shinobi world, it was already a case of—
A storm brewing on the horizon.
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