The following period of study and training was singular and monotonous. Every day, aside from school, Tatsuma spent his morning workouts and evening extra sessions finding Minato to "fleece" him for attribute potential.
As someone whose initial talent caps were mostly stuck at 120—barely enough to become a bottom-tier Genin—Tatsuma placed immense importance on growing his potential.
After all, the Second Great Shinobi War was only a few years away according to his memories. Tatsuma didn't want to participate in the war, but he had to be prepared to be swept up in it. If conflict broke out, he would almost certainly be drafted into a ninja squad. Rather than sitting around waiting for a lucky outburst of power in a crisis, he preferred to prepare bit by bit, nipping danger in the bud.
Consequently, Tatsuma became increasingly obsessed with his "Kudos and Challenge" routine. The person most affected by this was Minato Namikaze, who had to endure several challenges a day from his hyper-competitive friend.
However, as Minato's own talent began to manifest, Tatsuma could no longer suppress him as easily as before. Their win-loss ratio, which had started at a staggering 10:0, had gradually shifted to something closer to 8:2.
This gave Tatsuma an even stronger sense of urgency. He increased the frequency of their bouts and expanded the scope of their competitions. Their contests evolved from mere combat drills and running to every minor detail of daily life—even who could finish eating or drinking water faster.
After four months of relentless effort, Tatsuma's growth was significant. His personal status panel now looked like this:
Host: Sakamoto Tatsuma
Attributes:
STR (Strength): 118 / 456SPD (Speed): 165 / 996PHY (Physique): 159 / 930INT (Intelligence): 205 / 320NIN (Ninjutsu): 61 / 249GEN (Genjutsu): 27 / 194ENG (Energy): 98 / 362SEA (Seals): 171 / 373
Special Talents:
Space-Time: 25%Ninjutsu Development: 15%Ninja Tool Projection (Minato Namikaze Limited Edition): 30%
In terms of physical stats, though only a first-year student, Tatsuma had already reached the baseline level of a Genin. Driven by Tatsuma's pace, Minato might have been slightly behind in raw numbers, but the gap wasn't large.
However, his progress in Chakra, Ninjutsu, and Genjutsu remained slow. His Energy stat was likely hindered by puberty; his body was diverting most of its resources toward physical growth, leaving limited "physical energy" available to synthesize chakra.
As for Ninjutsu and Genjutsu, first-year students hadn't officially started those subjects yet. Even the most basic Three Academy Techniques had only recently been introduced—and even then, only as demonstrations and explanations rather than formal training.
The most stable growth was in his Intelligence stat. Nearly every day, by listening intently in class and thinking deeply, he could "cash in" a point of potential. His recent games of Shogi with Shikaku Nara had also slightly raised his Intelligence cap.
But what Tatsuma cared about most was his Speed. His cap was approaching 1,000—the threshold for a Chunin. He wanted to see if reaching that milestone would increase the rate at which his potential converted into actual power.
Otherwise, at a rate of only one or two points of Speed realized per day, it would take nearly thirty years to reach Jonin levels—and that was assuming he never hit a potential cap. Tatsuma couldn't wait that long.
He didn't believe for a second that an actual Jonin-tier genius needed twenty-seven years of training to reach that rank. If that were the case, the youngest Jonin would be at least thirty-three years old. That was an idealized timeframe, too; once a student became a ninja, missions and work would eat into training time.
If growth was limited to one point a day, a person wouldn't hit Jonin levels until their late forties or fifties. That was impossible. In Tatsuma's view, the rate of conversion had to scale with the tier of the talent cap.
With this in mind, Tatsuma went to find Minato right after they'd finished their post-school dinner. Standing outside Minato's door, he shouted, "Minato! Minato! You're not asleep yet, are you?"
Minato, who was currently up to his elbows in soapy water washing dishes, recognized his friend's voice instantly. He knew exactly why he was here. "The door's unlocked! Come in!"
Click—
Hearing that Minato was indeed awake, Tatsuma pushed the door open. Seeing Minato at the sink, he said, "The mid-term test is tomorrow. I'm a bit nervous. Come for a run with me?"
Minato gave him a look that clearly said, I knew it. He didn't believe Tatsuma was nervous for a second; it was just another excuse for a competition. He nodded anyway. "Sure. Let me finish these chores and I'll go with you."
"Typical Minato! Always keeping things spotless. I'll help you wipe the counters. Let's see who's faster: you finishing the dishes or me cleaning the stove!"
Tatsuma rolled up his sleeves, walked over to Minato, grabbed a rag, and began scrubbing with manic intensity. Knowing it was useless to stop him, Minato didn't refuse the help.
"Haha! I knew it! I finished first!"
[Ding! ENG +1]
As Tatsuma finished the stove, Minato finished the last dish. He rinsed his hands, hung the rags on the faucet, and asked, "Sprints? How are we doing this?"
As the gap in their abilities had closed, Minato had started winning occasionally. He had tasted the thrill of mutual competition and had become far more receptive to Tatsuma's challenges.
"Four hundred meters at a time, all the way to Training Ground 3. One lap around the field to finish. Sound good?"
Tatsuma shook out his hands and checked his ninja boots, ensuring the laces were tight. Minato prepared himself and said, "Let's start when we hit the street."
"Right!"
They headed downstairs and warmed up their joints. Minato pulled a rusted shuriken from his pouch. He didn't use these for practice anymore, but they worked well as a starting signal.
Minato flicked his finger, tossing the shuriken into the air. Both boys tensed in a starting position. Minato lowered his center of gravity, arms pinned back. Tatsuma, however, crouched low, hands on the pavement, his body coiled like a series of loaded springs.
Clink—
The instant the shuriken hit the concrete, the two of them shot forward like arrows from a bow. Minato initially gained a half-step lead, but that advantage was overtaken after ten meters by Tatsuma's "scientific" starting posture.
Tatsuma had tried to convince Minato to learn this starting stance, but Minato didn't see the point. The "Ninja Run" existed for a reason. Shinobi ran to travel or to manage the distance between themselves and an enemy, not for pure track speed. Keeping the arms back made it easier to draw tools from a pouch at a moment's notice. It was a style passed down through generations of combat.
Tatsuma's form was built for pure speed, offering better balance and maximum power output, but it left him vulnerable to sudden changes in a combat situation.
Minato, who aimed to be a true shinobi, wouldn't compromise his muscle memory just to beat Tatsuma in a race—especially since the gain was marginal at best. Besides, once they learned the Body Flicker Technique, running posture would become secondary anyway.
For the purposes of this race, however, Tatsuma easily took the first 400-meter sprint.
[Ding! SPD +1]
The path from their homes to Training Ground 3 was so familiar they could have run it blindfolded. They shared a brief look and launched into the second sprint.
"Whoa! I didn't expect to find others fueled by the fire of youth this late! Please, let me join you in this youthful pursuit!"
As they ran, a new voice boomed beside them. Tatsuma, focused on his breathing, glanced over and saw a young man in a green jumpsuit with thick eyebrows and a bowl cut. He gave a short nod of acknowledgement and kept his eyes on the road, focused on the sprint.
[Ding!]
[Ding!]