Konoha, Fourth Training Ground.
This area, originally the edge of a relatively open forest, was now a complete mess.
Trees as thick as bowls lay scattered, their fresh splinters exposed at the breaks; the solid ground was covered in pits and intersecting ravines, looking as if a giant beast had repeatedly trampled and ravaged it.
Boom! Bang! Thud!
The muffled, continuous roar, like beating war drums or cracking stone, was ceaseless. Each sound was accompanied by a slight tremor of the earth and flying debris.
Two figures crossed paths, collided, and separated at a speed almost impossible for the naked eye to track within the limited space, only to smash into each other again with even greater ferocity.
One figure was agile and swift, yet was always forced back by the greater power after every direct clash;
The other was massive like a mountain, moving with a crushing heaviness, as if it were not flesh and blood but cast from pure steel.
Another straightforward punch exchange!
"Bang!"
A wave of air exploded, and the smaller figure—Higashino Shinichi—was sent rocketing backward at an astonishing speed, slamming violently into a large tree that required two people to hug. The trunk groaned under the unbearable stress and snapped instantly!
Amidst flying splinters, Shinichi grunted, using the cushioning force of the falling tree to stumble to the ground. He plowed two trails several meters long with his feet before managing to stand steady. His chest was churning, and his arms were throbbing with soreness.
His training clothes were already soaked through with sweat and dust, clinging tightly to his bulging muscles. They were torn in several places, revealing skin marked by redness and bruises.
But his eyes were astonishingly bright, locked onto the massive silhouette gradually becoming clear in the dust ahead. Though his breathing was heavy, it carried a focus that was almost manic.
As the dust settled slightly, an unusually tall figure clearly appeared.
It stood about two and a half meters tall, wearing a Konoha forehead protector squarely on its brow, but it was not human.
It was covered in thick, stiff, silver-white fur that gleamed with a metallic, cold luster under the sunlight filtering through the trees.
Its muscles bulged in blocks, the lines rugged and full of explosive power, as if carved from the hardest granite, containing a frightening, primal strength.
Its wide-open eyes were pure gold, wild and sharp, and the fangs visible in its slightly open mouth glittered menacingly.
Just by standing there, it exuded the oppressive aura of an fierce beast.
It was the summoning beast of Third Hokage Sarutobi Hiruzen, Enma, who was renowned throughout the ninja world for its "boundless strength and indestructible body."
When Higashino Shinichi expressed his desire to seek guidance from an elder with exceptionally powerful physique and unmatched physical resilience, the Third Hokage immediately thought of this old partner.
The Enma Clan naturally possesses overwhelmingly formidable physical strength; their musculature and bones are far stronger than humans can imagine. Without the deliberate augmentation of chakra, their every movement can shatter stone monuments and crack rocks.
Their muscle density and bone strength reach an unbelievable level, granting them extremely high natural force dissipation and resistance against blunt force trauma. Ordinary sword strikes can barely scratch them; they are truly walking steel fortresses.
Thus, Enma became Shinichi's instructor for this period of special training.
Upon their first meeting, Enma spoke bluntly: it had no complicated or mysterious training methods to teach. The Enma Clan's way of tempering the body was simple and brutal.
That was to constantly fight, using the body to feel the impact, endure the damage, adapt to the pain, and push potential to the limit in extreme confrontation, allowing every muscle fiber and bone to be tempered.
After the battle, they would supplement recovery with their clan's secret special medicinal baths and plasters, healing hidden injuries and consolidating gains, allowing the body to continuously strengthen through a cycle of destruction and reconstruction.
Simply put: getting beaten up—taking medicine.
---
At this moment, the center of the training ground was briefly silent. Shinichi focused on regulating his breathing, feeling the soreness in his arm muscles and the burning sensation like a hot iron.
Enma adhered to the most fundamental tenet of its clan: only under pressure that nears or even exceeds the limit can the flesh and blood body unleash the potential for transformation.
Therefore, its instruction was almost ruthless—if it doesn't kill you, train until you almost die.
This type of sparring had been going on for quite some time. Every day after training, Shinichi was covered in bruises large and small; there was hardly an inch of skin left intact, and his bones felt like they were about to fall apart.
Fortunately, the secret medicine Enma provided afterward was truly miraculous. Moreover, Shinichi's own physique was far superior to the average person's; the [Big Eater] trait granted him the special ability to efficiently absorb nutrients and convert energy, which allowed him to persist in this high-intensity training.
"Kid! Pay attention!"
Enma's voice boomed like a siren, carrying a loud, grinding texture. No sooner had it spoken than its massive body crouched slightly, the impossibly strong muscles in its legs suddenly tensing.
Rumble!
The ground beneath its feet instantly collapsed into a large pit, and Enma, using the force, soared into the sky. Its massive body displayed astonishing speed and explosive power completely inconsistent with its size!
Like a falling meteor, it perfectly combined its terrifying weight with its downward momentum, transforming into the most primal and violent attack, smashing down directly onto Shinichi, who had just regained his footing!
Shadow enveloped him, fierce winds bore down, and the air shrieked from being displaced!
'He couldn't take this head-on!'
Almost the instant Enma jumped, Shinichi reacted. He did not dodge backward or sideways as usual, because the covered area was too vast.
He chose to dash forward, toward the blind spot beneath Enma's body, simultaneously lowering himself to the extreme, nearly skimming the ground like a black lightning bolt traveling low.
Whoosh!
In the nick of time, Shinichi narrowly scraped past the very edge of the spot where Enma was about to land. The fierce wind pressure nearly tore him down, and the exposed skin was stinging from the gale.
BOOM!!!
Enma slammed heavily onto the ground like a meteorite strike. Centered on the impact point, a violent shockwave suddenly radiated outward in a ring. The hard ground violently rippled like water, surged, and then exploded!
Countless shattered stones and dirt were thrown into the air, forming a terrifying crater more than ten meters in diameter.
Shinichi did not pause for a second. The moment he dodged the lethal blow, the thought of counter-attacking arose. Under the cover of flying sand and stone, he spun rapidly, twisting his waist for power, channeling all his strength and chakra into his right leg. A fierce, unparalleled side kick, like a battle-axe, swept horizontally toward Enma's ankle joint, which had just landed and was relatively difficult to move!
"Thud!"
The collision of his leg bone with Enma's ankle produced a muffled sound, like kicking a solid steel pillar.
Enma's body merely swayed slightly, not moving even half a step.
"The force is decent, but it's still lacking!" Enma's low voice sounded, and it casually swung its massive arm, which swept toward Shinichi with overwhelming destructive power, like a gigantic log.
Shinichi quickly pulled back his leg and crossed his arms defensively in front of him.
Dong!
When his arms collided with Enma's forearm, Shinichi felt as if he had been hit head-on by a giant tank charging at full speed. His blocking arms instantly went numb, and he slid backward uncontrollably, his feet plowing deep ravines in the ground, retreating more than ten meters before neutralizing most of the impact force.