Chapter 37: Powering Up

Chapter 37: Powering Up

Finally, Tonari and Kushina arrived at the training ground.

When they got there, Minato Namikaze was training alone, drenched in sweat.

People only saw Minato's sunny smile, handsome appearance, and talent that far surpassed his peers. What they didn't see were the countless hours of effort he put in, the ridicule he endured, and his unwavering determination to change others' opinions of him through action.

It's no surprise that Naruto inherited this mentality to face the taunts of others with such resilience in the future.

"Minato, look who I brought!" Tonari called out excitedly to the training Minato.

Tonari felt as if a notification should appear in his mind at this moment:

Ding! Progress with Minato Namikaze: 80%!

The next step would naturally be—

Ahem, let's keep this PG!

The three of them reintroduced themselves properly.

Although Kushina and Minato were classmates, Kushina's self-consciousness about her hair and her lukewarm opinion of Minato meant they had little interaction before. Today marked a rare occasion for them to spend time together like this.

Meanwhile, Tonari played the role of the 120-watt human lightbulb, observing everything with a gleam in his eyes.

At this point, Minato and Kushina's relationship was entirely platonic. They were simply classmates, albeit the two strongest in their class. Minato had successfully applied for early graduation, while Kushina had not.

Kushina was curious about Minato's life as a ninja post-graduation, and from there, Tonari decided to demonstrate his unique training methods.

He cautiously created three more shadow clones.

Previously, two clones had been left behind to impersonate him and Kushina at the Academy to avoid suspicion.

For Tonari, attending class was still important. While Kushina didn't need it, Tonari lacked fundamental knowledge in almost every area.

Right now, he was akin to a student excelling only in taijutsu but failing in everything else.

The three new clones were assigned to different tasks:

Clone 1: Chakra control practice, including tree climbing and water walking.

Clone 2: Practicing kunai throwing. While the Academy only required kunai, Tonari knew that mastering one tool would make it easier to master others. Ninja tool accuracy was also a mandatory part of the graduation exam.

Clone 3: Purely practicing hand seals.

As for ninjutsu, Tonari barely had any in his arsenal. The only techniques he could use were Transformation Jutsu and Shadow Clone Jutsu, which both required just a single seal.

Tonari knew rushing wouldn't help. He needed to solidify his basics first, starting with perfecting his hand seals.

He wasn't expecting to reach the speed of Itachi Uchiha or Kakashi Hatake, who could execute five to six seals per second. But at the very least, he wanted to manage two to three seals per second.

After all, he couldn't tell an enemy mid-battle, "Hey, wait for me to finish my seals, otherwise it's not a fair fight!"

He'd be dead before he even finished his first seal.

By spreading his efforts across these areas, he roughly divided his workload. This was Tonari's first time using shadow clones for training, so he didn't know his limits yet.

Having already created five clones, he expected the feedback when they dissipated would be intense.

Both Minato and Kushina were familiar with the Shadow Clone Jutsu. Although it was a B-rank technique, it was relatively widespread.

However, Minato couldn't use it for training due to his limited chakra reserves. As an ordinary ninja, his body couldn't handle the strain of shadow clone feedback.

Kushina, on the other hand, could use it with ease due to her Uzumaki lineage and her massive chakra reserves. But she wasn't particularly interested in training with shadow clones. Her goal was to become a ninja and contribute to world peace, not immerse herself in perfecting training techniques.

So while Tonari and Minato trained diligently, Kushina perched on a nearby tree, watching them sweat it out.

Previously, Tonari had believed the fitness techniques from his past life were more advanced than the ones in the ninja world. After all, modern science backed them.

But as he delved deeper into this high-stakes world, he realized he was entirely wrong.

Those methods were only effective for beginners with weak physiques. As his strength grew, the ninja world's traditional methods were far superior, refined over generations by warriors and shinobi.

Yesterday, after training with Minato, Tonari learned a lot from him. Combined with insights from Danzo's taijutsu manual, Tonari's shadow clones devised a more suitable regimen for him.

Today's training was harsher and more fitting for his current level.

Occasionally, inspiration would strike, and Tonari would ask Minato or Kushina for advice. Both were far more experienced than him.

However, Kushina's main interest wasn't taijutsu. She was more curious about how Tonari managed to coexist with the tailed beast within him.

She recalled her struggles when she first came to Konoha, traumatized by witnessing the fall of the Uzumaki clan and burdened with the knowledge that she would become the next Nine-Tails Jinchuriki.

Fortunately, Mito Uzumaki had taken her in as a granddaughter, helping her find inner peace. Mito had told her that love was the key to calming the Nine-Tails.

Yet despite Mito's teachings, Kushina had never been able to do it herself. She wanted to ask Tonari how he did it.

But with Minato present, she hesitated. She didn't want others to know she was a Jinchuriki or risk being labeled a monster again.

While she stayed quiet, Tonari suffered.

Kushina didn't hold back in sparring, unleashing her Uzumaki-strengthened blows without mercy.

With her clan's potent physique, the Nine-Tails' influence, and her natural talent in taijutsu, Kushina wiped the floor with Tonari.

Minato at least went easy on him, but Kushina? No chance.

"You call this leading the way? You call this leading the way!" she growled, punching him mercilessly.

…

By sunset, Tonari sat by the river, battered and bruised, occasionally glancing at his reflection before quickly looking away.

"Was that really necessary? No grudges between us, and you go straight for the face? Hitting someone in the face hurts their pride, you know. She's just jealous of how good-looking I am," Tonari muttered bitterly, touching his swollen face.

The world's malice toward him was overwhelming.

But Tonari had no time to wallow. He had more pressing matters—evaluating the results of his shadow clone training.

"Shadow Clone Jutsu, release!"

None of them, including Minato or Kushina, noticed that someone had been silently watching them from the shadows the entire time.