Chapter 4: Kunai Throwing

Uchiha Kiyoshi dragged his exhausted body back home, step by step.

He struggled to prepare a bucket of water, heated it up, and soaked the medicinal bath package provided by the clan in the water. Uchiha Kiyoshi took off his sweaty clothes and climbed into the bucket.

As soon as he sat in, Uchiha Kiyoshi felt a refreshing sensation.

"Indeed, after exercising, taking a hot bath feels so good!"

Uchiha Kiyoshi closed his eyes and began to enjoy the experience. At the same time, the various nutrients in the medicinal bath started repairing the damage to his body and were continuously absorbed, enhancing his physical fitness.

Unconsciously, Uchiha Kiyoshi fell asleep.

He soaked in the bucket for about two hours before waking up.

Uchiha Kiyoshi's body was completely devoid of strength now. However, feeling the hunger in his body, he rubbed his eyes and laboriously climbed out of the bucket, changed into clean clothes, and started preparing a meal.

"It seems like I'll have to make more food in the morning for the next few days. I can keep it warm until I come back in the evening and have it after the medicinal bath."

Feeling his depleted body, Uchiha Kiyoshi adjusted his plans for the next few days.

The medicinal bath package could be soaked overnight, so after finishing dinner, Uchiha Kiyoshi filled another bucket with water and poured in the medicinal bath, soaking himself again.

The next morning, Uchiha Kiyoshi woke up in the bath bucket.

Rubbing his eyes and sensing a slightly stronger body than before, Uchiha Kiyoshi was satisfied with the results of yesterday's training.

"The effect of the medicinal bath is good, but it's just too expensive. I must find a way to earn more money. If I can take a medicinal bath every day, I won't worry about falling behind in physical techniques."

Yesterday's training intensity was unprecedented for Uchiha Kiyoshi, and he barely managed to endure it through his strong willpower. The overnight medicinal bath had a good effect. At least now, Uchiha Kiyoshi felt very healthy and could clearly sense his progress.

Of course, Uchiha Kiyoshi also knew that this was the first time he had broken through his limits, and coupled with his relatively average physical fitness, the improvement was relatively significant. In the future, as his physical fitness improved, even if he broke through his limits, the progress would become smaller and smaller.

This was also one of the reasons why there were very few physical technique users among shinobi. Although it showed quick results in the early stages, the progress became smaller as time went on. Basically, it relied on the perseverance of a strong will and daily training to achieve slight improvements.

In the original work, only the Might Guy and Rock Lee achieved success in physical techniques. Although their actions were quite comical, Uchiha Kiyoshi admired their endurance to withstand loneliness and engage in daily training, which allowed them to make slight progress.

That's why physical techniques, which showed quick results in the early stages, were the main means of progress for lower-ranking shinobi. After promotion to Chunin, with sufficient chakra, the focus of shinobi gradually shifted to ninjutsu.

When people talk about reaching the level of Jonin in physical techniques, it mostly refers to reaching the combat skills at the Jonin level. A true Jonin-level physical-type shinobi refers to someone who can compete with Jonin in various ninjutsu solely based on physical techniques. In the original work, only Might Guy achieved this, and even his father, Might Duy, didn't achieve the strength of a Jonin without resorting to the Eight Gates Release in normal conditions or without causing physical damage.

The difficulties of mastering physical techniques aside, Uchiha Kiyoshi felt satisfied with his newfound strength. If he continued to give his utmost effort every day for the next three months, he might even reach the level of a genin in terms of his physical abilities before the ninja school started.

Since arriving in the ninja world and regaining his memories, Uchiha Kiyoshi had felt an inexplicable sense of urgency, constantly pushing him to improve. Only with increasing strength could he truly feel at ease.

After a brief warm-up exercise, Uchiha Kiyoshi took a shower, washed away the scent of medicine, and put on cleaner clothes. He then went to the kitchen and began preparing today's meal.

Over the past four years, Uchiha Kiyoshi had honed his cooking skills, and in just twenty minutes, he had finished cooking. He left part of the dinner in the pot, covered it to keep it warm, and savored the aroma emanating from the bowl. Uchiha Kiyoshi felt a sense of contentment.

"Mmm... Delicious! This is what life is about!"

Taking a deep breath, Uchiha Kiyoshi enjoyed this rare moment of relaxation.

However, good times are always short-lived. After finishing breakfast, Uchiha Kiyoshi had to gather himself and prepare for today's training. Thinking about the cruelty of this world, Uchiha Kiyoshi silently encouraged himself and strengthened his determination.

Yesterday was merely an adaptation process, and today marked the official start of the intensive training.

In the following days, the mornings were dedicated to Uchiha Ryo's guidance on chakra training and shuriken throwing practice, while the afternoons were focused on physical training led by Uchiha Shin.

Early in the morning today, a group of six-year-old children had already arrived at the training ground.

Although the training was exhausting yesterday, and many people even fainted, these energetic children woke up early feeling refreshed and without any soreness in their bodies. They naturally put the events of yesterday behind them and arrived at the training ground early.

During the intensive training period, due to the extensive physical exercises they underwent each day, the group of children had no extra energy for chakra refinement when they returned home. Therefore, for these three months, Uchiha Kiyoshi and the others' chakra refinement time was scheduled during the morning training sessions.

Moreover, with Uchiha Ryo present, he could better guide them in their chakra training.

Uchiha Ryo arrived at the training ground on time today, looked at the juniors assembled below, and nodded with satisfaction.

"According to the arrangements made by the clan, you should have some time each morning for chakra training. However, it's only with a strong body and willpower that you can truly feel the synergy between physical energy and spiritual energy. So, for the first week, I'll only explain some important points about chakra training, and then we'll spend most of our time practicing shuriken throwing."

I believe that after completing one week of the training arranged by Uchiha Shin, you will experience significant progress in both physical fitness and willpower. At that point, chakra refinement will be more efficient, and you will achieve more with less effort."

Uchiha Ryo briefly explained the recent schedule to the juniors and then began today's instruction.

To be honest, Uchiha Ryo was relatively mild compared to others. He would explain everything to Uchiha Kiyoshi and the others. If he encountered ninjas with a difficult personality, he probably wouldn't bother explaining and would dive straight into his guidance.

But it wasn't surprising. After all, this special training was prepared by the clan for the younger generation, and the clan's higher-ups naturally had their own selection process.

Moreover, it was a time of peace, and the major clans were not as tense. The training for the younger generation was more lenient. If it were during wartime, the situation would be entirely different for the chosen ninjas and their training.

...

"Alright, I've already explained some important points about chakra training. Next, what I'm going to teach you is the Uchiha clan's throwing techniques.

It can be said that within the entire ninja world, the Uchiha clan's throwing techniques are absolutely the strongest.

So, you need to train diligently and strive to master the Uchiha clan's throwing techniques as soon as possible. This way, even in the future as genin, you can gain an advantage."

Uchiha Ryo didn't immediately start teaching them the skills of shuriken throwing.

Instead, he took out a scroll and performed hand seals.

"Boom!"

After a burst of white smoke, hundreds of standard shuriken appeared before their eyes.

Uchiha Ryo instructed one of the juniors below to take ten shuriken each.

Uchiha Kiyoshi couldn't help but sigh in his heart. "As expected, they are from a major clan. They each receive ten shuriken just for a special training session.

You see, even the worst standard shuriken are wartime resources, and each one costs a thousand ryo! These ten shuriken amount to ten thousand ryo!"

However, considering that Uchiha Kiyoshi himself hadn't received the 450,000 ryo medication bath that the clan provided, he easily accepted the ten shuriken. Well, it's not just ten thousand ryo, it would take Uchiha Kiyoshi two months to save up that much.

During this time, Uchiha Kiyoshi also realized that the Uchiha clan wasn't as unbearable as portrayed in various novels. At least when it came to their own clan members, they were dedicated and diligent. At the same time, Uchiha Kiyoshi's recognition and acceptance of the clan grew stronger.

After distributing the shuriken, Uchiha Ryo picked up one shuriken himself and began explaining its structure.

"Ninja tools come in many different types, such as shuriken, kunai, and Senbon, among others...

Among them, the most commonly used is the shuriken.

Shuriken also come in different styles. The ones you are holding are the most common ones, standard shuriken. They have a fixed shape and are mass-produced.

Many powerful ninjas choose specially customized shuriken that not only feel comfortable to use but, if made with special metals, can also unleash stronger power."

...

Shuriken throwing wasn't as simple as they had imagined. Although the knowledge involved wasn't particularly classified, Uchiha Kiyoshi had received nine years of compulsory education in his previous life, and from Uchiha Ryo's explanations, he could at least recognize concepts like momentum and fluid pressure.

Also, Uchiha Kiyoshi found it relatively easy to understand the theoretical aspects of shuriken throwing. Of course, this is in comparison to the other children.

Learning the various complex variations of shuriken throwing is not something that can be achieved in just one morning.

Most of the time, progress in shuriken throwing requires continuous practice rather than relying solely on theory.

Looking at the confused expressions of the children below, Uchiha Ryo felt a bit awkward.

"Alright, besides learning all this theory about shuriken throwing, you also need to practice more.

Next, we will begin the practice of shuriken throwing.

Alright, follow me."

Saying that, Uchiha Ryo led the group of children towards the shuriken training area.

While they were walking, Uchiha Ryo continued to provide them with knowledge about shuriken throwing.

"In the practice of shuriken throwing, it is generally necessary to start with fixed targets, then move on to moving targets, and finally, the most difficult part is throwing multiple shuriken simultaneously.

For these three months, you will mainly practice with fixed targets and moving targets.

Today, our goal is not to improve accuracy but to focus on learning shuriken throwing.

When throwing a shuriken, ... holding it this way is more comfortable and causes minimal damage to the opponent. In addition, ... this standard technique will basically not cause damage to the opponent's vital parts.

Everyone, watch my demonstration."

Uchiha Ryo picked up a shuriken and held it according to the technique he had just taught. Then he performed a set of standard movements.

"Whoosh!"

The shuriken flew out, and another shuriken appeared in the center of the target's red dot.

The group of six-year-old children exclaimed in surprise, and even Uchiha Kiyoshi was amazed. After all, no matter how mature he was, he was still a novice. Seeing the demonstration of a "pro," he couldn't help but be impressed.

Next, under Uchiha Ryo's guidance, the fifteen children took turns throwing shuriken.

The morning passed by in this way.

...

After practicing shuriken throwing for a whole morning, the wrists of the children were sore and even numb.

Uchiha Ryo provided them with simple treatment, applying the special ointment from the clan, and then handed them over to Uchiha Shin.

The group of children, whose wrists were "useless," underwent running, frog jumps, and other training under Uchiha Shin's guidance for the afternoon.

Finally, their whole bodies were "useless," and they could consider the day complete...

Compared to yesterday, Uchiha Kiyoshi had a more challenging time returning home today.

"Fortunately, I had foresight and prepared dinner early. Otherwise, with my current condition, I wouldn't be able to eat."

With a wry smile, Uchiha Kiyoshi didn't delay any further. He poured the hot water he had prepared into the tub and soaked the medicinal bath bag in it.

He brought the dinner from the kitchen and placed it aside, then climbed into the wooden tub. First, he rested for an hour before immersing himself in the water and starting to eat his dinner.

After finishing the meal, Uchiha Kiyoshi added some hot water for himself and continued to "enjoy" his medicinal bath.