Who Will?

"Four thousand nine hundred ninety-nine... five thousand!"

The final two numbers were slowly and laboriously forced from Chiba's mouth alongside two side kicks.

"Bang!"

On the final side kick, Chiba's foot stopped against the wooden post.

"Crack!"

A splitting sound came from where his foot met the post, followed by a crack that slowly crept outward.

"Crack, crack, crack!"

Then came two, three... countless cracks spreading like a web from that first fissure. With a sharp snap, the post shattered to the ground, scattering into a heap of splintered wood.

"Phew... phew..."

Looking at the pile of broken wood, Chiba slowly lowered his foot, panting as he wiped the bead-sized drops of sweat from his brow.

"Thud!"

Then he spread his arms and fell flat onto the ground.

"A set of five thousand really... still... takes some... getting used to..."

Chiba's chest heaved rapidly as he gasped for breath. Beads of sweat slid from his forehead, arms, and feet, dripping into the dirt and leaving dark marks. There even seemed to be faint wisps of steam rising from his body.

Five thousand straight punches, five thousand squats, five thousand side kicks... that was what he had accomplished over the past five hours.

From eleven thirty until four thirty in the afternoon, he had not stopped for a moment. He had completed those three exercises almost in one breath, a full fifteen thousand repetitions. Even Chiba found it hard to believe. Now all that remained were five thousand push-ups and three thousand sword swings, and his daily taijutsu training would be done.

*My body really has exceeded my expectations. Under such intense, high-speed training, I only now feel completely spent. It took a full fifteen thousand repetitions to drain all my stamina, and that was while wearing Weighted Training Gear. Though