Do You Want to Be My Disciple

"Hoo... ha..."

On a standard training ground, the red-haired youth was drenched in sweat, diligently practicing his strikes. With every punch, a string of glistening sweat beads fell from his forehead.

If one observed closely, they would notice this wasn't just simple striking practice; he was strengthening his muscles. Black lead weights were tied to his forearms, and his muscles trembled slightly with each punch and retraction.

The exposed skin on his forearms bore patches of purplish-red marks. Upon closer inspection, one could see expanded capillaries. The overloaded training had torn muscle fibers, causing capillaries to rupture and form bruises of purple and crimson hues.

Yet, he gritted his teeth and persevered. Pain and soreness were nothing compared to the punch the scarred Mist Ninja had landed square on his face.

I'm still far from strong enough.

Besides, the training methods of the Uzumaki Clan were notoriously brutal, pushing beyond limits to unlock potential. Only the Uzumaki's tenacious, cockroach-like vitality could withstand such methods; anyone else would have surely died from self-inflicted harm.

Moreover, Katsuki was even more extreme than the average Uzumaki.

His training wasn't just rigorous; it was self-torture.

Long-distance running, frog jumps, sit-ups, pull-ups, walking on his hands, striking practice – after completing a full set of exercises, he was always on the verge of collapse. Honestly, even most Uzumaki would have their bodies break down long before this.

But Katsuki had eaten the Human-Human Fruit. Initially, he was disappointed to have consumed it. Thankfully, after that encounter with the Mist Ninja, he realized the Human-Human Fruit wasn't as useless as he thought. It was the first time he had felt its power so clearly and directly.

It was precisely because of the Human-Human Fruit, combined with his Uzumaki bloodline, that Katsuki dared to push himself to such reckless extremes.

He had been in Konoha for a week now, and Katsuki had been confined to the backyard training ground, never leaving the house.

Katsuki and his sister had their own house, a gift from Great-Grandmother Mito. For the wealthy and influential Senju Clan, a house was nothing. Back then, half of Konoha's land belonged to the Senju, and even now, the Senju still owned a vast amount of property.

It was a two-story house with a flower garden in front. The backyard had been converted into a standard-sized training ground by the previous owner, with a ring of cherry blossom trees planted around the yard. Unfortunately, the blooming season had passed, otherwise, the scenery would have been quite beautiful.

However, the owner's name had now changed to Uzumaki, so they could look forward to that scenery next year.

"Is your training always this intense?"

On top of the wall, Hatake Sakumo squatted, dressed in casual attire.

"Uncle Sakumo."

Katsuki exclaimed in surprise, his fists still moving as he spoke.

"What brings you here?"

Katsuki had misunderstood. He thought a powerful ninja like Sakumo would constantly be taking missions for the village. However, that was a concept from peacetime. This was a time when war could break out at any moment. How could a strategic weapon like Sakumo be allowed to roam freely? He was kept in the village for emergencies.

"I had some free time today, so I came to see you two. Elder was kind enough to ask me to look after you two little ones." Sakumo smiled warmly, leaped down from the wall, and stood with his hands behind his back under a cherry blossom tree by the training ground. His expression turned serious. "Training like this, pushing yourself too hard, can easily leave you with lasting issues. You're only six years old; there's no need to be so harsh on yourself."

"It's okay. My recovery is very strong, and... I want to become stronger. You saved my sister and me last time, but what if we encounter danger again? We won't always be lucky enough to have someone come to our rescue. I want to protect my sister and myself with my own strength."

As he spoke, Katsuki finished his last set of striking drills, slowly retracting his fists. He clasped his hands behind his head and began doing frog jumps along the perimeter of the training ground, the shape of the lead weights bulging under his taut pants.

Sweat dripped onto the solid earth, leaving a trail of dark marks. His breaths were low and suppressed, white steam puffing from his nostrils. Sakumo remained silent, watching Katsuki do frog jumps lap after lap, his eyes filled with uncontrollable surprise.

"Katsuki... you've already managed to refine your chakra, haven't you?"

"Hoo... Yes... Yes... Hoo hoo!" It was even harder to talk while doing frog jumps. Katsuki felt like his lungs were about to explode; every breath felt like a knife cut.

"What's your chakra nature? Have you tested it?" Sakumo's breathing grew slightly heavier.

Katsuki's mind was already swimming from the exertion, and he was only persisting through sheer willpower. He didn't notice that Sakumo's questions seemed a bit... off.

"Earth... Earth Release and... Lightning... Lightning Release." He instinctively answered Sakumo's questions, completely oblivious to how surprised Sakumo was upon hearing his reply.

Having innate dual chakra natures wasn't uncommon in the Uzumaki Clan. Kushina, for instance, also had innate dual natures: Wind Release and Water Release. These were mutually restrictive to Katsuki's: Wind counters Lightning, and Earth counters Water. It was quite interesting.

"Lightning Release, Earth Release... Lightning and Earth..." Sakumo muttered to himself, his eyebrows raised high. He clenched his fists tightly. "Katsuki, stop for a moment. I have something to tell you."

"Hoo... Hoo..." Katsuki panted and stopped, looking up at Sakumo under the cherry tree, momentarily dazed.

"Come here, I have something important to tell you." Sakumo took a deep breath, his expression returning to a calm state, and beckoned Katsuki over.

Katsuki dragged his heavy feet over, looking at Sakumo blankly, unsure what important matter the White Fang had to discuss with him.

"Do you want to become my disciple?"

What?

Katsuki subconsciously thought he had misheard. His eyes widened, and he tilted his head back to meet Sakumo's gaze. Seeing the serious expression on the White Fang's face, it didn't seem like a joke. His body trembled, and his heart pounded wildly, almost leaping out of his throat.

"Why... why me? If the White Fang of Konoha were to take a disciple, I'm sure many people would be lining up at your door. And there are so many geniuses in Konoha..."

Katsuki felt foolish. The White Fang of Konoha wanted to take him as a disciple, and instead of shouting "Master, please accept your disciple!" he was here hesitating. How cheap of him! But... he still did it. There was no such thing as a free lunch in this world; the reason was important, at least, he felt it was important.

"Because, like me, you have innate dual chakra natures: Lightning and Earth. And... I think you're quite compatible with me. That's all." Sakumo's voice was gentle, yet it held an undeniable radiance.

However, this simple and direct reason suited Katsuki just fine!