Holiday Training

Konohagakure had the most comprehensive ninja village system on the continent. As far as the academy was concerned, every student except sixth-years received a short break.

The break only lasted a month, but for Genma, it would not be a time for rest.

He had not allowed himself to slack off for a long time. Every day of his life was packed full, and the holiday was no exception.

However, on the first morning of the break, he did not wake up naturally, nor did anyone wake him.

Because the person who wanted to wake him was stopped outside the door. Blocking the doorway was Genma's mother, Riya. The one being blocked was Genma's father, Shiranui Hideyoshi.

"Hey, Hideyoshi. It's a holiday, so why not let him rest properly? As his father, why don't you be a little harsher on yourself?"

Riya shot Hideyoshi a fierce glare. Though she was angry, her graceful, lovely face and sparkling eyes made the whole scolding seem more like flirtatious banter.

Seeing his wife throw such a beautiful tantrum, Shiranui Hideyoshi stared without blinking and obediently took several steps back. "Ah... Riya, this was what the kid asked for himself. If we don't wake him, he might complain about us later."

Riya did not buy his act of doing it for her sake. She gave a slight nod and folded her arms. "Hmph, he won't. Even if he does complain, he'll only complain about you!"

That was indeed the truth, and Hideyoshi had no rebuttal. After all, he held the lowest status in this household.

Just as Hideyoshi stood there at a loss, Riya walked over to his side and poked him. "Hey, hey, don't play dumb with me. Genma started talking in his sleep again last night, and he was shouting too. Didn't you hear him?"

Over the years, although Genma had been diligent and well-behaved, he still had a few minor flaws.

For instance, talking in his sleep. Genma himself had no awareness of it whatsoever, but as his parents, Hideyoshi and Riya always noticed right away.

Genma had talked in his sleep last night. In truth, both of them had woken up.

However, this time it seemed to involve him again, leaving Hideyoshi quite helpless. He pulled a long face and said, "I... I heard it. Isn't that normal...?"

After living together for so many years, Hideyoshi's attempts to shirk responsibility were still terribly clumsy.

"You clearly heard him shout, 'Don't use Senbon, don't use Senbon!' How could I have heard it while you didn't?"

Riya looked displeased and glared at Hideyoshi indignantly.

"Come on, honey. Genma is learning saber techniques now, so how could it possibly have anything to do with the Senbon I keep in my mouth?"

Hideyoshi was deeply depressed. The Senbon passed down since his grandfather's generation had somehow become so disliked in his son's generation.

Riya understood that too, but after so much time had passed, Genma was still having dreams like that again. There had to be something strange going on.

"Did you secretly teach him how to use Senbon?"

Riya asked probingly, her eyes fixed intently on Hideyoshi's face, trying to read something from it.

"No, no. He already has enough to learn. How could I make him learn even more?"

"Fine, I'll believe you for now. I'm going to make breakfast, so don't wake him."

With that, Riya went into the kitchen, leaving Hideyoshi alone outside Genma's room.

In the end, Genma stretched and got up anyway.

"Wow, kid, you sure woke up at the perfect time."

Hideyoshi's face shifted between green and black, and even the Senbon in his mouth had been bitten crooked.

"Isn't that normal? Master has always focused on training my five senses. With all that noise outside the door, of course I woke up."

"But I was supposed to wake you up, and your mom scolded me instead! How are we settling this?"

"Uh, what does that have to do with me? I was just sleeping. You're making things way too difficult for me."

"No, kid. How exactly did the Senbon passed down through my family offend you? Explain yourself right now!"

Seeing Genma finish washing up and prepare to leave for morning training, Hideyoshi directly blocked his path.

"Wow, you're in such a bad mood this early, Dad. You should watch your health."

"Hmph, I'm in great health. Explain it to me now!!"

Shiranui Genma scratched the back of his head and thought for a moment. "Hmm, did I talk in my sleep again? I remember using a saber to defeat countless enemies. Oh!! I remember now. Later, I picked up a Senbon and put it in my mouth, but no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't throw it away."

"So that's what it was! You brat, what's wrong with Senbon? You wanted to throw it away even after putting it in your mouth? Next time you dream, clamp down on it properly!!" Hideyoshi flew into a rage and began tugging Genma's ear.

"Ah!! Domestic violence—mmph!" He had barely made a sound before Hideyoshi, afraid Riya would notice, hurriedly covered Genma's mouth.

"Mmph! Mmph!" Genma patted Hideyoshi's iron-grip hand, signaling for him to let go.

"I'll let go, but you're not allowed to shout!!" Hideyoshi snarled fiercely at Genma.

To escape the other man's clutches, Genma could only obediently agree.

"By the way, Dad, I'm already this old. Aren't you going to give me a little brother or sister or something? Our family is so rich, after all."

"Give you a what? What the hell are you thinking about every day!?" Hideyoshi angrily ruffled Genma's hair wildly.

"I'm serious. I've even thought of names. If it's a girl, Shiranui Mai. If it's a boy, Shiranui Shisika. Pretty impressive, right?" Genma flashed a smile full of pearly white teeth, then took advantage of Hideyoshi's stunned moment to bolt out of his blockade.

"You brat, Shiranui Shisika? Our surname is clearly Shiranui! I think you really don't know when to quit. Don't run! Stop right there!"

How could Genma stop? The moment he left the house, he darted straight into the woods.

After finishing his morning training and eating the breakfast his mother had made, Genma bade his parents farewell and headed out with his saber.

In the Naruto World, it was truly rare for a transmigrator to have both parents alive.

After all, most transmigrators became protagonists, protagonists had cheat abilities, and cheat abilities were exclusive to orphans.

Although he had never discovered any substantial cheat ability over the years, having his parents now made him feel very happy. Compared to any cheat ability, happiness mattered more.

But this was a cursed world. Once one embarked on the path of a ninja, very few people met a good end.

Still, if Genma had arrived here as an orphan, he would have been unable to bear such a lonely and difficult life without anyone to rely on.

Leaving loneliness aside, if his cheat ability was weak and required a long time to develop, even avoiding the village's darkness would have been a problem.

Having parents and a clan made him feel that there were people behind him, giving him peace of mind.

And his parents were very supportive of his choices, whether he chose to cultivate sage arts or had once trained under Might Duy.

As long as he made his resolve clear and explained his reasons, they had never strongly opposed him.

Might Duy was one thing, but the inheritance of sage arts was actually more worrying. Even so, they had agreed.

Today was another day for cultivating sage arts. Of course, comprehending Nature Energy and merging it with physical energy and spiritual energy in a one-to-one-to-one ratio was still a long way off.

Before long, Genma arrived at a tavern. Since he had been there many times, he made his way to the Backyard with ease.

There, a handsome man with long black hair tied back was continuously wiping a long saber.

"You're here. How is your saber practice?"

The man was sparing with words and meticulous in everything he did. His thick eyebrows especially gave him an air of focus.

This was Genma's current master, Rock Lee, inheritor of the Drunken Immortal School.

Genma did not dare slack off and quickly replied.

"I've already gained a preliminary grasp of the final form."

"Oh? Then show me."

Genma did not hesitate. He immediately untied the saber from his back and prepared to perform the final form of the Basic Saber Technique.

After calming his mind and steadying his breath for a moment, Genma's hand suddenly moved with the saber.

Though he was not especially fast, the rotating motion still swept up a white afterimage.

Str rubbed his chin for a long while before finally nodding. "The force, angle, and range are all well controlled. Remember the feeling of successfully executing Wiping Blade. Temper it for a few more days, then move on to practicing its variations."

After hearing Str's assessment, Genma's furrowed brow finally relaxed.

Without waiting for Str to give further instructions, Genma consciously went to his usual practice spot.

He performed Wiping Blade again and again.

Though it was painfully slow, there was no helping it if he wanted to ensure quality.

By the time Str had gone in and out of the courtyard several times, Genma's back was already soaked with sweat.

"That's enough. Go rest for a while first."

Str spoke calmly.

Hearing Str's words, Genma immediately wiped his sweat with even more enthusiasm.

Rest was not a break in the traditional sense, but another form of training.

Yet to Genma, this training was practically a benefit.

When he arrived in the kitchen, he found a special little table laden with food.

This training involved both smell and taste. Supposedly, it had been designed to strengthen his body's instincts.

Although some of the food was quite unusual and tasted strange, requiring him to identify what was off about it.

The tavern's chef was still highly skilled, and most of the food tasted excellent.

Genma did not reject this strange training either.

After all, the fusion of energy and energy could not be seen with the naked eye.

And cultivating ninjutsu relied heavily on instinct. Though he had yet to see the benefits of this training, he always felt there was something extraordinary about it.

Although following this cheap master of his had led to quite a few mishaps.

For example, sometimes Str would become so absorbed in thought that he would absentmindedly pat Genma's head a few times.

So Genma, who had read Journey to the West and also believed Kishimoto had an exceptional ability to make flowers bloom.

Happily snuck out in the middle of the night to find Str at the tavern.

Only to be caught by Str as a thief.

In the pitch-black darkness, he was accidentally beaten black and blue.

But that did not stop Genma from trusting the skills Str taught him.

Though that was also because he had no better choice...