Realization

Just as Katsuo wanted to slack off and catch his breath, he looked up and saw Old Duy's stern expression and earnest attitude... Suddenly, he understood!

Isn't power what I want?

Power that transcends the ordinary, power to break free from this world, power to return home!

I haven't even gained power yet, and I already want to give up? If I can't endure even this much hardship, how can I dream of becoming strong? I covet the Eight Gates Formation, but am I even qualified to wield it?

After beating Uchiha Fugaku and awakening the Double Tomoe Sharingan, knowing that he possessed powerful spiritual energy had made him a little swollen with pride!

In the end, I'm nothing more than a weakling!

Katsuo came to this realization. At that moment, he saw himself clearly and could not help feeling deeply alarmed.

Being weak was not scary. He only needed to work hard to become stronger. What was truly frightening was weakness of the heart!

All his recent training problems had been centered around his body. Now that he had finally encountered a Body Refinement Master and Taijutsu Grandmaster, he could not go wrong by listening to him. Even if it killed him, he had to keep going. As long as he did not die, he would eventually rise above!

At that moment, Katsuo looked at Old Duy seriously and said:

"Sorry, Brother Dai. I shouldn't have let myself become lazy. You were right—youth should have no limits. Limits... are meant to be broken!"

After saying that, he began doing sit-ups with all his strength. One after another, each one slower and more strenuous than the last, yet he gritted his teeth and persevered!

Old Duy remained silent. He watched Katsuo and nodded. At that moment, he suddenly felt the urge to take him as a disciple. He saw a certain quality in Katsuo!

A familiar quality. The quality of a strong person. A quality possessed by everyone who had mastered the Eight Gates...

It was the quality of one who would not live unless driven to madness!

Just like the nature of the Forbidden Technique known as the Eight Gates, one knew that opening them would damage the body and could even lead to death. Yet none of those who cultivated this technique feared its side effects, nor had they ever truly regarded it as a Forbidden Technique. This was a divine technique that only the strong could control and master!

The prerequisite for learning this Forbidden Technique was not physical strength, but the courage to open the gates, unyielding perseverance, and an unwavering will!

Katsuo possessed those qualities. He was qualified to learn the Eight Gates. Old Duy thought to himself that this was both a test for Katsuo and a test of whether he should continue indulging this little boy's "nonsense"!

Did he think one mention of "youth" would make Old Duy open his heart? Did calling him "brother" really make them sworn brothers?

How long had the two of them even known each other? Though Katsuo was still young enough that people would not be wary of him or suspect him of having ulterior motives, that did not mean Old Duy had to play along with him and train him!

Only now did Old Duy realize that this little fellow was serious!

Why would a child barely five years old train so desperately?

Watching Katsuo grit his teeth and persist, drenched in sweat, Old Duy asked seriously:

"Why do you want to become stronger? I can see urgency in your eyes, and desire. You crave power!"

Katsuo stopped when he heard that. For the first time, he felt that he had underestimated Might Duy.

The man before him was not only powerful in taijutsu; he also had the ability to see through people's hearts!

Katsuo had approached Old Duy with an agenda, and it turned out the man had been wary of him all along. He simply had not wanted to ask about it.

Although Katsuo truly did have an unknown purpose, Old Duy had not sensed even the slightest malice from him. Instead, he felt a sense of closeness, because he saw deep respect—and there was always an indescribable admiration in Katsuo's eyes!

That was admiration for him!!!

When had anyone ever looked at him that way in all his life? It was silent acknowledgment, the highest form of acknowledgment!

"Ah... I just... want to go home..."

He murmured softly, then his vision went dark and he fainted!

Old Duy was visibly stunned at first, then he chuckled softly. Though he did not understand Katsuo's words, he assumed the boy merely wanted to return to his own home...

Reaching into his Ninja Tool Pouch, Old Duy took out a bottle of yellowish-brown medicine. He poured a little into his palm and rubbed it around, then spread it evenly over Katsuo's swollen wrist. With a little pressure, he kneaded it, and Katsuo immediately woke from the pain.

"Ah..."

Katsuo cried out in pain, then looked at his wrist and asked:

"What is this?"

"This is my family's inherited Trauma Relief Elixir. How does it feel, little brother?"

Old Duy asked.

"It feels tingly and cool. It's really comfortable!" Katsuo said in surprise. Old Duy really had not lied to him!

Old Duy casually handed the remaining half-bottle of medicinal wine to Katsuo and said boldly:

"It's yours."

"Ah... Thanks!" Katsuo was delighted.

"Grrr... grrr..."

A series of rumbling sounds came from Katsuo's stomach, leaving him thoroughly embarrassed.

"Hahaha! Come on, I'll take you to eat!" Old Duy laughed, patting Katsuo on the back before pulling him to his feet.

Seeing Katsuo stagger with every step, he bent down and gestured for Katsuo to climb onto his back.

Katsuo hurriedly refused. His legs were extremely sore, so he could only hold Old Duy's hand as they walked. One large and one small figure set off in search of food.

The reason he did not want Old Duy to carry him was because the difference in their ages and sizes always made Katsuo feel as if he were Old Duy's son...

Little did he know that, in the eyes of passersby, they truly looked like father and son. The father held his son's hand. Both had black hair and black eyes, though the obvious difference was that the older one had ridiculously thick eyebrows... and dressed in a bizarre fashion!

The two slowly made their way to an upscale barbecue restaurant. At first, Old Duy was extremely reluctant. He opened his mouth, intending to refuse, but there was no other reason—he simply could not afford it...

He was only a Genin with no clan backing him. All of his expenses depended on the money he earned from missions, and most of those were D-Rank Missions. He was never well-off, and he truly could not afford such high-end barbecue!

But after Katsuo patiently persuaded and wheedled him for a while, the two finally entered the restaurant and took their seats.

"Brother, no matter what, I'm treating you to this meal..."

"Do you have money..." Old Duy asked awkwardly. He truly did not have enough money on him for a barbecue meal, and now that he was sitting in the restaurant, the feeling made him uncomfortable all over.

He did not think a child like Katsuo could have much money. He assumed Katsuo did not know the prices, since barbecue was genuinely expensive—especially at the Akimichi Clan's BBQ Restaurant, one of Konoha's famous barbecue establishments!

"Don't worry, brother. Your little brother has a bit of money. Eat as much as you want. How about we have a few drinks today?"

Katsuo waved his hand boldly, then called over a server and began ordering.

"Start with ten portions of barbecue, and bring four pots of good wine!"

"Ten... ten portions? That's... that's too much..." Old Duy stammered, covered in sweat.

"Hello, little brother. Konoha regulations state that minors under sixteen are not allowed to drink, and restaurants are prohibited from selling alcohol to them!" An Akimichi waitress said with a smile.

"It's for my brother. Go prepare it."

"Certainly. Would you like sake or Fruit Wine? Those are the only two kinds we currently sell. If you need anything else, we can also have someone purchase it for you." The plump waitress asked Old Duy.

"Two pots of sake and two pots of Fruit Wine," Katsuo answered.

The plump waitress looked deeply conflicted upon hearing that, but after a moment, she nodded and smiled.

"Please wait a moment!"

Soon, the wine and meat were all served, filling the entire table. The plump waitress thoughtfully gave them an extra pot of sake, then brought over two folding screens to separate the two of them from the rest of the restaurant.

She was afraid others would see Katsuo, a child, drinking. There was no need to ask—this little glutton was obviously using his brother's name as an excuse to sneak a drink...

Although Konoha expressly forbade it, who would turn down money when running a business?

Seeing Old Duy's constipated expression and helpless appearance, Katsuo sighed and called out to the waitress who was about to leave.

"Wait a moment. Please tell me how many portions of barbecue this money can buy."

The waitress froze for a moment, then took Katsuo's wallet and counted the money inside.

"This amount can probably pay for thirty meals like this."

The plump waitress pointed at the ten portions of barbecue on the table and answered seriously.

Katsuo had just taken a sip of sake when he heard that, and he choked into a violent coughing fit.

Damn, so this meal costs nearly three thousand ryo? In my previous life, that would probably be over three thousand yuan...

But after thinking about it, beef hotpot in his previous life had generally cost around a hundred yuan per person. Since he had ordered ten portions now, the price was not actually too outrageous.

"See, brother? Why don't you believe I have money? This is just my allowance. I get this much every month, so just eat without worry!"

As soon as Katsuo said that, the plump waitress was stunned.

Damn, did I just run into a Rich Second Generation?

After silently marveling, she smiled and said:

"Hehe, little brother, do you need a girlfriend? Auntie can introduce you to my daughter. My daughter is incredibly cute..."

Katsuo rolled his eyes, then smiled.

"Sure, but Auntie has to pay for this meal!"

"That's impossible!" The plump waitress chuckled. She was not going to fall for that.

"I don't like sturdy girls..."

Katsuo waved his hand. He had made a harmless little joke, since he more or less knew that the Akimichi Clan did not like being called fat.

The plump waitress snorted lightly and left. She was not angry over it.

After witnessing Katsuo's "Financial Power," Old Duy began wolfing down the food.

The barbecue was simply too tempting. He was not the fussy type, and agonizing over things was what he hated most. He was a straightforward, wild man who disliked dawdling.

After several portions of barbecue and two pots of wine, Old Duy's face was flushed red, and he had completely relaxed. His voice had grown several times louder as well.

Katsuo leisurely drank his Fruit Wine. The stuff was practically juice, and with this sort of drink, Katsuo could down a thousand cups without getting drunk...

At first, he thought the barbecue restaurant had tried to fool him, but after asking Old Duy, he learned that Fruit Wine was simply like this. The same was true for sake—it barely had any alcohol content and could not compare to the liquor from Earth in his previous life.

Seeing that Old Duy seemed a little drunk, Katsuo asked curiously about body refinement.

"Brother, why do we have to train by walking upside down like that? It feels kind of strange..."

Katsuo had nearly said, This is so damn embarrassing...

Originally, Katsuo had only asked casually, but Old Duy stopped eating, wiped the grease from the corner of his mouth, lowered his head, and whispered mysteriously:

"I secretly learned it from the Hyuga Clan... You know the Hyuga Clan, right? A major body-refinement clan and the founders of the Gentle Fist Art school."

"So that's how it is!"

Katsuo said in surprise.

So Old Duy had secretly learned this from the Hyuga Clan!

Rather than calling the Hyuga Clan's Gentle Fist a fist technique, it would be more accurate to call it the Gentle Palm. Besides striking with their palms, they also used acupuncture point attacks against their enemies. They barely used their fists at all...

Walking upside down truly trained the wrists and palms very effectively, condensing the strength of one's palms!

After figuring out the reason, Katsuo's face turned bright red. He could not tell whether it was because he had drunk too much or because he was ashamed of having doubted Old Duy...

From then on, he would never again doubt Old Duy's training guidance in the slightest. And in the future, he would no longer feel even the slightest shame over this kind of training!