Basic Body Technique: Ninja Body Fist

8 p.m.

Jueming stepped outside to get some fresh air.

Outside... the sky was full of stars.

At that moment, a dark figure was still standing stiffly in the neighboring courtyard, startling anyone who saw it.

"Jueming, you're still awake."

The other person greeted Jueming and revealed her face.

She was a girl of about ten, looking rather downcast.

"I just came out to clear my head." Jueming nodded in response.

The Clan girl next door was named Senju Akira.

She should have gone with him to take today's Entrance Examination.

But perhaps because her aptitude was insufficient, the Great Elder had screened her out.

Not sleeping in the middle of the night—she had to be feeling utterly miserable.

"I heard... you got first place in the Entrance Examination today." Senju Akira spoke timidly.

"Failure is the mother of success. Keep it up next year." After thinking for a moment, Jueming gave his reply.

As her neighbor, he could at least offer a word of comfort.

Just as Jueming finished speaking, a figure approached along the road.

"Great Elder."

Jueming greeted him.

Senju Akira, however, fell into thought.

"Jueming, I heard you took first place today." The Great Elder stroked his beard, smiling broadly.

"This is the result of my hard work," Jueming answered calmly.

"Mm."

The Great Elder nodded.

In this era when talent was scarce, claiming first place in the Entrance Examination surely required extraordinary effort.

"What hard work? Does lying there count as hard work?" Mito Uzumaki scolded him in his mind.

"Great Elder, please come inside."

Jueming ignored Mito Uzumaki.

Seeing that the Great Elder had no intention of leaving, he immediately invited him in.

The old man nodded and entered the room.

"Failure... is the mother of success?"

In the neighboring courtyard.

Watching the Great Elder follow Jueming into the house with a smile on his face, Senju Akira's eyes grew even more lost.

"But why am I always the one who fails?"

Creak, creak.

A strange twisting sound suddenly rang out. Her head trembled a few times, yet she was completely unaware of it...

"Jueming, watch this set of movements closely."

Inside the house.

To reward Jueming for bringing honor to the Senju Clan, the Great Elder personally taught him a set of techniques.

"Thank you for your efforts, Great Elder."

Watching the old man's punches whistle through the air, Jueming bowed.

At such an advanced age, he was still out and about, truly laboring for the revival of the Senju Clan.

"Jueming, give it a try."

The Great Elder stepped aside, indicating that Jueming should perform the set.

The air gave off faint sounds.

They could not be heard during the day, but in the quiet of night, they were especially distinct.

They were the sounds of Jueming swinging his fists and legs.

The Three Great Ninja Skills.

Ninjutsu, taijutsu, and Illusion Technique.

This taijutsu personally taught by the Great Elder was called "Konoha Style: Basic Body Technique."

Its inventor was said to be the Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju.

It had been created specifically to complement the Senju Clan's Yang Attribute constitution.

Punches and kicks.

It did not seem particularly special. There were only around ten movements, with a purpose similar to exercises like the Five Animal Frolics or bodybuilding.

But precisely because it was simple, it was concentrated essence.

This complete set of simple movements could train nearly every part of the body.

It was an efficient Basic Body Technique focused on "quick results," also known as "Ninja Body Fist," allowing one to better utilize the body's functions in battle.

Jueming discovered that many of its movements had counterparts in the martial arts of his previous life.

So... after practicing it a few times, he became completely familiar with it.

As time passed, his execution became increasingly skillful.

Every movement was smooth and effortless. In less than a minute, he completed the entire set.

Jueming immediately felt warmth spread through his body as streams of heat surged within him.

In this world, the human body had 120 to 130 trillion cells.

There were also things like meridians in the human body.

And mystical energy like Chakra.

In other words... common sense from his previous life could not be applied to this one in many cases.

After practicing this Ninja Body Fist.

Jueming found that his body had undergone new changes.

Growing stronger every day by lying down was like enlarging a piece of uncut jade.

Persisting in Ninja Body Fist training was like polishing that continuously growing piece of jade.

So...

His future routine became very clear.

He would spend time lying down, then practice "Ninja Body Fist" after lying down, with eating, drinking, and sleeping in between.

Oh, and of course, "Life Grass."

Having established the basic plan.

Jueming nodded.

Then he practiced Ninja Body Fist several dozen more times. An hour and a half passed.

Jueming was drenched in sweat.

"Good, good..."

The Great Elder nodded approvingly from the side.

"Jueming, among all the Peers I have seen... you are the child with the finest qualities."

But Jueming did not stop. He continued practicing.

For Jueming, this was merely the beginning of the path of the Liver God.

His body grew hotter and hotter, as if a fireball were burning inside him.

Jueming became even more immersed in his training.

Sweat splattered down in droplets.

The feeling of growing stronger every moment made him incomparably excited.

"So you can do it if you persist after all."

Mito Uzumaki silently watched the scene as well.

The daytime Entrance Exam, and now the nighttime Ninja Body Fist training.

She thought that Senju Jueming was capable of persevering if he put his mind to it.

Was it because the Great Elder was personally supervising him?

Or was it because he respected the Great Elder more?

Thinking carefully...

Senju Jueming's attitude toward the Great Elder truly was much better than his attitude toward her.

After observing for a while longer, Mito Uzumaki reached another conclusion.

"This child... is actually somewhat like Tobirama Senju in temperament."

She had already examined the child's aptitude at the very beginning.

Since he could not follow Hashirama's path, letting him develop in Tobirama's direction would be fine as well.

Hashirama Senju was known as the God of Shinobi. He pacified the Ninja World with "Wood Release" and represented power. Meanwhile, Hashirama Senju's younger brother, Tobirama Senju, invented all kinds of forbidden techniques, using ninja research to make up for the gap between himself and his elder brother. At the same time, diligent training was also one of Tobirama Senju's strengths.

In her view, Jueming's temperament was bold and resolute.

If he could persist in training diligently instead of slacking off... he would surely reach greater heights.

"No... they are still different."

Mito Uzumaki shook her head.

Tobirama Senju had also been cold-tempered.

But he could still compromise.

For example... whenever his elder brother got angry, Tobirama Senju would shut his mouth and obediently stand to the side.

"But this Senju Jueming is different. He refuses to be disciplined, as if he does not know fear or what compromise means!"

Mito Uzumaki's eyes widened slightly.

Then she shook her head again.

"This child is still a member of my Senju Clan. No matter how crooked he grows, he cannot go too far astray..."

A wave of drowsiness washed over her.

Mito Uzumaki, inside Jueming's mind, closed her eyes.

Though she was a spiritual entity, she could also grow weary, so... she temporarily "fell asleep."

As the guide for the Senju Clan's revival.

At the beginning, Mito Uzumaki possessed only a tiny amount of power. Unlocking her past power would require a very, very long time...

And all of that was also connected to whether Jueming became strong.

After a while longer...

Jueming stopped moving.

Because he had reached his limit.

He stood there trembling, with sweat covering the ground beneath him.

Half of Jueming's calmness, rationality, and self-control came naturally, while the other half came from his later experiences.

This self-control etched into his bones had carried him through one difficulty after another, almost becoming an instinct as mechanical as a machine's.

So after discovering that he had transmigrated, he accepted it calmly.

His aptitude was ordinary, yet he felt neither anxiety nor despair.

Jueming would not hang his head or abandon hope. He would only follow his own rhythm and do things step by step.

"Let's stop here for today."

The Great Elder looked Jueming over from head to toe.

Then he left the house.

After the Great Elder stepped outside, he thought for a moment.

"I'll continue observing tomorrow."