Early the next morning, Tōka, sleeping in the woods, suddenly felt his vision go dark, as if something had blocked his sight.
He frowned slightly, then opened his eyes to find a pair of enormous "rabbits" before him.
A green coat, golden twin tails, a diamond-shaped mark on her forehead, and a pair on her chest...
Tsunade!!
The groggy Tōka immediately woke up and sprang to his feet.
"Lady Tsunade," Tōka greeted respectfully, his manners utterly impeccable.
"Hmph, you little brat acting all grown-up!" Tsunade curled her lip and casually tossed a booklet to Tōka. Without giving him a chance to speak, she turned and left.
Like Tsunade's shadow, Shizune merely nodded slightly at Tōka in farewell before turning to follow Tsunade away.
After this departure, who knew when they would meet again?
Tōka was baffled by their string of actions and instinctively opened the little booklet Tsunade had left behind.
"The Yin Seal? And the Byakugou Seal?"
They were actually Tsunade's cultivation notes? Tōka stared blankly into the distance, but Tsunade and Shizune had already vanished at the edge of the woods.
Why had Tsunade given him these two techniques?
Just as Tōka was wondering, Tsunade's voice drifted over from afar. "Consider it your reward for ending the Land of Wind battlefield."
Unlike the Yin Seal training method Orochimaru had given him, Tsunade's cultivation notes were far more detailed and easier to understand.
"They may not be useful for now, but once my body develops, the Yin Seal and the Byakugou Seal will both be excellent." Tōka skimmed through the booklet, committing the general details of the two techniques to memory.
Then he tucked the booklet into the inner pocket of his clothes.
"Since I'm awake, I might as well wander around." Tōka dusted off his backside and headed deeper into the woods.
He decided to enjoy this rare day of peace.
However, before Tōka had taken more than two steps, a sharp gust whistled through the air. Then Gai, clad in green and sporting a bowl cut, shot down from a tree.
He extended his right arm, raised a thumb, and flashed a brilliant grin. "Tōka, today, let us sweat together in the name of youth!"
"Uh..." Tōka's face darkened. It was rare to see Gai so full of energy.
Normally, Tōka would have ignored Gai's talk of youth. But now that he wanted to refuse, he had no idea how to say it.
Suddenly, an idea flashed through Tōka's mind. The corners of his lips curled up into a chilling smile.
"Gai, let's go find Kakashi!" As soon as Tōka spoke, he turned and headed for Konoha Village without giving Gai a chance to say anything else.
"What are we going to see Kakashi for?" Gai hurried after him and asked with a puzzled expression.
"If we're going to sweat in the name of youth, how can we leave out your lifelong best friend?" Tōka said with a smile.
"Best friend?" Though Tōka's little face was clearly adorable, Gai somehow found it unsettling.
Tōka merely smiled without answering. The moment to witness the passionate bond between Gai-sama and Kakashi had arrived. Hehehe...
Inside Konoha Village, at the Hatake residence, Kakashi sat quietly in the courtyard with the White Fang short sword in hand.
Suddenly, a chill swept over him, making him shudder.
"Is it Father's blade? Is its killing intent too heavy?" Kakashi rubbed his arms and looked down at the White Fang short sword, mistakenly thinking the chill was emanating from the blade.
"I'm still too weak. I can't wield the White Fang." He sighed softly, mocking himself.
With a twist of his wrist, Kakashi smoothly sheathed the White Fang and strapped it back onto his back.
Just then, two familiar figures descended with two whooshes. Tōka and Gai appeared in the courtyard one after the other.
"Kakashi, let's sweat together in the name of youth!" Gai raised a thumb, grinned, and revealed a sparkling row of teeth.
Kakashi's eye twitched as he glared at Tōka with dead-fish eyes.
There was no need to think about it. Gai being here had to be this little brat's doing.
Tōka smiled faintly with an innocent expression, making Kakashi want to slap him across the face.
If not for fear of hurting his hand, he definitely, absolutely, certainly would have done it!
"Since everyone is so full of energy, let's run five hundred laps around the village!" Gai roared thickheadedly, green flames blazing around him.
Tōka and Kakashi exchanged a look, their eyes full of helplessness.
"Five hundred laps around the village? Only you could do something like that." Tōka glanced at the eager Gai without any intention of moving.
Tōka was not lazy, but neither was he a training fanatic. Gai's self-torturing taijutsu regimen simply did not suit him.
"If we can't finish, then let's do one thousand leg kicks!" Gai clenched his fists and roared.
Tōka's mouth twitched. One thousand? Did they even want their legs anymore?
Afraid that Gai would start spouting nonsense about a thousand punches or a thousand push-ups, Kakashi hurriedly cut off Tōka before he could complain.
Turning to Gai, he shouted, "Let's begin, Gai!"
"Yeah!!"
Whoosh! Whoosh!
Gai and Kakashi shot off one after the other, leaving a trail of dust behind.
"Those two never listen to anyone! Still, I really do need to let off some steam." Tōka leaped forward and sprinted after Gai and Kakashi.
Running was also a skill, especially long-distance running, which tested endurance the most.
There were four key points: maintaining a steady pace and adjusting to the speed that suited oneself best, neither too slow nor too draining.
Since everyone's stamina differed, speed could not be generalized.
At first, Tōka only thought about keeping up with Gai and Kakashi. He failed to conserve his strength and rushed too fast.
As a result, after one lap, Tōka felt his legs growing heavy and his breathing becoming slightly ragged.
"This won't do. At this rate, forget five hundred laps—even ten will be a problem!"
Tōka had never set five hundred laps as his goal. That was simply not something he could accomplish at his current level.
Especially during his growth stage, excessive training would leave lasting hidden injuries.
Therefore, Tōka's goal was to complete at least ten laps and try to break through twenty. That was the training plan that would truly benefit him.
"Catch my breath, then continue." After calming his heaving chest slightly, Tōka slowed down.
The moment he did, Gai and Kakashi vanished like smoke at the end of the forest path.
"Two freaks!" Tōka curled his lip and decided to do things his own way.
Breathing was the second essential factor in endurance running.
He needed to maintain an even breathing rhythm and avoid constantly changing it.
Breathing was not simple, especially during long-distance running. If he accidentally inhaled too much or exhaled too much, his breathing rhythm would be thrown off for a while afterward.
Once his rhythm went wrong, his body's coordination would suffer, increasing his energy expenditure. What should have been ten laps might become only eight.
Tap, tap, tap...
Tōka ran step by step at an unhurried pace, sweating freely while enjoying the pleasure of running.
After an unknown amount of time, Tōka gradually found his rhythm. As his stamina was consumed bit by bit, it also grew bit by bit.
"Tōka, hurry up and catch up! Youth has only just begun!" Gai shouted, venting the sorrow that had long accumulated in his heart.
"You're too slow!" Kakashi's voice carried an indescribable lightness.
Gai and Kakashi flashed past like a gust of wind, and only then did Tōka realize they had lapped him again.
Seeing that, Tōka became even less anxious to catch up.
He gradually stopped, took a deep breath, then exhaled slowly. After repeating this several times,
his slightly restless chest settled down and returned to its best condition.
"Run to your heart's content. Pour out the pent-up feelings in your heart!" Tōka resumed jogging calmly, watching the two retreating figures about to vanish as he silently thought to himself.
Water was also indispensable when running.
Long-distance running easily caused dehydration. Once someone ran long enough, their body would become exhausted and thirsty. That was the difficult part of endurance running.
Before running, one could drink a small amount of water. Too much would leave the stomach bloated and uncomfortable.
After running, one could also drink a little to replenish the water consumed by the body.
As Tōka passed a herbal tea stall, he happened to think of this. He bought a pot of clear tea and sealed it in a scroll.
Training required proper methods. Effort that achieved twice the result with half the work was certainly better than effort that achieved half the result with twice the work.
Lastly, when running, one should pay attention to the range of one's movements, directing every motion forward and finding a suitable stride.
Time passed along with the sweat shed by the three of them. The rising sun climbed high, then the setting sun descended, and their three shadows gradually stretched longer and longer.
After only around ten laps, Tōka's speed had slowed completely. Half running and half walking, he trailed far behind Gai and Kakashi.
How many laps had they lapped him by? Tōka had already lost count. He only felt his steps growing heavier and heavier, as if his legs had been filled with lead.
"No wonder they're Konoha's new green leaves after the Third Shinobi World War." After praising them, Tōka continued dragging his feet forward.
At this point, Tōka was only a little faster than a crawling turtle, slowly swinging his arms as he went.
His legs were numb, as if they no longer belonged to him. Every step was incredibly heavy.
His body felt like a soaked sponge, several times heavier than usual.
Leaving aside a taijutsu monster like Gai, Kakashi's stamina could also leave Tōka far behind. After all, Kakashi needed to practice swordsmanship, and poor stamina simply would not do.
However, Tōka had his own advantage: he was only seven years old, not yet eight.
How large was Konoha Village? It stretched beyond what the eye could see!
An ordinary seven-year-old brat would be doing well just to run one lap around Konoha Village. Only ninja or people who trained their stamina year-round could possibly run hundreds of laps.
It had to be said that Kakashi was truly strong.
In terms of stamina, his speed for the first hundred laps was not the slightest bit inferior to Gai's.
Unlike Gai, who specialized in taijutsu, Kakashi was an all-around genius who developed ninjutsu, genjutsu, and taijutsu in balance.
The sky gradually darkened, and the woods became noisy as well.
It seemed the birds returning to their nests were sharing the joy of the day, chirping endlessly.
Tōka felt his body had reached its limit. He exhaled heavily and stopped.
With an exhausted expression, he said, "As expected, this kind of taijutsu training that pushes beyond one's limits doesn't suit me."
Tōka did not plan to train the Eight Inner Gates anyway, so why torture himself?
Tōka tugged at his collar. His clothes were soaked through with sweat and clung uncomfortably to his skin.
After another lap, Gai's speed began to slow as well, and Kakashi's chakra was nearly unable to hold out.
"Another two or three laps, and they should stop."
Tōka looked up at the sky. Night was approaching.
He found a patch of shade and sat down. The evening air was warm and soft, carrying a hint of coolness.
"This feels so good!" Tōka held a cup of water and leaned against a tree stump, his little face full of contentment.
Sure enough, three laps later...
Thud! Thud!
Two dull sounds rang out as Gai and Kakashi collapsed one after the other nearby, sitting on the ground and gasping for breath.
Tōka promptly handed each of them a cup of water. They snatched them up and gulped them down...
"I've finally come back to life!" Gai said, panting like an ox.
Kakashi glanced at Gai and cursed silently. He was strong like a monster.
Clearly, Kakashi had also noticed that Gai had not yet reached his limit, while merely moving a finger felt exhausting to him.
"Kakashi, Tōka, we didn't complete five hundred laps, so next let's do one thousand leg kicks!" Gai sprang up with a carp leap and assumed a one-legged stance, ready to kick.
Kakashi and Tōka's temples both throbbed as they roared inwardly, You've got to be kidding!
At this point, both of them felt like their legs no longer belonged to them! One thousand leg kicks would definitely break them!
"Gai, save the kicks for later. Aren't you hungry?" Tōka hurriedly changed the subject. Even if it killed him, he was not continuing.
"That's right. After such a huge expenditure, we should properly replenish ourselves." Kakashi hurriedly agreed.
"Right, how about barbecue? My treat!" Tōka puffed out his chest and said generously.
At that, Gai's stomach growled traitorously. Even thick-skinned Gai could not help blushing.
Tōka and Kakashi exchanged a smile. This single-minded guy knew what hunger was too! As long as he was hungry, he would go eat.
In the end, the three decided to feast on barbecue!
"Smells so good..."
Outside the barbecue restaurant, Gai drooled as he inhaled sharply through nostrils wider than a bull's.
Tōka and Kakashi exchanged a look and both shifted two steps to the side, making it clear they did not know this green-clad kappa.
"Tōka, Kakashi!" Gai suddenly shouted.
Hearing him, Tōka's heart skipped a beat as a bad feeling surged up inside him.
Gai looked as though he had far too much energy left. Clenching his fists, flames blazing from his eyes, he said, "After dinner, while it's dark, let's run another five hundred laps!"
"Again?" Ten thousand alpacas galloped through Kakashi's mind...
Tōka turned and walked into the barbecue restaurant, directly ignoring Gai's words.
Before you continue