"Rasengan—'spinning sphere.' That's a pretty good name." Sarutobi recalled the blue Chakra. He decided that naming it Rasengan had been the right choice.
"Tianqi, if the village asks you to hand over this jutsu, will you do it?" Sarutobi also started thinking about what might happen to the jutsu down the line.
After all, the village would certainly covet such a powerful A-Rank Ninjutsu, especially one that required no hand seals. He wanted to find out what Tianqi thought in advance.
It would be best if Tianqi was willing to hand it over. If he wasn't, Sarutobi could at least warn him not to show it off carelessly. Otherwise, if things blew up, nobody would come out looking good. He knew the saying: a man is innocent, but his jade brings trouble.
"If the village wants it, they can have it. If I can create one jutsu, I can create another. I, Uchiha Tianqi, have that confidence." Tianqi was completely unbothered by Sarutobi Hiruzen's words. With the system on my side, what have I got to fear? Hmph! I'm weak now, so I'll put up with it. Once I'm strong enough, just try asking me for a jutsu and see how I handle you.
Hearing Tianqi say that, Sarutobi was relieved. If Tianqi really refused to hand it over, he'd be in an awkward position. He sided with the village, but he couldn't bring himself to let a teammate down over a single jutsu.
"Tianqi, your skill with Ninjutsu is truly impressive. You have enough jutsu for now. You could beat a Chunin with this one alone. But even the strongest jutsu is meaningless if it doesn't hit its target."
Tianqi nodded. He agreed with Sarutobi. His Ninjutsu was indeed strong enough now. His body had been strengthened by the Water of Life, but just taking medicine wasn't enough; he also needed to get the full benefit from it.
"For the next little while, we'll focus on Taijutsu and work on getting you up to the level of an elite Chunin as quickly as possible." Sarutobi Hiruzen looked eager.
Tianqi knew why Sarutobi Hiruzen was so eager. Judging by the time, the First Shinobi World War was only a few years away. Sarutobi wanted to help him get stronger, so he really did have Tianqi's best interests at heart.
"Enough, Tianqi. That's it for chatting. Today's goal is to run twenty laps around the village. Get moving, young man! A bright tomorrow awaits you!" Sarutobi Hiruzen called out with an over-the-top, chuunibyou expression.
Tianqi shot the chuunibyou Sarutobi Hiruzen a look, then set off at a run without another thought. Twenty laps were easy for him now. Unfortunately, a few days later, he'd completely changed his mind.
Five days later, Tianqi was jogging outside the village, drenched in sweat. He was getting slower and slower, and each step felt like he was carrying hundreds of pounds.
A few days earlier, Sarutobi had made him run twenty laps on the first day. On the second day, it became forty. On the third, it became seventy. Sarutobi had also found some weights somewhere and strapped twenty pounds to each of Tianqi's limbs.
Sarutobi Hiruzen insisted that he wear them all the time, whether he was eating or sleeping.
Today, the fifth day, it had gone up to a hundred laps, and the weights had increased to fifty pounds each. All four weights together came to a full two hundred pounds—more than Tianqi weighed.
Watching Tianqi slow to a crawl, Sarutobi Hiruzen shouted from the side,
"Tianqi, pick up the pace! What are you doing? Why are you getting slower and slower? If you want others to acknowledge you, this level of strength isn't nearly enough. Do you think you'd have any chance of surviving on the battlefield like this? If you don't want to die out there, get running!"
Tianqi gritted his teeth and listened to Sarutobi. He managed to speed up a little. Damn Sarutobi Hiruzen, it was easy to talk when he wasn't the one running. Two hundred pounds of weights, and a hundred laps on top of that—was this really a training regimen for a ten-year-old?
Tianqi cursed Sarutobi Hiruzen as he ran. At last, it was nine at night. "Ninety-eight laps, ninety-nine laps, one hundred laps!"
"Huff, huff, huff... Those damn hundred laps are finally done!" Tianqi collapsed onto the ground, gasping for breath.
Sarutobi Hiruzen looked at Tianqi sprawled on the ground and said, "Well, you finally finished. Honestly, I'd wondered if you could make it through all the laps, but seeing you finish now really makes me proud. With that kind of perseverance, I'm treating you to barbecue tonight. Let's go!"
Hearing that he couldn't go home and sleep yet, and had to go eat barbecue instead, Tianqi stared at Sarutobi Hiruzen in disbelief.
"Come on, Big Brother Sarutobi. Look at the state I'm in. Where am I supposed to find the strength to eat barbecue? I can barely make it home, let alone eat. How about we skip it?"
"Hey, you're young. You should have some youthful spirit. Why are you acting like an old man? If you've got enough strength to walk home, you might as well use it to walk to the barbecue shop. You can replenish your energy there." As he spoke, Sarutobi Hiruzen patted Tianqi on the shoulder.
The truth was, Tianqi wouldn't have been able to keep going. But starting on the third day, the system had given him a mission: every day, he had to run the number of laps Sarutobi assigned him to complete the mission. If he failed, he'd be killed. That was why Tianqi was cursing Sarutobi.
Fail the mission and he'd be dead, and Sarutobi kept increasing the number of laps every day. Who wouldn't hate him? He'd earned 1,000 Points on the third day, 2,000 on the fourth, and 3,000 today, the fifth day. In just three days, Tianqi had earned 6,000 Points.
Hearing Sarutobi Hiruzen say that, Tianqi replied, "You're right. I might as well eat some meat to get my strength back. Besides, you're the one who put me in this state, so I'll eat you into poverty!"
Sarutobi Hiruzen didn't take Tianqi's words seriously. How much could one person eat? At most, he'd spend the equivalent of a B-Rank Mission. That kind of small change didn't bother him.
"Big Brother Sarutobi, can I take off the weights before we go eat barbecue?" Tianqi said, starting to remove them. Sarutobi Hiruzen stopped his hand.
"Wait, wait, Tianqi. Keep the weights on. They're good for you. Once your body gets used to them, your explosive power will be even stronger."
"You've done well running with the weights. There's no point in continuing to run. Tomorrow, you'll start sparring while wearing them."
Hearing Sarutobi's words, Tianqi breathed a sigh of relief. At least he didn't have to run anymore. Wait, that meant he wouldn't be able to earn Points here, either. He didn't have to worry about being killed, but where would he get enough Points to exchange for the Three-Tomoe Sharingan?
Tianqi thought it over for a while, then gave up. Whatever, he'd take things as they came. He'd get another chance eventually. For now, his mission was to eat barbecue and teach Sarutobi Hiruzen a good lesson.
Soon the two of them arrived at the barbecue shop. As soon as they sat down, Tianqi ordered fifty plates of meat, all thinly sliced. Sarutobi looked at Tianqi with a mocking grin. He could eat that much by himself, so how did Tianqi expect to eat him into poverty with just that?
Then Tianqi really got going. At first, the two of them grilled and ate together. By the end, Sarutobi was grilling while Tianqi ate. Before long, Tianqi had finished all fifty plates.
"Boss, another fifty plates of barbecue!" Tianqi finished those in no time, too.
"Boss, another fifty plates!"
Seeing the huge stack of plates on the table, the diners nearby gathered around.
"That kid can really put it away!"
"What kind of stomach does he have? Isn't he afraid of bursting?"
With so many people watching, Sarutobi was losing face. He leaned toward Tianqi and whispered, "Hey, Tianqi, that's enough. You're really trying to eat your fill? Don't you feel embarrassed with all these people watching?"
"What's there to be embarrassed about? I'm just eating. Besides, you're treating me today. You're not going to stop me from eating my fill, are you?" Tianqi said, completely unconcerned.
Two hours later, outside the barbecue shop, Sarutobi shouted at Tianqi as he ran away.
"Tianqi, you little punk! You ate more than five hundred plates of barbecue! Don't let me see you again. If I do, I'll beat you up!"
Tianqi called back as he ran, "Big Brother Sarutobi, you're treating, so why shouldn't I eat my fill? Don't be so stingy!"
"'Eat my fill'? You ate all the money in my wallet, you little punk!" Sarutobi tossed his empty wallet away.
Watching Tianqi disappear from sight, Sarutobi put away his angry expression and said calmly, "That brat sure can eat. He's probably getting back at me for putting him through all that training these past few days. Looks like we'll have plenty of fun from now on."
As he walked home with his belly sticking out, Tianqi was in a wonderful mood. "Damn Sarutobi, let's see if you dare put me through that again! This was just a little taste. Next time you treat me to meat, I'll eat so much your wallet will smoke!"
Before you continue