"Hm? You're giving them all to me?"
Uchiha Ao pointed at himself, looking utterly bewildered.
Could it be?
He discreetly glanced at the shop owner's feet.
He wasn't even wearing white socks...
Even if they were both Taijutsu Ninjas, there was no reason for the other man to give him such a huge favor.
"Ahem, little brother, don't get the wrong idea. I... I actually have a favor to ask."
The Shop Owner quickly explained. Scratching his head, he said, "You mentioned just now that there's a Ninjutsu that can improve physical fitness, right?
"To be honest, my Ninjutsu Talent is... mediocre at best. I always rank at the bottom in the clan's assessments, so I gritted my teeth and switched to Taijutsu. But after all these years of training, I've hit my limit."
He gazed at the equipment filling the shop, his eyes fixed on it like it was his last bargaining chip.
"If—if you'd be willing to show me that path... I'd give you all this equipment! And if that's not enough, I can throw in some money!"
At that, Uchiha Ao finally understood. He'd known there was no such thing as a free gift. After a moment of silence, he could only put on an apologetic expression as wisps of blue-white electricity began to crackle around him.
"Sorry to disappoint you, big brother. I'm only interested in Taijutsu. As for my Ninjutsu Talent..."
Before he could finish, two soft poofs sounded, and clouds of white smoke billowed up. Three Uchiha Aos appeared at once, moving in perfect unison. Even their Chakra fluctuations were solid and even—this was definitely no low-level Clone Technique meant to fool people.
"For me, making clones of this caliber and controlling them is just... basic."
As he spoke, he sighed and looked at the Shop Owner. "But the thing you want requires an absurd level of Chakra Control, Body Perception, and even willpower.
"Honestly, big brother, its requirements... might be even higher than mastering an A-rank Ninjutsu.
"If I hadn't set my sights on becoming the Toughest Man in the whole village, I wouldn't have gone to all this trouble to practice such a difficult Ninjutsu."
"..."
The Shop Owner looked at the three identical Aos. He opened his mouth, but in the end his shoulders slumped and he gave a bitter smile.
"I understand... I was asking for the impossible. A technique of that caliber was never something a mediocrity like me could learn... Sigh."
The atmosphere fell quiet for a moment.
Ao glanced at the equipment and broke the silence himself. "Still, big brother, I really do need the equipment.
"Could I take these two on credit at the going price? I'll come back for the rest once I've saved up. How does that sound? As long as it doesn't involve a Secret Technique, I'm happy to share what I know about Taijutsu training anytime."
"Deal!"
The Shop Owner looked up, a glimmer returning to his eyes. He nodded firmly. "It's settled! And don't worry about paying for these two—consider them... consider them a gift to a friend!
"I really admire you. With talent like yours, you're still willing to work so hard at Taijutsu. If you really do become the Toughest Man in the Shinobi World one day, remember to bring some of that glory to my shop!"
Uchiha Ao smiled sincerely. "Then I appreciate the kind words, big brother."
The Eight Inner Gates really was a technique that could push the body to its limits, but he understood the principle of keeping valuable things to himself.
Besides, if word got out afterward and someone started investigating, he'd be fine. But it wouldn't be good for Might Duy, who was still a child.
Still, Ao wasn't the sort to take advantage of people. If he figured out a Ninjutsu that might help the Shop Owner, he could always give him a few pointers.
The Shop Owner seemed like a decent person, after all. With his guidance, Ao had already learned the basics of using all sorts of equipment.
After saying goodbye to the Shop Owner, Ao activated Thunder Breathing and carried the two dumbbells—which together were almost taller than he was—back home.
"Huh? What's this..."
Ao had just set down the equipment when he stared at the panel in front of him, sounding surprised.
[Thunder Breathing: 86/100]
The ten or so minutes it had taken to get home from the Equipment Shop had increased his Thunder Breathing progress by a full seven points!
He'd only managed to grind it up to 79 between heading out on the mission and returning.
Looks like these Large Dumbbell Plates were worth playing with. He had to take them seriously!
As the thought crossed his mind, he used a Ration Pill. With Thunder Breathing active, he laid a barbell plate across his back and did more than ten sets of push-ups.
Before long, his Thunder Breathing progress had increased by another six points.
As his physical fitness improved, he could clearly feel that he had gained a deeper understanding of the essence of Thunder Breathing and Lightning Release Body Refinement.
"Eight points left..."
Ao took off his sweat-soaked shirt, revealing a body with the beginnings of well-defined muscles, and panted heavily.
"I'll push myself again tomorrow and try to break through in one go!"
Once Thunder Breathing transformed again, would it be even stronger than Lightning Release Armor?
He could hardly wait!
After that, Uchiha Ao reviewed the Release Principles of those four Wood Release techniques. Before long, it was around five in the afternoon.
Ao closed the scroll and shut his eyes, focusing on what he'd learned.
The techniques were complex, but with his Destiny's help, he quickly overcame the stumbling blocks that might have taken an ordinary person a month to get past.
At this rate, he estimated he'd need only a week to successfully add these Wood Release Ninjutsu to his skill list.
Once that happened, how strong would I be with both the Sharingan and Wood Release?
Elite Jonin? Or even stronger?
Ao gazed at the clouds outside the window, tinged orange by the setting sun, his mind wandering.
It took him a while to come back to himself. He rubbed his eyes, sore from the light, then stood up and murmured,
"Whatever happens, at least I've finally got some ability to protect myself in this cruel Shinobi World.
"Now I just need to keep building my strength steadily. I should be fine when I face Danzo in half a month."
He casually put on a white short-sleeved shirt, used the Body Flicker Technique to reach the clan road, and headed straight toward the village.
It was getting late. He should go meet Qingyi Lang and the others at the village entrance.
But before he'd made it halfway, a clansman suddenly appeared and called out to him. "Ao, the Clan Head is back. He said to come see him."
Ao furrowed his brow.
That old guy wants to see me?
Could he have heard that I reported to Tobirama first and want to test where I stand?
He was about to sound out the messenger, but the idiot turned and walked away with a smug look. As he left, he seemed to glance back at Ao with disdain.
Ao was speechless, but he was used to it by now. The kid was in the Police Force, and everyone there seemed to treat others that way.
He figured the whole clan's collection of weirdos must be there.
Ah, whatever. It wasn't easy for anyone.
And what was the point of arguing with a lunatic? It meant nothing!
Still, that kid's look seemed more hateful than usual.
What was it? Had his condition gotten worse?
Thinking it over, Uchiha Ao hurried to the Clan Head's residence.
As soon as he entered, he saw a few people in the courtyard animatedly describing something to Uchiha Qiongyue, who was dressed in a flak jacket.
Ao raised an eyebrow.
Hm? Weren't these the old men from the clan entrance whom he'd passed on his way out this morning?
What were they doing here?
Coming to ask for their pensions?
"Clan Head."
It was getting late, and Ao had plans. He couldn't be bothered to wait for them to finish, so he cleared his throat and interrupted them.
"I heard you wanted to see me?"
Qiongyue had already noticed him. He gave a quiet "Mm," while the others, who hadn't noticed when Ao arrived, looked awkward, as if they'd been caught bad-mouthing someone. They excused themselves to Qiongyue and left the courtyard.
Once outside, they gathered together again, whispering about something.
"..."
Qiongyue stared at Ao for a while before finally speaking.
"The people who were just here said you abandoned your mission halfway through and ran away. Do you have anything to say?"
He'd been Clan Head for many years; he wasn't the sort to believe everything people told him.
And based on what he knew of Ao, though the boy was only average in talent and weak in ability, a coward?
He couldn't imagine that the idiot who'd dared to assassinate the little princess of the Senju Clan would be afraid of a mere reconnaissance mission, even if it was dangerous.
Those old geezers sure had too much time on their hands... Ao was speechless. He didn't bother explaining, simply taking the scroll from his robes. The village's red stamp was clearly visible on it. He said calmly,
"I completed the mission."
Qiongyue hadn't believed Ao would run away, but seeing him produce the mission scroll with the red stamp still on it, he couldn't help feeling surprised.
He was curious how Ao had managed to complete the mission so quickly as a Chunin.
Could he really have done it through sheer luck?
"Could you tell me how you completed the mission?" Qiongyue seemed to think of something. For the first time in ages, he smiled at Ao.
Ao quickly satisfied his curiosity, describing in detail how he'd obtained information from Kinkaku Ginkaku and then fled for his life.
"..."
After listening, Qiongyue's expression as he looked at Ao changed.
It was as if he were asking, Are you sure you're not making this up?
Even I wouldn't dare say I could escape those two monsters if they came after me!
But he was the Clan Head, and he had his dignity to uphold. He quickly composed himself, smoothing his mustache before speaking in a calm voice.
"Mm, it seems you were quite lucky this time. You received support from Hiruzen and the others just after entering the Land of Fire.
"As for getting away... mm, I suppose that was only to be expected.
"But can you tell me how you conserved Chakra while escaping?"
Qiongyue knew Ao's abilities well. Although he'd shown plenty of cleverness during the escape, raw strength couldn't be faked.
He had a feeling Ao was hiding something.
"..."
Uchiha Ao thought it over. If he was going to join the Police Force, he should demonstrate some of his worth.
"Clan Head."
He decided to be frank.
"During that perilous escape, I was lucky enough to awaken the Sharingan. That's how I managed to keep running for so long."
His crimson eyes appeared.
"!!!"
Qiongyue's hand jerked violently, pulling out several hairs from his mustache.
What?!
The Sharingan?!
Before you continue