Stance Training × Guidance

Nara Dan glanced ahead at the trio practicing Standing Meditation in the Training Ground nearby.

They were Kakashi, Hyuga Nana, and Ino Rinya.

The three stood in a row, holding low horse stances, their bodies drenched in sweat.

They had clearly been at it for a while.

Maybe I should let them try this so-called Human Immortal Martial Arts.

Nara Dan considered it.

Standing Meditation was essentially the horse stance.

Of course, in the Ninja World, the horse stance was simply a way to build leg strength and endurance.

But Nara Dan saw it differently.

From his perspective, Standing Meditation activated the body's Great Dragon—that is, the spine—allowing one to adjust their Life Energy and the way their muscles and bones generated force and were structured.

Suddenly, Nara Dan's eyelid twitched. He flicked his right index finger, and a whip formed from Chakra lashed out at lightning speed.

Crack!

Hyuga Nana felt pain spread through her body. Under the vibration of a mysterious Jin Force, the muscles and bones throughout her body shifted minutely.

Her posture became more precise, and her movements generated force more accurately.

Hiss!!

Hyuga Nana's expression was one of exquisite agony as she cursed Nara Dan under her breath.

Holding the horse stance was already exhausting, and on top of that, this guy kept whipping her every so often.

Is this guy some kind of training maniac? He even squeezes in his own training while his students are practicing.

But there's one thing that still seems unbelievable, no matter how many times I see it.

"Can people really shape Chakra into a whip?!"

People with excellent Chakra control could shape Chakra into a scalpel or Chakra Threads.

But a whip was soft and flexible. Surely that was impossible.

"Indeed."

Hyuga Nana jolted. Nara Dan spoke calmly, gazing at her.

"Shaping Chakra into something soft is extremely difficult."

"It took me half an hour of experimenting before I managed it."

"But you should be focusing on your training, shouldn't you?"

Though Nara Dan's voice held no emotion, Hyuga Nana broke into a cold sweat, panic rising in her heart.

"Yes, Teacher Nara!"

"I'm very sorry!"

As if he'd read her mind, Nara Dan's words made Hyuga Nana stop letting her thoughts wander. She focused completely on her Stance Training.

Seeing this, the other two looked horrified and quickly closed their eyes, concentrating on the mysteries of Stance Training.

Nara Dan shifted his gaze back to the three of them.

Naturally, Nara Dan couldn't actually read minds. Perhaps someone who'd mastered Yin Release to Yakumo Kurama's level could, but that wasn't within his area of expertise.

It was merely a product of his heightened intuition, born from unifying his Essence, Energy, and Spirit. He could roughly sense the emotional fluctuations of those nearby.

Combined with what he'd observed, it was easy to guess what the little girl, Hyuga Nana, was thinking.

The three of them were quite interesting, Nara Dan mused.

Although they seemed to be holding the same stance, their subtle muscle movements, skeletal movements, and flows of Life Energy were all different.

Nara Dan looked at Hatake Kakashi.

The boy's fair little face was barely sweaty. His expression was composed, and his body trembled less than the others'.

Kakashi was the youngest, yet he had the best foundation and the greatest ability to remain calm.

But precisely because he was so young, training had depleted some of his body's innate vitality. What he needed most was rest, not more training.

So Nara Dan had taught him a form of Stance Training that focused on Quiet Meditation, paired with a Breathing Technique. It emphasized the movement of his internal organs, using the stance to nourish his body and restore his physical potential.

Hyuga Nana was different. Nara Dan looked at her delicate face as she pretended not to be paying special attention to him, and considered her temperament.

As a girl from a great clan, she had the most thoughts and the most complicated mind. Though she seemed like a proper young lady on the surface, she was actually a girl with a fiery heart.

So Nara Dan had taught her a form of Stance Training that focused on Dynamic Meditation. It used the Great Dragon of the spine to mobilize the strength throughout her body, swaying precariously as if she were riding a horse.

This would adjust the way her body generated force and improve her physical fitness.

Ino Rinya was different again. He wasn't as composed as Kakashi, and had the restlessness typical of a civilian-born ninja.

But he was also more resilient and patient than clan-born ninja.

His Stance Training balanced movement and stillness. It was the most moderate approach, primarily intended to build a solid physical foundation and improve his reflexes.

"So Kakashi has gained 'purity.'"

"Hyuga Nana has gained 'refinement.'"

"And Ino Rinya has gained 'breadth.'"

"They've each been taught according to their strengths, and each has found what suits them."

Nara Dan was quite satisfied with his teaching.

Of course, only someone like him, who could observe and adjust another person's Life Energy, could do this. Ordinary Jonin instructors could only fall back on stale tricks like the bell test.

Third: "..."

Kakashi: "..."

"All right."

Nara Dan's voice rang out abruptly, seeming to hold a certain magic as it pulled the three of them from their training and back to reality.

Their breathing was slightly rapid, sweat glistened on their bodies, and their eyes shone as they looked up at the tall Nara Dan.

"I've been teaching you for a while now."

"Stance Training is only the foundation."

"Training methods must ultimately be combined with combat."

"Now, let me see how much progress you've made."

With that, Nara Dan looked at Kakashi.

"We won't have all of you come at me together this time. I'll give you individual instruction."

"Kakashi, you go first."

"Yes, Teacher Nara!"

Kakashi's expression was serious, but he also looked a little excited.

Over the past few days, he'd focused entirely on Standing Meditation, without any sparring or other training.

But he wasn't discouraged, because he could feel it:

After the strange practice of Standing Meditation, his physical and mental condition was more than thirty percent better than before.

Though he hadn't tested himself in a fight, his instincts told him he could beat two versions of his former self.

Kakashi's expression turned solemn as he gathered Chakra throughout his body.

Without warning, a flash of lightning streaked past, and Kakashi vanished from where he stood.

Kakashi was astonished by the sensation of hurtling forward at great speed.

This speed...

The efficiency of Cell Activation has improved by at least thirty percent.

"Both my overall speed and strength are thirty percent greater than before."

"And that's not all."

Kakashi turned his head slightly, delighted to see the scenery around him moving in slow motion.

"My neural reaction speed has improved too!"

"It can keep up with my speed now."

Until now, Kakashi's neural reaction speed had never been able to keep up fully with the speed of his Cell Activation.

That problem had persisted until the end, when he obtained Obito's Sharingan and finally resolved it.

After all, few people were born with a nervous system as developed as Minato Namikaze's.

A second update is coming! Who dares to let chapters pile up?