"Akashi, get up!"
Downstairs, his mother's clear voice reached his ears.
Sunlight from outside had already illuminated most of the room, and the sun hung high in the sky.
Akashi rubbed his eyes, lazily stretched his arms, slowly got up, and yawned.
It had already been three days since he returned from the front lines.
Both the Hokage and Fugaku knew how exhausting it had been, so they had not assigned him any missions. Instead, they gave him some time off.
The rare chance to relax allowed him to enjoy a brief stretch of leisure.
But since it was the weekend and his mother was home, sleeping in was out of the question. Afraid of being lectured, Akashi washed up and ate downstairs before using the excuse of having plans to slip out of the house.
It was not entirely a lie that he had plans.
After returning to the village, Akashi had arranged with Guy to conduct a full examination. The combined experiment involving the Eight Inner Gates and physical activation, which had been postponed because of Shinnō, had finally found a chance to resume.
Guy had readily agreed and was eager to try it.
However, the two had actually arranged to meet tomorrow.
Today, Akashi was still meeting Hyuga Shingetsu at the back mountain. He first explained his ideas about violent revolution, then studied the techniques of the Gentle Fist with her and sparred for a while.
After exchanging several dozen blows, Akashi was the first to suggest a break.
Shingetsu looked surprised. "You're done so quickly today?"
Akashi sat on a rock and smiled. "I only just got back from outside. Don't push yourself too hard."
Shingetsu had her own concerns and shook her head. "I still haven't fully mastered the Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms. I even