The Terrifying Youth! Might Duy!

Time spent training passed in the blink of an eye.

In just a few short days, Sosuke learned a great deal about the arts of swordsmanship, hand-to-hand combat, movement, and kido from Kyoka Suigetsu.

During this time, he continued to train in the forest, sweating profusely.

The training ground was riddled with pits and craters, with wood shavings and gravel scattered everywhere.

Sosuke stood facing a boulder several zhang high, his eyes closed and his face expressionless, his hand resting gently upon Kyoka Suigetsu.

As a gentle breeze blew, a green leaf danced past him on the wind.

I feel it!

Sosuke's eyes suddenly snapped open.

A sharp glint flashed through his pupils!

His hands, which had been lightly stroking the blade, transformed into a blur of motion.

"Shing!"

With a faint sound, Sosuke ceased his movements and sheathed his sword, breathing slowly as he looked at the giant rock before him.

In an instant, the massive boulder split into several pieces, which slowly slid toward the ground.

"Boom!!"

Dust billowed up from the impact.

Looking closely, one could see that every cut on the rock was as smooth as a mirror; beside the polished stone fragments, twelve green leaves lay quietly on the ground.

In the split second that the leaves had drifted past, Sosuke had struck six times!

This was his understanding of the way of the sword over these past few days!

Sosuke gently touched Kyoka Suigetsu, feeling as though it were an extension of his own body; his progress in swordsmanship was advancing at a speed far beyond that of an ordinary person!

As for the practice of kido, he was constrained by his chakra levels!

At his current limit, he could only manage to release a single Red Fire Cannon (Hado #31).

There was no help for it; he had no way to solve his low chakra capacity for now and could only continue to extract it through endless daily practice.

As for hand-to-hand combat, that and swordsmanship were the areas Sosuke had mastered the most during this period.

Regrettably, while he had mastered sufficient technique, he lacked a suitable opponent to hone his skills against, which left Sosuke feeling quite disappointed.

Finally, what gave Sosuke a bit of a headache was the art of flash step.

He desperately wanted to acquire this high-speed movement technique!

However, after attempting it, Sosuke discovered that he was simply unable to master such a practical and effective ability at this stage.

There was no other reason: the physical requirements for this high-speed movement were simply too high!

If he were to force himself to use it with his current eight-year-old body, it would only place a severe burden on his physique!

Thus, Sosuke decided that his goal for the next few days would be to strengthen his body.

After a day of training, Sosuke was somewhat exhausted, and just as he was about to leave with his weary body, a sound from afar caught his attention.

The training spot he had chosen was located in a remote corner of Konoha Forest, a place where no one usually came.

Hearing the voices of others at this time made him feel a bit curious.

Sosuke walked toward the sound, intending to see who would appear in such a place.

"Three hundred and ninety-seven!" "Three hundred and ninety-eight!"...

"If you can't manage five hundred frog jumps, then strike the wooden stake one thousand times!! Keep moving forward! Youth does not allow for failure!!"

Upon hearing these strange slogans, an unexpected scene came into Sosuke's view!

A boy wearing a green bodysuit was carrying a massive, thick log and continuously performing... frog jumps in his direction!

That giant log looked to weigh at least a hundred pounds!

The bowl-cut boy with thick eyebrows had a face flushed red, his entire body soaked in sweat that dripped continuously!

Sosuke watched him in shock!

Is this guy... trying to kill himself?!

The thick-browed boy, still mid-frog jump, noticed Sosuke standing ahead.

He struggled to lift his head to look at Sosuke, then grinned to reveal a mouthful of white teeth, laboriously tossing the giant log aside.

He brushed the dust off his body, widened his mouth, and smiled at Sosuke!

"Hello, Sosuke! It's great to meet you. I'm Might Duy from the next class over!"

Sosuke hid his surprise behind his frames, lightly touching the rim as he looked at Might Duy and smiled politely.

"Hello, Might Duy. I've heard your name before; it's a pleasure to meet you today."

Might Duy? That guy they call the weirdo in the next class?

So it was him!

Thinking of this, Sosuke glanced sideways at the giant log tossed to the side, still slightly surprised by the physical strength of the guy in front of him.

Upon hearing Sosuke's words, Might Guy's eyes couldn't help but light up!

To be in such close contact with this genius student, who was the subject of all sorts of rumors among their grade of ninja students!

And to hear from his own mouth that he knew his name! This made him feel incredibly excited!

He bowed deeply to Sosuke!

Then, he suddenly raised his head, eyes brimming with tears, and said with an agitated expression!

"It is truly a supreme honor! To think that you, Sosuke, know my name—this has given me a new understanding of the meaning of youth!"

"Thank you, Sosuke! Youth should be just like you, so outstanding!"

Hearing Might Duy's words, Sosuke still wore a polite smile, though he found Might Duy's behavior somewhat strange.

But there was no doubt that this was a very capable ninja!

"Thank you for your praise, Might Duy."

"May I be so bold as to ask, are you currently undergoing taijutsu training?"

Sosuke remained gentle and refined, showing nothing but courtesy, which made the young Might Duy feel a level of respect he had seemingly never received before!

After hearing Sosuke's words, he replied nervously, his face flushing red.

"Yes, Sosuke, I am practicing tai... taijutsu, because... because I can only use taijutsu..."

Taijutsu training... He could only practice taijutsu, after all. For Might Duy, taijutsu was his everything. As a ninja academy student who could only use taijutsu, he was mocked and ostracized by his classmates.

But so what? He had no way to unleash the dazzling ninjutsu of other ninjas, not even the most basic Three Body Technique.

Only by practicing taijutsu could he hold onto the title of ninja!

Only by putting in a hundred or a thousand times the effort to practice the most grueling and thankless taijutsu could he touch the shadows of others and not be left behind.

At this moment, standing before Sosuke, one of the most outstanding students in the academy, he felt deeply inferior and nervous!

Would the brilliant Sosuke in front of him... look down on him for knowing he was such a fool who only put effort into practicing taijutsu...

Might Duy was even prepared for Sosuke to change his expression and walk away once he heard he was such a "fool."

Little did he know!

"Taijutsu, you say... Might Duy, you are a very excellent ninja!"

Sosuke's warm and gentle voice drifted over softly.

Hearing Sosuke's voice, Might Duy looked up at him in disbelief!

The sunlight shone on Sosuke's face, revealing an air of tolerance and warmth, just like an older brother from next door.

Excellent ninja... excellent ninja...

Finally... someone... has acknowledged me...

At this moment, Might Duy could no longer hold back the tears surging forth. The boy let out all the grievances of the past few years, and the tears flowed uncontrollably!

"Tha... thank you! Sosuke, you... you are... the second person besides my father to acknowledge me! Thank you!!"

Even though his face was covered in tears, he bowed deeply to Sosuke once again.

He could see it in Sosuke's eyes—that sincere gaze, just like his father's when he believed that he could become an excellent ninja!

Tears flowed uncontrollably from the eyes of the eight or nine-year-old boy...

Under the embers of the setting sun, On the way home, a faint smile hung on Sosuke's lips.

He recalled today's encounter and a few specific details.

The thick calluses on that guy's hands and his arms wrapped in bandages...

He murmured softly.

"Might Duy, is it... truly a guy who works hard to a terrifying degree."