Taijutsu Training

"Good! We'll arrange for Kirigakure to kill that kid when the time comes." Uchiha Madara smiled coldly. He had already decided that Uchiha Yuzhen had to die.

"Lord Madara... To be honest, I think Yuzhen's talent is far greater than Obito's. Why do you insist on killing him?"

"It's simple. With a fellow whose 'potential' is no worse than his around, there's no need for Yuzhen to exist."

"After all, fools are always easier to control than clever people... Zetsu!"

That was Madara's choice.

He hadn't expected two outstanding talents to appear in this generation of the Uchiha.

One had already begun to shine.

The other was still dormant.

The one who was shining didn't look stupid.

The dormant one was obviously a fool.

From the perspective of keeping them under control, the choice was clear.

"Then when do you plan to act, Lord Madara?"

At that, Uchiha Madara's lips curled into a cruel smile.

"Isn't that fellow Danzo looking to cause trouble? We'll wait and act alongside him!"

"I can't wait... to see him betrayed by the village's higher-ups..."

"Will a new pair of eyes appear?"

Time passed in a flash.

It had been more than half a year since they arrived on the coast of the Land of Fire.

During those six months, Kirigakure had occasionally harassed the border, but never launched a large-scale invasion.

It seemed to be waiting for an opportunity.

Uchiha Yuzhen paid it no mind. He was in a valley not far from the sea.

He was carrying out his daily, unwavering Taijutsu training.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

A series of thunderous crashes rang through the valley.

On a distant cliff, three small figures stared intently at the source of the noise.

"Isn't that ridiculous? Is Big Brother Yuzhen really training in Taijutsu?" A boy in suspenders, a sun hat, and sunglasses stared in shock at the commotion Yuzhen was making.

Even though he had watched it every day lately, he still couldn't understand.

How could one person become so strong?

"That's right, that's right! Guy... can Taijutsu really do something like that?" A handsome boy with long brown hair and a blue cap quickly nodded in agreement.

Might Guy, however, seemed not to hear his two friends. His eyes were fixed on the low ground in the valley.

There, a shirtless boy raised his fist.

He swung it toward the cliff wall in front of him.

With every strike, huge chunks of rock broke away from the mountainside.

The valley echoed with the booming impacts, and even the three boys on the cliff could feel the tremors.

Unbelievable!

Might Guy couldn't believe what he was seeing!

That figure was their Jonin leader for the past few months—Uchiha Yuzhen!

He had interacted with him before.

He had also heard Kakashi's assessment.

A genius among geniuses!

And yet this genius was training in Taijutsu with such dedication.

Guy had never imagined it!

"Guy... Guy... Guy!"

The sudden rise in the speaker's voice brought Guy back to his senses.

"Ah! What is it, Ebisu, Genma?"

"Tch..." Shiranui Genma clicked his tongue in annoyance and repeated the question he had just asked.

At that, Guy answered hoarsely, "I don't know... I don't know whether my Taijutsu could reach that level, but! You've all seen Big Brother Yuzhen's Taijutsu."

"He did all that without using chakra!"

"Yeah... We've all seen it." Shiranui Genma sighed, realizing he'd asked a pointless question.

Just then, Ebisu spoke up. "Big Brother Yuzhen's finished training. Let's go down!"

"Okay!" X2

In the valley.

Uchiha Yuzhen lowered his fists and slowly exhaled a stream of white breath. It shot forward like a sharp sword.

Then he started stretching.

As he did, he couldn't help reflecting on how "lucky" he was.

He had no idea who had arranged it, but as soon as he arrived on the coast of the Land of Fire, an order had summoned him to serve as a temporary Jonin team leader.

The excuse was that a Special Jonin was still a Jonin, and should be given more responsibility.

He could guess the real purpose.

They wanted to separate him from most of the Uchiha.

But whoever had arranged it hadn't expected Kirigakure to hold back instead of attacking at once, as if it were waiting for something. It had stayed put for half a year.

Then his luck had kicked in. The people under his command were people he "knew"!

Might Guy, Shiranui Genma, and Ebisu!

He had been about to train in Taijutsu and get a handle on the Steel Training Affix.

What happened next was simple. As their Jonin leader, he asked Might Guy how to train in Strong Fist.

Guy didn't keep anything to himself. To him, someone recognizing Taijutsu meant recognizing him and his father.

He eagerly taught Yuzhen everything he wanted to learn.

He even passed on the Eight Inner Gates without hesitation.

What happened after that made Yuzhen feel as if even the heavens were helping him.

Six months of uninterrupted training had brought his Taijutsu to a mind-boggling level.

"Steel Training is a little overpowered, after all. You gain something as long as you keep at it... I never imagined it would be like this!"

He really hadn't expected it.

This Affix would keep strengthening his body until it reached the limit of what it could withstand!

He was special!

The Kekkei Genkai of the Uchiha and the Senju had both come together in him.

That had caused a slight change in his body...

His increased potential and explosive growth in chakra went without saying!

His body's recovery was also incredible.

As for his chakra, he dared say he had as much as Naruto in Shippuden.

It had definitely surpassed a hundred units.

He didn't know the exact amount.

In any case, it should be like Naruto's: he'd never have to worry about using up his chakra again.

Even if he couldn't fight for days and nights like Hashirama Senju and Uchiha Madara, he reckoned he could easily manage a full day and night of high-intensity combat.

And speaking of recovery, that brought him to his Taijutsu training over the past few months.

His recovery was what surprised him most.

No matter how brutal the training, he could eat his fill, sleep, and wake up fully recovered the next day.

After training like this for half a year, he had already reached the point where he could open the sixth gate of the Eight Inner Gates.

Half a year of training had accomplished what took Rock Lee years. The Entry Extraction System was unbelievably powerful.

As he reflected, he spotted his three friends running down toward him.

He immediately stopped stretching.

He waved happily and greeted them.

"Guy, Shou, Genma, are you here to train in Taijutsu too?"

"Big Brother Yuzhen, no..." Shiranui Genma shook his head and said gravely, "We got a report from the camp. It seems a group of ninja has infiltrated our area, and we've been sent to investigate."

At that, Uchiha Yuzhen narrowed his eyes slightly.

When it came to the Eight Inner Gates in Naruto, it was impossible to overlook Might Guy and his father.

And when he thought of Guy's father...

Might Duy, the eternal Genin, brought to mind the Seven Ninja Swordsmen—and how they became the Three Auspicious Treasures.

Then he looked at the three friends in front of him.

Oh, boy...

Could it be this time?