Keep Training

Today's Ninja Academy class was nearing its end.

Iruka stood at the podium, his gentle gaze sweeping over every student in the classroom.

He knew that for these students who had just entered the Ninja Academy, extracting chakra was the first step of their ninja careers—and the most difficult one.

He said softly, "Students, I know some of you didn't successfully extract chakra today, but please don't be discouraged.

In the past, ninjas needed far more time than we do now to master this skill.

Although it took them a long time to extract chakra for the first time, they were still able to become outstanding ninjas in the end.

Now, after generations of improvement, our understanding of chakra extraction is already far more advanced than it was back then.

I believe that in the near future, all of you will be able to extract chakra from your bodies!"

His words were full of encouragement and confidence. Every word was like a warm spring breeze brushing over the students' hearts.

The students who had failed to extract chakra and felt discouraged raised their heads, hope rekindling in their eyes.

Iruka continued, "As for those of you who have already successfully extracted chakra, I want to say that your talent is exceptional.

But talent is only the starting point. You need to work even harder, not wasting a single minute or second, striving to become outstanding ninjas."

Iruka walked over to the group of Hidden Leaf rookies centered around Naruto and guided them one by one.

Iruka said patiently, "You've already taken an important step, but this is only the beginning.

Your talent has placed you at the front of the starting line, but the road ahead is still long.

I hope you will cherish this talent, continue working hard, and become true ninjas in the future.

Do not let down your talent, and do not let down the Will of Fire in our hearts! Use this talent to gain greater strength, protect our village, and protect the people we love!"

All the students were fired up by his words.

With Iruka's encouragement, their resolve became firmer, and they grew more confident as well.

As the dismissal bell rang, the students all rushed out in a swarm.

The Hidden Leaf rookies led by Naruto had yet to leave.

"Naruto, are we going too today?" Choji Akimichi asked.

"Of course. Everyone's recovered, right? Is anyone feeling unwell?" Naruto naturally chose to bring everyone along to train.

Only with more people did it feel competitive. Besides, if they started training from a young age, then by the time the story began, everyone would definitely be far stronger than in the original work.

By the time of the Fourth Shinobi World War, Naruto did not want the Hidden Leaf rookies to be nothing but spectators. At the very least, they had to be able to contribute and play some role in battle.

At the very least, they should have the ability to protect themselves.

"Fine, then. Everyone should be recovered!" Kiba Inuzuka answered.

Yesterday's training had not been too intense, and most of them came from major clans. After training, they all had specialized medicinal baths to nourish their bodies and replenish their physical strength, so there would be no lasting depletion.

Raised this way from childhood, they would surely become capable ninjas when they grew up.

"What a drag. Let's go, then. The sooner we finish, the sooner we can go home and eat." Though Shikamaru complained, his body was honest.

When there were many people around, a person's individuality was often easily hidden, and they tended to follow the crowd.

There were pros and cons to that, but when it came to training, it could create competition among friends and make everyone train more seriously.

That was a good thing!

"Charge! Our destination is the Ninja Academy training field!"

Iruka packed up his lesson plans at the podium and watched Naruto's group head toward the training field together.

Curious, he followed after them.

"What are those little brats up to? Don't tell me they're going to have a group brawl? If they really start fighting, I'd better stop them."

It had to be said that Iruka was truly a kind-hearted man. He always worried too much about his students, but that also showed that, at his core, he was simply a good person!

Naruto and the others arrived at the training field. At that moment, Rock Lee and Might Guy were training there as well.

"Yo, Naruto! Hello, everyone! Are you all here to train too?" Seeing Naruto's group, Rock Lee eagerly came over to greet them.

"Hello, Rock Lee. We're about to train. You should join us!" Naruto invited him without hesitation.

"That's wonderful! From now on, we can train together. With more people, training won't feel so dull!" Rock Lee flashed Naruto his white teeth, raised a thumbs-up, and gave him his approval.

"Waaah, Rock Lee, Guy-sensei is so happy for you. You found a group of friends who can improve together so quickly! Youth! This is truly youth! Youth is endless!"

"Rock Lee, to celebrate you finding friends, I think you should run ten laps around Konoha Village today. If you can't do it, add another thousand push-ups!"

"Guy-sensei! I will train hard here and won't let down your expectations of me!"

From afar, Rock Lee and Might Guy looked like a father and son, but they were actually master and disciple, embracing each other and crying bitterly.

"Keep it up, Rock Lee. I'm going to train too. Work hard, so our youth can bloom even more brilliantly!"

This time, Might Guy chose to train on his own, while Rock Lee joined Naruto's training force.

"Naruto, this time, I'll definitely surpass you and last longer than you! If I can't do it, I'll go home and do an extra two hundred push-ups!"

Rock Lee was becoming more and more like Might Guy. Even his way of speaking was so similar.

"Heh, you want to surpass Naruto? You'll have to get past me first!" Sasuke stepped forward, blocking Rock Lee from Naruto.

"Sasuke Uchiha? I admit you might be a genius, but don't forget that you lost to me yesterday. Do you think you can beat me today?"

Rock Lee was somewhat dissatisfied with Sasuke's words. In his view, since he had trained so hard in taijutsu, Sasuke should not be able to match him in stamina.

"Bushy Brows, today's me is no longer yesterday's me. Just wait and see!"

Sasuke and Rock Lee had squared off, which made things much easier for Naruto.

"Then, everyone, let's go! Don't push yourselves too hard, okay? The most important thing about daily training is persistence!"

Before setting off, Naruto reminded everyone once again not to injure themselves.

They were still growing, and moderate exercise was beneficial to their bodies.

Overtraining, on the other hand, could easily injure them.

This time, Naruto did not hold back. From the very start, he went all out.

He could reveal some of his strength. If anyone became suspicious later, he could just say he did not know anything and claim that his recovery ability was strong, so his stamina recovered quickly too.

Every problem could be attributed to the Uzumaki Clan's constitution. They would come up with reasons for Naruto themselves!

Besides, yesterday Naruto had only done a light warm-up. This time, he wanted to work up more of a sweat.

Seeing Naruto move so quickly without slowing down in the slightest, everyone was inwardly startled.

Sasuke and Rock Lee saw how formidable Naruto was and realized that surpassing him was simply too difficult.

So they exchanged a glance and regarded each other as opponents.

If I can't beat Naruto, can't I beat Sasuke?

If I can't beat Naruto, can't I beat Rock Lee?

They both thought the same thing at once.

Thus, they began competing. Rock Lee was very fast, and after training for some time, his stamina was also excellent.

Sasuke's talent was even better. After yesterday's training, coupled with the Uchiha Clan's unique medicinal bath, his stamina had fully recovered, and every aspect of his body had improved considerably. Perhaps Indra's chakra was secretly at work!

Would the gifted genius come out on top, or would diligence make up for a lack of talent?

Seeing Naruto's speed, Sakura and Ino were also shocked. Since they could not keep up with Naruto's pace, they could only train according to their own rhythm.

The two began competing with each other as well. Usually, they were loving sisters, but during training, they were rivals. Neither was willing to yield to the other!

Seeing how impressive Naruto was, Hinata silently praised him in her heart. Then she fixed her gaze on him and quietly worked hard in his direction.

Perhaps she did not have the best physique, but she definitely had the strongest will.

Never give up when faced with hardship. That was Naruto's ninja way, and it was also the ninja way Hinata had learned from Naruto!

Seeing Naruto move so quickly, Akamaru became interested. He abandoned Kiba Inuzuka and charged toward Naruto, wanting to follow behind him!

"Hey, hey, hey, Akamaru! Don't run so fast! I can't keep up!" Kiba Inuzuka shouted from behind as he sprinted after him.

"Wait for me, everyone!" Choji Akimichi followed as well, though the ground trembled slightly with every step he took.

"And me! Don't ignore me! I hate it when people ignore me!" That was Shino, whose presence was weak.

"What a drag. Hurry up and get tired, so I can slack off and finish early!" That was Shikamaru. Sure enough, before they had even begun, he was already thinking about trouble and slacking off.

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