Chapter 43

Uzumaki Mito saw that he knew his limits, so she said nothing more and waved them away.

After Xunjing and Kushina left, the old woman began teaching the two Shadow Clones Sealing Arts.

Naturally, she did not touch on anything too advanced at the start, instead beginning with the most basic material.

Although Xunjing had already flipped through books and studied it on his own, he still listened attentively.

His Shadow Clones could not use the Heaven Rewards Hard Work talent in real time, but his own comprehension was not bad, and he learned things extremely quickly.

Once those Shadow Clones brought their learned experience and insights back to the original body, he could dismiss them and immediately trigger the Heaven Rewards Hard Work talent, gaining another round of rewards.

Even if it was not as effective as having the original body attend the lesson directly, it was still like secretly getting some extra tutoring.

After leaving Uzumaki Mito's place, Xunjing and Kushina headed straight toward the South Kaga River.

Near the South Kaga River, Uchiha Xunjing and Kushina walked side by side.

Xunjing suddenly stopped. It felt as though something had exploded in his mind, and information came flooding in all at once.

Kushina tilted her head at him. "What happened?"

"Nothing." Xunjing waved his hand and smiled. "Minato's Shadow Clone dispelled itself and sent back the news. He found a base. Come with me."

With a call, he took the lead and dashed forward.

After running more than a thousand meters, they passed through a patch of woods, followed the riverbank downstream, and finally stopped in a clearing amid the trees.

The clearing was not large. Trees surrounded it on all sides, while just enough sunlight filtered down from above.

Someone stood in the distance, his golden hair especially striking beneath the sunlight.

Xunjing raised a hand and called out, "Yo, Minato, we're here!"

The blond boy also raised his hand and replied with a smile, "You're here! What do you think of this place?"

After saying that, he added, "So... how do we train next?"

Minato was actually unsure. His family was ordinary, and he knew virtually nothing about cultivation. Up to this point, everything he had learned was what the academy taught.

Xunjing walked over and patted his shoulder. "We'll start with Chakra control, hand seals, and Basic Body Technique."

"We'll talk about ninjutsu later. Once your foundation is solid, you'll learn anything quickly."

Minato blinked. "I understand hand seals, but is Basic Body Technique the academy set? And how do we train Chakra control?"

"The academy stuff?" Xunjing shook his head. "That isn't enough. I mean the body technique training method I organized, refined from the clan's Basic Body Technique training methods. The preschool and advanced classes at the Uchiha Clan Academy are all practicing it now."

He took two steps back and widened the distance. "Talking is useless. I'll demonstrate it directly. Watch carefully and remember it well. You'll have to practice it later too."

With that said, Xunjing began.

He lowered his body into a firm horse stance, then threw a punch.

The movements were not fast, but every motion was perfectly executed. His waist, legs, and shoulders worked together tightly, like a twisted rope suddenly unraveling as power traveled from the soles of his feet all the way to his fist.

He had been practicing this continuously these past days, and his Basic Body Technique was already close to mastery.

The method he spoke of was actually something he had pieced together himself by combining the experience of various basic body technique training methods from his clan, then incorporating part of the Six Powers training approach.

Of course, the Heaven Rewards Hard Work talent had helped somewhat too.

Minato and Kushina stood in place, staring without blinking.

They forced every move and form into their minds.

Minato Namikaze and Uzumaki Kushina nodded at the same time. Both clearly had good memories and comprehension. Xunjing explained everything so slowly and demonstrated it so thoroughly that failing to remember it would have meant something was wrong with their brains.

"Alright, then practice it once for me. I'll point out anything you do wrong." Xunjing nodded in satisfaction and made a welcoming gesture.

"No problem!"

The two of them began going through the motions.

As expected, they had not truly mastered it yet. Remembering it and actually doing it were entirely different matters.

Fortunately, Xunjing was patient enough. He directly left behind a Shadow Clone to practice with them, correcting their movements over and over until they had fully gotten the hang of it. He himself walked aside and began his own training.

At this stage, his physical training still mainly relied on Basic Body Technique and the Life-Nourishing Art. The Life-Nourishing Art worked best when paired with Sea Kings meat, Nutritional Potion, or Nutrient Pills. Of course, the Nutrient Pills he ate were not the same as those that had gone on sale at the Uchiha Pharmacy today. The batch he had was of the highest purity. Apart from a small amount of medicinal ingredients, ninety percent of it came from concentrated essence of Sea Kings meat. One pill was equivalent to a pound of Sea Kings meat, making it both convenient and trouble-free.

[You practiced Basic Body Technique. Basic Body Technique proficiency +6.]

[You...]

After practicing ten times in one go, a distinct soreness and exhaustion spread through his body. Only then did Xunjing stop and toss a Nutrient Pill into his mouth. Soon, warmth slowly spread from his stomach and flowed through his limbs and bones. The soreness and fatigue were gradually erased by the warm current. It would probably take around half an hour to eliminate them completely.

Xunjing dismissed the Shadow Clone guiding Minato and Kushina. When he walked over to take a look, both of them had already gotten the basics down.

He nodded, satisfaction in his voice. "Not bad. Your comprehension and physical foundations are both quite good. For the next few months, spend one or two hours every morning and afternoon practicing this Basic Body Tempering Technique. Just build a solid physique."

"What?" Minato did not react much, but Kushina's face immediately fell.

She panted heavily, utterly exhausted, and cried out in resistance, "Every day? One or two hours each in the morning and afternoon? You might as well just chop me down with one slash!"

The physical training had worn Minato out too, and he could not help complaining, "This body training is way too torturous, isn't it? Is there really no shortcut?"

Before Xunjing could reply, Minato smiled and picked up the thread first. "How could strengthening the body have any shortcuts? I'm already immensely grateful that Xunjing is willing to teach us such a precious Basic Body Technique. Someone of ordinary birth like me would never have even dared dream of such an inheritance before!"

Although he said that aloud, his gratitude toward Xunjing deepened by a few more points. His favorability rapidly rose by two points, reaching eighty-six.

Kushina rolled her eyes at that.

This sissy is way too rigid. Can't he tell I was just complaining?

She turned and looked at Xunjing with pleading eyes.

Xunjing pondered for a moment. "Uh... it's not like there's no way."

"What?" Minato and Kushina both widened their eyes, their faces full of astonishment.

"There really is a way?" Kushina lunged over and hugged Xunjing's arm, her voice sweet and syrupy.

Minato had already calmed down. He had long since made up his mind to completely snuff out his feelings for Kushina. Right now, he only wanted to focus on improving his strength.

Xunjing nodded but did not continue immediately. First, he swept the area with his perception, confirming that there were no watchers, suspicious people, or animals within several hundred meters.

Then he bent down, formed a hand seal, and slapped the ground. A barrier instantly spread out, covering the three of them and several dozen meters around them.

After finishing, he looked at Minato and Kushina with a serious expression. "However, my method isn't free. You need to trust me enough. It concerns one of my secrets. If you agree, you'll gain enormous benefits afterward, but you'll also be restricted by me to a certain extent. Do you really want to try?"

He paused, then added, "If you aren't willing, just pretend this never happened and train properly step by step."

Xunjing knew that it was time to settle the matter of the contract. Both of their favorability levels were high enough.

Minato was not much of a concern. His comprehension and perseverance were both good, and he could grit his teeth through the grueling basic training. But Kushina probably did not have that kind of patience. She had not suffered much yet and simply did not understand how important strength truly was.

"I have no objections!" Kushina raised her hand without a second thought.