The Whistle

"Yuko, come have breakfast."

Hyuga Yuko's gentle voice came from the kitchen.

More than half a month had passed since the Clan Tournament. Hyuga Iwa was currently training in the backyard of his home.

The Hyuga Clan had its own taijutsu training methods. They did not only practice the Gentle Fist, but also had accompanying physical conditioning.

The Hyuga Clan was known as Leaf Village's strongest taijutsu clan. That title was not merely for show—they possessed quite formidable secret techniques for taijutsu training.

Unlike the Eight Gates represented by the Leaf Strong Fist Style, the Hyuga Clan's taijutsu training had always been practiced in tandem with chakra. In fact, that was how most taijutsu schools did things, and it was the mainstream method of taijutsu training.

In truth, this method caused far less damage to the body than simply pushing the body's potential to its limits. It also fit the ninja philosophy better: ninjas were supposed to use ninjutsu to fight!

Influenced by his previous life, Hyuga Iwa consciously and unconsciously separated chakra training from physical training when exercising.

Of course, that was also because Hyuga Iwa currently had very little chakra. If he coordinated chakra with every workout, he would have to spend a great deal of time refining chakra every day.

But everyone's chakra naturally dissipated over time, which made Hyuga Iwa rather uncomfortable. Besides, he felt that since chakra was the combination of one's cellular energy and spiritual energy, letting it leak away like that did not seem like a good thing.

Thus, Hyuga Iwa generally only extracted some chakra while practicing the Byakugan. Once he finished, he stopped extracting it. This approach also caused his strength to improve rather slowly.

Most importantly, though, he felt that even if he trained according to the Hyuga Clan's traditional methods, it would be difficult for him to achieve anything remarkable. His goal had never been limited to the Hyuga Clan, or even Leaf Village.

Hyuga Iwa hoped to create a training method better suited to himself!

After finishing the final sequence of the Gentle Fist, Hyuga Iwa wiped away his sweat and headed into the kitchen.

"Wow, that smells amazing! Yuko, did you make fried fish today?" As soon as Hyuga Iwa entered, he caught the scent of fried fish and could not help sniffing.

"Yes, I prepared your favorite fried fish fillet, sandwiches, milk, and, oh, an egg too."

"Wow, Yuko really is the best." Hyuga Iwa praised her as he ate. "The happiest thing every day is eating the delicious food Yuko makes."

"You child, I have no idea who taught you to say things like that. You cannot even keep your mouth shut while eating."

That was what she said, but the smile at the corners of her lips could not be hidden at all.

"I'm not wrong. K and A-Tie both think it's delicious too!"

"Fine, fine, just eat. If you want more, I'll fry you another piece."

"Mm, fry another piece."

Hyuga Iwa had an egg stuffed in his mouth, so his words came out unclear. Still, Hyuga Yuko understood him and returned to the kitchen with a smile.

After breakfast, Hyuga Iwa stretched and called to Yuko, who was still busy in the kitchen, "I'm done eating. I'm going to train."

"Got it."

Hyuga Yuko found it rather amusing. If he wanted to sleep, he could just sleep—how was lying there considered training? Although she was not a ninja, she had once had a ninja husband—Hyuga Iwa's late father—and he had never trained the way Hyuga Iwa did.

Hyuga Iwa went behind the house, lay down in a wooden recliner, and closed his eyes.

Relax his body, gradually stop thinking about anything, and empty his mind. Other than that, do nothing at all!

This was the training Hyuga Iwa spoke of!

As a transmigrator, Hyuga Iwa clearly understood both his advantages and disadvantages.

His advantage was knowing many things others did not. His disadvantage was equally obvious: having come from a world rooted in science, he had many speculations about supernatural powers, but could also be said to know absolutely nothing. He had no experience at all. Everything had to be tried, tested, and verified by himself.

The purpose of this kind of training was actually very simple. He believed it could calm his heart and lay a foundation for learning Natural Energy in the future!

At the same time, he was testing whether this could achieve the state described when the sage in Dragon Ball taught Sun Wukong—the tranquility of the sky!

Speaking of which, Hyuga Iwa had initially meditated on his bed. Later, however, he found his bed far too comfortable and often fell asleep without realizing it, so he moved to the backyard.

But in Hyuga Yuko's eyes, this training method was simply Hyuga Iwa trying to slack off and sleep. Though, to be fair, he had indeed often fallen asleep before...

Time passed without notice...

"Yuko, I came to see Hyuga Iwa." A cute voice broke the house's tranquility.

"You're here. Iwa is in the backyard. Go on over yourself."

Hyuga Yuko was already very familiar with Hyuga K. Ever since that Clan Tournament, Hyuga K had often come to play with Hyuga Iwa. Yuko was happy to see Hyuga Iwa spending time with children his own age, so she liked him as well.

"Mm, I know where it is. Hyuga Iwa, I'm here!"

Before he had even arrived, Hyuga K's voice had already reached Hyuga Iwa's ears. But Hyuga Iwa ignored him, remaining motionless with his eyes closed, quietly lying there.

"Honestly, sleeping again."

Yuko was both annoyed and amused when she heard no response.

Oddly enough, at some point, Hyuga K had also joined the ranks of those who meditated. He went over to the tatami mat Hyuga Iwa had prepared for him and sat down cross-legged.

The warm winter sun dispelled the cold mist, scattering warmth across the world and bringing a faint touch of heat.

After an unknown amount of time, Hyuga Iwa slowly opened his eyes. He glanced at Hyuga K beside him and stretched his slightly numb body.

As though sensing something, Hyuga K also opened his eyes. Seeing Hyuga Iwa stretching, he jumped to his feet.

"Hyuga Iwa, what are we training today?"

The two were both members of the Hyuga Branch Family, similar in age and strength. Hyuga K had a favorable impression of Hyuga Iwa, and after the Clan Tournament, he often came looking for Hyuga Iwa to spar.

Later, Hyuga K discovered that Hyuga Iwa's training seemed rather unusual and quite interesting. More importantly, his own strength seemed to be getting caught up to little by little!

So after some time, Hyuga K began training alongside him as well.

Hyuga Iwa thought for a moment and said, "Starting today, we'll train our stamina."

???

Seeing Hyuga K's confused face, Hyuga Iwa shrugged. "It's simple. We're just running."

"Oh." Hyuga K responded thoughtfully. "Will that make us stronger?"

"The body is a ninja's greatest asset."

After only a few words, Hyuga Iwa could not be bothered to explain further. "If you want to train with me, follow me and run. If not, train on your own."

Without waiting for Hyuga K, he ran off.

"Hey, wait for me! I never said I wasn't running."

Hyuga Iwa did not merely want to run. While running, he also planned to circle the entirety of Leaf Village and see whether there were any convenient places to train. He always felt constrained at home, while the clan's training grounds had too many people. He could only find a place himself.

On the other hand, Hyuga Iwa had been practicing the Gentle Fist for some time, yet he still could not grasp the feeling. It always felt awkward. He wanted to wander around and look for inspiration.

Hyuga Iwa and Hyuga K ran one after the other through Leaf Village's streets.

Although localized wars were still taking place throughout the Shinobi World, life in Konoha Hidden Village was still extremely safe for its residents.

Leaf Village was undoubtedly prosperous. Its uniquely advantageous location ensured that merchants came in an endless stream.

The pleasant climate, delicious food, and shops lining both sides of the streets also drew visitors from every nation.

As he ran through the streets, Hyuga Iwa looked around from time to time. The flow of pedestrians caused them some trouble as well. The two darted through the crowd, drawing startled cries and curses one after another.

Perhaps realizing that what they were doing was inappropriate, Hyuga Iwa consciously headed toward less crowded streets.

However, their actions still caught the Military Police Force's attention. Two ninjas wearing fan emblems stopped in front of them.

Seeing that the troublemakers were two little brats from the Hyuga Clan, the two Uchiha Clan members wore angry expressions.

"Hey, why are you two little brats running around like that? Believe it or not, we'll haul you off to the Military Police Force!"

Hyuga K's face flushed red, and beads of sweat the size of beans streamed down his round face. Whether from running or nervousness, he trembled as he opened his mouth, but could not say a single word.

"Tch, so they're cowards from the Hyuga Clan. And you want to become Leaf Village's strongest clan? Keep dreaming!" One of the younger Uchiha Clan members sneered disdainfully at Hyuga K's expression. However, when he saw Hyuga Iwa's innocent-looking face, he was somewhat surprised.

"Huh? Is walking around on the street not allowed either?"

"You were running that fast, and you're telling me you were walking around?"

"Yeah. This is how fast I walk around."

!!!

"You two!" Before he could finish, a shrill whistle sounded in the distance.

"Something happened. That's the assembly whistle. Forget them, we need to get over there." The slightly older Uchiha Clan member said.

"But..."

"Two little brats from the Hyuga Branch Family aren't spies. Let's go. It won't be good if we're late and get reprimanded by the adults."

"Uh, hmph. You two little brats got lucky. If there weren't an urgent matter, I'd definitely drag you to the Military Police Force today."

With that, the two Uchiha Clan members exchanged a glance, then vanished onto the rooftops in a few leaps.

"Phew, lucky us. Otherwise, we might really have ended up at the Military Police Force for tea this time." Hyuga Iwa let out a long breath.

To be honest, Hyuga Iwa had been quite nervous just now!

Although he knew that even if they were taken to the Military Police Force, they would ultimately be fine, it would definitely make the Hyuga Clan lose face—especially in front of the Uchiha Clan!

The clan would not have an easy time dealing with that afterward!

He probably would not escape punishment either!

This was best. Nothing happened.

But what could make the Military Police Force, which had the Uchiha Clan, so nervous that they blew the assembly whistle?!

Hopefully, it isn't anything serious!