In Full Swing

"Ha!" "Ha!" "Ha!" "Ha!"

On the playground of Sunagakure's Ninja Academy, several hundred children were practicing punches in perfect unison. Leading them at the front were the Kazekage's disciple Hidan and Konoha's "exchange student," Might Guy. Their set of punches looked impressive, fierce and forceful.

The physical arts instructor at Sunagakure's Ninja Academy was the "foreign teacher," Might Duy. Through his outstanding performances in the past two battles, this somewhat lean, bearded ninja had earned the recognition of parents and students alike. The Kazekage had even personally hired Might Duy to join the textbook editing team as an editor for physical arts materials.

Keiko attached great importance to physical arts. He knew full well that they were the yardstick for measuring a ninja's fundamental qualities, and that their strength played an absolutely crucial role in a ninja's survival rate on the battlefield. His view was fully endorsed by veteran ninjas such as Ebizo and Chiyo. After all, ninjas lived with blades at their throats and fought amid piles of corpses. Without some real, solid fighting skills, they simply would not make it. Ninjas with Kekkei Genkai and inherited secret techniques were a minority, after all. Relying solely on flashy tactics and schemes? Forget it. Without genuine skill, all of that was nonsense. Besides, given enough time, who could not learn such things? Look at the Kage Level powerhouses of the First Shinobi World War—Hashirama Senju, Madara Uchiha, A, Reto, Hozuki Gengetsu, Mu. Which one of them was not a master of physical arts? Which one of them could not tear apart tigers and leopards with bare hands or crush white stone beneath their feet?

Whether one had a solid foundation in physical arts depended on those years in the Ninja Academy. In his Education Reform Plan, Keiko had elevated physical arts and physical conditioning to a whole new level, even listing physical arts as one of the mandatory graduation exam subjects. To that end, he had changed the usual six-year ninja school system into a seven-year system, all to provide one extra year for building a solid physical arts foundation. More insanely still, Keiko had ordered Ebizo to establish a dedicated physical arts research office and physical arts textbook editing office. They collected and organized the unique physical arts and ultimate moves of every clan, then quickly compiled a series of Sunagakure-specific physical arts techniques that could be progressively learned at different age levels. Under Keiko's guiding principles, these techniques removed as many unnecessary movements as possible and paid no heed to visual flair. Every movement and technique was designed for actual combat, emphasizing simplicity and efficiency. If one move could defeat an enemy, never use two. If one could kill, never cripple. They were killing techniques through and through! Keiko had even given this martial art an imposing name—Krav Maga.

"Stop. That concludes today's technique drills. My teaching methods may differ somewhat from what you learned before, but I hope everyone remembers one principle: techniques are dead, but people are alive. You never know where your opponent's next punch will strike. The speed of thought is often slower than the speed of reaction, so I believe the most important thing is to let your muscles and body develop memory. When facing different situations, your body should instinctively choose the most correct response. For example..." Before he finished speaking, Might Duy lashed a whip kick at Hidan. Hidan instinctively ducked low, then spun around with a sweeping leg kick.

"Excellent!" Might Duy easily leaped over the attack. "Everyone, look. Hidan's response was exactly right. He chose to duck under the attack rather than block it with his elbow, because a whip kick carries tremendous force. If I had used my full strength just now, blocking it with an elbow would most likely have broken that arm. You would have lost at least half your combat ability. Ducking not only requires a smaller movement, but is also highly effective, and it lets you launch an effective counterattack at the fastest possible speed. Everyone, give Hidan a round of applause!"

Amid the applause, Hidan scratched his head sheepishly.

"All right, pair up and begin sparring practice. Start!"

Compared to Sunagakure's peaceful development, the war outside the village was in full swing.

The war between Hidden Stone Village and Hidden Cloud had entered its most intense stage. Both sides suffered losses in the battle at Grey Crow Crossing. The Third Tsuchikage had intended to retreat in order to lure the enemy deeper, but the Third Raikage was an experienced veteran who advanced steadily and fortified every step. Neither side would yield, and the war had fallen into another stalemate. Resources, wealth, and manpower were being constantly depleted on both sides. The prices of kunai, shuriken, and Explosive Tags produced by the Land of Crafts had directly doubled, while the finances of both nations were gradually drying up.

By comparison, Konoha had it much easier and faced little pressure. After winning two consecutive battles in Amegakure and forming an alliance with Sunagakure to the west, the Third Hokage Hiruzen could calmly redeploy his forces, consolidate internally, and sit back waiting for the right moment to intervene in the conflict between Hidden Stone Village and Hidden Cloud, settling everything with a single blow.

However, Hidden Mist Village in the east remained restless. After its failed sneak attack on Sunagakure, it turned its attention toward Konoha, causing border conflicts from time to time. Not long ago, it had even launched a surprise attack on the Hyuga Clan, killing a main-family ninja named Moyue Hyuga and stealing one Byakugan. (There was no need to doubt it—it was Ao's.) This shameless act of banditry utterly enraged the Hyuga Clan, one of Konoha's great clans. The Hyuga clan head immediately petitioned the Third Hokage Hiruzen for permission to attack Hidden Mist Village and reclaim the Byakugan! This gave Hiruzen a terrible headache. Fighting would mean mobilizing troops over a great distance, much of it by sea, making casualties likely. Hidden Mist Village was also impoverished, with little profit to gain, so it was not worth the cost. Yet refusing to fight could easily offend the powerful clans within the village and damage Konoha's unity. Left with no choice, Hiruzen Sarutobi adopted a compromise. On one hand, he sent Hidden Mist Village an extremely stern diplomatic note. On the other, he openly assembled a powerful punitive force led by Hyuga Hiashi and Orochimaru, sweeping away every covert landing outpost Hidden Mist Village had established along the coastline. This greatly eased the Hyuga Clan's dissatisfaction while also curbing Hidden Mist Village's arrogance.

During this period, the only true beneficiary was Sunagakure under Keiko's leadership. Not only had it stayed far from the battlefield and withdrawn early from the conflict, it had also shamelessly secured an interest-free loan of two hundred million ryo from Konoha. After crushing Hidden Mist Village's sneak attack plot, the entire village worked at full capacity under Keiko's leadership, ramping up production. Construction in Moon Lake New District was thriving, while Hourglass Ninja Tools Factory and the cannery in Amegakure had also opened up their markets, with sales soaring. Damascus Ninja Blades and canned pork, fish, and peaches had become star products. They received massive orders especially from Hidden Stone Village and Hidden Cloud, where the war was raging, earning enormous foreign exchange for the village. Just as Rasa was making a fortune, he received Keiko's instructions to launch two new products—tactical boots and tactical vests. As soon as they hit the market, they were welcomed by ninjas from every nation and sold out immediately. Hourglass-brand ninja tools had become synonymous with premium ninja tools.

Meanwhile, the Desert Expressway Construction Bureau organized by Garukei was officially established. Its construction research department, led by six Crystal Release ninjas from the Wuzhong Clan, had successfully tested the construction of Crystal Tunnels. The expressway connecting Sunagakure and Moon Lake New District—the Sand-Moon Expressway—had officially begun construction and was expected to be completed within two years. The highest administrative officer of Moon Lake New District, Baki, appointed Shazhou Tuo, chief of the newly affiliated Sandboat Clan, as director of the Logistics Bureau. Using the Sandboat Clan's unique summoned beasts, camels, he would transport supplies and provide logistical support for the expressway construction bureau.

Just as a catchy saying spread through Sunagakure: outside, the fighting raged; inside, construction was in full swing.