"Training from Hell"

Early the next morning, they were once again at the Uchiha residence's training grounds.

Uchiha Raishin stood in the middle of the grounds, his hands clasped behind his back, his expression stern and focused.

His upright figure resembled an unsheathed sword, and his gaze was so piercing that no one dared meet it.

His son, Uchiha Shinichi, was the exact opposite. He stood listlessly before his father, looking as though he had lost all will to live.

His eyelids drooped halfway shut, his naturally curly silver-white hair lay messily against his forehead, and his trademark dead-fish eyes constantly radiated the helpless resignation of a slacker who just wanted to lie flat.

Looking at his father, Shinichi couldn't help launching into an inward tirade. Seriously, Father, do you strike that "reclusive master" pose every time because you think it makes you look cool?

He secretly curled his lip, his eyes full of resignation.

It's just training. Could you stop acting like you're passing down some peerless secret art? At the end of the day, I'm just an ordinary (genius) boy who wants to laze around!

Yet Raishin stood beneath the morning light, his expression as solemn as ever, like an immovable mountain. He gave Shinichi no chance to slack off.

Raishin knitted his brows and said in a low voice, "Shinichi, starting today, I've decided to increase the intensity of your training to correct this bad habit of laziness."

"First, five hundred frog jumps!"

At that number, the corner of Shinichi's mouth twitched violently, and he instantly became much more awake.

But Raishin didn't pause. He continued sternly, "Next, one thousand push-ups!"

Shinichi's dead-fish eyes flew wide open, and his expression began to crumble.

"Plus a five-kilometer run!"

The moment Raishin finished speaking, Shinichi froze on the spot as though he had turned to stone.

Wondering whether he had misheard, he asked blankly, "Father, what... did you just say?"

Raishin smiled faintly, patted Shinichi's shoulder, and repeated with utter seriousness, "I said five hundred frog jumps, one thousand push-ups, and a five-kilometer run. This is only basic training."

A storm of furious protests erupted inside Shinichi's head. How is this basic training?! This is murder, isn't it?! And a five-kilometer run after a thousand push-ups? I'm seriously going to die!

Seemingly sensing Shinichi's resistance, Raishin said slowly, "Shinichi, don't think of it as difficult. Back when I was your age, my daily training load was three times yours. At three, I could even chop through three rocks with one hand!"

Shinichi was utterly numb. "Father, chopping through rocks with one hand at three... are you really human?"

Raishin's expression darkened. "Enough nonsense. Start training! I want to see some real drive!"

Shinichi sighed helplessly. With no other choice, he slowly crouched down and reluctantly began his frog jumps.

"One..."

"Two..."

"Three..."

He jumped sluggishly, without a trace of the agility expected of a ninja. He even yawned halfway through, making him look more listless still.

Watching his son, Raishin's temples began to throb. Finally losing his patience, he roared, "Shinichi! You call those frog jumps? You look like a dead fish flopping over!"

Shinichi raised his head and said innocently, "I'm already doing my best, Father..."

Raishin suppressed his anger and took a deep breath. Then a dangerous smile appeared on his face as he said slowly, "Very good. Since basic training isn't working on you, I'll just have to spice things up and really 'wake you up'!"

Alarm bells instantly rang in Shinichi's mind. Cold sweat streamed down his back, and an overwhelming sense of foreboding shot from his feet to his head. "Father, what are you planning?"

Raishin loosened his neck, an astonishing aura slowly rising around him as the corners of his mouth lifted. "Spar with me! If you can last one minute against me, you're excused from all of today's training!"

Shinichi's face instantly turned paper-white. "Father... are you sure this counts as basic training?"

Raishin replied with a straight face, "Absolutely. Actual combat is one of the best forms of basic training! Slackers have no future!"

Before his words had even faded, Raishin was already upon him, moving so fast that Shinichi had no time to react!

Panic-stricken, Shinichi wailed inwardly, It's over! I, Uchiha Shinichi, a proud transmigrator, am actually going to be beaten to death by my own dad?!

Just as he sank into despair, the familiar notification chime of System suddenly rang out in his mind:

"Ding—host detected in an extreme training environment. Passive skill [Combat Adaptation] automatically triggered!"

"While the host is in combat, learning ability will increase dramatically, and experience gained will be doubled!"

Shinichi froze for an instant, both shocked and ecstatic. It can do that?!

But before he could fully process the news, Raishin's fist was already right in front of him!

Shinichi instinctively twisted aside. Incredibly, his body executed a flawless evasive movement, easily avoiding Raishin's attack.

"Huh?"

Shinichi stared at his own body in disbelief. He had never imagined he could move with such effortless fluidity.

A flicker of surprise crossed Raishin's eyes, but he immediately smiled in satisfaction. "Not bad. You've improved a little! But—it's not enough!"

As soon as he spoke, Raishin's attacks accelerated again. His punches whipped through the air, the pressure they generated even stirring up dust from the ground.

Shinichi had no time to think. Relying solely on his newly acquired, Might Guy-level talent for Taijutsu, he kept dodging Raishin's attacks, gradually losing himself in the fight.

Before he knew it, a minute had passed.

Raishin withdrew his attack and stood still, a faint look of gratification finally appearing on his face. "Shinichi, it seems you really do possess astonishing talent. You're simply too lazy most of the time."

Panting heavily, Shinichi stared at his hands in disbelief, his eyes filled with bewilderment and awe. "Is this... what Might Guy-level talent is like? So I can be this strong too?"

Raishin patted his shoulder, his tone much gentler now. "Shinichi, as long as you're willing to take things seriously, your future will have no limits."

Seeing the sincerity and pride in his father's eyes, Shinichi suddenly felt a warmth rise in his chest. He nodded quietly. "I understand, Father. I'll work hard."

Raishin smiled in satisfaction, turned, and slowly walked back toward the residence. His back remained as straight as a pine, but now it carried a little more of a father's pride and joy.

Watching his father leave, Shinichi slowly breathed a sigh of relief, unable to resist an inward complaint. At the end of the day, I'd still rather be a carefree slacker...

System popped up smugly just then. "Host, please enjoy this hot-blooded youth courtesy of Might Guy!"

Shinichi rolled his eyes with a wry smile, yet unexpectedly felt a trace of anticipation. Fine. Since I can't avoid it, I might as well try taking it a little more seriously...

The morning breeze swept across the Uchiha residence's training grounds, where a new curtain had finally risen on Shinichi's "slacker's comeback."

Raishin looked at Shinichi standing before him, a flicker of incredulous surprise passing through his eyes.

This boy... really is a monster.

Although his expression retained its usual calm and severity, turbulent waves surged through his heart.

In their spar just now, he had only intended to let Shinichi experience the pressure of real combat. He had never expected Shinichi to evade his attacks so easily through sheer physical instinct!

He's never undergone any deliberate training, yet he can dodge at that level... that talent is simply absurd.

Without betraying his feelings, Raishin took a deep breath, trying to calm himself.

As a veteran Uchiha, he had seen countless geniuses, but Shinichi's talent still left him stunned.

It wasn't simply quick reactions. His evasions were based entirely on combat instinct.

Although Raishin hadn't used his full strength in those attacks, they certainly weren't something an ordinary ninja could easily dodge.

Yet Shinichi had done it, and even... seemed to do so without much effort.

Raishin couldn't help recalling that moment—

The instant he threw his punch, Shinichi's body reacted before his conscious mind, as though combat instinct had already been etched into his muscles.

Without the slightest hesitation or any flashy movement, he had simply slipped lightly to the side, letting Raishin's punch sweep past his shoulder. His evasion had been perfectly measured, without a single wasted ounce of effort.

Shinichi's talent for Taijutsu... may be even more outrageous than I imagined.

At that thought, Raishin's gaze sharpened slightly.

If Shinichi were simply a genius, that would be one thing. But he had always been lazy, even fiercely resistant to training.

What would someone like that become once his true combat talent awakened?

Raishin suddenly realized that Shinichi might not even have noticed it himself: his body had already begun adapting to combat and was gradually transforming through battle.

What did that mean?

—If Shinichi became serious, he would become a presence that neither the Uchiha Clan nor even the entire Shinobi World could ignore.

Raishin fell silent for a moment before finally speaking slowly, his voice carrying a trace of pride he couldn't quite conceal. "Shinichi, it seems I underestimated you before."

Still absorbed in the shock of their recent fight, Shinichi blinked at his father's words. "Huh? Underestimated me?"

The corners of Raishin's mouth lifted slightly into the faintest hint of a smile. His voice was low and powerful. "Your talent for Taijutsu far exceeds anything I imagined."

Shinichi blinked, but inwardly he was already frantically complaining. Father, why is that look in your eyes getting more and more dangerous?

He keenly sensed that his future training... was about to enter an even more terrifying "hell mode."