With both hands in his pockets, he strolled up the trunk to the treetop as though he were walking on level ground.
"This is what we call tree climbing."
Below the tree, Kakashi nodded to himself. As expected, Lei Dou had mastered the technique long ago, and his effortless composure showed a frightening level of proficiency.
"You can do that?" Sasuke's pupils contracted slightly, stunned by the display.
"The principle is simple. Gather chakra precisely in the soles of your feet and maintain just enough to stick. Too much pushes you off, too little makes you fall. Figure out the rest yourselves."
With that, Lei Dou performed a graceful backflip from the treetop and landed steadily, barely stirring a speck of dust.
"Practice on your own. I'm starting my training too."
Naruto shouted excitedly and charged toward a tree, only to take two steps before using too much chakra and getting blasted off the trunk with a bang.
Sasuke fared a little better, but he only managed a few steps up the tree before sliding down.
The two immediately became rivals, neither willing to concede.
Sasuke stole a glance at Lei Dou, curious about what advanced ninjutsu this monster would practice.
What he saw nearly made his eyes pop out.
Lei Dou found an open patch of ground and began doing the most basic push-ups, followed by sit-ups. His movements were plain and unadorned.
Kakashi froze too, his hand holding Icha Icha Paradise suspended in midair.
This was a genius's special training?
Was the kid using this tedious routine to kill time?
In truth, only Lei Dou knew that his current weakness was this body's physical capabilities.
Although three advanced taijutsu buffs occupied his system's passive skill slots, strengthening his body around the clock, they were not enough.
His constitution still fell short of the demanding requirements for fusing the two kekkei genkai, Boil Release and Ice Release.
The Great Sage System's assessment was brutally clear: passive improvement would take over ten days, while two days of actively putting himself through hell would get him there.
Since he had to spend three days in the Land of Waves anyway, he could use this downtime to maximize his constitution and begin the fusion evolution as soon as he returned to the village.
As all three settled into their own training, the only sounds left in the woods were the dull thuds of Naruto falling and the rustle of Kakashi turning pages.
The sun climbed higher, then slowly sank toward the west.
Naruto and Sasuke might not get along normally, but when it came to training, they pushed themselves relentlessly.
By evening, both had finally managed to stand atop the trees, though they were utterly exhausted, panting heavily, their clothes soaked with sweat.
Still, the feeling of controlling chakra as naturally as moving their own limbs thrilled them.
When Sasuke wiped away his sweat and turned to look at Lei Dou, he was utterly dumbfounded.
Lei Dou was still doing the same basic physical exercises.
Most frightening of all, the pace of his movements and the rhythm of his breathing were exactly the same as when he had started that morning. Not the slightest difference!
"Is this guy... made of iron?"
The same high-intensity movements for an entire day?
And Lei Dou hadn't shed a single drop of sweat. His skin was as fresh and dry as if he had just bathed.
Naruto and Sasuke no longer looked at Lei Dou as someone "powerful," but as something "inhuman."
They were exhausted just from concentrating on chakra control, yet this guy had been working his body nonstop and looked completely fine?
Kakashi closed his book, his visible eye filled with gravity.
With stamina and recovery like that, even Might Guy, that hot-blooded fool who specialized in taijutsu, would probably shout something about "youth."
"We've mastered tree climbing. What's next?" Sasuke looked eagerly at Lei Dou.
Still repeating his movements mechanically, Lei Dou answered without turning around, "Next is water walking. Ask Kakashi-sensei for the details. That's his specialty."
The two immediately turned their knowledge-hungry gazes toward Kakashi.
Kakashi sighed and resignedly tucked his book into his ninja tool pouch. "Come with me to the river."
Water walking was harder than tree climbing. Water moved, so their chakra required constant fine adjustments to match the changing current.
But with their tree-climbing experience, the two ridiculously gifted boys improved rapidly.
After just three hours and countless falls that left them drenched, they could finally stand unsteadily on the water.
It had been another full day of hellish training.
When they dragged their exhausted bodies onto the bank, they found Lei Dou still repeating the same monotonous movements.
"Does this guy... not need sleep or rest?" Naruto swallowed, feeling for the first time that his prized Uzumaki constitution had met its match.
Sasuke silently clenched his fists. He had looked down on this mindless training before, but now he felt only awe.
The strength to overwhelm Zabuza clearly hadn't fallen into Lei Dou's lap.
Just then, something unexpected happened!
Bzzzz!
A piercing roar shattered the forest's silence.
Sasuke whipped around to see Naruto holding a blue ball of chakra. Violent currents spun wildly inside it, producing a teeth-grating frictional whine.
The brilliant blue light illuminated the darkening woods, and even Kakashi's eye widened in shock.
"That jutsu..."
BOOM!!!
With a furious shout, Naruto slammed the Rasengan in his hand into a tree trunk.
Wood chips flew as a huge spiraling cavity was instantly gouged into the tree, its trunk so thick it would take three people to encircle it. Then it crashed down, throwing dust into the air.
Naruto stood amid the wreckage, covered in dirt but grinning from ear to ear.
Lei Dou finally stopped exercising and walked over to pat Naruto's shoulder. "You did it. Congratulations. The dead last finally turned things around."
Naruto scratched the back of his head sheepishly, grinning like an idiot.
As Sasuke stared at the fallen tree, his nails dug deep into his palms.
Even that idiot Naruto had mastered such a terrifying A-rank ninjutsu...
Was I, Sasuke Uchiha, really going to become the weakest member of Team 7?
The humiliation nearly drove him mad.
"It's not completely dark yet. How about some sparring to liven things up?"
Lei Dou rolled his neck, producing a series of sharp cracks. "I won't draw my sword. We'll stick to hand-to-hand combat."
"Couldn't ask for more!" Riding a surge of confidence, Naruto agreed without a second thought.
Lei Dou turned toward the brooding boy. "What about you, second young master?"
Sasuke snapped his head up, fierce fighting spirit burning in his eyes. "Just what I wanted!"
"A fight within Team 7. Interesting." Kakashi leaned against a tree trunk, settling in as an amused spectator.
Both boys wanted to know whether they had narrowed the gap between themselves and this monster.
Lei Dou crooked a finger. "Come at me together. Don't hold back."
The moment he finished speaking, Naruto shot forward like a cannonball.
Though exhausted, he figured Lei Dou had to be even worse off after an entire day of physical training.
Reality, however, delivered a resounding slap to his face.
Lei Dou's feet seemed rooted to the ground while his upper body swayed like drifting willow fluff, effortlessly avoiding every straight punch and sweeping kick Naruto threw.
Naruto's attacks were fierce, but Lei Dou saw nothing but openings. He was like a brat throwing a tantrum.
"Brute strength alone won't cut it. A brain is a useful thing to have."
Lei Dou slipped sideways past a punch, caught Naruto's wrist, and redirected his momentum with a gentle jerk.
Naruto felt the world spin, then pain struck his chest as a kick sent him flying five or six meters.
"Speed and strength are just the foundation. Technique is the soul."
After that brief critique, Lei Dou fixed his gaze on Sasuke, who followed close behind.
Having learned from Naruto's mistake, Sasuke attacked at trickier angles, keeping a follow-up ready for every move.
But faced with an overwhelming difference in strength, those fancy techniques amounted to nothing.
Lei Dou didn't even move his feet. He blocked with one hand, suddenly curled his fingers into a claw, seized Sasuke's incoming ankle, and forced it sharply downward.
Sasuke instantly lost his balance. Before he could recover, Lei Dou's shoulder slammed into his chest.
Bang!
Sasuke grunted and staggered backward, clutching his chest in disbelief.
Completely overwhelmed again!
They were the same age, so why did this guy fight like a taijutsu grandmaster with decades of experience?
"Multiple Shadow Clone Technique!"
Naruto's furious shout rang out behind him, accompanied by a series of popping clouds of smoke.
Over a hundred Naruto clones swarmed forward, their densely packed heads enough to make anyone's skin crawl.
Lei Dou sighed helplessly. "Quality over quantity. What good are more small fry?"
His figure flashed as he charged into the crowd like a tiger among sheep.
His fists flew, each strike landing precisely on a clone's vital point.
Bang, bang, bang, bang!
Clouds of white smoke erupted one after another, as lively as a string of firecrackers.
Growing desperate, the real Naruto hid among the crowd and formed that dangerous blue sphere in his hand again.
"Take this! Rasengan!"
Lei Dou raised an eyebrow as he dispatched the small fry. "You're bringing magic attacks to a taijutsu spar?"
Naruto grinned slyly. "All's fair in war!"
The corners of Lei Dou's mouth lifted. "Don't forget who taught you that move."
Just as the Rasengan was about to strike him, Lei Dou's wrist moved like a nimble snake, slipping around the sphere at an impossible angle and precisely catching Naruto's wrist.
He gave it a gentle squeeze.
Naruto's arm went numb, and the Rasengan dissipated out of control. Lei Dou slammed him into the ground with a shoulder throw, taking down a whole patch of clones with him.
At the sight, Sasuke's eyes reddened.
The terror of being left behind and surpassed completely swallowed his reason.
Shadow clones... Rasengan...
Even Naruto had a trump card. What did I have?
Sasuke charged at Lei Dou like a madman, his fists raining down.
But Lei Dou only extended his left hand, keeping his right behind his back as he blocked with leisurely ease.
That gesture sent Sasuke into a fury.
One hand?
Was he humiliating me?
I was a genius of the Uchiha Clan! Not some toy for him to play with!
His anger poured like gasoline onto the flame of his pride.
His vision began to sharpen. At that moment, Lei Dou's lightning-fast movements seemed to develop strange pauses.
The world seemed to slow down.
Lei Dou keenly detected the fluctuation in chakra, and a smile of satisfaction curled his lips. Everything was going according to plan.
A bloodred tomoe quietly appeared in each of Sasuke's dark eyes, rotating slowly.
The Sharingan awakened!
Sasuke's movements changed instantly. Not only did he anticipate Lei Dou's blocks, he even began attempting counterattacks.
One hand was getting a little too cocky.
Lei Dou promptly brought out his right hand, caught an opening in Sasuke's defenses, and slammed him onto the grass again.
The intense pain brought Sasuke back to his senses, but as he lay staring at the sky, he began laughing hysterically.
"Ha... hahaha... You used your right hand!"
Lei Dou pulled him up and smiled. "Congratulations. You finally awakened those eyes, bunny eyes."
Sasuke froze, then rushed to the river to look at his reflection.
Those scarlet eyes. Those spinning tomoe.
This was proof of his power!
Kakashi walked over, looking at Lei Dou with a complicated expression. "You did that on purpose, didn't you?"
Using humiliation to provoke Sasuke's emotions and force his eyes to awaken?
Lei Dou shrugged, neither confirming nor denying it.
Kakashi glanced at Naruto as well. "You taught him the Rasengan?"
"Yeah."
"How do you know the Fourth Hokage's..."
"I figured it out by messing around," Lei Dou lied casually. "My hand slipped while I was practicing chakra control, and I spun it up. It seemed pretty suitable for this idiot, so I taught him."
Kakashi's mouth twitched.
Your hand slipped and produced an A-rank ninjutsu? Why not let it slip and make a Tailed Beast Bomb while you're at it?
Just as Kakashi was about to press further, Lei Dou spread his fingers.
Several visible strands of pale blue chakra threads shot from his fingertips like agile tentacles, instantly winding around Zangetsu's hilt in the distance.
With a flick of his wrist, the long sword flew through the air and slid neatly into its sheath.
Kakashi swallowed the words on the tip of his tongue.
Chakra threads? That was an advanced puppeteer technique. This kid had taught himself that too?
If he could master such precise manipulation, then his supposed "accidental invention of the Rasengan" didn't seem quite so impossible to accept.
This wasn't a genius. This was an outright freak of nature.
"We're done. Back to camp." Lei Dou stretched, keeping his achievements to himself.
When they returned to Tazuna's front door, a timid villager stood waiting there, holding a broken sword.
It was Zabuza's Kubikiribōchō.
"Are you Lord Lei Dou?" The villager respectfully held out the great sword. "Someone pretty enough to be a girl asked me to give this to you."
Lei Dou took the heavy sword, his fingertips brushing over its cold edge.
"Did he say anything?"
"He said... thank you, and, 'As you wished.'"
Lei Dou nodded. It seemed that Haku had finally gotten through to the hardened Zabuza. He had cast aside a ninja's fate and chosen a new life.
"Why would an enemy give you his sword?" Naruto asked, scratching his head in confusion.
"Perhaps it's recognition of your strength," Kakashi offered. "Or perhaps it shows his resolve to sever all ties with his past."
Lei Dou offered no further explanation. With a flick of his hand, he sealed the Kubikiribōchō into a scroll.
I have no use for this cumbersome thing, but it's made of rare metal. Selling it for scrap back home would still fetch a tidy sum. Keeping it as a collectible wouldn't be bad, either.
Over the next three days, a tireless figure could be seen in the forests of the Land of Waves.
As Lei Dou's skin tore and healed over and over, it grew increasingly tough, taking on a faint, jade-like sheen.
With all his passive skills active, his physical constitution shot up like a rocket.
Finally, on the day the bridge was completed, the Great Sage delivered a pleasant notification: his physical constitution had met the requirements.
On the way back to Konoha, Lei Dou was not the only one eager to get home.
Sasuke ran faster than a rabbit, desperate to get back so Kakashi could teach him new ninjutsu.
These beasts managed to cover what should have been several days' travel in just half a day.
Once they turned in the mission, everyone headed home.
Smoke filled the Hokage's office.
Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi studied the report in his hand, puffing away on his pipe. A smile of gratification mingled with more complicated feelings crossed his aged face.
"Hiding his strength? No, that boy simply couldn't be bothered to show it."
The Third blew a smoke ring. "I've known for a long time that he's a freak. Otherwise, I wouldn't have had you lead the team, or deliberately arranged for someone as ruthless as Zabuza to be his sparring partner."
Kakashi smiled ruefully. "Weren't you afraid things might get out of hand?"
"With you there, what was there to fear?" A sharp gleam flashed in the Third's eyes. "Besides, that boy gave me an even bigger surprise. Not only does he have Transparent Release, he's also learned the Silent Killing Technique. And now he's come up with the Rasengan..."
"Konoha is about to produce another monster."
"Upgrade this mission to A-rank and encrypt the records." The Third tapped the desk. "Since that old schemer Danzo already has his eye on him, I'll feel more at ease keeping him under your watch."
"Naruto, Sasuke, Lei Dou... the next Sannin may well emerge from your Team 7."
Meanwhile, in a field of jagged stone pillars outside Konoha.
Lei Dou sat cross-legged atop a towering stone pillar, surrounded by silence.
"Great Sage, the hardware and software are both ready. Let's start the fusion."
[Great Sage: Checks passed. Chakra control MAX, release technique strength MAX, physical strength MAX.] [It is recommended that the host first master the prerequisite skill: One Mind, Two Uses.] [This technique can greatly improve the fusion success rate and support multithreaded operations in combat.]
Lei Dou paused in surprise. This system really had thought of everything.