Early the next morning, Goten dragged Naruto out of bed, his whole body aching and dark circles under both eyes.
"Boss... I feel like I'm dying..."
"All I had you do yesterday was carry some flour. How's that going to kill you?"
"Five hundred tons! That was five hundred tons! Is your flour made of iron?"
Naruto wanted to cry but had no tears. His arms and legs didn't even feel like his own anymore.
Goten yawned, casually picked up a rice ball from the table, and stuffed it into his mouth.
"That was just a warm-up."
"A... warm-up?"
Naruto felt his entire worldview take another blow.
"Let's go. Today's the main course."
Without giving him a chance to react, Goten grabbed him by the back of his collar like a little chick and dragged him straight out of the Ramen Shop.
The two arrived at an open training ground outside the village.
Weeds grew everywhere, and loose stones littered the ground. One look made it clear that no one had come here in years.
"Boss, what are we doing here?"
Naruto looked around curiously.
"Training."
Goten kept it brief.
"What kind of training? Are we learning new Ninjutsu? Something super powerful?"
Naruto immediately grew excited, forgetting half of yesterday's exhaustion.
"Ninjutsu? What good is that flashy nonsense?"
Goten curled his lip in disdain.
He walked up to Naruto and looked him up and down.
"Your body's too weak, and your chakra's a complete mess. You're like a leaking ball."
"Starting today, I'll teach you what real power is."
Goten reached out and lightly patted Naruto on the shoulder.
Before Naruto could react-
Thud!
He felt as though a mountain had landed on him. His legs buckled, and he dropped straight to his knees.
Fine, spiderweb-like cracks spread across the