Weighted training and thoughts of the future

Ryuto stood looking in the direction Izuna had disappeared for about a minute.

Then he turned and started running toward the mountains behind the Uzumaki Clan Grounds.

This time, he did not hold back his speed, bursting forward at full power. His body felt so light he could almost fly. The sluggishness and pressure he had felt while fighting Izuna were completely gone, but Ryuto felt no relief at all.

"The gap is too big."

His mind was full of images from their exchange: Izuna's red eyes, his calm expression as he saw through Ryuto's movements, and that effortless sense of pressure.

The other man had not even gotten serious.

Ryuto charged all the way back to the mountains, pushed aside the vines over the cave entrance, and ducked inside. He dropped onto the stone bed and caught his breath.

He took out the black Weighted Scroll and stared at it.

He had thought triple weight was brutal enough before. Now he could see it was worth jack shit. Against a real expert, that little improvement was a joke.

"Activate."

Without hesitating, Ryuto spread out the scroll and took out the five jet-black patches inside. Unlike the dark gray ones from before, these black patches felt heavy just to the touch.

He peeled off the dark gray patches still attached to his body, took a deep breath, and placed the black patches on his four limbs and chest.

The instant they stuck, Ryuto felt his whole body sink.

It was not simply an increase in weight. It felt as though gravity throughout the entire space had suddenly grown five times stronger, and every cell was screaming. He tried to stand, but his legs buckled, and he nearly fell to his knees.

"Holy shit..."

Gritting his teeth, Ryuto braced his hands against the stone bed and pushed himself upright little by little. Just standing felt like carrying a small mountain.

He slowly walked to the middle of the cave and tried throwing a punch.

His movement was as slow as an old man practicing tai chi, but the rush of air from his fist sounded frighteningly heavy.

"Good. That's exactly what I wanted."

Ryuto began reviewing his exchange with Izuna.

First, he was not fast enough. In front of Izuna's Sharingan, the path of his high-speed movements had been plain to see and easy to predict.

Second, his power was too scattered. His Ki Blast had decent power, but if it missed, it was wasted. The Dodon Ray had strong penetration, but its area of impact was too small.

Third, his tactics were too immature. Izuna had said his attempt to bait him was too obvious, and he was absolutely right. In front of a truly seasoned veteran, his little schemes might as well have been written on his face.

"I need to train."

Ryuto began trying to move under fivefold weight.

He took a step. His foot felt filled with lead, and it hit the ground with a dull thud. Gritting his teeth, he quickened his steps and tried to jog.

His body felt so heavy it hardly seemed his own, and lifting each leg took all his strength. Ki circulated frantically through him, trying to resist the pressure, but its rate of consumption visibly soared.

Before he had run ten laps, Ryuto was wheezing like a bellows, sweat pouring off him.

He stopped and leaned against the stone wall, panting.

"It's using up too much... training like this is too inefficient."

He needed to adjust. He could not focus solely on speed. He needed to find the right way to exert force under the added weight, doing more work with less ki.

Ryuto straightened again, no longer rushing to run. He began walking slowly, carefully feeling his body's condition under the crushing weight, adjusting the distribution of his ki, and trying to get his muscles to remember this heaviness.

He had no idea how long he had been training when Rena's voice came from the entrance.

"Mr. Ryuto? Are you there?"

"Yes."

Rena pushed aside the vines and came in carrying a cloth bundle. She paused when she saw Ryuto drenched in sweat and moving sluggishly.

"You... you've started using the black scroll?"

"Yeah." Ryuto slowly walked over to the stone bed and sat down, leaving a wet footprint with every step. "I had no choice."

Rena set down the bundle and took out dry rations and water.

"You're pushing yourself way too hard. You've only just come back..."

"I have to." Ryuto took the waterskin and drank deeply. "I ran into someone from the Uchiha earlier."

"What?" Rena's eyes widened. "Who? Did you fight?"

"Uchiha Izuna," Ryuto said. "Not for real. We just tested each other a little."

He briefly described their exchange without mentioning the recruitment offer, speaking only about the other man's speed, perceptiveness, and oppressive presence.

After listening, Rena's expression grew serious.

"Lord Izuna personally tested you... the Uchiha must be treating you as a priority target."

"Not just me." Ryuto looked at her. "Has your Uzumaki Clan been under more pressure lately too?"

Rena was silent for a few seconds, then nodded.

"Mito asked me to tell you that the conflict between the Senju and the Uchiha has escalated. Before, it was only border skirmishes. Now both sides are mobilizing their main forces. There might be a major battle."

She paused and lowered her voice.

"Our Uzumaki Clan is allied with the Senju, and the Uchiha have already begun pressuring us. There's been a lot more reconnaissance around the edges of our compound lately. It's not just the Uchiha, either. People from other clans seem to be prowling around nearby too."

Ryuto said nothing.

That was how chaotic times worked. Once two giants started fighting, all the small players caught between them had to choose a side, or both sides would beat them up.

"What are you planning to do?" he asked.

"Strengthen our defenses and limit our movements," Rena said. "Mito told us all to be careful for now and not leave the compound unless we need to."

She looked at Ryuto. "Mr. Ryuto, what... what are your plans now? Will you keep training here?"

Ryuto did not answer immediately.

He looked at the black patches on his body, then thought of Yamano Tarō and the village that now stood empty.

He wanted to protect that place. It was his first home after coming to this world.

He also wanted to keep growing stronger, strong enough to ignore these clans' conflicts and live as he pleased.

But alone, it was too difficult.

Staying at the Uzumaki Clan Grounds would keep him safe for a while, but it would also bring trouble here. Besides, the training conditions here were limited. The Weighted Scroll was already the limit. He needed more extreme, more efficient ways to train.

"I might... have to leave," Ryuto said.

Rena froze for a moment. "Leave? Where?"

"I haven't decided yet," Ryuto said honestly. "But staying here won't be good for either you or me. The Uchiha already have their eyes on me. If I stay, they'll come looking sooner or later."

"But it's even more dangerous outside!" Rena grew anxious. "With things this chaotic, on your own..."

"Being alone makes it easier to hide," Ryuto interrupted. "I'm a smaller target, and I can move around more easily. If I can't win, can't I at least run?"

Rena opened her mouth, wanting to say something, but nothing came out. She knew Ryuto had a point.

"Then... when will you leave?" she asked.

"Once I get used to all this weight." Ryuto patted the black patch on his leg. "Going out like this would be no different from being a sitting duck. At the very least, I need to train until I can move normally and run if there's danger."

Rena nodded. "Then... do you need help with anything? A map? Dry rations?"

"You don't have much to spare in the way of rations either. I'll figure that out myself," Ryuto said. "A map... if you have a detailed map of the surrounding area, I'd appreciate a copy. I need to find somewhere I can train in peace and... occasionally check on my old village."

"Your village?" Rena remembered. "The one where you stayed at the beginning?"

"Yeah," Ryuto said. "It's empty now, but I don't want it completely destroyed by the war. That place... means something to me."

Looking at Ryuto, Rena suddenly felt that this man, who usually said little and did nothing but bury himself in training, actually carried a great deal in his heart.

"I understand," she said. "I'll ask Mito for a map. That shouldn't be a problem. As for rations... I'll prepare some for you anyway. Don't turn them down. Think of it as thanks for helping us guard the border before."

This time, Ryuto did not refuse.

"Thanks."

"You're welcome." Rena smiled, though her smile was a little forced. "Then... remember to tell me when you leave."

"I will."

Rena sat for a while longer, put everything in order, and reminded him not to train too hard and to get some rest before finally leaving.

Ryuto was alone in the cave again.

He stood and continued slowly walking, punching, and kicking under fivefold weight.

Every movement was incredibly heavy, but each time he kept going, he could feel his body adapting to the pressure little by little.

As his ki circulated under the crushing pressure, it actually became more condensed and easier to control.

"Speed, strength, stamina, control..." Ryuto planned as he trained. "They all need improvement. The new moves need refining too. I have to shorten the charging time."

"Where should I go first after leaving here?"

He ran through the surrounding terrain in his mind. High mountains, deep valleys, dense forests, dangerous terrain... where could he train without being easily discovered?

"Somewhere with naturally extreme conditions would be best." Ryuto thought of the story of Dragon Ball. He did not have a gravity chamber or a Hyperbolic Time Chamber, but he could surely find waterfalls, raging currents, cliffs, or areas of extreme heat or cold.

Using the forces of nature to temper his body and ki would be more comprehensive than weight training alone.

After training for an entire afternoon, Ryuto finally began to adjust to the black weights as darkness fell.

They were still heavy, but at least moving was no longer so difficult, and jogging did not immediately leave him panting like a dog.

He walked to the cave entrance and looked out at the darkening mountain forest.

The Warring States Era: a time of feuding clans and strength above all.

He did not want to join either side, but to survive in a world like this and protect what he wanted to protect, he needed power that stood above the rules.

"Soon." Ryuto clenched his fists, feeling the heavy pressure from the black patches. "Just give me a little more time."

He turned back into the cave and began packing.

Dry rations, a waterskin, a map, the Weighted Scroll... he organized them one by one.

Once he had fully adapted to these weights, he would set out.

He would leave the Uzumaki Clan Grounds and this region that was about to become a battlefield, and find somewhere he could grow stronger in peace.

Then, in his own way, he would carve out a path through this chaotic world.