Ninja of the Warring States Period

Early morning.

Naka Shrine.

Yūto appeared at the shrine's entrance with a yawn. This was just about the earliest he had gotten up since transmigrating.

The Elder seemed to have been waiting for quite some time. Instead of his usual robes, he wore a fitted black outfit.

Yūto had never seen anyone in the village wear anything like it, though it did look a little like Hiruzen Sarutobi's battle gear. He supposed it was probably something only the older generation of ninja wore.

"Too slow."

Without turning around, the Elder spoke in a low, commanding voice. "Ninja in the Warring States Period didn't yawn during missions."

Yūto pursed his lips, grumbling inwardly, This old man is so strict...

But before he could finish complaining, the Elder suddenly turned, his Three-Tomoe Sharingan snapping open!

"Now, your special training begins!"

The Elder shot toward Yūto like lightning, his bony fist driving straight at his face with a sharp rush of wind.

Yūto hastily raised his arms to block, but the brutal force sent him staggering backward, a ring of air blasting the fallen leaves away beneath his feet.

"An opening!"

The Elder barked coldly, spinning into a whipping kick aimed at Yūto's midsection.

Yūto hurriedly leaned back, but the wind from the kick still sheared off a few strands of his hair.

Before he could catch his breath, the Elder surged forward low to the ground, his elbow smashing toward Yūto's chest like a war hammer.

Yūto barely managed to cross his arms to take the blow, and searing pain instantly shot up to his shoulder blades.

This wasn't sparring at all. These were outright battlefield killing moves!

Within three moves, he had been driven to the edge of the shrine's stone steps.

The Elder's Sharingan shone a piercing crimson in the morning light. "You don't even know the Substitution Technique? The next blow will break your ribs!"

Yūto already resented being forced to become the Elder's student. On top of being made to get up early, he was now angry too.

Fine, you want a fight to the death?

Then I'll give you one!

Yūto clenched his teeth and took an elbow strike from the Elder head-on, a trickle of blood spilling from the corner of his mouth.

Using the impact to propel himself backward, he rapidly formed hand seals.

A flicker of surprise crossed the Elder's eyes. He hadn't expected Yūto to be able to form hand seals while under attack, but then he sneered. "A petty trick!"

The instant the Elder closed in again, Yūto suddenly changed tactics, surging forward and actually taking a blow on his shoulder.

Agony shot through his ribs, but he endured the injury and used the momentum to close within half a meter of the Elder.

At this distance, even the Sharingan would struggle to evade the attack completely!

"Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique!"

Yūto mustered his chakra, and scorching flames gushed from his mouth.

But to Yūto's surprise, the Elder smiled faintly and punched him in the chin.

The Great Fireball Technique, poised to erupt, was forcibly interrupted.

Yūto had never expected the suicidal attack he was so proud of to have such a counter. Back in the valley, it had blasted Kakui, an elite Chunin, clean off his feet.

Experience really did count. Ninja from the Warring States Period truly had superior combat instincts!

The blow to his chin left Yūto's head ringing.

He wondered whether he had suffered a concussion. For a moment, his brain struggled to control his body.

The Elder didn't seize the opportunity to attack. He deactivated his Sharingan and stood with his hands behind his back until Yūto recovered from his dizziness.

He said gravely, "When you exchange taijutsu blows, your chakra flows like water from a leaking bag."

"For the same taijutsu moves, any ninja from the Warring States Period would need to use no more than half as much chakra."

"If a ninja from that era with strength similar to yours fought you, it wouldn't take long before you died in battle from excessive chakra expenditure!"

The Elder pointed a finger at Yūto's knee from a distance. "You release an explosive burst of chakra every time you dodge. It makes you considerably faster, but have you ever considered the consequences?"

Rubbing his swollen, reddened chin, Yūto froze at those words.

When had he ever thought that much about it? In every fight, all he had needed to do was charge in.

Now, after hearing the Elder's words, Yūto thought back over his previous battles.

It did seem to be just as he had said. His chakra had drained rapidly, as though a floodgate had been opened.

Yūto had originally thought he simply didn't have enough chakra. It turned out that his wasting it was part of the reason too.

At that thought, Yūto suddenly froze.

Wait!

Why am I reviewing my fights?

If I conserve chakra in battle, won't I last longer? How am I supposed to get myself killed then?

No! Damn combat knowledge, get out of my head!

While Yūto wrestled with this, the Elder turned and walked toward the shrine's veranda pillars. "But your Great Fireball tactic deserves recognition. During the Warring States Period, quite a few Uchiha Clan ninja achieved results with that tactic."

With that, the Elder stood in the center of the shrine courtyard, his hands behind his back. "Yūto, I will no longer dodge your attacks. All you need to do is throw punches at me."

"Once you can throw a punch at your original speed while using half as much chakra, you pass!"

The moment Yūto heard this, he wasn't sleepy anymore.

The corners of his mouth lifted. Old man, you're the one asking me to hit you. And you won't dodge, right? I'll show you the iron fist of Konoha's new generation!

Yūto used the Body Flicker Technique to rush up to the Elder, swinging his arm wide as a textbook Russian haymaker hurtled toward the Elder's face.

But his fist never felt that distinctive impact of striking flesh.

Because Yūto was already airborne, kicked away by the Elder.

After flying several meters through the air, Yūto landed heavily and rolled a few times before coming to a stop in a corner of the shrine walls.

Grimacing, Yūto climbed up from the ground, rubbing his aching stomach as he shouted:

"Old man! You fight dirty! You said you wouldn't dodge, so how come you're allowed to counterattack?"

The Elder snorted. "When did I say I wouldn't counterattack? I only said I wouldn't dodge."

He narrowed his eyes, a trace of amusement flashing through his Sharingan. "That kick was as fast as your initial punch. If you can't even dodge an attack of that level, how can you talk about conserving chakra?"

After being kicked away several times by the Elder, Yūto gritted his teeth and climbed up again.

This time, he deliberately restrained his chakra flow, his fist rushing straight toward the Elder's face with a sharp gust of wind.

Just as it was about to connect, the Elder's toe was already pressed against his abdomen, but Yūto's knuckles finally brushed the Elder's collar!

"I hit you!"

Before Yūto could cheer, he was kicked away yet again.

As he rolled, he heard the Elder snort. "Your chakra was like a flood bursting through a dam! You lost control again at the last moment, didn't you?"

Yūto lay on the ground, panting heavily as he looked at his arms, which had turned red from the repeated bursts of chakra.

He thought it over, and ultimately decided...

I quit. I'm giving up. Whoever wants this training can have it!

Whatever happened, he, Uchiha Yūto, was done!