Chapter 55: The Foundation of Taijutsu Was the Body, and the Foundation of the Body Was the Core!
Even before transmigrating, Araki had understood one principle: tailor your words to the person you were speaking to.
Unless you were already strong enough to disregard anyone's gaze.
Otherwise, keep a low profile when you should.
It made things easier to get done.
Araki now hoped to receive Might Duy's help. He had discovered that his own painstaking training over these past three years had not produced very good results.
When it came to Taijutsu...
Might Duy was the professional!
"You... you... you..."
Might Duy stared blankly at Araki, intense shock flickering in his eyes, hardly able to believe his ears.
After all...
In the ninja world, Taijutsu sat at the very bottom of the pecking order. Almost no one specialized in Taijutsu. Kekkei Genkai were what really ruled!
Only children without a bloodline and with mediocre aptitude would take the path of Taijutsu training, but because it was so grueling, it was difficult to persevere.
Might Duy had trained for so many years, yet he was still only a Genin. His social standing in Konoha was extremely low, and he normally survived on the payment he earned from commissions on the level of catching cats and finding dogs.
Fortunately, he had only himself to feed, so there was nothing much to worry about, and his life was still going just fine.
It was just that recently, during some lonely days of training, he occasionally thought how nice it would be to have a son. Then someone could inherit his Taijutsu legacy.
What he had not expected, however, was...
So soon, a child had appeared right in front of him, ready-made, and said so many stirring words that he felt his blood brimming with the spirit of youth.
"I'll take you as my disciple!"
Might Duy immediately gave him a thumbs-up. His thick eyebrows and beard curved with his smile as he showed a mouthful of white teeth, readily agreeing with almost no hesitation.
"..."
This time, it was Araki's turn to be surprised.
From the moment Araki met Might Duy, he had tailored his approach, saying only things that suited Might Duy's tastes.
But he had not expected things to go so smoothly.
It was simply so much easier than dealing with Tsunade!
"Teacher Duy, are you serious?" Araki asked cautiously. He was afraid he had misunderstood, so it was better to make sure.
"Of course I'm serious! How could we let our blazing youth have regrets?" Might Duy smiled again, his white teeth gleaming, his thumbs-up not changing in the slightest.
"Thank you, Teacher Duy!" Araki immediately put on an extremely excited expression, looking much like Rock Lee chatting with Might Guy. He then gave a thumbs-up as well, slipping into character in a single second. Whether or not his performance was exaggerated, he had to get the atmosphere right.
"I still don't know your name!" Might Duy's voice rose slightly, and he looked even more excited.
"My name is Araki," Araki answered.
"Good! Araki! From now on! You'll train with me!"
The emptiness in Might Duy's heart was filled in an instant. He was so happy that he could not even remember the last time he had been this excited.
At that moment.
Might Duy stared intently at Araki.
In his eyes.
This was not merely a disciple.
He was also a like-minded companion!
As a Taijutsu ninja, Might Duy trained with burning passion every day, putting in far more painstaking effort than others. His constant hard work and improvement filled his heart with positive energy.
The more positive people were, the more they tended to enjoy working with other positive people!
After hearing Araki's words, Might Duy had already accepted him in his heart, feeling that this was a rare disciple.
For a moment.
The two hit it off immediately.
Araki was extremely interested in being able to learn from Might Duy.
Setting aside how much Taijutsu training could improve his strength, even just making his body stronger would allow his own chakra to become more abundant.
"Araki, if you want to learn Taijutsu, you have to start with the most basic physical training. Every move in our Konoha-Style Strong Fist is built on powerful physical conditioning. You could say the moves aren't the core-strength is. Without enough strength, every move is just for show!"
Might Duy kept his eyes fixed on Araki. After who knew how many years of hoping, he finally had a precious disciple of his own, and he especially cherished this opportunity to teach him.
"Understood!"
Araki immediately answered loudly.
He wholeheartedly agreed with this point. With enough strength, even a simple punch could unleash a world-destroying effect.
With the same move, the same stance, the same proficiency, and the same technique, a difference in strength would still produce a difference in destructive power.
The foundation of Taijutsu lay in the body, not the technique!
Techniques and moves were merely keys to unlocking the body's treasure trove, allowing its capabilities to be brought out more effectively.
"Mm."
Might Duy nodded in satisfaction. His gaze had remained focused on Araki without ever shifting away.
In this boy, he seemed to see a reflection of his own childhood self.
The same youthful passion!
The same painstaking struggle!
It made him feel that his years of training along this path had not been wasted, nor had he let down the expectations he had held for himself as a boy.
"Araki, you must remember this firmly..."
"The foundation of Taijutsu is the body, and the foundation of the body is the core!"
"Our body's core is a triangular region around the waist and abdomen. It represents the source of all our energy!"
As Might Duy said this, he gestured toward his navel with both hands, then traced an inverted triangle downward.
"Speed!"
"Strength!"
"Endurance!"
"Explosive power!"
"And so on..."
"This is the foundation of every physical attribute!"
After finishing, Might Duy spread his legs, bent his knees slightly, and lowered himself into a half squat, looking as though he were holding a horse stance.
It was a simple-looking posture, but performing it was not easy at all.
As Might Duy's upright body assumed this position, all his muscles tensed. His hands slowly rose forward to shoulder level, taking a punching stance, his entire body brimming with a sense of power.
"Araki, when you watch me punch or kick, don't think those movements use the strength of my arms or thighs. Fundamentally, it all comes from the strength of the core!"
Might Duy spoke loudly with a smile.
At those words.
Araki felt as though he had awakened from a dream.
He stood rooted to the spot in shock.
Core strength!
That was right!
That was exactly it!
Araki suddenly realized that he had been neglecting core training all along, causing his progress in physical conditioning to be slow.
Chapter 56: Green Chakra
Araki suddenly recalled how Might Duy had looked while doing push-ups earlier.
His entire body had been held taut in a straight line.
It had looked perfectly natural, full of athletic beauty.
"Teacher Duy, when you were doing push-ups just now, were you using your core strength?"
As Araki asked this, even his breathing quickened. He had never thought deeply about this before.
After all, before transmigrating, Araki had not been a professional in physical training either. He had only done push-ups in PE class during his school years. Back then, he had not understood the movements at all, nor had there been any particular standard. As long as he could do them, that was enough. He had paid no attention to where the force came from.
"That's right!"
Might Duy nodded in satisfaction, a hint of surprise entering his gaze as he looked at Araki. His father had been the one to tell him about generating power from the core. At the time, he had not understood at all, only gradually grasping these things through years and years of training.
Now, after he had said only a few words to Araki, this child had responded with a question. Whether or not Araki had already learned to generate force from his core, at least it was clear that he understood the idea.
What incredible comprehension!
Might Duy silently praised him. It was not as though he had never encountered geniuses before, but he instinctively felt that anyone willing to learn Taijutsu must have some difficulties with learning.
Judging by his age, this disciple should be attending the Ninja Academy. He seemed quite bright, and he truly was a rare, excellent disciple!
"If you saw my training just now, you might think, judging from the surface, that I was using my fingers to lift my entire body."
"But that wasn't actually the case. My fingers never moved. They only served as supports, just like my palms and forearms."
"Now that I've said that, do you think I was holding myself up with my upper-body strength?"
Might Duy smiled teasingly, keeping him in suspense. He could not explain why, but he felt very comfortable teaching Araki. It left him with no desire to hold anything back at all, and he earnestly taught him everything he knew.
The only problem was that his ability to express himself was not quite like that of the Ninja Academy's teachers. Especially when discussing Taijutsu, there were many things he understood in his heart but could not explain clearly. Once he said them aloud, he always felt that something was a little off.
But these were not major problems.
Might Duy knew he had ample patience and would actively encourage Araki. Those things were enough to make up for some of the flaws and shortcomings in his teaching.