The moment Araki had gotten up, he had clearly felt his body improving. Although his chakra had not increased much, the change in his physical conditioning was especially obvious, making him feel almost as though he had been reborn.
That change had given him a taste of the benefits.
He could not help wanting to continue.
Not only that.
Araki also wanted to test exactly how long that green chakra could last. This was a very important question of endurance!
It involved his daily training and how often he would need to recharge with Nawaki.
That was right!
That was precisely the comparison Araki had made in his mind.
He already regarded Nawaki as a power bank for this green chakra, while the green chakra was like the energy that sustained his training.
"O... okay!"
Might Duy had already received a whole year's worth of shocks from Araki. Before he could recover from the shock of those push-ups, they were about to start running laps. This disciple looked as though nothing had happened. He was a little too inhuman.
"Match the pace of my steps. Don't go too fast or too slowly. If you can't keep going, tell me. We're training, not risking our lives!"
Might Duy spoke helplessly. He had thought himself a training fanatic, devoting his limited time each day to endless physical conditioning. He was practically Konoha's king of grinding; when it came to diligence and effort, no one could even compare to him.
Yet this disciple he had suddenly taken on today seemed to grind even harder and push himself even further. It brought a sense of pressure rising within him, along with the motivation to strive.
"Araki, give it your all! Let's go! This is youth!"
Might Duy let out an excited shout, then started running laps around the park with high knees, his movements exaggerated to an extreme degree.
"Yes!"
Araki immediately followed close behind, matching Might Duy's movements. The green chakra filling his chakra pathways began circulating rapidly, giving him the distinct feeling that green blood was flowing throughout his body.
Chapter 59: I'll train in secret at night, then amaze everyone in Konoha! (End of volume)
For the next stretch of time, Araki kept following Might Duy's training rhythm.
After completing only two hundred of the three hundred laps of high-knee running, he followed their earlier agreement and moved on to three hundred push-ups for failing to finish.
"Teacher Duy, I'm doing three hundred push-ups now. If I don't finish them, I'll do three hundred sit-ups!"
Araki's words still lingered in Might Duy's ears.
As he watched Araki supporting his trembling body and still performing push-ups with proper form, he fell completely silent. He no longer knew what feeling could express the shock inside him.
He was getting a little numb!
What kind of genius was this?
No!
What kind of monster was this?
For all these years, Might Duy had immersed himself in training. He considered himself outstanding in the field of Taijutsu and believed his youth burned with passion!
But...
At this very moment...
Might Duy suddenly had an exceedingly peculiar feeling!
It was a feeling he had never experienced before.
That was... his youth had gone to the dogs!
Now that was what you called youth!
That brief night passed just like that.
As the morning sun rose and warmth descended upon the earth with the dawn, Araki stopped training, panting heavily without pause.
"Teacher Duy, I'm sorry. In the end, I couldn't finish three hundred laps on my hands. I have to go to school soon, so I can only continue training tonight!"
Araki bowed deeply to Might Duy. On the surface, he appeared to be apologizing, but in truth, he was thanking him.
Through that night of training, he had found the feeling of engaging his core in many different training positions, gradually coming to understand what that felt like.
This allowed him to work the muscles throughout his body more fully through movements he had originally considered simple, and he had squeezed out almost all the green chakra in his heart.
"Go... go... go ahead..."
Might Duy could barely react. He fully realized that his brain could not keep up; even his understanding of Taijutsu had been overturned by Araki.
"Oh, right!"
As though something had suddenly occurred to him, Araki grinned at Might Duy and said, "Teacher Duy, let's not casually mention our Taijutsu training together to other people."
"Why?"
Might Duy asked instinctively. His expression suddenly dimmed considerably, and questions flickered in his eyes.
Ever since he was little.
He had faced a great deal of criticism.
This had made him very resilient. Ordinary people's gossip could not hurt his strong heart at all.
But that did not mean he was invulnerable!
In a certain sense, Might Duy was someone with something of an inferiority complex. All his effort and outward strength were merely meant to turn that inferiority into confidence.
Whatever people he did not care about said could not hurt Might Duy, but the words of people he cared about would reach his heart.
Now, after hearing Araki's words, an insecure thought instinctively sprang into Might Duy's mind. He feared Araki thought being his disciple was embarrassing, and that was why he had asked him not to tell anyone of his own accord.
For a moment.
Might Duy was incredibly nervous.
Sweat even beaded in his tightly clenched palms.
In fact.
After asking that question, he already felt a little regret.
If he had not asked, he could still pretend not to know and simply keep it to himself. Now that he had asked, he was bound to receive an answer.
What if it was the very thing he least wanted to hear?
Might Duy deeply treasured this extraordinarily gifted disciple. The more he cared, the more he worried, and now he found himself fretting over losing him.
"Hm?"
Araki took in every change in Might Duy's expression, vaguely sensing a fluctuation in his emotions. It was somewhat different from his usual endlessly burning youth; some negative feelings seemed to be emerging.
The change was very slight, but he still sensed it.
This made Araki realize he had said the wrong thing. Might Duy probably still cared a great deal about these things. Perhaps his coming to ask to become his disciple had itself been a form of recognition for Might Duy.
"Because..."
Araki's eyes flickered slightly, and in an instant, he thought of a way to phrase it. He raised his eyes and stared intently at Might Duy, still looking just as sunny as before.
"I spent the entire night failing to meet your expectations, Teacher Duy!"
"I haven't been doing very well at the Ninja Academy. Now that I've been fortunate enough to train with you, I've failed to meet the training requirements again. I feel deeply sorry about that!"
"If you publicly say I'm your disciple, Teacher Duy, people I know are bound to come and see me. When that happens, I won't just be embarrassing myself. I'll be embarrassing you!"
"I can't let that happen!"
"So..."
Araki's impassioned voice shot straight into Might Duy's mind, instantly awakening the youth that had fallen somewhat silent from shock. As Araki drew out his last word, his curiosity was fully stirred.
At that very moment.
Might Duy stared fixedly at Araki.
He instinctively held his breath.
He waited expectantly for what Araki would say next.
"I'll train in secret at night, then amaze everyone in Konoha!"
As Araki spoke, he suddenly gave Might Duy a thumbs-up, then imitated his grin. The rising morning sun happened to shine upon his face, making his white teeth gleam with brilliant light.
"Araki, I understand! If it's you, you can absolutely do it!"
Might Duy's eyes suddenly widened, his pupils contracting sharply. Deep shock filled his eyes, and powerful emotion surged within him as he fought back his tears.
This was not rejection. This was recognition!
This was not disdain. This was hot-blooded passion!
This was not keeping a low profile. This was youth!
At that instant, Might Duy felt his youth return. The look in his eyes changed again and again as he watched Araki, filled with deep appreciation and affection.
This was his disciple, Might Duy's disciple!
This was the one who would inherit his Taijutsu legacy!
"Araki, go to class. I'll wait for you at the park tonight. This is a promise of youth!"
There was no longer any hesitation or gloom in Might Duy's heart. He had completely recovered from that sudden bout of dejection.
Often, the harder someone like him worked, the more likely they were to experience a degree of self-doubt when confronted with a genius and subjected to such extreme shock.
"Yes!"
Araki immediately answered, picked up his schoolbag from the bench at the edge of the park, and headed toward the Ninja Academy.
I haven't been home for over a night. I wonder how Kushina is doing!
After all, he had always taken his schoolbag home beforehand.
I'll explain once I get to the Ninja Academy.
As Araki walked forward, thoughts like these suddenly surfaced in his mind. Even he had not realized that he was gradually beginning to care about Kushina's feelings.
Chapter 1: You can talk normally now? (Please bookmark the new volume)
Might Duy stared blankly at Araki's retreating figure, the shock in his heart still yet to subside.