They had known each other for less than a full day.
They had only spent one night together, filled with youthful passion.
Yet...
In that short span of time...
Might Duy had been shaken again and again, so much so that his thoughts still churned like a raging ocean beneath a downpour, unable to settle for a long time.
"It's been so long since I felt this youthful!"
Might Duy grinned. He had always trained during the day and rested properly at night. After all, physical training could not consist of exercise alone; nutrition and rest mattered too.
After that night, as Araki left, the passion in Might Duy's heart gradually faded. A wave of exhaustion washed over him, and he looked up at the dazzling sunlight streaming through the gaps in the leaves.
"It's a new day already."
Might Duy smiled and turned to head home to sleep. After all, they still had an appointment with youth tonight.
As a Genin, he was hardly without things to do. It was just that, at his age, he had more flexibility in choosing missions. Some of the simpler, duller missions were left for newly graduated Genin to practice on.
Even now, Araki still had no idea how outrageous the training he had demonstrated was.
He could hardly be blamed for that!
In the Naruto anime he had watched before, both Might Guy and Rock Lee had seemed practically tireless when training.
At this point, Might Guy had not yet been born, and Might Duy trained alone.
As Araki saw it...
If he wanted Might Duy to take him as a disciple...
He had to demonstrate an aptitude for Taijutsu training.
As the saying went, no one got up early for nothing.
Without enough value, a teacher would not pay him much attention.
The same principle applied to his subsequent study of Medical Ninjutsu under Tsunade.
People without value would not be noticed!
What exactly is this green chakra? Could the chakra crystal on the First Hokage's Necklace be the First's chakra?
As Araki walked toward the Ninja Academy, he pondered what had happened that night.
He had to admit...
It was extremely strange!
Even he felt it was a little freakish!
The streams of green chakra emerging from his heart were like a potent tonic, constantly circulating through his body.
Whenever he was about to reach his limit, that green chakra would forcefully pull him back, making his entire body tense and sharply reducing his muscles' sensitivity, greatly extending his endurance.
The most outrageous part was...
Araki felt that his body was firm and strong, his skin highly elastic, and every cell brimming with vitality. He did not look as though he had stayed up all night at all, and he felt no exhaustion whatsoever.
All his fatigue had been dispelled by the green chakra.
He even felt he could skip catching up on sleep that morning and have no trouble paying attention in class and reading.
It was a very peculiar sensation.
That green energy did not seem to be recharging his exhausted body. It was more as though it was metabolizing away his fatigued cells, making him a newer version of himself.
Araki did not know what similarities or differences there were between [Ninja Art: Creation Rebirth: Strength of a Hundred Technique] and what he felt while exercising, but he had the distinct sensation of continually regenerating as he trained.
This was completely different from recovery and replenishment!
It was on an entirely different level!
It was just that...
Araki needed to do more experimenting and research on that green chakra before he could reach a relatively reliable conclusion.
The feeling was like an ignorant boy suddenly discovering one day that his pistol could grow bigger. That unknown would bring confusion and curiosity.
After a period of research and experimentation, he would discover that, while polishing his gun, it could actually go off accidentally.
The sensation of firing would bring boundless pleasure.
From then on, the boy rewarded himself with unlimited firing privileges.
Only when the sense of emptiness emerged after the bullet left the barrel would he gradually calm down from his frenzy.
It was a process of exploration and discovery, and Araki was in just such a state now. That green chakra had brought him an indescribable sense of novelty, and he was still excited.
At that thought, anticipation quietly began to build in Araki's heart.
"Araki!"
Just as Araki was about to reach the Ninja Academy's entrance, a voice called out to him.
Immediately...
Araki stood straight at attention.
That voice was all too familiar.
It was none other than Ibuki-sensei from the Ninja Academy!
I'm done for!
Araki immediately remembered that he had left Ibuki-sensei in Konoha Hospital yesterday and never gone back to get him.
At the time, Ibuki-sensei had already lost consciousness, and a crowd of ravenous young nurses had surrounded him. The situation had not looked promising.
For a moment...
Araki felt a little guilty.
His movements were somewhat mechanical as he turned toward the voice. He at least needed to check on Ibuki-sensei's condition first.
"How did your interview go yesterday?"
Ibuki-sensei immediately asked, concern in his tone and a slight hangover-induced rasp in his voice. He walked over while rubbing his head. It had been a long time since he had drunk like that, and his body really had not quite recovered.
"I passed."
Only then did Araki remember that Ibuki-sensei still did not know about his interview. He carefully looked Ibuki-sensei up and down and found that, apart from looking somewhat listless, there was nothing else wrong with him.
"Ibuki-sensei, are you all right? Nothing happened to you, did it?"
Araki asked tentatively. He had witnessed yesterday's scene firsthand and instinctively felt that those young nurses would not let Ibuki-sensei off easily. Alongside his concern, there was a tiny bit of morbid curiosity.
"What could have happened to me?"
After hearing Araki's words, Ibuki-sensei vaguely sensed that something was wrong, but he could not put his finger on it right away.
He had drunk himself into a blackout yesterday.
He vaguely remembered taking Araki to Konoha Hospital.
When he woke up that morning and found himself lying in a hospital bed, he was even more certain of the location. He simply was not quite sure whether Araki had gone to the interview.
"Wait..."
Ibuki-sensei's somewhat sluggish brain suddenly began working rapidly, and he returned completely to normal.
"Did you just say you passed the interview?"
"You can join the Medical Team?"
"And another thing..."
"What's going on with your speech?"
"You can speak normally now?"
Ibuki-sensei's eyes widened in shock. A string of questions fired from his mouth like bullets from a machine gun, and he felt curious and delighted at Araki's change.
Chapter 2: You're Lady Tsunade's disciple?!!!
Araki did not answer Ibuki-sensei immediately. Instead, he carefully looked him up and down again.
Only after he had truly confirmed that nothing was wrong with Ibuki-sensei...
Did he slowly breathe a sigh of relief.
Thank goodness...
His kidneys weren't harvested.
Boys really need to protect themselves when they're out!
"Here's what happened..."
Araki began to explain. He felt there was no problem telling Ibuki-sensei about these things. After all, he had only gotten this far because of Ibuki-sensei's recommendation. Ibuki-sensei had played a very important role in the process.
"Ibuki-sensei, after we arrived at Konoha Hospital yesterday, you passed out. The medical-nin happened to take you away to sober you up, and then they took me upstairs for the interview assessment. I was fortunate enough to catch the eye of Tsunade-sensei, who was conducting the examination, and became her disciple."
"You're Lady Tsunade's disciple?!!!"
Ibuki-sensei's eyes suddenly went wide, filled with shock. He had already prepared himself for Araki not being accepted and had even thought of what to say to comfort him.
But...
Not only had Araki passed!
He had even become Lady Tsunade's disciple!
The news was simply too shocking!
After all...
Lady Tsunade was one of the Konoha Sannin, the granddaughter of the First Hokage, Hashirama Senju, the disciple of the Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi, and the Slug Princess who had reached the pinnacle of Medical Ninjutsu!
Araki had actually been taken as a disciple by someone so important...
The shock in Ibuki-sensei's heart instantly reached an unsurpassable degree. The look in his eyes changed again and again as he gazed at Araki. This boy, who usually had so little presence, could now be said to have undergone a transformation in status.