In the evening, Kazeo was heading toward the academy basement after leaving his clones behind at the training ground to continue practicing the Air Bullet Jutsu. He was on his way to train with the elemental crystals. As until he turned twelve, he still had access to both the Earth and Wind crystals.
In the beginning, it had taken him an entire month, training an hour each day, to completely drain a single crystal. But with time and consistent effort, that duration had steadily decreased. Now, he could empty one in nearly half the time.
He was just about to reach the basement gate when he heard someone call out to him.
"Oh, Kazeo! There you are. I was just thinking about you today."
He turned around and saw Okabe, his homeroom teacher, waving at him. Kazeo gave a polite bow.
"Ah, good evening, sensei. Sorry, I didn't notice you. Do you need something?"
"No, nothing important. I just saw you walking by and thought to stop you for a moment. How's your training going with your jounin sensei?"
"Hmm, it's going... kind of good. We sparred with him today. And lost."
"Sparring this late, huh?" Okabe let out a small chuckle. "Anyway, I've been thinking about that request you made a while ago. About learning Kenjutsu."
He paused for a moment before asking, "Do you still want to learn it?"
Kazeo blinked, caught off guard for a second.
'Why is he bringing that up now? That was over a year ago…'
He waited a few seconds before replying, "Umm, actually, sensei, I've been training with a new weapon for a while. So, I can't exactly give an answer right now. I don't want to pick up something new all of a sudden. I'm also learning some C-rank jutsu from the library. Can I give you my answer after a few weeks?"
"Oh, you're already learning jutsus from the library? Good. Just make sure you don't fall into any debt trap, alright? And if you ever need help, talk to your jounin sensei, me, or any other teacher from the academy. Don't be shy about it. Anyway, just let me know in the next two or three weeks. I'll be busy teaching someone else after that."
Kazeo gave a polite bow. "Thanks for understanding, sensei."
But in his mind, he was thinking,
'Why is he suddenly showing so much concern? Well, it's good nonetheless. If I don't see any real improvement in the next three weeks, I'll start learning Kenjutsu. Though I'll have to manage my time more carefully.'
Okabe chatted for a few more minutes before taking his leave. Kazeo continued on toward the basement.
---------
Kazeo and Itachi stood facing each other, a wooden bucket placed between them. Kazeo was stretching his arms and shoulders, warming up for the early morning session. Itachi watched in silence for a moment before speaking.
"Since you've already completed the fundamentals for controlling your non-dominant hand, we'll move on to the next phase. I'll explain the steps, and you'll follow this routine at home. I'll check your progress at the end of each week. Understood?"
"Yes," Kazeo said, halting his stretching and standing upright.
"This training is divided into four phases. You've already finished the first phase — neural rewiring — where the goal was to build coordination between your brain, hands, and fingers while strengthening the non-dominant side. So now, we begin the second phase: finger isolation and dexterity. This is where you start training each finger to follow separate commands."
Itachi reached into his pocket and pulled out two rubber bands, handing them to Kazeo.
"Wrap these around all five fingers on both hands. Then stretch your fingers outward slowly. Repeat it every day."
Kazeo took the bands with a puzzled look. "What will this actually help with?"
"Don't be impatient. I was just getting to that." Itachi's tone remained calm but firm. "This will help develop the fine-tuned strength needed for thread control. Over time, it will improve how precisely you can move your fingers under strain."
He then gestured to the bucket between them.
"After that, you'll move on to the rice bucket exercise. Dig each finger into the rice, stir, twist, then repeat with each finger individually."
Kazeo tilted his head slightly, "Will this really work? These look like they're meant for regular people, not shinobi."
"It will work," Itachi replied calmly. "These methods are standard in Suna. You're not trying to build raw strength with them but control. And for that, they're perfectly suited.
Remember, Chakra enhances, not replaces. The chakra threads depend on precision and control, and that comes from your fingers and chakra control."
He continued, "After you've practiced both exercises for a few weeks, your next step would be using chakra threads. Start with four to five threads, two or three from each hand. Assign a separate role to each thread. One can lift, another can rotate, one to bind, and another to cut. Use small props like paper shuriken or rings to practice precision. Is everything clear so far?"
"Yes, sensei," Kazeo nodded.
"Good. Then start demonstrating each part in front of me until your teammates arrive. Don't use chakra yet, except during the final training. Once you've practiced all three for at least a month or two, we'll move to the third phase."
Without hesitation, Kazeo created a shadow clone and assigned it the chakra thread portion of the training, thinking to himself, 'Since he already knows I can use shadow clones, might as well use it properly.'
That clone then made another, and the three Kazeos began the training together. They started with the rubber band drills, stretching their fingers for fifteen minutes. Once that was done, they moved on to the rice bucket exercise.
There was only one rice bucket at first, which made things a bit awkward. But as if he'd already anticipated the situation, Itachi silently unsealed two more buckets from a scroll, placing them down without saying a word.
They also did this for fifteen minutes before moving to the final drill, which turned out to be far more difficult than the previous two. Kazeo and his clones were only able to control three wires independently. Any more, and their control unraveled instantly.
"Damn it," one clone muttered as a wire slipped through his fingers again. "This training sucks. The one before was better. Why can't we just stick to that?"
The other two Kazeos paused. One gave him a sharp look, the other clenched his jaw—but neither spoke. Because deep down, they agreed.
Just then, Itachi's voice broke the silence. "I'm sure controlling wires from both hands was harder back then too. But you still did it."
He walked up calmly and looked at them with unreadable eyes. "Didn't you say you brute-forced that training with pure effort? Then do the same here. You're late to this style, so there's no shortcut. Only grind."
Kazeo took a deep breath, then nodded slowly. 'Right… This is just the beginning. I chose this path.'
Time passed, and it was almost time for his teammates to arrive. Itachi told Kazeo to rest for the last five minutes and dissolve his clones so he could organize the shared memories. Since all of them had done the same training, the process wasn't too difficult.
Right at 7 a.m., Ren and Daichi walked into the training ground together. The moment they saw Kazeo already present, they began teasing and questioning him about why he was so early and whether he was getting some special treatment from Itachi.
Kazeo simply told them it was weapon training arranged by the Hokage as a reward. He left out the part about learning Suna's thread techniques, as Itachi had told him to keep it to himself. That was an order directly from the Hokage.
Once their small talk ended, all three began stretching—until Itachi walked over and said, "Since you've already stretched, we'll begin the training now. The next three hours will be focused entirely on physical conditioning."
He handed each of them weighted seals and instructed them to wear them on both arms and legs. After they strapped them on, he looked directly at Ren and Daichi and added, "You two should also start using the same type of seal Kazeo is using. It helps improve stamina. Get it before the week ends."
Both of them nodded. "Yes, sensei."
With that, training began under Itachi's supervision. The first hour went by without much issue. But by the time they passed the ninety-minute mark, Ren was noticeably more out of breath than Daichi.
At two hours and fifteen minutes, Ren collapsed from exhaustion. Itachi calmly picked him up and placed him against a tree in the shade.
Fifteen minutes later, Daichi also dropped. He was still conscious but completely drained, his entire body aching.
Only Kazeo remained standing.
In truth, he was also on the verge of collapse a few minutes after Daichi went down. But determined to push through, he quietly deactivated the air-restricting function on his seal. His breathing normalized, though he felt dizzy for a couple of minutes. Still, his body slowly adjusted, and he managed to finish the training.
After the three hours passed, Kazeo slowly walked over to where Ren and Daichi were resting under a tree. Ren had regained consciousness a few minutes before the training ended. He'd tried to get back up and continue but ended up collapsing again as his body wasn't ready.
Kazeo sat down with a tired groan, leaning back against the tree as he removed his weight seals. Just then, Itachi walked over and looked at Ren and Daichi.
"You two need more training," he said plainly. "Kazeo's the only one who completed the session. Once you get the seal, training will feel even harder—so prepare yourselves."
Both Ren and Daichi glanced at Kazeo but didn't say anything. The same thought crossed their minds:
Looks like this seal helps more than we thought.
Then Itachi turned to Kazeo.
"Kazeo, you're not allowed to deactivate your seal during training anymore. Understood?"
Kazeo blinked, a little surprised.
'He knew I stopped supplying chakra to the seal? So… he's also a sensor?'
But he only replied, "Understood, sensei."
"Good. Now, all of you rest for one hour. We'll continue after that. Also—hand me your daily schedule forms. The ones I told you to bring."
He collected their papers, handed each of them two ration bars and a bottle of water, then flickered away.
The three of them quietly unwrapped the ration bars and began eating. A few minutes later, Daichi groaned, "Ugh, this thing still tastes like cardboard. Can't they add some flavor or something? How do shinobi even eat this every day?"
Kazeo took a swig of water and leaned his head back. "Hah… now I feel better. Who knows why they make it bland. It was hard to eat at first, but I've kind of gotten used to it."
They chatted briefly before Daichi let out a loud yawn and said, "I don't know about you two, but if I don't sleep right now, I don't think I'll be able to move for the rest of the day."
Kazeo nodded. "Yeah. I'm sleeping too. Ren, please wake us up in about forty or fifty minutes."
Ren didn't answer. He was lost in thought.
Even though they don't come from a clan… both of them have more stamina than me. Am I missing something they know and I don't?
Daichi asked, "Why? Let him sleep too. He needs some rest before training—his stamina's the lowest among us."
Kazeo replied, "I don't know, maybe it's a test from sensei. If we all fall asleep without a care for our surroundings, that's not exactly smart. We won't be able to sleep at the same time during missions either. Someone always has to stay on watch. And anyway, he already got some rest when he passed out. So that's why… don't talk to me for now. I'm going to sleep."
The words stung a bit, but Ren didn't say anything. He just sat quietly while Daichi mumbled, "Well… fair point. Good night."
And with that, Daichi dozed off.
Forty minutes later, Ren gently shook both of them awake. Once they were up, the three of them finished off their remaining ration bars and water bottles. The short nap helped a little—it lifted their energy—but the soreness was still there, clinging to their limbs like a second skin.
Kazeo stretched and groaned, "I think every single muscle in my body is aching."
Daichi nodded. "Yeah, same here. I don't think that's going away anytime soon."
Kazeo added, "Especially if we're doing this every morning…"
The thought made both Ren and Daichi flinch slightly. But they didn't complain. They understood now—this would be their new normal.
Before the hour ended, all three of them began stretching again. At exactly 10 a.m., Itachi appeared and said, "Before we begin the next session, let's talk about your daily schedules. I noticed most of your routines are already packed with training, so free up your morning and afternoon slots. Those will be used for team training here."
After reviewing each of their schedules and making some adjustments, he turned to Kazeo and said, "Kazeo, you need to pick up a hobby or find something else you enjoy. If you don't have something outside of being a shinobi, you won't last more than five to ten years in this field. So every day, give at least half an hour to something you like, or try new things until you find something."
Kazeo wanted to say something but only nodded silently.
Itachi then outlined their training schedule: from 6 a.m. to 9 a.m., followed by a break, and then from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. For Kazeo, there was an additional three-hour session each week for weapon training. He adjusted everyone's daily routine to match his training plan.
He also gave them new dietary recommendations, which included a lot of ration bars. For Kazeo, this didn't change anything since he was already eating at least three a day. But for the other two, the news hit hard. Daichi even protested, but after hearing Itachi explain the benefits in detail, he fell silent, having no argument to counter him.
Maybe it was because of Daichi's miserable expression, or maybe Itachi had planned it all along, but he also listed a few protein-rich tasty foods they could add to their meals. That softened the blow a bit.
Kazeo thought, 'Isn't he spending too much time with us? I don't remember any other sensei sticking around this much, except maybe Guy and Lee. Is it because all three of us were in the top five back in the academy?' He let out a mental sigh. 'I just hope this training is worth it. Not like I can do anything about it anyway.'
Itachi began the next training session, this time focusing on teamwork and team formations. Once the session ended, he looked at them and said, "Today's second half of training was easier on purpose. Starting tomorrow, the first half will focus only on physical conditioning. The second half will cover genjutsu resistance, team formations, and some ninjutsu practice. And Kazeo, don't forget to continue your separate training at home. We'll meet again at 7 a.m."
The three of them thanked him for the training and were about to head home when Itachi suddenly called out again.
"Oh, one more thing. Kazeo, why haven't you gone to the Fuinjutsu department? You registered with them back at the academy, didn't you? I received a scroll from them saying you haven't shown up even once since graduating. Visit them tomorrow. If you delay any further, they might not accept you at all."
"Ah, right. I completely forgot about that. Thanks for the reminder, sensei. I'll go see them today," Kazeo replied.
Itachi nodded and said, "Also, visit Hokage-sama tomorrow or the day after. He mentioned he wants to speak with you about something."
Kazeo nodded and thanked him before Itachi flickered away. Daichi turned to him and asked, "Why's the Hokage calling you? Didn't you already get your reward since sensei is training you?"
Ren's ears perked up at that, though he didn't say anything.
Kazeo replied, "I honestly don't know. Maybe I'll find out when I meet him. I'll probably visit tomorrow or the day after."
Though he kept his answer vague, inwardly he thought, 'Maybe it's about the money I earned from the novel.'
Ren and Daichi headed off toward their homes, while Kazeo made his way to a nearby restaurant for lunch. Despite the soreness from training, which still lingered even after all his years of conditioning, a part of him was little excited. He was curious just how strong this new routine would make him.
After finishing lunch, he asked around for directions and made his way toward the Fuinjutsu Department.
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