Reiji woke before dawn.
The village still slept, but he was already in the training yard, the chill of early morning biting his skin. The seal pulsed faintly on his torso, its weight wrapping him like invisible chains.
He increased the setting.
The pressure crushed him to his knees. His arms trembled, his spine screamed in protest.
Good.
He forced himself up. His movements were slow, jagged, but he moved.
The first hour was endurance. Pushups. Squats. Stances held until his muscles quivered. The weight of the seal made every action feel like dragging his body through mud.
By the second hour, his hands were raw and his breathing shallow.
This is progress. This is control. If I cannot move under this, I cannot call myself strong.
He remembered Hiruzen's words from the day before. Strength is a long path. You'll break yourself.
Reiji gritted his teeth. Then I'll break and rebuild until I'm unbreakable.
He switched to chakra control exercises. Leaves on his fingertips. Coins balanced on his arms while holding his stance. It was all harder under the weight.
Hours blurred. Sweat poured. He cycled between raw physical strain and chakra exercises, forcing his body and mind to adapt under the seal's crushing gravity.
He collapsed onto the dirt, staring up at the clouds.
Still not enough. Never enough.
In the Schools office, The Head instructor sat at his desk, reviewing another report from the instructors.
"Training before class. Training after class. They say he's spending nearly six hours a day in the yard," one advisor read aloud. "Should we give him detention?" "Report this to the hokage?"
"Leave Reiji be."
Yes.. The head instructor from the first homeroom was there.
"Reiji shows remarkable talent with his chakra control application, interfering with his natural brilliance would deprive the Leaf of a bright new bud"
A common thought was shared between the instructors 'is letting a kid overtrain like this really ok?'
That evening, as Reiji dragged himself toward the academy building for a late lecture, a voice cut through his exhaustion.
"You're insane, you know that?"
He turned his head.
Anko leaned against the academy gate, arms crossed, eyes glinting with a mix of curiosity and amusement.
"You look like you've been hit by a cart," she said.
Reiji's tone was flat. "Training."
She smirked. "You always like this?"
"Yes."
Anko tilted her head. "Interesting."
He walked past her without another word.
But for some reason, she followed.