"Hmm…"
Toki hummed softly, his consciousness gradually recovering from its disconnected state.
The fresh scent of medicinal herbs was captured by his waking brain, and warm water enveloped him tightly. As soon as he opened his eyes, he saw the bathroom ceiling.
"Did I… fall asleep?"
He raised his hands above his head and stretched with effort, his muscles signaling soreness and weakness.
Just then, Tsunade's voice came from outside the door.
"Awake?"
"Yes, awake."
As soon as he finished speaking, the bathroom door was roughly pulled open, and Tsunade walked straight in.
Toki was stunned for a moment, instinctively covering his private parts, stammering, "Tea… Teacher, what are you doing… Oh, I'm not wearing clothes yet…"
"I've already seen everything, what's there to hide?" Tsunade rolled her Byakugan, dipping her right hand into the water and touching and kneading his body.
She was just checking his physical condition after high-intensity training, nothing else.
'Hmm… It's been a long time since I've kneaded like this, and… the texture is really good.'
In her previous life, Tsunade had no intention of pairing Kushina and Toki. Every time Toki fainted from training, she would carry him back, strip him, and clean him.
Uzumaki Toki: "…"
He had just been wondering who helped him take off his clothes, and now he had the answer.
But one thing at a time!
He wouldn't accept being naked in front of Tsunade just because she had already seen him! He wasn't a real child!
"Teacher, can you leave me a pair of pants next time?" Toki asked tentatively.
Tsunade shook her head: "No, that would affect the absorption efficiency of the medicinal liquid. Just soak obediently."
"Oh."
After this sound, the two of them didn't speak again until Tsunade took her hand out, indicating she was done.
"Everything is fine. You can come out after soaking for another half an hour. I'll go prepare dinner first."
"Okay."
Toki nodded weakly, sinking lower into the water, burying half his face in it, attempting to escape reality this way.
The half-bowl of tonic he drank earlier was to replenish his body's deficiencies, but for the tonic to be fully absorbed and effective, it needed to be supplemented with Taijutsu training.
After a large amount of Taijutsu training, muscle soreness and swelling were inevitable. The purpose of this medicinal bath was to relieve muscle fatigue and speed up recovery. Coupled with the Vortex Clan's physique, he would have a brand new body after waking up tomorrow.
In this dangerous world, strength is the basis for survival. As for taking off clothes… just take them off, it won't kill anyone.
When the medicinal bath was over, Toki got out of the tub, washed himself clean, and then went out.
He saw Kushina at the corner of the corridor and waved, "Jushinnai-jie jie."
However, as soon as Kushina heard his voice, she ran off, moving quickly and hurriedly, as if she had something urgent to attend to.
It wasn't until dinner at the table that Toki found an opportunity to ask: "Jushinnai-jie jie, is there anything you need help with?"
"No."
Kushina immediately replied, shaking her head urgently, her cheeks almost the same color as her hair.
"…Alright."
Although he had some questions, Toki didn't ask any more, and returned to his room to rest after dinner.
The next week passed with such regularity: remedial classes during the day with Rin Nohara and Kakashi, training after school led by Kushina, and body checks by Tsunade after waking up in the bathroom…
Toki's physical fitness improved at a visible rate, feeling like he could surpass his previous day's self by a large margin every day.
However, the training content arranged by Kushina also increased day by day, showing a tendency not to stop until he fainted. If it weren't for the various tonics and the Vortex Clan's physique, his body would probably have been ruined long ago.
Ninja School.
"Toki, why have you grown so tall?"
Rin Nohara stood on her tiptoes, comparing the height difference between them with her hand.
A week ago, he was only about half a head taller than her, but now he was a whole head taller. His body had also broadened a lot, unlike before when he was practically a skeleton.
Seeing their intimate actions, Obito felt very uncomfortable.
He crossed his arms, deliberately putting on a disdainful look: "Hmph, what's the use of being tall? You'll still fall down in an instant."
"How do you know?" Rin Nohara retorted.
It was fine until she said that, but once she did, it made Obito even more uncomfortable.
Rin, how could you speak up for him?!
After much hesitation, Obito still didn't dare to question Rin, and instead directed his anger at the other party involved.
"Toki, have you had any actual combat practice?"
"Actual combat?" Toki shook his head, then continued, "But I'm very interested in actual combat training, Obito, want to try it with me?"
Seeing him actively propose a challenge, Obito was ecstatic: "Okay, come on, I'll teach you, this is the Confrontation Seal…"
No mistakes, one first, one send, one inside, one content, all at a glance!
Rin Nohara sighed, seeing their excited faces, and decided to pull Kakashi over to be the referee and keep an eye on them, to avoid any accidents.
Then the few of them walked to an open area.
Kakashi raised his hand and announced: "Uzumaki Toki, Uchiha Obito, form the Confrontation Seal."
After forming the hand seals, Obito threw a straight punch, aiming directly for the face, with a fierce wind.
Dodge.
This was the only thought in Toki's mind. His body followed his will, his feet stepping back half a step, and he turned sideways to dodge the punch. His right hand formed a hook punch, aiming for Obito's chest, and he struck out.
He hadn't learned any boxing routines, but he had watched many kung fu movies in his previous life, so he could imitate a few moves.
Obito wasn't flustered. His left hand formed a palm, pushing Toki's fist inward towards his body. At the same time, his right foot stepped forward, inserting behind Toki, and his right hand grabbed his upper body, hooking his leg back.
With a "thud!", Toki was neatly thrown to the ground.
"Whew! I won!"
Obito jumped up joyfully, his right hand clenched into a fist, swinging it fiercely.
He had often been defeated by Kakashi in the past, so now that he had a rare win, and could vent some frustration along the way, how could he not be happy?
Rin Nohara walked forward and extended her right hand to Toki, who was sitting on the ground: "The ground is cold, get up first."
Toki was still replaying the battle in his mind, thinking about how he should fight next: "Hmm… Thank you."
Kakashi walked over and patted Obito's shoulder: "Hey, don't be so excited, look behind you."
"Huh?"
Obito was puzzled. He turned his head and saw Rin Nohara pulling Toki up from the ground.
Holding hands…
This scene magnified infinitely in Obito's vision.
Crack—
In that instant, Kakashi seemed to hear something break.
Obito seemed to have been drained of all his spirit, collapsing weakly to his knees, looking up at the sky.
"What… what have I done."
Kakashi narrowed his eyes slightly, squatted down, and whispered in his ear: "Don't be discouraged, at least you gave them a push from behind, it was quite useful."
Crack, crack—
This time, it shattered even more completely.