After finishing another round of grueling training for someone his age, Sasuke once again sat cross-legged to recover his chakra. Every training session began the same way: use chakra to become more adept at channeling and controlling it; only when his chakra was depleted did he switch to pure physical exercise. For instance, if someone saw Sasuke doing push-ups, the first hundred would be rapid and perfect—thanks entirely to the enhancement of chakra.
Once Sasuke's chakra was exhausted, his push-up speed would drop noticeably, but every repetition was executed with absolute seriousness. This was the method Sasuke set for himself: train for dexterity and control with chakra, then focus on physical conditioning when chakra ran dry. By the end of each routine, he'd even start to recover some chakra, so he could sit cross-legged and fully restore his reserves.
Why bother recovering chakra during the latter part of physical training? Because a ninja always had to keep some means of survival in reserve. If Sasuke ever ran out of chakra in battle, and someone was still pursuing him, his physical body could be his only hope to escape. As he fled, he could recover small amounts of chakra, eventually giving himself a chance for a counterattack.
Sasuke refused to be that type of ninja who became useless the moment he ran out of chakra. He stood up slowly, rubbing his legs with his little hands, which had gone numb from sitting so long. Glancing around, he saw himself surrounded by towering trees, as if he were in a primordial forest. Golden sunlight streamed through the leaves and danced across his cheeks, making him appear full of energy.
Sasuke had been coming here for almost half a year; every day, except for eating and sleeping, he trained in this place. It had been nearly two years since he got the Basic Ninjutsu Manual, and just a few days ago, Sasuke celebrated his third birthday. Half a year ago, to avoid distractions, he started training deep in this forest, a place famously called the "Forest of Death." Still, these last few days he couldn't understand it—his chakra hadn't increased at all. With a sigh, Sasuke said, "I must have hit a plateau."
Had he reached a bottleneck simply because he was too young? Maybe the body of a three-year-old could only contain so much chakra? Sasuke wondered to himself. He'd have to think of a solution when he got home. If there was none, he'd simply have to wait for his body to mature. "Man, being small really does make everything harder," Sasuke sighed, shaking his head. He glanced up and realized it was getting late, and his chakra reserves were fully replenished. Dusting off his hands, he prepared to head back home.
After all, this was the Forest of Death; no one knew when danger might strike—especially at night, when things grew even riskier. Only a few days ago, he'd heard a wolf howl in the distance. Eventually, the wild animals would catch on to his presence. If he only had to worry about wild beasts, Sasuke wouldn't be concerned—he was a Genin now, after all—but the Forest of Death was home to many ninja beasts, some even stronger than ninja. The fact he hadn't encountered one yet was just luck.
Today, it seemed Sasuke's luck was up. As he started home, he distinctly heard the sound of a branch snapping underfoot—faint, but clear to him. Instantly, he froze and, with several agile leaps, landed on the nearest branch. Sasuke kept his breathing slow and quiet, doing his best to hide his presence. Such stealth was among the first skills every ninja learned—taught in the Basic Ninjutsu Manual, though most ninja quickly developed more advanced personal techniques that made the basics almost useless. But against a wild animal, even the basics helped.
At this moment, Sasuke acted just as any true ninja would: first, hide. A ninja is an assassin, not a samurai. Conceal yourself, observe the situation, and—when the enemy is weakest or most tired—strike for a quick kill. Avoid being drawn into a war of attrition. Even a rookie like Sasuke knew that the simplest solution was best, saving serious jutsu and stamina for real threats.
Slowly, he pulled from his backpack his "trophy" kunai—taken from Itachi's room. The kunai looked battered, worn by months of daily practice, its end blunted from use, even though Sasuke occasionally tried to hone it on rocks. But it was still his only kunai, so he'd use the other edge if he had to.
The sounds grew louder—the intruder was getting close. Sasuke didn't dare use chakra to probe for the enemy's presence; he didn't know if it was a ninja or a beast, and if a Konoha ninja caught him trespassing, he'd be in trouble. If it turned out to be a Chunin or Jonin, he could be discovered quickly. Sensing an enemy's chakra was only safe when you were sure they were weaker than you—or when you had no other choice.
Slowly, the opponent came into Sasuke's view. It wasn't a human—it was a bear. Judging by its size, it had to be an adult ninja bear; normal bears never got this big. He estimated it at over three meters tall, weighing at least three tons. For a kid who'd only trained, not fought, this was a real challenge. Sasuke knew bears were powerful but slow, with poor eyesight. The perfect opportunity to test his skills.
With that, Sasuke treated the bear as his imagined enemy. Clearly, the bear hadn't noticed him; it was impossible for an animal to track a ninja by scent, and even the basics of stealth would put him beyond this bear's senses. It was only a low-class ninja beast; even with Sasuke's skills as a rookie, he was confident he could win.
The best plan, he decided, was to charge his kunai with his underdeveloped lightning chakra (thanks to the chakra papers he'd borrowed from Itachi, he knew he had a lightning and fire affinity), making the weapon more penetrating. With a single, swift throw, he could hit the bear's vital point and end things before it knew what happened. But that wouldn't really test his skills, so Sasuke opted for a fair fight. He even switched to his homemade wooden kunai.
Chakra surged to his feet—Sasuke moved instantly. At the same time, the bear finally caught wind of his presence and reared up. Bears are mighty creatures, so Sasuke focused on constant movement, trying not to give the beast an easy target. But he'd both underestimated the bear and overestimated his own skills.
Just as Sasuke was about to change directions, the bear let out a deafening roar that hurt his ears, and then swung a huge paw right at him. With a "thud," Sasuke's body vanished in a puff of smoke, replaced by a log. "Substitution Technique." The poor log was instantly shattered by the bear's power. Sasuke felt the pressure—one direct hit and he'd be dead.
Even with chakra to absorb some force, he couldn't risk being hit.
Again, he focused chakra in his feet. Moving at his top speed, he closed in on the bear. As the beast raised a forelimb to strike, Sasuke suddenly jumped, letting the attack hit nothing but air.
After a brief observation, Sasuke noticed the bear attacked with all its power each time—leaving it off balance after each strike. That was the signal: now's my chance!
As he leaped, Sasuke gathered chakra into his kunai, focusing on making it sharper, more lethal. A faint light appeared along the blade. Though he hadn't mastered lightning element completely, it would be enough.
The instant after he landed, chakra charged, Sasuke hurled his kunai straight for the bear's left eye. Off balance, the bear had no way to dodge. With a sharp splat, Sasuke's kunai pierced its eye and went right through its brain, pinning to a tree beyond. The bear crashed down, dead in an instant.
Retrieving his kunai, Sasuke exhaled slowly and said to the corpse, "I only wanted to test myself, but you threatened me too much. Sorry—had to kill you first. To really gauge my limits, I guess I'll have to wait until next time."
But instead of being upset, Sasuke felt a surge of exhilaration. The sight of blood didn't frighten him at all—he'd killed before, in his past life. The act of killing gave him that same rush once again. "Maybe I really am cut out to be a butcher," Sasuke muttered to himself