The following period of study and training was repetitive and monotonous. Every day, besides attending classes, Tatsuma spent mornings on early exercises and evenings in extra training sessions, pushing Minato to test his own talent limits.
As someone who had originally barely made it to the rank of genin, with natural talent limits of only 120 in each field, Sakamoto Tatsuma placed immense importance on growing his aptitude ceiling.
After all, only a few years remained until what he remembered as the Second Great Ninja War. Tatsuma didn't want to be directly involved in war, but he needed to be ready in case he got caught up in it.
If war broke out, he would almost certainly be drafted into a ninja team. Rather than relying on luck in a crisis, it was far better to prepare step by step in advance.
Thus, Tatsuma became increasingly obsessed with post-praise challenges, and the person who suffered the most was his friend, Namikaze Minato. Almost every day, Minato endured multiple challenges from his fiercely competitive friend.
However, as Minato's own abilities began to catch up, Tatsuma could no longer dominate him effortlessly. Their victories, once nearly even at ten-to-zero, shifted to an eight-to-two ratio.
This only heightened Tatsuma's sense of urgency. He increased the number of matches and expanded the range of opponents. Their contests extended from training and combat into every small aspect of life—even meals and drinking water became a matter of rivalry.
After four months of relentless effort, Tatsuma achieved notable growth. His personal stats panel now read:
Host: Sakamoto TatsumaAptitude:
Strength: 118/456
Speed: 165/996
Stamina: 159/930
Wisdom: 205/320
Ninjutsu: 61/249
Genjutsu: 27/194
Precision: 98/362
Seals: 171/373
Special Aptitudes:
Space-Time: 25%
Ninjutsu Development: 15%
Ninja Tool Projection (Namikaze Minato exclusive): 30%
Physically, first-year Tatsuma had already reached the genin standard. Minato, following his lead, might have lagged slightly in performance, but the difference wasn't far.
Growth in chakra, ninjutsu, and genjutsu, however, was slow. Chakra development was limited, likely due to Tatsuma's physical growth consuming most of his bodily energy, leaving less for chakra synthesis.
Ninjutsu and genjutsu lagged because first-year students hadn't formally trained in them yet. Even the most basic techniques, like the Body Replacement Technique, were only recently introduced through demonstration and explanation, not formal instruction.
The most consistent growth was in wisdom. Daily attentive listening and thoughtful engagement in class, along with playing shogi with Nara Shikaku, slightly increased his aptitude ceiling.
Tatsuma was most focused on his speed stat, which was nearing a ceiling of 1000—the threshold for chunin. He wanted to see if reaching that level would accelerate his speed growth.
Otherwise, gaining just one or two points per day would take nearly thirty years to develop a stat to jonin-level, ignoring ceiling limitations. Tatsuma knew no ninja with jonin-level potential spent decades merely to reach that rank. In reality, missions, assignments, and work would consume time meant for training.
At this rate, attaining a jonin-level ceiling could take until age forty or fifty—completely unacceptable. Tatsuma understood that each aptitude's daily growth depended on its ceiling and personal limits.
With this in mind, Tatsuma went to Minato's house after dinner, calling from the doorway:
"Minato! Minato! You're not asleep yet, are you?"
Minato, hands foaming with dish soap, heard his friend and immediately knew why he had come. "The door's unlocked—come in."
"Ka~"
Seeing Minato still awake, Tatsuma entered and said, "Tomorrow is the semester test. I'm a bit nervous. Will you go running with me?"
Minato gave a look that said, I knew this would happen. He didn't believe Tatsuma was nervous—it was just an excuse for another contest. Nodding, he said, "No problem. I'll join you once I finish these chores."
"Of course! Minato, you're always so tidy. Let me help wipe the counter. Let's see who's faster—you washing the dishes or me wiping the counter!"
Tatsuma rolled up his sleeves, grabbed a cloth, and started cleaning alongside Minato. Realizing resistance was futile, Minato didn't protest.
"Haha! I'm faster after all!"
"Ding~ [Precision +1]"
Once Tatsuma finished wiping the counter, Minato rinsed his hands after washing the dishes and hung the cloths over the faucet. He then asked, "Short run? What's the plan?"
As the matches became less one-sided, Minato occasionally won, enjoying the competitive thrill. He was now more willing to accept Tatsuma's challenges.
"Each run is 400 meters. We run to the Third Training Ground, circle it once, then back. Sound good?"
Tatsuma shook his hands and checked his footgear. Seeing everything in order, he looked at Minato, who nodded in readiness.
"Let's start downstairs."
"Got it!"
They descended, loosened up, and Minato pulled a rusty shuriken from his ninja tool pouch. He no longer used these, but it made a good starting signal.
With a flick of his fingers, the shuriken hit the ground, and both crouched into starting positions: Minato low, hands back; Tatsuma squatting with hands on the ground, forming tight arches in their bodies.
"Ding~"
As the shuriken struck the concrete, they shot forward like arrows. Minato initially gained a slight lead, but Tatsuma, using a more scientific sprinting stance, overtook him after ten meters.
Tatsuma had previously suggested this stance to Minato, but he saw no reason to change. Ninja running wasn't about speed—it was for maintaining distance from enemies and accessing tools efficiently.
Tatsuma's posture was optimized for pure speed, sacrificing combat flexibility. As a ninja, Minato couldn't justify changing his natural stance just to beat Tatsuma in a sprint. Besides, once they learned Body Flicker Technique, any sprinting stance would become secondary, making such adjustments trivial.
For now, Tatsuma easily claimed the first 400-meter victory.
"Ding~ [Speed +1]"
The route from either house to the Third Training Ground was familiar enough that they could run it blindfolded. Exchanging a glance, they launched into their second 400-meter run.
"Ah! I didn't expect anyone to be running so late! Let me join your youthful competition!"
During the run, a voice suddenly called out. Tatsuma glanced at the young ninja in a green jumpsuit, thick eyebrows, and watermelon-shaped hair, merely nodding before focusing back on his sprint.
"Ding~""Ding~"