Chapter 4: Training
Deep within a hidden cavern at the Fire Country border, a place even sensory-type ninja couldn't locate.
Bzzt.
A brilliant blue electric arc suddenly tore through the darkness, illuminating the youth's sweat-covered torso.
His disheveled black hair moved without wind as he floated in mid-air in a meditative pose, violent electric currents coiling around his body.
Thirty thousand rotations.
The rock walls trembled violently as debris rained down like a downpour. Free iron elements were forcibly stripped away, transforming into countless metallic particles spinning madly within the electromagnetic field.
An electromagnetic storm five meters in diameter raged through the cavern, carving deep gouges into the solid rock walls.
Forty thousand rotations.
The vortex suddenly expanded to eight meters, its rotation speed exploding.
Every muscle in the youth's body tensed to its absolute limit, spider-web patterns of blood beginning to appear across his skin's surface.
Still not enough...
His jaw clenched until it creaked, veins bulging on his forehead.
Every inch of flesh felt as if it were being sliced by thousands of blades. Cracks spread rapidly across his body's surface—he looked like a porcelain doll on the verge of shattering.
Forty-one thousand!
Forty-two thousand!
Blood seeped from the fissures, transforming into tiny suspended droplets within the electromagnetic field.
Fifty thousand rotations!
...
The raging energy storm suddenly dissipated. The youth plummeted from mid-air like a puppet with severed strings, crashing heavily onto the rocky ground.
Blood pooled beneath him in winding streams as his consciousness drifted in and out of excruciating pain.
"Cough... hah..."
Trembling, he propped himself up and spat out a mouthful of dark blood, every muscle screaming in protest.
He grabbed soldier pills and shoved them haphazardly into his mouth, the sweet metallic taste mixing with rust spreading through his mouth. After his strength partially recovered, he collapsed backward, his chest heaving violently.
Indeed... only through pain could one break through limits.
This discovery had been purely accidental—when his body struggled on the edge of collapse, his mental power would surge like tempered steel. But the price was enduring increasingly severe torment with each attempt.
Without a naturally gifted physique, he could only break through using this almost masochistic method.
The problem was that this training created too much commotion—it could only be performed in caverns far from the village.
Yu gazed at the stalactites hanging from the ceiling, his lips twisting into a bitter smile. Originally, he'd planned to progress gradually, since his twelve-year-old body still had room to grow.
But Itachi's strange behavior, the village's undercurrents, the Uchiha's predicament...
All of it was forcing him to run forward.
Time... was running out.
He wiped the blood from his lips and shakily stood up.
The rock walls were covered with dense scratch marks, recording each life-or-death training session.
...
Konoha, Uchiha Clan Head's Residence
"As heir to the Uchiha, cultural studies are just as important as ninjutsu."
Yu sat properly at the low table, his slender fingers gently tapping the spread multiplication tables.
Sasuko pouted, sulking as she sprawled across the table, her little black head restlessly swaying back and forth. "Why don't other kids have to memorize this stuff! Especially that blonde brat—always running around outside all day."
Her small hand slapped down on the paper with a smack, smearing some of the ink.
Yu suddenly leaned forward, his handsome face magnifying before her eyes.
He deliberately lowered his voice with a teasing tone: "Because..." his warm breath ruffled her bangs, "you're the daughter of the clan head. Don't you always talk about restoring the Uchiha? The future of the Uchiha depends on you."
"I'm only six!" Sasuko shot upright, her chubby little face flushing red. "Restoring the Uchiha should wait until I'm older!"
She waved her small fists indignantly, her large dark eyes filled with grievance.
"Besides, look outside—all the other kids are playing!"
Yu followed Sasuko's wandering gaze to the window, where afternoon sunlight gilded the narrow alley with golden edges.
Several children her age were chasing each other playfully, their cheerful laughter drifting through the paper windows.
Sasuko's small hand still mechanically gripped her brush, but her eyes had already glued themselves to the scene outside—ink droplets fell from the brush tip and spread across the paper without her noticing.
"Hey, pay attention." Yu lightly tapped her little head with a rolled-up book, but saw her reflexively scrunch her neck while her gaze stubbornly remained fixed outside.
She looked exactly like a kitten trapped in a cage—her body still obediently seated, but her tail already restlessly swishing about.
"Um... is that the blonde brat?" Sasuko suddenly pointed outside, her voice unconsciously rising. "She's carrying a paint bucket and brushes! What's she planning to do?"
Sasuko had always envied this person who could freely run wild outside.
Looking at the little one who'd completely lost interest in studying, Yu couldn't help but sigh softly.
"Finish memorizing this section, and I'll take you out to play in a couple days." Yu rubbed his temples. "Teaching kids is exhausting. I'm going back to my room to rest."
Quietly sensing his nearly depleted chakra, his real body should be returning soon.
"Yu..." Sasuko suddenly turned around, her bright black eyes staring directly at him. "You're a shadow clone right now, aren't you?"
"Don't talk nonsense..." Yu's words trailed off as sunlight passed through his gradually transparent body, casting flickering light spots on the floor.
Sasuko huffed and crossed her arms: "These past few days, all you do besides teaching me is hide in your room sleeping—definitely to conserve chakra!"
She suddenly leaned closer, pointing at his sleeve. "Also, you didn't drink even one sip of the tea Mother brewed yesterday!"
Yu had intended to offer more explanations, but seeing Sasuko's serious expression, he laughed helplessly. "As expected of our Sasuko..."
He suddenly realized this little girl he'd watched grow up had somehow learned to observe such details.
He'd deliberately used Magnetic Field power to reinforce his shadow clone—even some perceptive ninja would have difficulty distinguishing it.
Sasuko immediately perked up like a kitten discovering a secret: "Tell me! Where did your real body go to play?"
In her innocent understanding, Yu was just a "hopeless dead-last" who wouldn't go to dangerous places like her big brother did for missions.
And it was the kind of place he didn't want his family to know about, somewhere he had to sneak off to alone...
Suddenly, her eyes widened as she mysteriously tugged at Yu's sleeve: "It couldn't be... what Mother calls an 'adult place,' could it?" Her little face tried to look serious. "You can't go to those places! I'll let it slide this time, but if you go again, I'm definitely telling Mother."
She felt she couldn't let Yu go astray at such a young age.
In the instant before the shadow clone completely dispersed, Yu smiled and gently flicked Sasuko's smooth forehead: "Your little head is always thinking nonsense..." As if he would go to such places.
"Behave at home these next couple days, and don't run around everywhere. When my real body returns, I'll definitely take you out to play."
"So naggy, stupid Yu." Sasuko pouted, watching the youth's figure dissolve into scattered points of light in the air.
She petulantly grabbed the multiplication table that had been scribbled all over, her little feet impatiently tapping against the floor.
"One times one equals one"
"One times two equals two"