Under the shade of the trees.
Fukada Miya smiled at Kanda Rokuro and said, "I'm two years older than you, and I'm already familiar with all the training here. If you have any questions, now's the time to ask."
Rokuro really wanted to say—
Can you let me beat you up so I can finish my mission?
But that thought stayed firmly in his head. On the surface, he put on an eager expression and said, "Then, Brother Fukada, could you teach me how to conserve stamina during training?"
Hearing this, Fukada Miya smiled knowingly. "Not bad. You really are sharp to notice that. The most important thing in training is making sure your stamina lasts until the end. If you can't finish the training, you'll be punished."
As he spoke, he gestured toward the children training on the field and explained, "Aside from you newcomers in Class Nine, the other classes have already learned this. I can teach you the basics, but whether you truly master it depends on your understanding. Everyone's body is different, so the details vary slightly for each person."
Rokuro's real reason for learning stamina conservation was to hide his abnormal recovery ability.
Of course, this wouldn't completely conceal it—but hiding even part of it was better than nothing.
In any case, he wanted to minimize how unusual he appeared.
Seeing that Fukada Miya was willing to teach him, Rokuro quickly said, "Brother Fukada, could you guide me personally?"
Fukada Miya nodded, assumed a punching stance, and said, "Watch carefully. Let's start with punches. You newcomers instinctively use full strength every time you punch, which is why your shoulders start aching after a thousand punches."
As he spoke, he demonstrated a punch.
"In reality, using about seventy percent of your strength is more than enough. That reduces the strain on your shoulders, and your arms won't be sore afterward. Now come try—I'll correct your posture."
Fukada Miya taught seriously.
Rokuro listened just as carefully.
He threw punch after punch while Fukada Miya constantly pointed out mistakes, adjusting his posture and showing him how to generate power with minimal effort.
After punches, they moved on to kicks and side jumps.
Throughout it all, Fukada Miya explained patiently, and Rokuro absorbed everything attentively.
After all, this experience came from two or three years of hard training—there was no reason not to learn from it.
The only regret Rokuro had—
Was that Fukada Miya stood a bit too far away while teaching.
Rokuro had considered deliberately falling and dragging Fukada Miya down with him, but there was simply no opportunity.
Half an hour passed in the blink of an eye.
After explaining everything about punches, kicks, and side jumps, Fukada Miya smiled and said, "You did well. I've taught you the techniques. From here on, conserving even more energy will require you to slowly adjust on your own. That kind of fine-tuning depends on your body and understanding, so I can't teach you much more. Now there's only the final running training left."
Time was almost up.
If he didn't complete the mission soon, Fukada Miya might leave.
Rokuro quickly calculated in his head and said, "Brother Fukada, how about we run three hundred meters together? I think it'll be easier to understand while actually running."
Just three hundred meters.
Fukada Miya didn't mind at all. He nodded with a smile. "Sure. We can talk while we run. I'll also teach you how to adjust your breathing to make running easier."
Rokuro agreed immediately.
The two walked onto the track, adjusted their posture, and began jogging at a steady pace.
As they ran, Fukada Miya explained breathing techniques.
But Rokuro's mind wasn't on running at all.
He was looking for the perfect opportunity to make Fukada Miya fall—just enough to complete the random mission and claim today's reward.
After two hundred meters—
They were close to finishing the three hundred.
Fukada Miya began to speed up slightly and said while running, "Most people unconsciously accelerate near the end, but that's actually wrong. Our training doesn't end with running—there's more afterward, so we—"
Before he could finish—
Something suddenly collapsed beside him.
Before he could react, he tripped over it and went flying forward.
Bang!
He hit the ground headfirst.
"Ouch!"
Fukada Miya cried out in pain.
Once the pain eased, he pushed himself up and realized that the person he'd tripped over was—
Kanda Rokuro.
It looked like Rokuro's legs had given out and he'd fallen. Fukada Miya had even stepped on him in the process—his footprint was still clearly visible on Rokuro's back.
Fukada Miya had been about to get angry, but seeing that he'd actually stepped on Rokuro, his anger vanished instantly.
He hurried over, patting Rokuro anxiously. "Are you okay?!"
Rokuro quickly got up, rubbed his back, and said awkwardly, "Brother Fukada, my legs suddenly went weak and I fell. Are you alright?"
As he apologized, a huge sense of relief surged in his heart.
He'd been unsure whether simply making Fukada Miya fall would count as "teaching him a lesson."
Only when Fukada Miya hit the ground and the system notification appeared—Random mission completed, reward: 100 experience points—did Rokuro finally relax.
If even this hadn't worked, he would've had to give up.
Right now, he wasn't suited for real trouble. He needed to wait until he was more familiar with the place—and until Instructor Okamoto wouldn't bother with minor incidents—before doing anything bolder.
Seeing Rokuro rubbing his back, Fukada Miya felt even more embarrassed. He could only pat him and say, "Alright, let's end the training here. You're still young—running out of stamina is normal. Go back and rest. Come find me again once you've recovered."
The mission was complete.
Rokuro had no interest in lingering any longer.
He nodded. "Alright, Brother Fukada. I'll go rest. We still have running practice later."
Fukada Miya glanced toward Instructor Okamoto in the distance and lowered his voice. "Instructor Okamoto seems to take good care of you. Train hard and try to get promoted to the Konoha Orphanage Headquarters as soon as possible."
Konoha Orphanage Headquarters?
Rokuro was momentarily confused.
But soon—
He understood.
This place was just one of many orphanages under Konoha's control.
No wonder he hadn't seen a single familiar face here.
This was only a branch.
To meet well-known ninja, he would need to grow stronger and advance to the Orphanage Headquarters.
At that thought, his expression turned serious.
He needed to increase his strength as quickly as possible and reach the Konoha Orphanage Headquarters.
He had a feeling—
That was where he would finally begin learning ninjutsu.