Huu… huu…
Inside his room, Yoru sat cross-legged on the ground.
With every breath he took, every part of his body followed a precise rhythm—
Tightening… relaxing… tightening… relaxing…
If one wanted to completely control the body, one had to hear the "breathing" of the body itself.
At this moment—
Yoru felt an unprecedented sense of calm.
The killing intent, the violence, the restlessness that once filled him—
Were all slowly being smoothed out by his steady breathing.
His mind had never been this clear before.
He could distinctly feel it—
The "breathing" of every part of his body.
Muscles.
Bones.
Organs.
Even every single cell.
All of them were "breathing" greedily—
Absorbing energy from the outside world…
Strengthening themselves.
This state—
Yoru named it:
"Zen."
Within this "Zen" state—
His mind became incomparably tranquil.
He could vaguely sense a strange, almost indescribable presence—
Like a faint thread connecting everything.
At the same time—
His physical strength and spiritual power were steadily increasing.
Not violently.
Not uncontrollably.
But in a slow, stable, fully controllable manner.
Every bit of strength he gained—
He could completely master.
True 100% utilization of his power.
Gradually—
A strange energy began to gather around Yoru's body.
His eyes were calm—
Free of joy or sorrow.
But if one looked closely—
It felt like staring into a deep abyss.
His dark pupils seemed capable of swallowing everything.
"Control… huh?"
Yoru slowly opened his eyes, sensing the energy gathering around him.
"Zen doesn't directly increase strength… it lets me understand myself completely."
Now—
He could control every part of his body perfectly.
Which meant—
His magma ability would no longer be used in a crude, straightforward way.
Before—
His attacks were simple.
Like a rigid punch—
Only moving forward.
But now—
With full control—
He could:
Curve attacksChange angles mid-motionBypass defenses
For example—
Previously, techniques like Water Style barriers could weaken his magma attacks.
But now?
His magma could flow around defenses.
Avoid them entirely.
Attack from unexpected angles.
In future battles—
Countless enemies would die to this kind of unpredictable, abnormal combat style.
And more importantly—
With a deeper understanding of his body—
Yoru's strength would soon enter a rapid growth phase.
However…
After carefully listening to his body—
Yoru came to a slightly embarrassing conclusion.
His waist and core strength were weak.
"…My waist is lacking?"
His expression froze.
A man… with a weak core?
Unacceptable.
He immediately made a decision.
"I need to train it… properly."
The waist—
Was the center of the entire body.
It connected:
Upper bodyLower bodyStrength flow
A stronger core meant:
Stronger punches
Stronger kicks
Better overall power output
But in the past—
Because he relied on magma abilities—
He had neglected this area.
Even when using lightning stimulation training—
He prioritized:
ArmsLegs
Because those gave immediate visible results.
As for core training?
Ignored.
"…No problem. I'm still young."
Yoru comforted himself.
"When it matters, it'll be strong enough…"
Then—
He looked determined.
Time to fix this.
"20… 21…"
Inside the room—
Yoru began doing the most basic yet effective exercise:
Sit-ups.
His abdomen tensed and contracted rapidly.
His expression?
Absolutely painful.
Why?
Because the abdomen was the most sensitive part of the body.
Unlike other areas—
It had almost no structural protection.
Even a light hit could cause lingering pain.
Now—
Add lightning stimulation training on top of that?
The pain was on another level.
In the past—
Yoru would've quit instantly.
But now?
After countless battles…
After walking through blood and death…
He had gained something essential:
A strong heart
Unshakable willpower
So even with intense pain—
He endured.
"98… 99… 100!"
He roared as his abdominal muscles contracted violently.
A burning sensation spread through his core.
Even someone like him—
A magma user—
Could feel heat from inside his own body.
Finally—
He collapsed onto the ground.
Staring at the ceiling.
This kind of training wasn't like full-body exhaustion.
Instead—
Because his core was undertrained—
It had simply…
Cramps.
His abdominal muscles twitched uncontrollably.
Torn fibers were rapidly healing thanks to his insane recovery ability—
But the pain?
Still very real.
"…My core is actually this bad…"
Yoru felt a rare sense of despair.
A hero of Konoha.
One of the greatest contributors to the Rain War victory.
And yet—
Weak core strength.
"…This must never be exposed."
Especially not to
Jiraiya.
If that guy found out—
He'd laugh for a lifetime.
"…Wait."
Yoru smirked.
"Jiraiya's probably worse."
Knock knock.
A lively voice came from outside.
"Yoru! Tsunade is here to see you!"
It was Kushina Uzumaki.
Yoru sat up.
His body had mostly recovered.
"Tsunade came to find me herself…?"
That was unusual.
She never initiated before.
Thinking for a moment—
He quickly understood.
This was about the Senju clan.
A faint smile appeared in his eyes.
"…Looks like they can't sit still anymore."
After wiping off the sweat—
Yoru walked to the door and opened it.
The next move—
Had already begun.
TO READ 140+ ADVANCE CHAPTERS HEAD OVER TO MY PATREON
patreon.com/ted11