Ankle Weights

Akuma had been keeping a low profile for almost two months now. During this time, he focused solely on training his body and mind. Every day, he would head to his usual training area to practice. Most of the time, he was alone since Guy Sensei and Rock Lee had been sent on a mission, leaving him to train by himself. 

The thing he noticed was that only two ANBU ninjas were spying on him at a time, and they didn't watch him 24/7. If another ninja who could sense their presence—like Guy Sensei—was nearby, they would temporarily cease their surveillance and hide until Akuma was alone again. The same applied when he was within the territory of a clan. Additionally, he observed that every few days, a different pair of ANBU operatives would replace the previous ones, ensuring their surveillance team was constantly rotating. 

This was annoying but also worked to his advantage. From their quiet conversations, Akuma noticed that once they lost sight of him, it was difficult for them to relocate him. Since he had no chakra network, they couldn't track his chakra signature. Instead, they relied on dogs or insects to find his scent and pinpoint his location. Because of this, there was always an Aburame clan member among the ANBU operatives assigned to spy on him. 

Through their conversations, he confirmed that they had been watching him ever since he knocked Sasuke unconscious, validating his suspicions. After two months of Akuma repeating the same routine, the ANBU operatives became more relaxed and bored. As a result, they started talking more frequently. While most of their conversations were trivial, some held valuable information—insights that helped Akuma refine his plans for the future and stay informed about events in Konoha. Rather than saying they were spying on him, it would be more accurate to say that he was the one spying on them. From their conversations, he was gathering far more information than they could ever gather from him. 

One downside he noticed was that the Absolute Dimension Lock Ring prevented the ANBU from using any space-time ninjutsu. Whenever they tried to summon something, it would fail. The first time it happened, they were shocked, assuming they had made a mistake, so they tried again. Fortunately, Akuma noticed what was happening and quickly retracted the ring's range of effects, allowing them to summon successfully. From that moment on, whenever they attempted to use any space-time ninjutsu, he made sure they were outside the ring's range of effect. 

As usual, Akuma began his training with 10 minutes of stretching, followed by three hours of running. After that, he spent several hours performing various exercises until he was completely exhausted—a state that was difficult for him to reach due to his 90% recovery rate. 

To increase the challenge, he wore ankle weights, arm weights, and a weighted vest. When he first discovered how effective ankle weights were for training from Rock Lee, he immediately decided to incorporate them into his regimen. Using the money he earned from doing odd jobs, he gradually saved up to buy heavier weights. Over several months, he steadily increased the weight each time he adapted to the previous one, resulting in tremendous physical growth. 

The weights Rock Lee had given him on his birthday—500 pounds each—were light in comparison. At that time, Akuma was already training with weights totaling nearly two tons. Currently, his ankle weights alone were 6 tons each, not including the additional weight from his arm and weighted vest. 

Every time he stepped on the ground, his feet would sink slightly. If the ground was too soft, he would sink even deeper due to the immense weight pressing down on him. Because of this, he only wore his full set of weights when he was outside. 

Inside a house or building, he feared that his sheer weight might cause damage, so he always took them off—except for his ankle weights, which he always kept on. 

As Akuma performed his one-handed push-ups, a loud, cheerful voice echoed from behind him. 

"Akuma! I'm back from my mission! How about a duel? I'm eager to see how far I've come!" 

Akuma didn't need to turn around to recognize the voice. He sighed softly and turned to face the enthusiastic Rock Lee. 

"No, Brother Lee. I always lose to you. I'll get stronger first, then I'll challenge you," Akuma replied, his tone firm yet respectful. 

In reality, Akuma didn't want to spar with Lee—not because he feared losing, but because his strength had become too overwhelming. It had reached a point where controlling it was becoming difficult, and he didn't want to reveal the full extent of his power, nor did he want to shatter Lee's confidence. For that reason, he'd avoided sparring with him for a few months. 

Rock Lee stared at Akuma for a moment, then sighed deeply. 

"When we first sparred, I could already tell you were leagues ahead of me in taijutsu technique!" Lee said, his voice brimming with determination. "And as for your physical strength, I knew it wouldn't take long before you surpassed me there too. But don't think I'm weak or foolish enough to deny the truth—I see it. I see that you've been holding back this whole time. After training with Guy Sensei, I've gained more confidence in my abilities, and now I'm ready! So come on, let's have a real duel, Akuma!" 

Akuma had suspected for a while that Lee had figured out he had been holding back. Lee wasn't just a simple-minded, he was a genius when it came to taijutsu and observing his opponent. Akuma's suspicions were confirmed, and he let out a sigh. "Okay, Brother Lee, let's do it!" Akuma said, his voice filled with enthusiasm. 

But Lee quickly pointed at Akuma and said, "Take off the weights. I want a real duel. I'll remove mine too. Don't think I didn't notice the weight you've been wearing around your body. I gifted you those ankle weights on your birthday because I knew you were trying to buy them for yourself. Don't try to hide it from me—I know." 

Akuma had always thought Lee was the type of person who wouldn't notice too much, but hearing it come from his own mouth, Akuma couldn't help but admire Lee's sharp perspective. Even though Akuma tried to hide it as best as he could, in the end, you couldn't keep everything hidden when you spent enough time with someone. Akuma pulled off his weights, feeling the shift in his body. Once done, he turned to see Lee doing the same. 

"You ready, Brother Lee?" Akuma asked with enthusiasm. 

"Yeah! Let's begin!" Lee replied, his voice just as eager. 

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If we reach 100 stones, I'll reward you all with a bonus chapter!