CHAPTER 50

The next day, the third squad gathered at the same place as usual—Konoha's Seventh Training Ground.

In response to their performance during the mission, Orochimaru had developed a new training plan tailored to each of them.

Sarutobi Shō had limited chakra reserves, a problem that couldn't be solved overnight. He could only accumulate more chakra over time. In another year or two, when his body entered a period of rapid development, his chakra would naturally increase. Until then, he had to focus on building a solid foundation.

Kenjutsu was a good choice, as most of the Sarutobi Clan preferred this path in their early training. It provided them with a balanced combat style, reinforcing both offense and defense.

Additionally, Wind Release training couldn't be neglected. Even though his chakra reserves were small now, by the time they increased, he needed to be proficient in Wind Release Ninjutsu. Otherwise, he'd have chakra but no mastered techniques.

Training chakra control remained essential. The usual Konoha methods—tree climbing and water walking—were still the best options. The goal was to use as little chakra as possible while maintaining the same effect, similar to the Uchiha Clan's chakra refinement technique. However, this training method was more grueling.

For Uchiha Kiyo, his performance had been solid, so Orochimaru let him continue his own training regimen. To supplement his learning, Orochimaru provided him with basic Uchiha Fire Release scrolls to practice. Kiyo's ability to learn new jutsu was fast, so there was little risk of it hindering his progress.

His previous plans remained unchanged—because they were plans he had designed himself.

At times, Orochimaru had to admit—Uchiha's talent was truly remarkable. If not for their conservative approach to power, their potential could be even greater.

The biggest problem this time was Nawaki Senju.

He lacked any real combat technique, relying solely on his large chakra reserves to outlast opponents.

Right now, he could overwhelm most genin because they lacked enough chakra to counter his relentless assaults. He was too durable, and most opponents didn't have long-range attacks strong enough to stop him. That's why Nawaki could dominate battles at his level.

However, there would come a point where even low-chakra opponents would know multiple jutsu. When that happened, brute force wouldn't be enough.

That's why his shortcomings needed to be corrected now. Compared to his two exceptional teammates, Nawaki needed to work twice as hard to keep up.

Orochimaru's training for Nawaki focused on chakra control and combat strategy. He personally sparred with Nawaki, forcing him to fight without relying on chakra advantages. Even though Orochimaru held back significantly, Nawaki was still utterly crushed.

But his training didn't end there.

When he returned home, Tsunade—who had been informed by Orochimaru—continued his training. She fought him directly, pushing him to his limits, before healing him so he could continue the next day.

For their successful escort mission with Ishimura Yukito's caravan, each member of Team Three received an official record of one C-rank and one B-rank mission. Orochimaru, however, wasn't in a rush to send them out again.

And so, one month passed.

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A Month of Training

"Ahh, Kiyo, I can't take it anymore! Orochimaru-sensei is too cruel—he beats me up every day!" Nawaki groaned, limping toward Uchiha Kiyo after another brutal session.

Fresh from his "lesson," Nawaki collapsed next to Kiyo, waiting for treatment while complaining.

Uchiha Kiyo rolled his eyes.

He had been listening to this whining for a month straight.

'Orochimaru's training is invaluable, and this guy is still complaining?' Kiyo thought, shaking his head.

"Hey, take it easy! That hurts!" Nawaki yelped as Kiyo checked his injuries.

Ignoring him, Kiyo quickly assessed the damage before forming a hand seal.

"Healing Technique."

As the jutsu took effect, Nawaki's pained expression gradually eased.

Over the past month, Uchiha Kiyo had been treating Nawaki's injuries daily, which drastically improved his medical ninjutsu proficiency. His C-rank Healing Technique was now second nature to him.

Now, Kiyo was starting to focus on reducing the number of hand seals required for his jutsu.

He had already tested this with basic E-rank jutsu.

For example, in Substitution Jutsu, different distances required different chakra amounts. Within one meter, the chakra cost was roughly 0.6 units.

For Transformation Jutsu, a simple appearance change used 0.1 units. More drastic changes cost more chakra, as the technique had to sustain a detailed transformation.

As for Clone Jutsu, it worked on the same principle.

By refining his control, he could perform these jutsu with fewer seals.

Kiyo first attempted the Clone Jutsu, reducing it from three hand seals to two, then to one.

But completely eliminating hand seals was harder. A single seal was still necessary to properly channel his chakra.

With Earth Wall Jutsu, the same limitation applied. He could reduce seals, but one was always needed to guide chakra efficiently.

In theory, he could cast jutsu without seals, but the casting was slower. Since the whole point of reducing seals was faster activation, this was counterproductive.

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Physical Training Progress

This month, Uchiha Kiyo doubled his physical training time, increasing its intensity by 50%. It was exhausting, but Kiyo found the process rewarding.

With his self-developed cultivation technique, he had no fear of overtraining. In just one month, his overall physical fitness improved by nearly 50%—an impressive gain.

"If only I had Lightning Release…" Kiyo muttered.

With Lightning Chakra Body Enhancement, his growth would be even faster.

However, he didn't have a natural Lightning affinity. Developing it artificially would take too much time—time he couldn't afford to waste.

Even if he did manage to awaken Lightning Release, Konoha had almost no Lightning jutsu available. The village's Lightning Ninjutsu arsenal was weak until Kakashi developed Chidori years later.

Since Lightning training wasn't an option, Kiyo had to find an alternative.

He began researching martial arts concepts from his past life and combined them with ninja physical training. His goal was to create a structured movement-based technique that enhanced body conditioning—similar to Yi Jin Jing or Wu Qin Xi.

By executing specific movements while directing chakra to different body parts, he could accelerate recovery and muscle reinforcement.

The results were promising.

Instead of overtraining and relying solely on rest, his new Body Forging Technique allowed him to train longer and recover faster.

After a week of refinement, the technique was fully formed. Since then, he had focused on perfecting it, reducing conventional exercise in favor of this new method.

This was now Uchiha Kiyo's third self-created secret technique, following his Self-Cultivation Jutsu and Improved Body Flicker Technique.

At just eleven years old, he had already created three advanced techniques.

His mind was his greatest advantage. Even without a system cheat, his deep knowledge and creativity gave him an edge over others.

For Uchiha Kiyo, this was just the beginning.