CHAPTER 52

Uchiha Kiyo planned to wait for his physical strength to recover before resuming his body forging technique.

Since he intended to use resistance training to enhance the technique's effectiveness, it was only natural to test the idea. Coincidentally, Uchiha Kiyo had already mastered some useful ninjutsu. For example, Hardening Jutsu, a C-rank technique, was recorded in the basic ninjutsu scroll that Orochimaru had given him.

As he rested, Uchiha Kiyo studied the Hardening Jutsu scroll.

According to the scroll, Hardening Jutsu wasn't a particularly difficult technique. Its primary function was to reinforce the body's durability, improving defense at the cost of flexibility, slightly hindering movement. Although categorized as a C-rank jutsu, its potential was extremely high—when mastered, it could even be used in high-level battles.

After about half an hour, Uchiha Kiyo's stamina had mostly recovered, and he had finished going over the Hardening Jutsu scroll.

Getting up, he removed the weights from his legs and formed the necessary hand seals.

"Hardening!"

His first attempt was far from perfect—he barely managed to activate the jutsu, and the hardening effect was inconsistent across his body. Still, he was able to gauge the technique's mechanics.

Canceling the Hardening Jutsu, Uchiha Kiyo immediately tried again.

"Hardening!"

With the experience from his first attempt, his second try was far more successful. The hardening effect was now evenly distributed across his body.

"As expected, movement becomes significantly harder once the jutsu is activated," Uchiha Kiyo muttered after a few test movements.

Now came the real test—could this jutsu actually improve his training efficiency?

Taking a proper stance, Uchiha Kiyo initiated his body forging technique.

He placed his hands firmly on the ground, shifting power into his legs, his stance resembling that of a crouching wolf, as if poised to pounce. At the same time, he circulated chakra through his legs, using his self-cultivation technique to nourish his muscles and cells.

Perhaps due to the added rigidity from Hardening Jutsu, his body forging movements required far more effort than usual.

As he progressed through his exercises, his stance constantly shifted—at times mimicking a wolf, focusing on leg strength; at times resembling a tiger, working on upper body power; and sometimes imitating a bear, reinforcing his core stability.

Before long, beads of sweat formed on his forehead, trickling down his cheeks. Yet, despite the strain, Uchiha Kiyo did not stop. Instead, as he continued, his excitement only grew, and his eyes burned with determination.

"It's working! I'm only a third of the way through, yet the results are already better than my usual full training sessions."

He ignored the increasing fatigue in his muscles and kept cycling through his body forging movements, all while channeling chakra and maintaining his self-cultivation technique to strengthen various parts of his body.

Only when an unmistakable sense of exhaustion washed over him, accompanied by dwindling chakra reserves, did he finally come to a halt.

"Huff... huff..." Kiyo gasped for breath. "In just two hours, I've achieved what would normally take me two or three days!"

Just as he was about to revel in the progress he had made, a wave of weakness hit him, forcing a wry smile onto his face.

"Not just exhausted... completely drained. But this only proves how effective the training is."

He recalled novels from his previous life—many described extreme training regimens that left warriors feeling like they had been hollowed out. While exaggerated, the principle was sound.

Fortunately, he had stopped in time. Though he was thoroughly drained, he had not pushed himself to the point of injury. His condition was similar to being famished after rigorous training—he simply needed food.

"Perfect timing—it's already dinner."

Using the last of his strength, Uchiha Kiyo dragged himself toward the tree where he stored his supplies.

After retrieving the bento he had prepared in the morning, he wasted no time digging in, completely ignoring appearances as he devoured his meal.

Just then, Nawaki Senju arrived.

Seeing Kiyo eat like a starving beast, Nawaki was stunned. He had never seen Kiyo in such a state before.

"Kiyo, are you okay?!"

Noticing the sweat still dripping from Kiyo's forehead, Nawaki frowned.

"You were doing that weird body forging training again, weren't you? Seriously, why are you copying animals? It looks ridiculous! And now you look half-dead—if someone didn't know better, they'd think something awful happened to you."

Though his words were teasing, Nawaki's concern was genuine.

Uchiha Kiyo, however, barely paid attention. His training had worked. He had made real progress. Explaining it to Nawaki was pointless—he wouldn't understand.

"Just wait until my physical fitness soars, and my strength improves. You'll see for yourself how powerful my body forging technique really is."

Kiyo smirked to himself.

"Still... I haven't reached the phase of rapid physical growth yet. I've got about a year or two before that happens. If my fitness improves enough before that point, will I experience an even greater boost when I enter that stage?"

This sudden realization made him pause.

As he continued eating, his mind delved into this new hypothesis.

After careful thought, he formed a preliminary conclusion.

"It should work. As long as I keep up my self-cultivation technique, my cells will be replenished fast enough to sustain my growth."

In his previous world, excessive physical exertion sometimes stunted growth due to cellular damage and malnutrition.

However, Kiyo's self-cultivation technique ensured his cells remained in peak condition, preventing such issues.

"If I maintain this regimen, even before I hit my growth spurt, my physical fitness will surpass the average genin."

A grin spread across his face as his thoughts expanded further.

"Then, when my body enters its natural development phase, I'll have an even greater advantage over my peers."

If his theory was correct, his body forging technique would place him far ahead of the competition.

But then, another thought struck him.

"No, it's not the body forging technique that's truly powerful—it's the self-cultivation technique."

After all, the self-cultivation technique was the core foundation.

The body forging method was merely a framework, guiding the body's movements and assisting in chakra circulation. But the real power lay in the self-cultivation technique's ability to accelerate cell regeneration and optimize physical potential.

"Forget it. Overanalyzing doesn't matter. The bottom line is—it works."

At the end of the day, no such thing existed in the ninja world, so he could define it however he liked.

With his meal finished and his energy restored, Uchiha Kiyo felt eager to resume training.

However, he quickly reined in his excitement.

"No need to rush. Overtraining won't do me any good. I'll resume body forging at night. For now, I should focus on ninjutsu and study sealing techniques that mimic Hardening Jutsu's effects."

With that decision made, Uchiha Kiyo prepared for his next phase of training, his determination stronger than ever.