Sharpening the Blade

Two more weeks passed. In the Senju training grounds, Tetsuma was drenched in sweat, his muscles straining as he pushed himself up from the ground. The gravity seals on his torso weighed him down—2,000 kilograms pressing on his body, a standard part of his daily training regimen. Each movement was a test of his endurance, but he welcomed the challenge.

After months of recovery and careful conditioning, he was finally back at peak condition. The battles, injuries, and intense chakra use over the past year had forced his body to adapt. As a result, his chakra reserves had expanded significantly. While once he only had a high jonin-level reserve, now, he could confidently say he had at least the reserves of a low Kage-level shinobi.

Finishing his set, he exhaled sharply and sat back on his heels, rolling his shoulders. The cold air of early spring did little to cool the burning heat in his body from the intense workout. His training wasn't just for the sake of strength—it was preparation. The world was shifting, and he had no intention of being left behind.

After finishing his strength training, Tetsuma shifted his focus to improving his reaction time. He deactivated the gravity seals, allowing his body to feel significantly lighter, then moved to a different section of the training grounds.

Setting up a simple yet effective training method, he activated multiple kunai launchers around him, each rigged to fire at random intervals and angles. The moment he stepped into the marked circle at the center, the first set of kunai shot toward him.

With sharp reflexes, he twisted his body, narrowly dodging the first kunai while deflecting the second with the back of his wrist guard. More projectiles followed in rapid succession. Instead of relying purely on sight, he trained his instincts, sensing the slight shifts in air pressure and the sound of steel cutting through the wind.

After an hour of intense dodging and countering, he added another layer to the training—performing hand seals mid-dodge to sharpen his multitasking ability in combat. The strain on his mind and body was immense, but he welcomed it.

"Not enough," he muttered to himself, increasing the launch speed.

If he was going to face enemies of Onoki's level in the future, he needed to be faster—much faster.