While savoring the delicious pies, they idly chatted with the children to pass the time. Meanwhile, they didn't miss the chance to promote their own meditation practice method.
As the saying goes, a single flower does not herald spring. Now bound together with the Uchiha, the stronger the clan members become, the safer he can be. Judging by their expressions, they obviously didn't believe this training method had any effect, but it didn't matter. Everyone has their own way to grow; it was enough that they had the intention.
Unknowingly, it was already 6 o'clock.
With a "whoosh," the sound of air splitting from a high-speed Body Flicker Technique echoed.
"Good morning, Teacher Shigemasa!" X3
Seeing the familiar green vest of the newcomer, the three shouted in unison.
"Well! Everyone is early. It seems you are all very eager for this special training!" Uchiha Shigemasa smiled with satisfaction as he saw the three chatting here.
"Teacher, this is a pie that 'Kaa-san' prepared. You should try it; it tastes really good!" Upon seeing Teacher Shigemasa, Uchiha Tetsu quickly took out the pies his mother had prepared from his backpack and handed them to the teacher while they were still warm.
Though he had already had breakfast, he didn't refuse his student's goodwill.
"Your mother is very thoughtful; thank her for me!" Shigemasa-sensei smiled as he took the pie from Tetsu and took a bite, praising, "It tastes really good! It seems you have a mother who loves you very much!"
Shigemasa saw through but didn't expose Tetsu's mother's intent to use breakfast to foster closer ties between her son, his companions, and the teacher. Such things were very common in ninja teams, just like how he would treat his students to barbecue to strengthen bonds.
"Though I enjoyed the delicious pie, I won't be going easy on you in the training that follows!" After finishing the pie, wiping his mouth, Shigemasa-sensei smilingly announced the first training task of the day: "A half-hour sprint!"
"I'll be following behind you, guiding you whenever necessary! So be careful!"
As he spoke, he formed seals and produced two shadow clones, making three of himself, one for each of Toshirou and the others.
"Ten, nine, eight, seven..."
He started counting down, clearly indicating that once the count ended, he would chase them.
"Oh! This special training is really getting me pumped up! Bring it on, Teacher Shigemasa, I'll show you my skills!"
With unprecedented enthusiasm, Uchiha Tetsu shouted confidently. He then turned and dashed into the forest, beginning his sprint.
[What an idiot!] X2
Seeing this, both Toshirou and Homura cursed inwardly.
Uchiha Tetsu dashed off on his own, leaving Toshirou and Homura behind.
[Doesn't he realize that without cooperation, we'll quickly exhaust our stamina while being chased by the teacher in the forest?]
Listening to Shigemasa-sensei's monotonous countdown, Toshirou and Homura exchanged helpless glances before watching the three Shigemasa-senseis dive into different parts of the forest.
Realizing it would be difficult to cover for each other after Tetsu's spectacular 'performance,' they decided to look out for themselves.
[Starting such intense exercise right after eating, this really is thrilling!]
Running through the forest, Toshirou glanced back and couldn't help but complain.
He was used to this kind of training, doing an hour of heavy-load runs every morning. Today he hadn't done it due to the special training, so this was more like a makeup session.
Shortly after, cries like "Ah! It hurts!" and "Teacher, you're too sneaky!" echoed through the forest. No doubt, those two had been caught and attacked by Shigemasa-sensei or his clones, predictably falling for the tricks.
Meanwhile, behind Toshirou, the sound of a sole against the tree bark, followed by the whoosh of shuriken slicing through the air, targeted him. With the attack carrying an obvious 'warning' intent, Toshirou easily evaded it, pausing on a nearby tree trunk before darting behind another tree, effortlessly avoiding the shuriken.
Even the secondary attack from the ricocheting shuriken was dodged by him with a leap to the canopy.
Time flew by; soon, the half-hour training was over. In the center of the training ground, Toshirou, Tetsu, and Homura stood in front of Shigemasa-sensei, exhausted.
Uchiha Tetsu, drenched in sweat, was breathing heavily, showing signs of bruising from special treatment. Uchiha Homura's legs were trembling, making him look ready to collapse, his face pale. Although he fared slightly better than Tetsu, he still struggled due to his lack of stamina.
Toshirou was in the best shape, despite his disheveled appearance and gray dust-covered body, his heaving chest and sweat-covered forehead indicating he had also endured considerable hardship.
In the forest, Shigemasa-sensei had given Toshirou special attention, not only with secondary attacks using shuriken and kunai but also launching sudden taijutsu attacks by flickering behind him continually. The relentless escalation in the power, speed, and frequency of attacks left Toshirou struggling to keep up, consuming much of his stamina, leaving him slightly short of breath.
Finally, he had narrowly escaped with a desperate roll in the dirt.
(End of Chapter)
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