~~~(POV: Fuyuki Uchiha)~~~
Aiko holds my hand as we walk through the trees. Keeping me close as we’re approaching a more private training area. She’s left Kazuo in charge of the kids until we get back. He’s one of her old teammates who helps her with the kids from time to time.
She called him in so she could take me to a training area and get me started. After a few more minutes of walking, we stopped under a large tree next to an open field.
“Before we begin the training of your body, I need to teach you a trick that I used to use before I started my training sessions. It helped clear my head and get me ready for the exertion.”
She pulls me down to the ground beside her as we sit under the tree. I don’t know what she’s planning. She instructs me to cross my legs and close my eyes.
“Take deep breaths and long exhales. Relax your mind as the wind blows against your skin. Meditation is a tool I’ve used my entire Shinobi career. I would’ve retired sooner if I hadn’t learned to meditate from my father when I was younger. It kept the bad separated from the good.”
So she’s teaching me to meditate…
‘I’ve never meditated before.’
I close my eyes and start taking deep breaths, letting out the air after a few seconds. I relaxed my body just as she instructed me to. The second I’m truly relaxed, the system decides now is a great time to give me a new skill.
[A new skill has been created through a specific action.]
[Meditate has been created.]
Meditate - Active (Lvl. 4 (57%)): A skill obtained through breathing and blocking out the rest of the world. Helps the user enter a calm state. Increases regeneration of the body.
Effects: +8% to base HP regeneration per minute.
+8% to base CP regeneration per minute.
+8% to base SP regeneration per minute.
‘Meditate’ level had risen by one.
Meditate - Active (Lvl. 5 (25%)): A skill obtained through breathing and blocking out the rest of the world. Helps the user enter a calm state. Increases regeneration of the body.
Effects: +10% to base HP regeneration per minute.
+10% to base CP regeneration per minute.
+10% to base SP regeneration per minute.
“When you feel you’re ready, stand up, and we’ll begin your physical training. If you wish to continue meditating, just do so.”
The rate at which I’m gaining EXP is staggering. All thanks to Prodigy Boost. Even now, the new Meditate skill is passing level 15, and we’ve only been doing this for a few minutes now. If this is the rate of growth I’ll have for all my skills, attention will be drawn my way.
‘I can’t hide everything about me. Keeping the secret I’m a Uchiha is the priority, but I won’t hide my talent as a Shinobi. That’ll be impossible with the rate I’m progressing.’
We sit here meditating for almost 40 minutes, eventually coming to a stop as I max out the new skill I’ve gained.
Meditate - Active (Lvl. MAX): A skill obtained through breathing and blocking out the rest of the world. Helps the user enter a calm state. Increases regeneration of the body.
Effects: +200% to base HP regeneration per minute.
+200% to base CP regeneration per minute.
+200% to base SP regeneration per minute.
+5 levels for maxing out your first skill.
+35 stat points from level up.
+10 to all unlocked stats for maxing out your first skill.
+25 stat points for maxing out your first skill.
The levels are added and my Stamina goes up with it. The 10 stat points are to all the current skills I have unlocked. Even for the special stats that I can’t assign stat points to manually. It’s amazing to feel the change. I don’t know how to describe it in words.
Like a physical and tangible shift.
“Wow, Fuyu… What just happened?”
I open my eyes and look at Aiko. She’s staring at me with concern. She’s a much more powerful Shinobi than I am. It makes sense she can sense any changes in me at the exact moment.
‘I can’t just tell her the truth, but I can’t lie either. I don’t know if she can tell if I’m lying or not, but I bet she can. So I won’t risk it. A half-truth will do for now.’
“I meditated just like you wanted me to. It works well. I can feel that I’m stronger now. It was like everything fell into place.”
Those are all truths and are filled with a little bullshit. But I can see that she believes me as I say it. The next thing she does is stand up, and I do the same.
“Fuyu, if you’re going to learn Shinobi Arts, you’ll first need to build your body before you do. Ninjutsu is taxing, and if your body isn’t ready, it’ll break in the worst moments.”
There is an edge of concern in her voice as she warns me of what could happen. Aiko is still thinking about the change in my strength she sensed. Without saying anything, I nod my head and follow her to the center of the training area.
I don’t mean to be the silent Uchiha, but I feel the less I talk, the less my chances are of being discovered of anything unusual going on. I can’t keep suspicion off me forever, but I can delay it.
“What exactly am I going to be doing for exercises? I’m not familiar with any Shinobi training.”
What I say is the truth. I don’t know any Shinobi training methods, and neither did Fuyuki before I took over his body. So, this is a completely new experience for me.
“We’ll start with what I did when I first entered the academy. That way, you’ll know the level of exercise that you need to prepare for.”
She spends around a minute telling me what to do, and after she finishes, I get a new quest.
Quest Created - ‘Exercise the body’
Complete 50 push-ups, 50 sit-ups, and 50 squats before the time runs out. Time limit 30:00 minutes.
Conditions:
Complete the exercise in 30:00 minutes.
The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.
Complete the exercise in 20:00 minutes. (Bonus)
Complete the exercise in 10:00 minutes. (Bonus)
Rewards:
Skill: Basic Body conditioning.
+900 Exp
+1800 Exp (Bonus)
+2700 Exp (Bonus)
Rep increases with Aiko Hikara.
Failure:
New Title.
Rep decreases with Aiko Hikara.
Not wasting a second, I get down on my hands and feet and start doing push-ups. Thanks to the stat boost I got earlier, my body is already a bit stronger.
Due to the continued physical training, you have obtained +1 STR
Due to the continued physical training, you have obtained +1 STR
It only takes me around 3 minutes to do the 50 squats, expanding 15 Stamina as I do. If my guess is right, every 25 push-ups I got a stat in Strength.
Once I finish the push-ups, I see the slightly shocked look on Aiko’s face. I don’t know what’s going through her head right now, but I can only guess how I’m able to do this.
The system.
As I start the sit-ups, I feel the burn. My arms and shoulders are a little sore, but my abs start to tense up and get harder.
Due to the continued physical training, you have obtained +1 STR
Due to the continued physical training, you have obtained +1 STR
The same thing as the push-ups happens again. A little over 3 minutes passed, and I got under 3 minutes to do the squats. So I get up and immediately start. Pushing myself extra hard. I’ve got about 45 Stamina left.
Due to the continued physical training, you have obtained +1 AGI
Due to the continued physical training, you have obtained +1 AGI
I’m able to get through the squats with 11 seconds to spare and 13 Stamina left. I fall to the ground and take some deep breaths. But it only lasts a few seconds, and the fatigue starts to dissipate.
I learned that I’m able to raise my Dexterity stat by stretching and performing acrobatics. But that’s not on the agenda today.
‘Interesting that working out my legs increased my agility instead of my strength. I wonder what constitutes which stats go where with each exercise.’
“That was very impressive… I haven’t seen anyone your age without former training do that before.”
She walks over and stands over me. Looking down with a smile on her lips. I give one back in her direction. But my attention is soon taken by the quest.
Quest ‘Exercise the Body’
Rewards:
Skill: Basic Body Conditioning
+5,400 EXP
Rep Increase with Aiko Hikara
Sadly, it’s not enough EXP to level me up to 12. But I’ve gained a new skill, and one that is tied to one of the success conditions of ‘Get ahead of your Peers.’ I still need to level it to 50, but that won’t take me long at all. If Aiko lets me keep training, I can do it today.
Basic Body Conditioning - Passive (Lvl. 1 (7%)): This skill gives the body an increase in strength, speed, vitality and stamina through training.
Effects: +2% Increase to Damage inflicted.
+2% Increase in Movement speed.
+2% Increase in Physical stat growth.
-2% Decrease to Damage taken.
“Mind if I stay here and keep training? I feel like I can keep going, and I don’t want to quit when it’s still mid-morning.”
My sudden request to continue shocks Aiko, but after a few seconds of contemplation, she lets me stay here longer. Only on the account that she’s here to supervise and make sure I don’t overdo myself. Now that I have permission, I immediately start meditating.
Bringing my Stamina back up. It takes around 30 minutes, but I’m fully refreshed.
‘Let's get this work in. I should do the sets of 50 until I max out Basic Body Conditioning or Aiko says it’s time to go. If I loop Meditate with my physical training, it trivializes the exercises.’
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~~~POV: Aiko Hikara~~~
How is something like this even possible? He’s been exercising and meditating in a cycle for the past four hours. If I was his age and doing what he’s doing, I’d have passed out from exhaustion. Is it because he’s a Uchiha? That would explain his talent but not anything else.
His Stamina is insane, and the motivation he has to keep going is way beyond a five-year-old. I’m worried about him. This isn’t the Fuyuki that I know.
‘Everything changed when he recovered from that fever… Maybe I’m just overthinking things. But I can see it now. The truth. If I don’t train him as hard as he wants to train, he’ll just find other ways to do it himself. I’d rather he do it with my supervision.’
I’m a bit worried about Kazuo. He’s been watching the kids for almost five hours now, and I told him we wouldn’t be all day.
If Fuyuki doesn’t stop on his own, then I’ll have to cut the training off today.
I watch him for another 45 minutes, and that’s when I finally see a sign that he’s done for today. He’s got a smile on his face as he wipes the sweat off his forehead. If he continues with this drive of his, he’ll be a powerful Shinobi.
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~~~POV: Fuyuki Uchiha~~~
It’s done. I’ve maxed out Basic Body Training and completed one of the success conditions for ‘Get ahead of your Peers.’ Prodigy Boost is the second most busted skill I have behind Gaia’s Blessing. I’m earning EXP at a rate that makes all this too easy.
Not that I hate that.
Basic Body Conditioning - Passive (Lvl. MAX): This skill gives the body an increase in strength, speed, vitality and stamina through training.
Effects: +200% Increase to Damage inflicted.
+200% Increase in Movement speed.
+200% Increase in Physical stat growth.
-200% Decrease to Damage taken.
+10,000 EXP for maxing a skill.
You’ve leveled up 4 times.
You’ve obtained 28 unspent stat points.
There are no stat boosts or bonus levels this time around. But that doesn’t mean I didn’t earn EXP. From what I’ve seen so far, for every level I get in a skill, I earn 100 EXP. And for every skill I max out, I get 10,000 EXP.
The reason I didn’t get these EXP bonuses for Meditate is probably because the system was already giving me an amazing reward. That’s the only explanation I can see.
‘Not only have I completed the Basic Body Conditioning, I’ve also reached level 15. Completing another one of the conditions to complete the quest.’
My constant physical training has resulted in me getting +18 stat points in Strength and Agility each.
Name: Fuyuki Uchiha
Social Class: Orphan
Age: 5
Title: The Player
Level: 15 (1,380/14,500)
HP: 450
CP: 240
SP: 360
Primary Stats
Strength - 36
Vitality - 20
Dexterity - 17
Agility - 42
Intelligence - 27
Chakra - 14
Wisdom - 23
Special Stats
Sense (LOCKED)
Stamina - 28
Indomitable (LOCKED)
Charisma - 20
Persistence (LOCKED)
Dignity (LOCKED)
Luck (LOCKED)
Stat Points - 144
Ryo - 0
It’s amazing how much I’ve progressed in a single day of training. I shouldn’t expect to keep my growth at this monstrous level. I will reach a point where it’ll start to be hard to level up. Now that I think about it. The reason I’m getting so much EXP from maxing out the skill is because of Prodigy Boost.
I wonder how low the EXP rewards would be if I didn’t have this perk…
“I take it you’re done training today?”
The voice of Aiko grabs my attention, and she’s slowly walking in my direction. I lean up, and I can already feel my body recovering and ready for more exercise. But this is enough for today.
“Yeah, I’m ready to go home. If you don’t mind me asking, how long do you want me to train like this until you teach me basic Chakra Control, Beginner Taijutsu, Beginner Shuriken Jutsu, and finding my Chakra nature. I want to learn all of that.”
She raises an eyebrow in surprise and curiosity.
“You’ve obviously been thinking about this a lot, huh? I’ll make a deal with you. Keep training your body, and if you can do this for two weeks. I’ll teach you Taijutsu. We’ll progress your training from there if you show improvement. Deal?”
That’s the best offer I’m gonna get. Besides, doing this every day for two weeks will be as easy as cake. I’ll build my body up for some real Taijutsu training.
“Yeah, I can do that easily!”
I don’t really yell that, but the excited energy is clear in my voice. She smiles at me and lets out a little laugh. On our way back to the orphanage, I think about whether I should spend my stat points or not. But a simple realization hits me.
‘As long as I can raise my stats with physical training, I won’t have to spend my stat points. It’s just better to grind them out the natural way instead. Who knows when I’ll need those stat points.’
We make it back to the orphanage, and Aiko relieves Kazuo from looking after the kids. I’m about to make my way upstairs when Aiko stops me. Grabbing me by the shoulder and spinning me around.
“Fuyu, I know that you’ve noticed I haven’t let you out of the orphanage without me. But from now on, you’re allowed to go outside. When you start training tomorrow, I won’t follow you to the training area. I trust you won’t lie to me, and we’ll see the results in two weeks if you do.”
She gives me a small wink as I’m granted the freedom to leave the orphanage on my own now. The reason she’s doing this is because Kazuo won’t be available every day to watch the kids. She lets me go, and I head upstairs to the shower.
Ready to get the smell off me.