Akiko sighed a mouthful of air as if a huge burden had been released.

Hiro was rubbing his bottom which had been practiced by Whipping Jutsu by his big brother.

Shin stood there, wide-eyed and speechless, watching the sibling antics unfold before him, unsure whether to laugh or be concerned for their well-being.

"Alright now that that has been dealt with, we should go home. It's already about 9:30 pm. If we are late, The hag will make us do house chores again" Akiko said while rubbing his hands.

With Akiko leading the way, the trio embarked on their journey back to the orphanage. However, Hiro, seemingly having learned nothing from his previous encounters, couldn't resist the urge to cut in a few more times.

Seeing his big brother relishing the thought of beating his ass again, Hiro immediately stopped.

At the Orphanage

After a satisfying dinner and a relaxing shower, Shin decided it was time to cash in on his bet with Hiro.

In Shin's room, he heard a timid knock on his door. Opening it, he found Hiro standing there, looking dejected. With an exaggeratedly enthusiastic tone, Shin welcomed the poor boy inside, exclaiming, "Come on in, come!"

Hiro asked hesitantly, "Shin, are you seriously going to make me massage you?"

"Absolutely!" Shin replied with mock seriousness. "Okay, first, we'll start with the legs, then move to the back, followed by my arms, and finish with a little head massage," he instructed, adopting an exaggerated authoritative tone.

With each new instruction, Hiro's face grew more and more downtrodden, as if he had been burdened with the weight of the world.

Meanwhile, Caretaker Dai happened to walk by the corridor on his late-night inspection and heard some suspicious noises coming from Shin's room. Curiosity piqued, he approached the door.

"Yes, that's it! Move a little to the left and apply some force there too,"

Another sound in frustration. "Fine, fine. But your skin is so slippery, I can't get a good grip!"

"Alright, I'll hold it in place for you."

"This feels incredibly weird, Shin," the sound remarked, feeling increasingly uncomfortable.

"No matter how weird it feels, we made a bet, and now you have to honor it!"

Just as the scene was reaching its peak, Caretaker Dai couldn't resist the curiosity any longer and swung open the door, revealing the surprising sight inside the room.

"Oh, good grief," Dai exclaimed, a mixture of amusement and disbelief evident in his tone. "What on earth are you boys doing? Why is Hiro massaging you, Shin? Did you get injured?"

Hiro attempted to explain, but Shin quickly interjected, seizing control of the narrative. "Ah, Brother Dai, the truth is... Hiro lost a race against me, and as a result, he bet that he would give me a full-body massage!"

The author's tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

Dai raised an eyebrow, skeptical of the explanation. "Hiro lost to you? How did that happen?"

Shin smirked, exchanging a mischievous glance with Hiro. "Well, it was all due to my lightning-fast speed!" he declared, earning a disapproving glare from Hiro.

Quickly realizing his mistake, Shin backtracked, trying to salvage the situation. "Hiro was just being kind and letting me win. He definitely could have outrun me if he wanted to!" Shin said, confirming the approving expression on Hiro's face and letting out a peaceful sigh.

Dai shook his head, finding the whole situation both amusing and bewildering. "Alright then, I'll leave you to your massage session," he said, deciding it was best not to delve further into the matter.

After enjoying a productive massage from Hiro for a solid thirty minutes, Shin finally kicked his masseur out of the room. He settled into a comfortable cross-legged position and began to meditate

As he tried to focus with his eyes shut, he could feel as if he was in an annoyed mood all of a sudden. Then immediately he felt like rubbing his hands again in a satisfied manner as if they had been thoroughly exercised today. Due to these interruptions, he couldn't concentrate. The feedback of different feelings was so much that he wasn't able to focus anymore.

With hastened breathing, he immediately opened his eyes and wiped the sweat covering his brow.

'What`s causing this?' Shin pondered, "Is it still due to my increased spiritual energy? My mind is a mess. After that inhumane pain and suffering. I think that pain still left some aftereffects on my psyche.", with a creeping smile on his face, he thought of the possibility.

'Guess I enjoyed that beatdown more than I care to admit'

"Hmm, well, I don't have enough data for now," Shin concluded, shrugging his shoulders. He attempted to meditate again for another half an hour but to no avail. He still could not feel any drop of chakra in his body.

"How do I hasten my training?" Shin wondered aloud, pacing back and forth. "I need to ramp up the intensity of my physical training if I hope to have any confidence in protecting myself during the Nine-Tails attack."

Feeling the heaviness of fatigue from the day's activities, Shin decided to give his body some rest. He covered himself with a blanket, closed his eyes, and drifted off to sleep almost instantly.

The next morning, Shin jolted awake at the sound of his alarm at exactly 7 a.m. He groaned in disappointment, realizing his attempt to sleep in had failed. Reluctantly, he got out of bed and began preparing for the day.

After freshening up, Shin made his way to the dining hall for breakfast. Eggs and bread were on the menu, and he hungrily devoured his meal. Once satisfied, he headed towards Akiko and Hiro's room. Since it was the weekend, they were fortunate enough to have a reprieve from Emi's early wake-up calls. Both Akiko and Hiro were still fast asleep, along with their third roommate.

Despite occasionally grumbling in his sleep, Hiro still had one hand in uniform motion around his bottom, while the other had the job of collecting the drool under his face, Akiko, on the other hand, was curled up with his hands tucked snugly under his legs, occasionally rubbing them together with a satisfied smile on his face.

Deciding to let them sleep a bit longer, Shin quietly left the room and informed Dai that he would be heading to the playground again. After some negotiation, he was finally given permission to leave, accompanied by a few other children from the orphanage. There was one girl named Yumiko Sato and two boys named Izume and Yaraki. This bunch was one of the more respectful ones in the orphanage.

Upon reaching the playground, Shin separated from the group and made his way to a secluded corner, while the other children decided to mingle and play with the other kids.

Shin began his routine by performing stretching exercises, just like the day before. After a solid 20 minutes of stretching, he prepared to start his running laps, eager to push himself further.

But just as he was about to take off, a voice called out, "Hey, stop!"