After lunch, Saitama didn't head home — instead, he headed straight to the training ground.
"Saitama, can you explain Wind Chakra Nature Transformation again?" The moment he entered the training area, Uchiha Nagare eagerly approached.
The Uchiha clan rarely had members with Wind Chakra Nature. Compared with those flashy clansmen who only used Fire Release techniques, his Wind Release seemed more elegant.
"Uh, didn't you not believe me last time?" Saitama scratched his head — last time when he explained his understanding of Wind Chakra Nature to Nagare, this guy definitely hadn't been so enthusiastic.
"Oh yeah… Well, I was wrong, Saitama." Nagare's expression froze for a moment before his face turned red with embarrassment.
Back then, when Saitama shared his insights with him, Nagare clearly showed disbelief. Training with just leaves? Who are you trying to fool?
Although he knew Saitama excelled at Lightning Chakra Nature, since he'd never actually seen Saitama use any Wind Nature Ninjutsu techniques, he hadn't taken it seriously.
But yesterday, bored after returning home, Nagare suddenly remembered what Saitama said and tried practicing with some leaves. As expected, things didn't go well — Nagare ended up in tears!
For someone who'd felt completely lost, he now saw a clear path forward — one that led straight to where Saitama stood!
"Ahaaa, did you give it a try?" Saitama smiled knowingly.
"Pfft! You're amazing, Saitama! Can you tell me more about the rest later?"
"Sure, depends on your performance in today's sparring!" Saitama glanced around, noticing Shisui's absence as he smiled at Nagare.
"Aww, come on… Alright. But go easy on me, alright? I bruise like a peach."
"Don't worry, I'll be gentle," Saitama promised solemnly as he pulled Nagare deeper into the training ground where there were fewer people.
...
"Ahhh!" "Boom!"
"Boom!" "Ahh!"
"Crack! Crack! Crack!"
Deep within the training ground, sounds of collision continuously echoed. The Clan Guards training nearby displayed knowing expressions mixed with admiration too — after all, they weren't even qualified to serve as sparring partners for Saitama.
Saitama had naturally become a standard measurement of ability within the guards. Only those strong enough to spar with Saitama could really call themselves true members of the Clan Guards. These dozen or so individuals all knew about Saitama's growth journey, and had recently heard about his battlefield performance. None felt ashamed about taking someone like him as their goal.
"That's it! I can't take any more of this!" Nagare blocked Saitama's leg, half-kneeling on the ground, covered in sweat and dirt.
"Haaaah!" Letting out a deep breath, Saitama grabbed Nagare and yanked him up.
"I haven't even used Ninjutsu yet, and you're already tapped out? Man, you're such a softie!" Saitama teased with exaggerated sarcasm, showing complex emotions reserved only for comrades.
"Hmph!" Not knowing how to respond, Nagare turned his head away while rubbing various muscles across his body.
"Let's end it here today!" Saying so, Saitama walked past him toward where his sword lay resting on a rack.
Throughout this afternoon session, Saitama had focused entirely on refining his Taijutsu skills — no Ninjutsu techniques, no sword usage, not even activating his Sharingan.
"Baby, you're so bad!" Nagare hesitated behind Saitama like a child wanting candy from an adult.
"Hold on!" Reaching into his back pocket, Saitama tossed out a scroll. It contained his own summary of techniques, combining his understanding with memories from his past life.
"Woah, great!" Nagare quickly caught it, his face lighting up with surprise. He had originally only planned to ask Saitama for a verbal explanation, trying to remember as much as possible, never expecting Saitama to directly hand him a scroll.
"Thanks!" Nagare looked at Saitama, who was strapping a blade to his waist.
"What? Speak louder." Saitama wore a mischievous expression, squinting his eyes shut.
"Thanks!" Nagare repeated himself.
"Why the thanks?" Saitama walked over and patted Nagare's shoulder before leaving.
"You look just right like this, don't you?" Strolling away casually, Saitama left Nagare rooted in place, gripping the scroll tightly in his hands, staring at Saitama's retreating figure. The soreness from their sparring session vanished completely.
...
"What did you do this time? Why does Nagare look like that?" Saitama had barely taken a few steps when he encountered Mori, who asked with a strange expression on his face.
"What could I possibly do? Maybe he got sand in his eyes or something; who knows him," Saitama chuckled, shrugging his shoulders.
"Come on, I need you for something!" Seeing Nagare wasn't in trouble, Mori motioned for Saitama to follow him.
The pair reached a quiet area and sat side by side on a bench. They were both sweaty after just finishing some exercise, and Saitama casually leaned back against the seat.
"Shisui is in trouble!" Mori said slowly, watching Saitama's reaction carefully.
Saitama didn't move an inch, maintaining his calm demeanor while leaning against the chair.
"Shisui should be fine. Otherwise, you wouldn't be talking to me like this," Saitama said calmly. "It's all under control."
"Look at you getting all smug!" Mori's tone held a hint of dissatisfaction.
"Go ahead, tell me what happened," Saitama nodded.
"Shisui took on a mission with one of the clan's jōnin (elite ninja), encountered enemies along the way, but nothing too serious. He's been rescued."
Mori gave a sigh and briefly explained Shisui's condition.
"And then?" Saitama didn't think such an incident warranted Mori coming specifically to relay this information.
"Shisui awakened his dōjutsu!" Mori let out a sigh. He still remembered the awakening of his own eyes when he was about fifteen, yet now he was already twenty-four, soon to be married.
"Oh?" Interested, Saitama remarked, since injuries during missions were par for the course for ninja, and he didn't worry about Shisui at all. However, this mission leading to Shisui awakening made him quite interested.
"Shisui's talent rivals yours; right after awakening his eyes he also gained Twin Tomoe!" Mori's voice grew odd as he looked toward Saitama while speaking.
"Perfect, then in future battles I won't have to hold back against him anymore."
"Saitama didn't seem to care at all. He placed one hand on the chair's backrest, waved the other through the air in front of him, and even shook his legs a few times—looking like a real jerk.
"If you're not surprised, then I'll just leave. There's a ton waiting for me at home," Mori stood up, gave a quick greeting, and walked off. With his wedding coming up, he was swamped with stuff.
After Mori left, Saitama stayed seated, eyes slightly unfocused as if pondering something.
"I always knew Shisui was a genius, but activating his Sharingan at seven is still impressive! It's only with the Sharingan that Shisui truly becomes that enemy's nightmare!" Saitama muttered while glancing at his fingers, thinking things over.
"The Sharingan significantly enhances the threat level of the [Shifting Body Technique]—Shisui has grown much stronger now!"
He slapped the chair and stood up before leaving. He planned to take a shower, change clothes, and head home—but first, he'd drop by to see how Shisui was doing.
...
"He left already?"
"Yeah, everyone keep training hard! I've got something to do so I'm heading out first."
"Alright, take care!"
"See ya later, Saitama!"
Saying goodbye to everyone at the Training Ground, Saitama exited the Clan Guards' base.
It was around five in the afternoon. Saitama thought for a moment, then decided to check on Shisui first.
Bringing a standard get-well gift—a basket of fruit—Saitama chatted with Shisui, who was chatting energetically from his hospital bed.
Shisui was doing great. The reason he had been brought back to the village was simply due to unconsciousness; the hospital kept him there for extra tests requested by Mori before discharge.
After slicing himself an apple, Saitama prepared to leave. There was no need to worry about Shisui anymore, so he decided it was time to head home for dinner.
"In that case, Saitama should head home first. I'll definitely be discharged no later than tomorrow." Shisui sat cross-legged on the bed, smiling at Saitama, whose mind clearly wandered elsewhere.
The nurse taking care of Shisui at the hospital was his mother, though right now she must have gone out to prepare his meal.
"Alright, I'll greet your mother for you—I'm off now." Saitama came quickly and left with flair.
Patting his pants, Saitama simply took off.
...
"Ka Po-pu, what are we having tonight?" As soon as he entered the house, Saitama caught the scent of food. This was exactly why he made it a point to come home for meals every day.
"Saitama's back! Hurry over and sit down. This is the hot pot seasoning Ka Po-pu specially bought today—it tastes amazing!" Ka Po-pu leaned out from the kitchen, her silver-haired head peeking around the corner, face beaming with joy.
"Great, coming right away!" At the mention of hot pot, warmth filled Saitama's heart. On such a cold night, only Ka Po-pu's homemade hot pot could offer real comfort!
The weather was getting colder. Although Konoha hadn't seen snowfall yet this year, temperatures had dropped sharply. Enjoying a hearty meal of hot pot together inside with Ka Po-pu made Saitama feel like he had reached life's peak!
Later that night, nothing much happened. Saitama studied his Ninjutsu until midnight upstairs, occasionally hearing noises from downstairs—Ka Po-pu seemed still awake.
He didn't interfere. Saitama knew that elderly people sleep less these days, and since he officially became a ninja, each time he left the village felt like another trial for Ka Po-pu.
Although Po-pu Ka never said it out loud, Saitama could tell each time he returned—her joy came from deep within her heart.
But this was simply how the ninja world worked. Once a choice had been made, there was no room for regret.
Take Shisui, who still remained hospitalized now. The only thing Saitama could do was become stronger.
...
The next morning, after enjoying some delicious onigiri made by his grandma and having a bowl of seaweed soup, Saitama began another day of training.
He planned to meet Fugaku Uchiha in the afternoon to deal with that annoying mission.
Rather than heading straight to the training ground early in the morning, Saitama had recently become more laid back, choosing instead to imitate Might Guy and his father by running laps around the village to warm up.
Yesterday, he'd grumbled about this year's lack of snowfall. Then today, upon waking up early, light snow was already falling gently, drifting down onto Konoha's streets.
"Whoosh!" "Hiss!"
After just a few laps around Konoha, Saitama already felt soreness creeping into his legs. Although he hadn't used any chakra to assist his movement, thinking about the gap between himself and Guy and his father, he couldn't help but mutter under his breath—"those guys really are freakin' monsters!"
Once warmed up, Saitama arrived at the training ground where someone was already practicing. Nagare stood there with noticeable bags under his eyes, energetically chatting away with a group of people.
"Cough! Cough!" Saitama cleared his throat, and the crowd immediately scattered.
"Morning!" "Morning, Saitama!"
Seeing it was him, the young guys greeted him cheerfully.
"Morning, everyone," Saitama nodded. With overwhelming strength, he had naturally become the unofficial leader among this group of Clan Guards—nobody openly stated it, but the reality remained clear.
"Nagare, come here!" Without ceremony, Saitama called him out and walked with Nagare deeper into the training ground.
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