Chapter 63: Naruto's Trial
In Konoha's Forest of Death, a small figure lay prone on a stone platform, continuously doing push-ups.
"912, 913, 914..."
Naruto looked completely unstressed, but his body couldn't help but tense up, a feeling of nervousness suddenly rising.
Almost... almost at a thousand!
"Naruto, I'm about to activate the Added-Weight Rock Technique now. Be ready."
Hearing the familiar voice in his head, Naruto's azure eyes trembled. He said in a low voice: "Bring it on, Menma-nii! I'm ready!"
After the thought faded in his mind, Menma, inside the seal space, said no more, silently activating the Doton: Kajūgan no Jutsu (Earth Style: Added-Weight Rock Technique) he had once collected from Iwagakure.
"Ughh!"
Naruto's body suddenly sank downwards, his aching arms subconsciously wanting to give out.
"Hold on!"
Menma ordered in a low voice: "Think about how you usually do it! Adjust your breathing frequency and muscle state!"
Naruto's muscles ached intensely, large beads of sweat slid down his cheeks, but he still clenched his jaw tightly, his expression incomparably resolute.
"Hooo~ Haa~"
Though seemingly unchanged on the surface, Naruto was actually doing his best to maintain a stable breathing rhythm, simultaneously probing the limits of his body.
Inside the seal space, Menma slightly narrowed his eyes.
"As expected of the Child of Destiny. His talent is truly terrifying."
Naruto's performance at the Ninja Academy was already quite stunning, and every time he sparred with Uchiha Sasuke, he came out slightly ahead.
No matter how much stronger that guy Sasuke became, Naruto could always steadily win by a hair, always appearing to be a narrow victory.
Although this amazed the Third Hokage, Iruka, and others, it wasn't actually beyond reason.
But behind the scenes...
Relying on the Uzumaki clan physique, the recovery ability granted by being the Nine-Tails Jinchūriki, plus the day-after-day fusion with Ashura Chakra,
Menma's training for Naruto was also incomparably strict. Recently, he even started using the Doton: Added-Weight Rock Technique to increase the weight he bore, continuously tempering his physique.
Absolutely no one knew just what exaggerated level Naruto's current physical condition had reached.
"When Heaven is about to confer a great responsibility on any man, it first exercises his mind with suffering, and his sinews and bones with toil, exposes him to starvation and poverty, frustrates his efforts, that so his mind is stimulated, his patience hardened, and his weaknesses overcome."
Simply put: If training doesn't kill you, train to death.
After all, Menma couldn't stay in Konoha forever as Naruto's teacher. Konoha could only be the stage for Naruto to dance upon later.
His debts should be collected by himself.
And Menma... he had more important things to do.
Smack!
Looking at the useless fox beside him, snoring thunderously, Menma reached out and popped its giant snot bubble.
"Ngh... Hmm?"
The Nine-Tails still looked somewhat dazed, clearly not yet fully awake from its nap.
This so-called strongest Tailed Beast is ruined.
Though speaking of which, has this useless fox's cheeks gotten fatter?
Menma smiled somewhat helplessly, asking: "Kurama, what's the maximum number of tails Naruto's current physique can handle?"
"...Tch."
The Nine-Tails gradually woke up, first glancing impatiently at Menma.
Only then did it carefully observe Naruto, finally saying after a moment: "Without me resisting, he should be able to open up to three tails without injury, while still maintaining his sanity."
Menma rubbed his chin: "Forcibly opening four or five tails probably wouldn't be a problem either, but I fear he'd be burned by your chakra, and his rationality would be weakened."
Although Kurama wasn't resisting, if the physical body wasn't strong enough, if the seal was opened, the sheer volume of Nine-Tails chakra alone would be enough to make Naruto burst.
Furthermore, the hateful emotions inherent in the Nine-Tails chakra would also affect Naruto's mind, weakening his ability to judge battle situations.
This was also why Menma trained Naruto with such high intensity.
Wanting him to temper his physique to the point where it could perfectly bear the Nine-Tails chakra in the shortest possible time required drastic measures to even have some hope.
But all this was also thanks to Naruto's extremely powerful life force.
No matter how tiring the training, after a night's sleep, all fatigue would vanish, leaving him full of energy.
Otherwise, if it were anyone else, this training intensity would have long since crippled them.
"Speaking of which, the speed at which Naruto absorbs Ashura chakra is also slowing down. Has he reached some kind of critical point?"
Menma frowned, a sense of urgency rising in his heart.
His arrangements in Konoha were basically all set; now all that was missing was the final east wind to fan the flames.
His physical body forging process was mostly complete.
Even though the remaining power was far less than his peak, the chakra characteristics carried over by his soul remained, so ninjutsu he could use before, he could still use after obtaining a body.
His chakra nature was all affinities.
While certainly rare, it wasn't unique.
The Second Hokage Senju Tobirama, Third Hokage Sarutobi Hiruzen, one of the Sannin Orochimaru, Hatake Kakashi, etc. – these people all possessed all chakra affinities.
Chakra nature also transfers with the soul to a new body.
Otherwise, every time Orochimaru reincarnated, he would probably need to specifically find a vessel with all chakra affinities.
Ninjutsu wasn't the problem, but Menma was stuck at the most critical steps.
-- The formula for the Power of All Creation, and the physical body template.
The former, as the name suggests, is the formula for achieving a balanced state of Yin-Yang power.
Both the White Zetsu flesh and the Hashirama arm achieved Yin-Yang balance based on this formula.
However, the components of the Hashirama arm were too mixed; Menma still needed some time to figure out the connections between them.
As for the latter, the physical body template, Naruto's cells could be used as the basic framework, since they were essentially counterparts.
However, he would have to wait until Naruto fully awakened the Body of the Sage to barely qualify.
"I could use Hashirama cells to guide Naruto in fusing with the Ashura chakra inside him faster, but..."
Naruto's current compatibility with Hashirama cells was too poor. Once implanted, he would be completely devoured by them in minutes.
However, it wasn't without a solution.
Menma's thoughts flew rapidly, a curve lifting the corner of his mouth as he looked towards Naruto outside.
"Huff!"
He saw Naruto dragging his incredibly heavy body, breathing already extremely rapid, yet still pushing up and down, persisting with the push-ups.
"Great progress."
Menma spoke: "Naruto, I've already prepared your birthday present. When do you want to go get it?"
"Huh? Of course, the sooner the better!"
Naruto paused upon hearing this. After reacting, his expression suddenly became excited, his body regaining strength.
He's waited so long for this gift! Just wonders what it will be!
Could it be some high-level ninjutsu?
Like the 'swish swish swish' flashing Space-Time Ninjutsu Fox Teacher mentioned?
"Don't be hasty. That old man is still watching if you went to school. Wait until after school today, then I'll take you."
Naruto heard this, his face instantly falling.
He lifted his eyelids slightly, glancing furtively towards a spot above his head, his eyes full of complaint.
(End of Chapter)
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