“Huff… huff… huff…”

  Having just finished a p running around the Konohagakure, Link slowed to a walk, his chest heaving as he gasped for air.

  His lungs worked overtime, f oxygen into his heart, which pumped blood swiftly through his body. Soured out of his pores, dripping down his face.

  “Ten minutes of rest, then the p,” he decided after catg his breath.

  Before refining chakra and disc his cheat ability, he had raihis hard.

  He used to have low expectations for himself. Without any unique abilities, he khat even if he became a ninja, he wouldn’t have mufluen this world.

  But now, with his cheat ability, he had ambition. He had motivation.

  Link didn’t stop. His muscles, sore and fatigued, warned him that if he rested now, he wouldn’t have the strength to move again for a while. Instead, he tinued walking along the street.

  The human body in the Naruto world was remarkable. pared to the 40 to 60 trillion cells in an average human oh, the people here had over 130 trillion cells. Their endurand physical capabilities far surpassed those of Earthlings.

  Link uood how slow the bes of training were in his previous life. paring that with his progress in this world, he had a much clearer grasp of how quickly he was improving.

  From being a sickly three-year-old to now being able to refine chakra and run for hours without stopping, the results of his effort were undeniable.

  Success breeds motivation, f a positive cycle of hard work and rewards.

  Though Link’s small body housed the soul of an adult, and he wasn’t immuo moments of ziness ativity, he still did the right thing: cultivating a habit of discipliraining.

  Hard work couldn’t pete with talent, bloodlines, or destiny. But if he didn’t work hard, he wouldn’t achieve anything at all.

  His cheat ability made his ninjutsu incredibly powerful, but it didn’t enhance his physical abilities. In fact, his physical fitness determined how effectively he could use his cheat ability.

  With this in mind, how could he justify not w hard?

  Ten minutes passed. Though his body still felt heavy, as though weighed down by armor, he straightened up and took off running again.

  “Inhale… exhale…” Li fatigue set in even faster than during the previous ps, but he trolled his breathing, inhaling through his nose and exhaling through his mouth, maintaining a steady rhythm.

  Although people in the Naruto world were almost superhuman, their trainihods were surprisingly simple: pushing themselves to the limit, depleting their stamina, and unlog the potential of their cells.

  Everything else depended on talent and bloodlines.

  Link didn’t believe he could revolutioraining teiques, so he focused on the simplest method: effort.

  “At the very least, in something as basic as effort, I ’t lose to a kid!”

  Thinking of the hardw genius Rock Lee, Link gritted his teeth and maintained a steady pace despite the exhaustion g at him.

  Effort!

  …

  What’s the point of effort?

  Mizuki sneered inwardly at the word.

  If effort mattered, he wouldn’t still be an ordinary, mediocre in.

  “Such ughable effort!” he thought as he watched Link tirelessly train in the distance, a mog smirk tugging at his lips.

  Yet, for some reason, there was a tinge of jealousy in his expression.

  Was it jealousy over not havihis diligent in his youth, or envy of the boy’s mastery of a secret teique?

  Mizuki couldn’t quite tell, but it didn’t matter. His objective was simply to observe and uhe boy’s secret teique.

  As an examiner, Mizuki knew all about Link’s background: the child of two fallen ninjas, now a mere orphan with no es and no special bloodline.

  If this boy truly could detach his head at will, such a secret teique was worth iigating.

  However, muizuki’s frustration, Link spent days doing nothing but releraining. Mizuki learned nothing.

  While he had sidered capturing Link to interrogate him, the boy never left the vilge ter, where sharp-eyed ninjas and patrolling Anbu were everywhere. Attempting a covert abdu was almost impossible.

  “Damn it. Why would someoh such a secret teique waste time on basic training?”

  Mizuki fumed silently. He had been tailing Link for five days now. Tomorrow, the Ninja Academy term would start. Once Link enrolled, taking any overt a would beuch riskier. Ninja Academy students were highly valued by the vilge, and a sudden disappearance would trigger an exhaustive Anbu iigation.

  Despite his iurmoil, Mizuki maintained a calm exterior. Watg Link finish another day of training and head into Ichiraku Ramen, Mizuki made a calcuted decision.

  “It’s no use. The direct approach has failed.”

  Standing across the street from Ichiraku, Mizuki aowledged his failure. Anger wouldn’t ge anything. It was time for a new pn.

  Pstering a friendly smile on his face, Mizuki adjusted his gree and stepped into Ichiraku Ramen.

  He rarely ate here.

  “Tch. That fox brat is here too…”

  His gaze briefly lingered on an e-cd figure dev ramen in the er. He quickly looked away. While certain pns brewed in his mind, now was not the time.

  Feigning ce, Mizuki sat o Link, who had just pced his order. Smiling, he said, “What a ce, Link.”

  “?”

  Exhausted and starving, Link was momentarily fused by the sudden iion. He gnced up, saw the familiar gree and face, and reized Mizuki from the exam.

  “Hello, Examiner,” he greeted politely.

  “You call me Mizuki,” Mizuki replied, introdug himself. He noticed the brief flicker of unease on Link’s face.

  Why?

  Mizuki’s mind raced with possibilities, but his expression remained posed as he casually ordered a bowl of ramen.

  Link’s expression quickly returo calm politeness. “Mizuki-sensei,” he replied, then focused oing as soon as his ramen arrived.

  After finishing, Link stood up and reached for his nearly empty wallet to pay. Mizuki stepped in, paying for both meals with a magnanimous smile.

  “Since you’re calling me ‘sensei,’ let me treat you.”

  “Thank you.” Link didn’t refuse, bowing politely before saying, “Excuse me.”

  He turned a, leaving Mizuki to finish his meal alone, lost in thought.