Hearing Natsuki say that, Tenten didn't object.
She also loved having meals together as a family—chatting with her dad and her future husband over dinner made everything feel light and joyful, as if all the day's fatigue just melted away.
Besides, she was secretly worried about Natsuki overusing his brain. Rumor had it that kind of stress could lead to white hair.
So, it was best to follow Natsuki's plan.
The shop owner said, "From now on, I'll take care of grocery shopping and cooking. You two just focus on what you need to do."
"Thanks, Oyaji," Natsuki replied without being polite. They were all familiar enough now that courtesy was unnecessary.
Still, Natsuki glanced at his father-in-law. He figured it might be a good idea to send him on a trip before the final exams began—preferably to the capital of the Land of Fire, which was safer. Once the Konoha Destruction Plan began, it could affect more than just the village, and Natsuki didn't want Tenten to become an orphan.
After dinner, Natsuki pulled Tenten into their room. He held her close and gave her a sweet kiss.
When the time came, he reluctantly left the ninja tools shop and returned home.
Back at his house, he shut all the windows and doors, then headed straight into the gravity training chamber. He first took a brisk walk for half an hour, then activated 15 times gravity and began his nightly training.
Yes—15x gravity!
He had grown used to 10x, but the human body in this world didn't gain physical strength as quickly as he'd hoped. Even training under such heavy conditions wasn't producing massive results. So Natsuki kept increasing the gravity level.
He was confident that with a full month, he could push his body to a new level and elevate his chakra as well.
Of course, that was just his daily regimen. The main focus for the month was mastering the Hiraishin no Jutsu (Flying Thunder God Technique).
There were less than ten days until the first of the next month. He needed to fully internalize the Flying Thunder God formula. Once the special lab was activated on the first, he could finally begin bold experiments with the jutsu.
If it didn't work out, he could always try again next month—by then, Tsunade might have returned.
Pushing away such stray thoughts, Natsuki focused on completing his daily training routine.
Afterward, he moved on to creating and refining the Flying Thunder God formula, practicing to the point that he could inscribe it instantly. Only then would he be able to leave a chakra imprint on a target in the blink of an eye—essential for executing the jutsu properly in combat.
When midnight approached, he immediately stopped all research and training, and obediently went to bed.
The next morning, he returned to the gravity chamber for his morning workout. But he was no longer doing basic chores like delivering milk or digging holes.
Now he was lifting massive boulders while doing handstands, climbing cliffs with weighted gear, swimming under heavy resistance, and engaging in underwater combat. The exercises were intense and varied, but he could handle them all with ease.
After morning training came breakfast—ensuring his energy and nutrition needs were met.
Then it was back to the chamber for the day's main task: researching the Flying Thunder God. He even skimmed over lunch.
When evening arrived, he'd take a proper bath, rest a bit, and then head to Tenten's house for dinner.
This routine continued for several days, quickly becoming a stable pattern. Thankfully, no visitors came during this time, and no one disturbed him, allowing him to stay focused.
But one evening after dinner, Tenten shared some news:
"Sasuke ran into Orochimaru. It happened in the evening, on his way home after training. Orochimaru suddenly appeared and bit into his shoulder. Before leaving, he said it was a 'test' for Sasuke. According to Kakashi-senpai, Orochimaru left a cursed seal on Sasuke that messes with his chakra and causes terrible pain when activated."
As expected, Orochimaru wasn't going to give up that easily.
He failed to succeed in the Forest of Death, but clearly still had his eyes on Sasuke's body. That so-called test was probably only the beginning.
And to make things worse, Konoha's defenses were full of holes. Multiple sweeps and inspections had failed to catch Orochimaru, and yet he could still strut around the village as he pleased. He clearly didn't see the Konoha shinobi as a threat.
This… was the result of the Uchiha Clan's destruction.
If the Uchiha were still around and responsible for security, the village wouldn't be in this sorry state—its defense wouldn't be so lax and riddled with flaws.
But now, it was too late. The Uchiha massacre was a complex matter, with blame on all sides. It didn't matter who was right or wrong anymore—what mattered was that the village's security had collapsed.
And what was Kakashi even doing?
He'd known for a while that Orochimaru was after Sasuke, and yet he still failed to protect him.
Sigh... Another round of suffering begins for Sasuke.
"How is Sasuke doing now?" Natsuki asked.
"Kakashi-sensei sealed the cursed mark, but if Sasuke becomes emotionally unstable, the seal could break and cause him serious harm," Tenten replied with worry in her voice.
They weren't particularly close to Sasuke, but he had come over to play cards and share meals before. And during the Forest of Death trial, they'd fought side by side. At this point, calling him a friend wasn't a stretch. Of course she was worried.
Natsuki could only comfort her, "At least Sasuke's still alive—that's already a good thing. He's a genius of the Uchiha. A cursed seal like this shouldn't be able to stop him."
Tenten understood he was trying to console her. Right now, that was the only thing they could hold onto.
Days passed.
Then, at last, the first of the month arrived.
Natsuki prepared thoroughly during the day, and once it hit 7 PM, he immediately flashed into the special lab to begin intense Flying Thunder God training.
"First, leave the formula on a kunai, then throw it away… Let's start with two meters. Now, sense the formula's position, connect to it with my consciousness... Yes, good, I can feel it at close range. Now let's try the teleport!"
Whoosh! Thud!
Natsuki slammed into the ground, his body aching.
It felt like he had passed through some unique dimension at high speed—he couldn't see anything around him and had no time to sense the spatial forces. He even got slightly injured by them. When he came to, he had landed near the kunai bearing the formula.
In other words, he had performed the Hiraishin no Jutsu, but couldn't fully control it—it was dangerous.
Also, his reactions weren't fast enough. He couldn't respond even after arriving. That would be fatal in a real fight.
"Again! This time let's try five meters!"
Whoosh! Thud!
"Ahh! Damn, that hurt! It's like trying to squeeze through a door crack! The space scraped my skin—it's way too dangerous! Tch, again! I won't give up until I master it!"
Whoosh! Thud!
Whoosh! Thud!
Whoosh! "Haha! I landed on my feet this time! Making progress! Let's keep going!"
Natsuki was completely immersed in the training. The more he practiced, the smoother he became. There were occasional slip-ups, but his teleportation distance was gradually increasing. The improvement was obvious.
(End of Chapter)
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