Konoha cat Breeder

Chapter 26: Taijutsu and Measurement Units 

Two weeks later.

Bang—

Tonari's body flew out and crashed solidly into a tree trunk in the courtyard with a dull thud.

However, Tonari didn't fall to the ground. Instead, he sprang to his feet in a fluid motion, clenched his fists, and charged back at the person who had just kicked him away.

At the same time, he couldn't help but shout, "Hahaha, Shikaku, have you not eaten? Why is your strength getting weaker and weaker?!"

Shikaku: "..."

Looking at Tonari, who had been kicked by him and still wasn't hurt, now laughing and charging toward him, Shikaku seriously felt like dying.

This scene had been playing out for over a week now!

Since Tonari began practicing taijutsu, his physical abilities had noticeably improved.

Tonari understood his body well and knew he wasn't cheating; otherwise, as a former doctor, he might've wanted to dissect himself.

In the end, it all came down to the generally strong physical capabilities of people in the ninja world, along with chakra, the unique energy that subtly altered the body.

As his physical strength improved, the more Tonari trained, the better it felt.

But being someone training alone without a clear benchmark, Tonari had no way of measuring his progress.

So, after a few days of training, he decided to use Nara Shikaku as his measuring stick!

Shikaku and the others had graduated early from the ninja academy, and now, with the end of the Second Shinobi World War, most of the higher-ranked ninjas were still cleaning up the battlefield in the Land of Rain, so their sensei wasn't available. Whoever was free would take on some tasks.

Shikaku had just returned from the battlefield, and now that the opportunity to try more difficult missions had arrived, he was tasked with training Tonari.

This was how Tonari took advantage of the situation.

This was clearly a case of being a "tool person" or rather a "test subject!"

Shikaku, however, was a real ninja—not someone to be underestimated.

As one of the likely future members of the "Ino-Shika-Cho" trio, Shikaku's talent was beyond doubt!

The only reason he hadn't graduated earlier was that the Third Hokage felt there was no need to send younger kids like him to the battlefield during the war, so his graduation requests were repeatedly denied.

Only when the war was nearing its end were they released to begin their ninja work.

So Shikaku was far from an ordinary genin!

Raised in the Nara clan, Shikaku was a child prodigy, skilled in both taijutsu and ninjutsu. His mastery of the Nara clan's Shadow Imitation Technique was extraordinary. Overall, he was much stronger than the average genin.

So, Shikaku became Tonari's perfect "measuring unit." Once Tonari could reach Shikaku's level, he'd feel that his progress was on the right track.

And that's how Shikaku was roped into this situation!

Thinking back to his father Nara Shikashin's advice to help Tonari if needed, Shikaku agreed to Tonari's challenge to a taijutsu match.

In his mind, Tonari was just a kid who had barely started practicing chakra. What could he possibly do against a real ninja like him?

As expected, Shikaku easily kicked Tonari away more than a week ago, and even now, he could still easily send Tonari flying with a single blow!

But…

What made Shikaku despair was that Tonari was like an unkillable cockroach. Every time Shikaku knocked him down, Tonari would immediately get back up and charge at him again, as though nothing had happened.

But that wasn't even the worst part.

The worst part was that every time Tonari charged at him, he kept taunting him.

Like now.

After being kicked away again, Tonari charged at Shikaku, fists cutting through the air toward his face.

Shikaku raised his right hand to block Tonari's punch while his left fist swung toward Tonari's face.

At first, Shikaku had been holding back. But after a week of this, he was done with holding back.

Bang—

Tonari reacted quickly, blocking Shikaku's left fist with his left arm. Then, with a sudden move, he pretended to attack with his right hand, but instead, he grabbed Shikaku's legs with both hands, shouting, "Take this! Rooted Tree Technique!"

Shikaku: "..."

Shikaku had already fallen for this move once. Though he didn't know why Tonari's taijutsu names were so strange, he reacted immediately.

Shikaku's right leg shot out and kicked Tonari's arms away!

It seemed like Tonari already knew exactly what Shikaku would do. In an instant, he spun 360 degrees, moving with incredible speed and appearing behind Shikaku. He locked his arms around Shikaku's waist, "Gotcha! Now take this!"

Tonari prepared to execute a belly-to-back suplex.

Bang!

A puff of smoke appeared. Tonari found himself hugging a wooden log instead of Shikaku, who was now standing behind him, kicking him once more!

Yes, Tonari was sent flying again.

In midair, Tonari grumbled, "You're cheating, Shikaku! Using ninjutsu!"

Hearing this, Shikaku, who had kept a stern face the whole time, couldn't help but blush. He had indeed used ninjutsu, but honestly, even if it was cheating, he wasn't going to take Tonari's taijutsu.

Though Tonari's taijutsu was strange, after getting caught off guard once, Shikaku had no desire to experience it again!

Ahem!

However, one thing was certain: Shikaku was truly amazed by how much Tonari had improved in just two weeks.

Tonari had gone from someone who could easily be kicked away by a casual blow to someone who made Shikaku have to use ninjutsu just to win quickly.

It wasn't that pure taijutsu couldn't win; it's just that, with Shikaku's personality, he preferred simple solutions over complicated ones.

Looking at Tonari, who was once again recovering, Shikaku felt a headache coming on.

Why did he have to deal with such a freak? It had taken academy students years to reach this level of strength, but Tonari had done it in a few weeks?

To everyone's surprise, Tonari didn't rush toward Shikaku again.

He knew that if Shikaku used ninjutsu, he would definitely lose.

And seeing the frustrated expression on Shikaku's face, Tonari could tell that Shikaku had likely reached his limit.

Tonari didn't want to be a burden to Shikaku's father, Shikashin, or to Shikaku's aunt, who made the best food.

Tonari clapped the dust off his clothes and couldn't help but reflect, "As the saying goes, to forge the strongest armor, one must first endure the harshest blows. The ancients were right!"

However, recently, Shikaku hadn't been performing as well as usual. But that was understandable. Not everyone could train as long as Tonari, and Shikaku wasn't someone particularly skilled in taijutsu.

It was fine to use Shikaku as a benchmark, but if he wanted to continue improving his taijutsu, the speed would definitely slow down.

Looks like it was time to find a new "tool person"—or rather, a new taijutsu expert.

Seeing Tonari stand still in contemplation, Shikaku thought that maybe he'd finally pushed Tonari too hard with his ninjutsu.

After all, Tonari had only been learning ninja knowledge for two weeks, and his chakra was likely still weak. He couldn't use ninjutsu yet.

Shikaku raised his hand, ready to comfort him.

But before he could speak, Tonari waved at him, "I'm off, Shikaku. I'm going to find a new tool person—uh, I mean, a new taijutsu expert. You go ahead with your business!"

"Oh, and by the way, you've been looking a little underfed lately. If you don't eat well, you won't grow! Be sure to eat plenty!"

With that, Tonari left!

Shikaku: "..."

At that moment, all Shikaku could think was, "This kid really is bastard!"

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