So the same person really could be broken more than once.
The first time Ebisu had suffered emotional damage, it was because he could not even defeat one of Ren’s shadow clones.
This time, it was because Ren had made him realize he was not worthy of facing Ren at full strength.
[Ebisu has suffered emotional damage.
Extracting abilities associated with Ebisu.
The host may select one of the following three rewards.] [Option One: Basic hip-rotation technique.] [Option Two: Basic power-generation technique for a straight punch.] [Option Three: Supercompensation—break through one physical plateau.] The first two options were useless to Ren.
After training with Ebisu for so long, he had already mastered both.
The third option, however, immediately caught his attention.
Ebisu had clearly grown stronger in the middle of their match.
So that sudden improvement had been the result of supercompensation.
Building muscle worked by pushing the fibers hard enough to cause tiny amounts of damage, then allowing the body to repair them with proper rest and nutrition.
Once recovered, the muscles came back stronger than before.
Taijutsu training followed the same principle.
Ren selected the third option and his entire body suddenly stiffened.
A dull ache spread through every muscle, followed by an unbearable itching sensation deep beneath his skin.
‘Oh, hell.
I’m literally growing stronger.’ After briefly testing his body, Ren estimated that under the standard eight-category shinobi evaluation system, his Strength, Stamina, and Speed had all risen from roughly three points to four.
“Hey, Ebisu!
Why are you staring at the ground?” Ren immediately resumed tormenting him.
“Lift your head.
Those sunglasses aren’t hiding the tears in your eyes!
Don’t look down—I can already see you crying like a baby again.” Ebisu turned his face away.
Whatever faint hope he had still held for Ren disappeared, leaving only resentment behind.
Uchiha Ren had no heart.
His tongue was cruel, and the person behind it was even worse.
Ren sighed dramatically.
“Well, since you’re crying again, and since you’ve begged me with such touching sincerity, I suppose I can lower myself to your level and fight you seriously for once…” Ebisu’s head snapped up.
His entire body came alive with determination as he fixed Ren with an intense stare.
“This time, you attack first,” he said.
“I’m tired of always having to charge at you.” Ren smiled.
“Poor little Ebisu.
Promise me you won’t cry after I hit you.” Ebisu clenched his fists, determined to prove himself— Boom!
His eyes widened.
Ren was fast.
Far faster than before!
Chakra exploded from the tenketsu in Ren’s right leg, launching him forward at incredible speed.
Combined with the physical improvement from his recent breakthrough, the burst pushed his body to its absolute limit.
Ren’s fist buried itself in Ebisu’s stomach.
Ebisu folded around the blow as pain tore through his abdomen, leaving him with the horrifying feeling that his organs had been knocked out of place.
Ren looked down at his hunched figure.
“That punch was supposed to be a surprise for Asuma during our wager.
Consider this an early preview.” Ebisu slowly sank to his knees.
His forehead struck the ground with a dull thud, and he remained there clutching his stomach, unable to recover for a long time.
Asuma felt panic rising in his chest, though he forced himself to keep a calm expression.
Ren had grown stronger again!
‘Damn it!
How is he still improving when he’s already that strong?’ The other students waited patiently for Ebisu to recover.
The poor boy had suffered through an absolutely miserable semester.
Watching him was exhausting enough.
Ren had tormented him mentally and physically with equal enthusiasm.
Eventually, Ebisu managed to stand.
His face was pale.
He had not expected Ren’s full speed to be so overwhelming, nor had he expected a single punch to leave him helpless for so long.
“Thank you,” he said quietly.
Ren stared at him.
“What the hell are you thanking me for?
Did you have some kind of weird fetish?” He leaned closer with open suspicion.
“Does getting beaten feel good to you?
Does the pain send such intense signals through your nerves that your spinal cord lights up before your brain rewards you with some kind of full-body rush?” Ebisu understood none of that, but he knew it could not have been anything kind.
He simply extended his fingers and formed the Seal of Reconciliation with Ren.
After Ebisu returned to the other students, Instructor Yamano called him aside.
Since Ebisu was the department head’s son and still looked thoroughly miserable, Yamano decided to give him a little extra attention.
“Ebisu, have you noticed something?” “Huh?
What is it, Instructor?” “Outside the students from major shinobi clans, you’re now the strongest person in our class.
I’m also giving you the Most Improved Student award at the end of the semester!” “The Most Improved Student?” Ebisu looked completely baffled.
Him?
After everything that had happened, he had somehow improved the most?
“That’s right.
Your physical abilities have increased considerably, and during that last match, you broke through one of your body’s limits without even realizing it.” Ebisu raised his hand and examined his fist and forearm.
At some point, clear lines of muscle had begun to form along his small arm.
The strength in his body gave him a satisfying sense of control.
It felt good.
‘Am I really the most improved student in the class?’ “And there’s something even more important than your physical progress,” Yamano continued.
“What?” Ebisu looked at him expectantly.
An outside observer could often see things more clearly.
Ebisu honestly had no idea how much he had improved, since every challenge against Ren ended with him being beaten into the ground.
Ren abused him emotionally and physically.
It was difficult to measure progress when every match felt like a public execution.
“Your punches have become vicious,” Yamano explained.
“Think back to the beginning of the semester.
Your taijutsu movements were technically correct, and it was obvious you had practiced hard, but there was no real intent behind them.” “That is the weakness of relying too heavily on fundamentals, just as Ren constantly mocked you for doing.
They can become too clean and predictable.” His expression turned serious.
“Simple techniques can still kill.
Once you added aggression and intent, your fundamentals finally became useful in an actual fight.
“Whenever Ren provoked you and made you furious, your strikes became sharper and more ruthless.
That is a very good thing.” Yamano glanced toward the rest of the class.
“Look at these students.
Who knows how long it will take them to understand that shinobi training isn’t a harmless game between kittens?” “You’re practicing these techniques because one day, you may have to kill someone.” Ebisu listened silently.
“Your father should probably be the one explaining this,” Yamano added.
“But I assume he’s been busy lately and you haven’t seen much of him.
I wanted to help you understand what just happened before the feeling faded and you forgot something valuable.” Ebisu nodded repeatedly.
His father had indeed been busy.
He spent nearly every day at the Sarutobi compound.
Ebisu glanced toward Asuma and wondered whether he would truly be able to defeat Ren.
…
Among the other students, a boy with a dark hair tied into a spiky ponytail let out a long sigh.
Akimichi Takashi, who stood beside him, looked over.
“Why are you sighing again, Saku?” Saku’s eyelids drooped with exhaustion.
“Ebisu has obviously been protecting Asuma, but he’s reached his limit.
“The Ino–Shika–Chō clans have served alongside the Sarutobi clan for generations.
We can’t exactly stand around and do nothing.” He sighed again.
“This is such a pain.
At this point, pretending we haven’t noticed would be way too obvious.” Takashi blinked.
“What?
Ebisu was protecting Asuma?
How was I supposed to know that?” “Just eat your roasted chestnuts and stop talking damnit!” Takashi obediently ate more than a dozen chestnuts before Saku spoke again.
“Takashi, we’ll leave things alone for the rest of this semester.
But next semester, you, me, and Ichigo will have to take some responsibility.
Otherwise, the adults in our clans are going to lecture us.” “What responsibility?” “Protecting Asuma of course.
We need to keep that annoying Uchiha from harassing him.” “Oh.”