Bang!
Bang!
Bang!
On the training ground, two black figures constantly crossed paths, bursts of impact echoing through the air.
But ordinary people couldn’t see their movements clearly at all.
They could only see two afterimages flashing back and forth.
With chakra enhancement, shinobi possessed strength and speed far beyond the limits of ordinary humans.
This was also why shinobi held such a special position in this world.
Even a Genin could easily deal with a large group of muscular men armed with weapons and wearing armor.
Compared with their first encounter, Kuroda Ren’s mastery of Konoha-Style Taijutsu had improved tremendously.
His ability to read the timing of attacks and seize opportunities during battle had also advanced by more than one level.
In fact, with both sides restricted to taijutsu alone, he could now barely fight on equal terms with Umino Ikkaku, an experienced Chūnin.
But only barely.
After more than a hundred exchanges, Umino Ikkaku finally seized an opening.
He knocked the wooden kunai from Kuroda Ren’s hand, trapped Ren’s arm with one hand, and pressed the kunai against his neck with the other.
“I lost again.”
Kuroda Ren showed little emotional reaction.
After three weekends and countless “sparring matches,” he hadn’t won even once.
He was already used to it.
However, through his battles with Umino Ikkaku, Kuroda Ren could clearly feel his own growth.
“You’re already very impressive.”
Umino Ikkaku encouraged him.
“Judging purely by taijutsu, ordinary Chūnin are no longer your match.”
“To be able to reach this level at your age, you’re no worse than White Fang was back then.”
“I have to thank you for your guidance, Senior.”
Kuroda Ren was genuinely grateful.
If Umino Ikkaku had merely acted as a sparring partner without carefully pointing out every detail that needed attention and personally designing a detailed training plan for him, Kuroda Ren’s improvement would never have been this fast.
For a little over thirty thousand ryo in payment—and with the village taking a portion as its commission—Umino Ikkaku had gone far beyond what could normally be expected from a hired sparring partner.
“I’m glad I could help.”
Umino Ikkaku smiled.
“You said tomorrow is your monthly examination, right?”
“That’s enough for today.
Get a good rest and make sure you’re in top condition.”
“I hope you get a result you’re happy with.” You are reading on g.com, the official source.
“This is the mission completion certificate.”
Kuroda Ren took out the mission completion certificate he had signed in advance and handed it to Umino Ikkaku.
He bowed sincerely.
“Senior, thank you very much for all your help during this time.”
As long as Umino Ikkaku had this mission completion certificate, he could confirm that the mission had been completed and receive the payment Kuroda Ren had deposited in advance at the mission hall.
Of course, the village would still take a certain percentage as its commission.
Only the remainder would belong to Umino Ikkaku.
“Although the mission is over, as long as I’m on leave, you can come find me whenever you want to continue training.”
Umino Ikkaku accepted the completion certificate with a smile.
“Besides Konoha-Style Taijutsu, I also have some experience with shuriken.”
“Being able to help a genius is an honor for me.”
After spending so much time together, Umino Ikkaku had already come to regard Kuroda Ren as a genius on the same level as Hatake Sakumo and the Three Legendary Sannin.
The reason he had devoted himself so wholeheartedly to Ren’s training was partly because of his naturally warm personality, but there was also an element of “investing” in Ren’s future.
“Ikkaku!”
A voice came from a distance.
Three shinobi wearing green flak jackets were approaching.
“My teammates are here.”
Umino Ikkaku glanced over before turning to Kuroda Ren.
“We have a mission tomorrow, so we have to set off today.”
“Then I’ll take my leave first.”
“I hope you get the result you’re looking for in tomorrow’s examination.”
“Goodbye, Senior.”
Kuroda Ren watched Umino Ikkaku leave.
Of the three shinobi, there was a woman whom Kuroda Ren vaguely recognized.
She looked somewhat similar to the female shinobi who appeared in the original story’s flashback concerning Iruka’s parents’ deaths.
She was very likely Iruka’s mother.
Her name seemed to be Umino Kohari?
Kuroda Ren guessed that she had taken her husband’s surname after marrying Umino Ikkaku.
The culture of the shinobi world was quite similar to that of the “Land of the Rising Sun” from his previous life, and some families still retained this tradition.
At this point in time, the two of them should already be married.
Judging by their ages, Iruka should probably be born within the next two years.
Kuroda Ren shook his head and didn’t think about it any further.
He glanced toward another corner of the training ground, where Hatake Kakashi and Hatake Sakumo were practicing swordsmanship against each other.
Then he packed up his things and left the training ground. This chapter was taken from g.com without permission.
When Kuroda Ren returned home and entered his apartment building, the building manager called out to him.
“This is for you from the village.”
The manager handed Kuroda Ren an envelope.
“Next month’s living allowance has arrived.”
“Thank you, Uncle.”
Kuroda Ren sincerely thanked him, took the envelope, opened it, and counted the money in front of him.
A total of eight thousand ryo.
There was also a bill inside the envelope for that month’s water, electricity, and gas expenses.
The apartments in Konoha didn’t charge “war hero orphans” like Kuroda Ren any rent.
However, utilities such as water and electricity still had to be paid.
This month’s bill was a little over five hundred ryo, roughly the same as usual.
Kuroda Ren counted out several bills and handed them to the manager.
“Uncle, here’s this month’s utility payment.”
“The amount is correct.
Here’s your receipt.”
After counting the money, the manager issued Kuroda Ren a receipt and smiled.
“There’s an exam at the Ninja Academy tomorrow, right?”
“Good luck!”
Quite a few children who had lost their parents were living in the apartment building, and many of them had entered the Ninja Academy.
The manager had been keeping an eye on these children for a long time, so he naturally knew quite a bit about what was happening at the school.
“Thank you, Uncle.”
Kuroda Ren smiled and said goodbye to the manager before returning home.
“Another thirty thousand-plus ryo.”
“This amount of money can last me a long time for ordinary daily expenses, but maintaining high-intensity training means my expenses are going to increase considerably…”
Kuroda Ren looked troubled.
After several weeks of experience, he had confirmed that following the high-intensity training plan designed by Umino Ikkaku required a significant increase in his food expenses.
Simply maintaining a high-quality protein intake meant spending an additional two to three thousand ryo every month.
This had made Kuroda Ren’s already poor financial situation even worse.
“Forget it.”
“I still have enough money to last for a while.
I’ll think about it after the exam.”
Kuroda Ren forced himself to stop worrying about it.
After having a simple dinner and preparing tomorrow’s boxed lunch in advance, he went to bed early.