As time passed quickly, 2 days went by in the blink of an eye. With exceptional hearing, Yoichi could pay attention to the faint sounds of footsteps coming in his direction.
In these few lonely days, Yoichi acquired the 75th point in his Martial Arts Proficiency, a tremendous accumulation in seclusion.
Furthermore, he was nearly to his goal of achieving Great Success in Heavenly Demon Posture as it was the best way to break through in the first realm of Martial Arts, Skin Refining Stage.
According to Martial Ancestor's Notes, the Three Mortal Realms were simply equated to a Genin. However, once the Martial Artists achieve Innate Realm, an individual greatly skyrockets into a Jōnin Shinobi.
First of all, Skin Refining could toughen the skin like an impenetrable wall but it's not so much since any Genin could block or dodge shuriken and kunai.
Secondly, Muscle Tempering meant huge bursts of strength and agility yet it was nothing compared to Body Flicker and Three Basic Techniques.
Lastly, Bone Forging was fortifying the bones and could match up against a Chūnin. However, the skill set of a Chūnin was filled with D-Rank and C-Rank Techniques, sufficient to beat a Martial Artist.
The keyword was ordinary versus an ordinary. Still, Yoichi has a system and uniquely different than a normal Martial Artist. As long as he was diligent and didn't stray too far from his goals, everything would be fine.
"I will definitely miss this place... It gave me so much time to cultivate with little distractions..."
Hearing the footsteps closing in, Yoichi readied himself.
Every good thing must come to an end.
"Yoichi, get out. It's time to leave." A familiar voice rang out as the door gradually opened, revealing a silhouette basked in radiant light.
"Isamu-sama!" As he slowly recovered from visual overload, Yoichi got out of the room and took a deep breath.
Seeing Yoichi's vibrant condition, Isamu was surprised. A 4-year-old child like Yoichi surviving in this room with minimal light was astonishing.
"...Thank you! Thank god I am finally free from this place. I swear I won't try to do any wrong from now on, sir. Thank you so much!"
On the other hand, Gorou was pallid and looked emotionally unstable. Seeing the difference, Isamu sighed and said, "How are you?"
"I'm totally fine, Sir Isamu. I am now much calmer than usual, thanks to you!" Hearing Yoichi's response, Isamu gradually understood Hayate's comment on the unique minds of a genius.
"Now that you are free, you must try to improve in one month to survive." Isamu walked while Yoichi followed him with curiosity in his mind.
"Initially, the plan should be completed in six months. However, due to the brilliant minds of other subordinates behind Hanzō-sama, the plan was finalized and ready to be executed in one month."
"Tell this to your friends and practice harder. I just don't want you to become a source of Hayate-sama's embarrassment in these trials, okay?"
After Isamu continued, Yoichi was alarmed by the shocking revelation. It was a tiny clue yet his thoughts were floating, contemplating deeply on the news given to him.
"Go on, I need to patrol for some time."
As they reached the cafeteria, Isamu looked at Yoichi and sighed. He read the information about the plan and felt like Yoichi was up to the task. Still, the future wasn't certain so he hoped that Yoichi wouldn't fail Hayate's expectations.
"... Please, tell my gratitude to Hayate-sama for giving such confidential information. Thank you so much!" After giving his appreciation, Yoichi departed as Isamu sighed and went to work.
'Looks like something has been going on for the past 2 days... Trials? Hanzō? Plan? I don't know what will happen but all the children will definitely be involved in these trials. For now, I need to relay this to Genji and others...'
After walking straight into the cafeteria, Yoichi noticed his friends waiting for him.
"Yoichi! Thank god you are fine!"
"Yoichi-kun, welcome back!"
"Nice, I thought it would be bad for you to be there. I'm glad you are alright."
Seeing their enthusiasm made Yoichi slightly embarrassed. Although the camaraderie between them wasn't that deep, their care and love were enough for him to reciprocate these good feelings of friendship.
"What happened to you all? Did Masaru and his gang make a move?"
Looking at their injuries, Yoichi narrowed his eyes as the pressure exuded felt like a ravenous beast.
"You guessed it right! But no worries, we handled it pretty much easily."
Hearing Genji's explanation, Yoichi went back into his usual self and sighed in relief. Currently, there is a task at hand that needs to be urgently addressed as soon as possible.
"Ah, never mind. For now, I need to tell you all this so be quiet about this, alright?"
The three pairs of ears perked up, patiently waiting for Yoichi's words.
...
"What?! Is that real? Where did you get that?!"
Later, Sabito went ballistic after he heard Yoichi's disclosure of news as Genji and Hikari grew solemn.
"It's completely verified. I got it from Isamu-sama himself so don't doubt it." Yoichi calmly replied.
"Then, what should we do? Can we able to finish these trials?" With panic in his mind, Sabito clutched his head.
"What's wrong with you, Sabito?" Genji and Hikari were bewildered, asking their friend.
'Looks like pressure began to build up in his head. After all, they are children with fragile minds and bodies. Who could have guessed that he could succumb to such mental pressure?'
"Calm down, we still don't know what the trials are. All we need to do is improve further than any children here." Yoichi patted Sabito's shoulder, consoling his mentally exhausted friend.
"Have faith in yourself! Look at us, we survived in those circumstances without any outside help! Be proud of your skills and instincts!" Genji added, bringing an optimistic light.
Hikari nodded continuously in acknowledgment.
'They are right, I need to survive for myself! To my future potential and dream!'
After taking a deep breath, Sabito slightly calmed down and said, "I'm so sorry guys. I'm so lost that I didn't know I had you, my friends by my side."
Genji and Hikari felt their heartstrings tugged by Sabito's display of weakness while Yoichi cringed before nodding in approval.
"It's not a problem, Sabito. Anyway, let's eat first before tackling the problem at hand. I'm so hungry being caged in that room."
Subsequently, Yoichi left while the rest hurried and followed him.
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(Current Progress)
[Heavenly Demon Posture: (Entry) 75/100]
[Goredrinker: 30/100]
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Now, it's the training arc. It will be only two or three chapters depending on how I describe the details. After that is the Plan Arc which is lengthy and has a time of 2 years before the Konoha Arc.
Thanks for reading the chapters and collecting the novel. See ya! XDD!