For the next several weeks, Kenji focused heavily on taijutsu training.
The limbs functioned perfectly from a technical standpoint. All the mechanisms worked, the chakra channels were properly integrated, and the hollow bone structure maintained its integrity. But there was still a problem.
His body hadn't adapted yet.
The new limbs felt slightly foreign, like wearing gloves that didn't quite fit right. The weight distribution was different from his old puppet prosthetics. His muscle memory was calibrated for different tolerances and responses. Every movement required conscious adjustment instead of flowing naturally.
He needed to retrain his entire fighting style.
Which is why he found himself standing in Training Ground No. 3 at dawn, watching Guy do one-armed push-ups while shouting about the power of youth.
"Kenji! You have made an excellent decision!" Guy bounced to his feet the moment he noticed his arrival, his smile so bright it was almost painful to look at. "Taijutsu is the foundation of all shinobi arts! And I am honored to help you reach new heights of youthful vigor!"
"I appreciate the help. I just need guidance on adapting to my new limbs. The basics should be fine."
"Nonsense! There are no 'basics' in taijutsu! Every punch, every kick, every movement must be perfect! And to achieve perfection, you must embrace the flames of youth!"
Guy struck a dramatic pose, one fist raised to the sky.
"Also, I have prepared a gift for you!" He pulled out a neatly folded green jumpsuit from seemingly nowhere and held it out with reverence. "The symbol of true dedication! Wear this, and your training will reach new levels!"
Kenji looked at the green monstrosity.
"I'm going to politely decline."
"But—"
"The offer is appreciated. But I'll stick with my regular training clothes."
Guy's face fell for approximately half a second before his enthusiasm returned at full force. "Very well! Not everyone is ready to embrace the green beast within! But the offer stands for when you change your mind!"
He reached into his pouch and pulled out several scrolls instead.
"These contain my personal taijutsu training methods! Start with the fundamentals and work your way up! Remember, proper form is more important than speed or power! Build the foundation first, then increase intensity!"
Kenji accepted the scrolls and tucked them away. "Thanks. This is exactly what I needed."
"Then let us begin immediately! One thousand punches to start! Focus on the mechanics of each strike!"
What followed was several hours of conditioning.
Guy didn't go easy on him. Every movement was scrutinized and corrected. Over and over, he demonstrated the proper form and made Kenji repeat it until his muscles burned.
The regenerated limbs protested the abuse. The hollow bone structure was lighter than normal bone, which threw off his balance in ways he hadn't anticipated. The internal mechanisms shifted slightly during rapid movements, creating friction he needed to compensate for.
But slowly, his body began adapting.
By the end of the first week, his strikes felt more natural. The second week, he could move through basic kata without conscious thought. The third week, he started incorporating the hidden weapons into his fighting style, learning to extend claws mid-strike or launch wire during retreats.
---
Meanwhile, in another part of Konoha, Minato was pushing his own limits.
The Rasengan variant he'd developed was powerful. But it had limitations.
The suction and sealing components required specific conditions to function properly. Against fast-moving opponents or in chaotic battlefields, setting up those conditions wasn't always possible. What he needed was something simpler. Something purely destructive that would work in any situation.
He stood in an isolated training ground, one hand extended with a Rasengan spinning in his palm. The familiar blue sphere rotated smoothly.
This was the foundation.
He began channeling wind chakra into the sphere, but not the way he did for the Rasengan Inspired Spiral Sphere Jiraiya-Sensei Wind Style Ball.
The Rasengan's rotation stuttered. The compression destabilized. Microscopic wind blades formed along the surface and immediately began tearing the technique apart from the inside.
He released it before it could explode in his face.
"Still too aggressive," he muttered.
He'd been attempting this for two days now.
The concept was simple. Use wind nature to turn the Rasengan's rotation into thousands of microscopic cutting edges. The execution, however, was far more difficult than he had expected.
The problem was balance. Insufficient wind chakra produced no effect, while excess destabilized the technique entirely. Finding the precise middle ground while maintaining both rotation and compression demanded a level of control few could achieve.
He formed another Rasengan and tried a different approach. This time, instead of flooding the entire sphere with wind chakra, he tried introducing it gradually along the outer layer where the rotation was most intense.
The technique held together for five seconds before collapsing.
Minato smiled and kept working.
---
While Kenji trained his body and Minato refined his jutsu, in the Uchiha compound, Izumi was excitedly packing her things.
She grabbed a stack of scrolls and supplies and stuffed them into her pack for a month-long training trip with Homura. Apparently, he had some kind of gift prepared to celebrate her promotion to jonin. She had been badgering him about it for days, but he refused to give any hints.
"I'm ready!" she called, slinging her pack over her shoulder as she hurried toward the door. "Let's go!"
Homura stood waiting in the main room. His eyes tracked her approach without any visible reaction to her enthusiasm.
"Alright," he said simply.
He turned to Hazuki, who was watching from the kitchen doorway. "We'll probably be back in about a month. Don't worry, we'll be near the training grounds outside Konoha."
Hazuki nodded. "I'll be waiting. Stay safe, both of you."
She added as she looked at her daughter, "Do your best, Izumi. Take the training seriously."
"I know, Mom!" Izumi waved, then immediately started pushing Homura toward the door. "Come on, let's go already!"
Homura raised his hand in farewell to Hazuki as they stepped outside.
The morning air was cool and pleasant. Konoha's streets were just starting to fill with early risers heading to work or market. Izumi fell into step beside Homura.
"So what are we training this time?" she asked, walking backward so she could look at him while they moved. "Is it some kind of advanced genjutsu? Or maybe a new taijutsu style?"
"It's a secret," Homura replied. "I'll tell you when we get there."
"That's not fair!" Izumi spun back around, crossing her arms. "You said this was a gift for my promotion, but you won't even tell me what it is."
She lasted maybe three minutes before turning around again.
"Is it some kind of powerful technique? Why do we need to go all the way outside Konoha? There are training grounds inside the village. Even private ones in the clan compound."
Homura stopped walking and looked at her.
"Come here. Give me your hand."
Izumi's eyes lit up. She immediately understood what that meant. She hurried over and extended her hand.
Homura grasped it, his mind reaching out to sense the Flying Thunder God markers he'd placed throughout the area. He found one near Training Ground No. 8.
The world lurched, and suddenly they were surrounded by towering trees and dense forest. Izumi blinked several times, adjusting to the change in scenery.
"Where are we?"
"Outside Konoha, near Training Ground No. 8," Homura answered. He took a moment to orient himself, then leaped up onto a thick tree branch. "Follow me."
He started moving through the forest at speed.
Izumi suppressed her confusion and caught up quickly. The three tomoe in each eye spun as she tracked Homura's movements through the branches.
"Your Flying Thunder God is so convenient," she said, keeping pace beside him. "Are you sure there's no trick to learning it?"
She had tried to learn it before. In fact, she had begged Homura to teach her. But no matter how hard she trained, she couldn't even complete the first step. The spatial manipulation it required was completely beyond her.
"With your talent for ninjutsu, you should stick to being a taijutsu specialist," Homura said bluntly. "Ninjutsu-type fighting isn't suited for you."
Izumi's eye twitched.
It was true, which made it worse. Aside from the basic Academy techniques, the only real ninjutsu she could perform reliably was Fire Release: Great Fireball.
Everything else? Taijutsu.
Her close combat abilities were excellent. Combined with the enhanced perception from her Sharingan, she'd managed to reach jonin rank through pure physical combat prowess. But it wasn't what she'd imagined for herself when she was younger.
"I want to be a cool long-range fighter... Not a close-combat brute."
"Work with what you have," Homura said without sympathy.
They traveled in silence for several more minutes before Homura stopped in front of an especially massive tree. The trunk had to be at least five meters in diameter.
He placed his hand against the bark.
Chakra flowed from his palm into the wood. There was a series of creaking sounds as the tree responded to his command, the trunk splitting open to reveal a hollow entrance just large enough for a person to enter.
Izumi stared with her mouth open.
"What..."
"Don't just stand there," Homura said, already stepping inside. "Come on."
She followed him into the tree hollow. Behind her, the entrance sealed itself. But the interior didn't go dark. Electric lights had been installed along a descending passage, providing steady illumination.
"This is a secret base I built for researching the Sharingan," Homura explained as they walked. "If you're interested, I'll give you the location coordinates and the mechanism for opening the entrance later."
"Really? Yeah, I'll take it."
The passage led downward for maybe fifty meters before opening into a circular chamber. Three additional doors lined the walls, each one marked with the Uchiha clan fan symbol.
Izumi looked around. "So what are we doing here? What's this gift you mentioned?"
Homura walked toward the door directly opposite the entrance and opened it.
Inside was a room filled with equipment Izumi couldn't identify. Medical monitoring devices, storage containers with preserved specimens, and research notes covering every available surface. It looked like something between a laboratory and a medical facility.
He stood in the center of the room and turned to face her.
"The ultimate power of the Sharingan."
Izumi froze.
The color drained from her face. Her hands clenched into fists at her sides.
"The... Mangekyō Sharingan? But you said before that the only way to awaken it was to kill someone close to you."
She looked at Homura standing calmly in the middle of the research room.
"I don't need that kind of power."