Chapter 3: The Crushing Weight of Boredom
While the drifting soul named Liumu hadn't inherited the usual tragic backstories of other transmigration protagonists, his personal circumstances in this new life were textbook.
His parents died when he was young. He had no relatives or close friends. Aside from the moderately-sized, somewhat worn family mansion that had been his home for the past five years, nothing of value was left to him.
The tuition for the Ninja Academy and his daily living expenses were barely covered by the basic subsistence allowance provided by the village to orphans of shinobi.
But now... everything was different.
After returning home, Liumu took a long, refreshing cold shower. He then flopped onto his bed wearing nothing but a pair of shorts.
His excitement palpable, Liumu closed his eyes and focused his mind, urgently seeking out the 'Ultimate Template System' within his consciousness.
He remembered clearly: when the system awakened, it had mentioned something called a 'Temporal Training Chamber' in addition to the Destiny Roulette used for the initial draw.
"A Temporal Training Chamber? Doesn't sound all that impressive at first," Liumu muttered to himself.
Within the sea of his consciousness, he located a structure with the words "Temporal Chamber" inscribed above its entrance. Floating nearby was a panel of system text explaining its functions.
After reading it once, Liumu's eyes shot open. He sat bolt upright on his bed, shock coursing through him.
"This... this is completely broken!"
According to the system's instructions, the Temporal Chamber was similar to space-time ninjutsu from the Naruto world, but not precisely the same. Inside the chamber, time in the outside world was completely frozen. No matter how long Liumu spent inside, he would return to the exact moment he left.
Furthermore, if the host faced a life-threatening situation outside, they could instantly escape into the Temporal Chamber. This space was completely isolated and could not be interfered with by any other space-time ninjutsu.
"Seems like a wasted feature," Liumu scoffed internally. "Who in this world could possibly pose a life-threatening danger to me now that I have Saitama-sensei's template?"
Still, he read on. The introduction stated that besides himself, Liumu could also bring other people into the chamber.
"Now that's a user-friendly feature! But..."
There was a catch. Opening the Temporal Chamber required Liumu, as the host, to complete tasks assigned by the system at any given time. Only the rewards from these tasks would grant him the 'keys' needed for entry.
Thinking it over, Liumu realized that in Konoha Year 42, with things relatively peaceful for now, he probably wouldn't need this function for a while. As for the time-freezing aspect, he thought it could be useful for training. He could learn a ninjutsu outside, then enter the chamber to practice it to perfection. Upon exiting, it would give others the illusion he was a genius who mastered things instantly.
"Hehehe…" Liumu chuckled to himself, scratching his bald head. "Why do I feel a bit vain thinking like this?"
...
...
...
Early Morning.
Liumu stood in his bathroom, eyes heavy with sleep, weakly brushing his teeth. Last night, in his eagerness to explore every function of the system, he had stayed up until five in the morning before finally collapsing into sleep.
A mere two hours of rest left his head feeling like it was filled with lead.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Suddenly, urgent knocking echoed from his front door.
"Huh?"
Liumu turned, toothbrush in mouth, perplexed. Who could be visiting so early? With this question in mind, he shuffled to the door and opened it.
"Wha… how are you here?"
The person standing there was none other than Might Guy, his sparring partner from the previous day. He bore none of yesterday's dejection. Instead, after a night's rest, he greeted Liumu with a face full of boundless vitality.
"Yo, Liumu! I've come to walk to school with you!"
"Now?" Liumu glanced back at the clock on his wall. "There's still an hour left. Why are you so early?" He was utterly speechless.
Instead of answering directly, Might Guy suddenly flipped over in front of Liumu, planting his hands firmly on the ground in a perfect handstand.
"So, I wanted to challenge you to a race!" Guy declared, his voice slightly strained but enthusiastic. "Let's see who can reach the Academy first… while maintaining a handstand the entire way!"
Liumu: "…"
He's insane. There's definitely something wrong with this kid's brain.
What are legs for, if not for walking? Since we have legs, why risk getting dizzy and blood rushing to our heads by walking on our hands?
...
...
...
In the kitchen, Liumu skillfully fried a couple of eggs for his breakfast. Might Guy, whom he had reluctantly invited inside, was currently observing Liumu's sparsely furnished living room with a blank curiosity.
After a long silence, Guy suddenly spoke up. "Liumu… where are your parents?"
Liumu heard the question but didn't answer, continuing to focus on his task at the stove.
Perhaps sensing he had touched a nerve, Guy abruptly stopped talking. He stood awkwardly behind Liumu, his earlier energy deflating. "I… I'm sorry," he stammered. "I didn't know…"
"It's just a fact. No need to apologize." Liumu's voice was flat as he turned around, plate in hand. "Want some?"
Seeing that Liumu didn't seem outwardly upset, Guy slowly shook his head.
Back at the small dining table, Liumu ate his omelet. Without looking up, he said to Guy, who was fidgeting beside him, "You came to find me so suddenly today. Is it because you still want me to be your teacher?"
Guy was visibly startled. He shot to his feet. "How did you know what I was plann—" He cut himself off, realizing he'd spoken without thinking, and took a reflexive step back.
"It's not hard to guess," Liumu said, finally taking a bite. "We barely interacted before yesterday. You showing up at my house this morning, combined with what happened… it's pretty obvious."
He set his chopsticks down and looked directly at Guy, his expression serious. "But we're the same age. We're classmates. I won't agree to be your teacher."
"Is there… no other way?" Guy didn't give up. He leaned forward, grabbing Liumu's arm with both hands.
Liumu, familiar with the drive of the future "Blue Beast of Konoha," looked at the boy desperately seeking strength before him. He sighed internally but shook his head. "I can't be your teacher. But…" he paused, "I can give you advice on things you want to know."
"I just want to know how you trained!" Guy blurted out, his eyes burning with intensity. "How did you get so strong?! Even Kakashi said yesterday that if the two of us fought you together, we wouldn't stand a chance!"
A faint smile touched Liumu's lips. He hadn't expected Kakashi to rate him so highly. After all, he had only gotten slightly serious yesterday, using perhaps not even one ten-millionth of the Saitama template's power.
But then again, what is one ten-millionth of infinity?
The answer is simple: it's still infinity.
"You really want to know?" Liumu asked, his gaze steady.
"More than anything!"
"I must warn you first," Liumu said, his tone grave. "My training method… is exceptionally cruel."
"That's perfectly fine!" Guy replied instantly, his eyes shining like polished stones.
"Then listen carefully." Liumu leaned in, his voice dropping to a solemn, almost mythic whisper. "What I am about to reveal is the most brutal, most demanding training regimen in all the world!"
Might Guy waited with bated breath, quivering with anticipation. He even instantly produced a notebook and pencil from his schoolbag, ready to transcribe the sacred wisdom.
"The most important thing is persistence! You must never skip a single day! I trained like this for three years to achieve the ultimate secret of my current strength!"
"Yes!" Guy nodded vigorously, pencil poised.
"One hundred push-ups!"
Guy: "…Huh?"
"One hundred sit-ups!"
Guy: "…Huh??"
"One hundred squats!"
Guy: "…Huh???"
"And finish with a ten-kilometer run! Complete this set every single day!" Liumu finished with a flourish, staring intently into Guy's now utterly bewildered and doubtful eyes. He asked with an air of profound, earnest concern, "Well… did you get all that?"
(End of Chapter)
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