"Everyone, assemble!"
At the sound of Iruka-sensei's whistle, the students who were still playing around reluctantly gathered at the playground. Iruka-sensei looked around to confirm no one was missing, then looked at the attendance roster and said:
"Today's physical education class is simple: run 50 laps around the playground. If anyone can't finish within the stipulated time, you'll stay for extra training this weekend!"
Iruka-sensei looked at everyone expressionlessly.
"Huh?! 50 laps?"
"Give me a break..."
"Dammit, I hate long-distance running the most!"
A chorus of groans immediately erupted from the crowd. Inuzuka Kiba gave a contemptuous smile at this.
"Just this? Even Akamaru could easily finish this distance, right Akamaru?"
"Woof!"
Akimichi Choji had a worried face, "Shikamaru, what should we do..."
Nara Shikamaru yawned listlessly: "Sigh, what a drag. Let's just finish and go to sleep."
Uchiha Sasuke looked cool, hands in his pockets, expressionless. If he couldn't even complete a warm-up of this level, when would he ever be able to seek revenge on that man? A group of girls screamed from the side, "Sasuke-kun is so handsome!"
Naruto pushed the glasses on the bridge of his nose and adjusted his stance. If it were before, this level of long-distance running might have given him a slight headache. But now... Naruto first took a deep breath, then began to adjust his breathing, his chest rising and falling slightly according to a specific rhythm.
"This is a good chance to test the results of this week's training."
[Breathing Technique Proficiency (65/1000)]
Although he still hadn't reached the level of Total Concentration, he had recently discovered that his aerobic capacity had improved amazingly.
"I need to hide myself... can't stand out too much. Keeping my level at upper-middle is fine."
Naruto suppressed the urge to try his best and kept telling himself to keep a low profile.
"Ready—Go!"
With the command, more than thirty students rushed out in a mess, like ducks being driven out after being released from a pen. For the first few laps, everyone could still barely maintain the formation. Inuzuka Kiba led Akamaru in the first group, wanting to compete with Sasuke.
"Hehehe, Sasuke, I'm in great form today, I definitely won't lose to you!"
Inuzuka Kiba turned back provocatively. Sasuke snorted, suddenly accelerated, instantly widening the gap, responding to Kiba's provocation with his back. As the number of laps increased, the line stretched longer and longer. Those with poor stamina began to fall behind, and Nara Shikamaru started his periodic slacking off again.
The playground was filled with heavy breathing and footsteps. Naruto blended into the middle of the pack, neither fast nor slow. Under the effect of "Aizen's Black-Framed Glasses," few people noticed him lately—except for Hinata, who was always watching him. He was like a ghost, and unknowingly, he even developed a tendency toward becoming invisible similar to Aburame Shino.
His pace and breathing maintained the same frequency. That special breathing rhythm allowed a large amount of oxygen to be continuously converted into kinetic energy. Even after running 20 laps, his face wasn't red and he wasn't out of breath. Even the newly bought dark blue clothes on his body weren't soaked with sweat. He looked as relaxed as if he were taking a leisurely stroll in the park.
By the thirtieth lap, Inuzuka Kiba had already started panting heavily. He had just been competing with Uchiha Sasuke and accidentally broke his rhythm, and now he felt exhausted. But he still wasn't worried, because in the class, at least in terms of stamina, the only one who could steadily beat him was Uchiha Sasuke.
Just then, rhythmic footsteps and breathing sounds came from behind. Inuzuka Kiba reflexively looked back, "Huff... huff... Naruto?"
He looked at the person wearing glasses in disbelief. "Huff... what's that weird sound? Like... a bellows... huff, are you exhausted?"
Because of the Breathing Technique, Naruto's breathing was indeed louder than a normal person's. Naruto turned his head, his azure eyes looking at Inuzuka Kiba through the lenses. He didn't answer, just tilted his mouth up slightly, revealing a polite smile. Maintaining the same rhythm, but putting a little more force into his steps, he easily overtook Inuzuka Kiba, leaving him behind in the dust.
"...Huh? Since when did that guy run so fast?"
The sun gradually set. Forty-five laps. At the front of the pack, beads of sweat had already covered Sasuke's forehead. This distance was also a significant challenge for him, especially since he had to maintain a leading pace.
"Hmph, the people behind must have been left far behind, right?" Sasuke thought to himself.
As a member of the Uchiha clan, he had to be first in any test. This was his pride and the capital he needed to take revenge on that man. With not much distance left, he instinctively slowed his pace, wanting to adjust his breathing. Just then, a strange sound entered his ears.
Hiss—Hoo—
Sasuke frowned and looked back. Less than two meters behind him, a dark blue figure was chasing at a steady pace not far away. It was Uzumaki Naruto. What surprised Sasuke the most wasn't that Uzumaki Naruto could catch up, but that after catching up, his expression hadn't changed much. Forget about looking pathetic; Sasuke even felt that this guy might not have shed more than a few drops of sweat.
"This guy... what's going on!"
Sasuke's inner pride made it impossible for him to accept the fact that he was being caught by the dead last. "Want to overtake? In your dreams!"
So he grit his teeth and forced himself to speed up, wanting to shake off Naruto behind him. Unfortunately, no matter how much he accelerated, the breathing sound behind him followed like a shadow, drilling into his ears. When he was fast, Naruto was fast. When he was slow, Naruto was slow. Naruto always maintained a distance of half a meter from him, neither overtaking nor falling behind.
That invisible pressure caused Sasuke's mindset to gradually lose balance, and his originally regular breathing also became disordered. "Damn it... damn it!"
Sasuke grit his teeth hard, his lungs starting to burn, and his legs felt like they were filled with lead. Yet the sound behind him remained steady. Finally, the finish line was right ahead. Sasuke used his last bit of strength and stumbled across the white line. Almost at the same time, the figure beside him also crossed the finish line.
"Huff... ha..."
Sasuke propped his hands on his knees, panting heavily, sweat dripping from his chin onto the ground. Meanwhile, Naruto slowly stopped his pace and gently pushed his glasses.
"Phew."
He let out a long breath, the airflow even creating a noticeable sound of wind. Then he took out a handkerchief and wiped the sweat from his forehead.
"I still got a bit carried away." Naruto murmured to himself and glanced at the system.
[Breathing Technique Proficiency (85/1000)]
He didn't expect that just one running exercise would increase his Breathing Technique proficiency by twenty points in one go. Before, he could only increase it by ten points a day at most. Naruto finally realized that practicing the Breathing Technique during aerobic exercise could increase proficiency faster.
Sasuke suddenly looked up, staring intently at this former dead last beside him. "Not just his image... even his physical stamina... What exactly is going on with this guy?"
Not only Sasuke, but even Iruka-sensei was greatly shocked, not to mention the other classmates who were collapsed on the ground in exhaustion. But... feeling the still abundant strength within his body, seeing Iruka-sensei's incredulous gaze and Sasuke's intense stare, an unprecedented sense of satisfaction quietly welled up in Naruto's heart.
He instinctively pushed his glasses to hide the trace of a smile at the corner of his mouth that he couldn't suppress. "This feeling of being valued by others through my own efforts... is really nice."
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