209 Focused Growth

"Keep on going~!" Kai waves his pom-pom-clad fists as he encourages child labor with a huge grin. It's all about SP. He wants it. His team is willing to help him earn it! Such kind children they all are!

Kurenai, Konan, and Shizune look at each other in dismay. Droplets of sweat roll down their eyelids and drop on the ground as they blink. Their hair, especially Kurenai's, feels annoying as it would stick to their sweaty necks. Their hands continue to impale wooden planks into the ground as they set another perimeter of fences.

Another day, another D-Rank Mission.

To be precise— another day, another joint mission.

Team 6 and 9.

"Your teacher is a slaver!" Obito grits his teeth now that his wrists and ankles are kissed by weights, too. Tsume merely added them to her team's curriculum after seeing exceptional kunoichi like Konan training with them.

Why should her team be any different?

"I feel alive!" Guy cheers.

"Why isn't Rin helping out in the mission?" Kurenai pouts.

"Leave her be," Konan shoots Kurenai a look, "She isn't free, is she? She is studying for her test with Nagato. I hear that Kakashi already got a passing score like us from Nagato."

"Does it matter?" Kurenai hisses, "We have to complete 4 D-ranked missions today! Four! Just because Tsume-sensei wanted to hang out with Sensei! That's just wrong!"

"That's life!" Guy exudes passion.

"That's unjust labor!" Obito agrees with Kurenai. For a moment, he looks at Shizune and firms his heart. "Shizune…"

"Hmm?" The silent but hard-working Shizune looks up.

Revealing a complicated expression, Obito admits, "I heard what Kinju said about you… Let me tell you, not all Uchiha are chuckle fucks like him."

"But most are," Konan scoffs back.

"It doesn't matter," Shizune smiles back and gets to her work with a look of focus.

"O- Oh, ok then," Obito nods.

Meanwhile, Kai looks at Tsume, who is scratching Kuromaru's ears, "Just so we are clear, I get the missions recorded to my team, and you get the earnings, alright?"

She shrugs and replies, "Doesn't matter to me, Alpha~ If you'd like, I would give you a lot more!"

Surprising Tsume and a nearby Rin, Kai shrugs, "Sure, maybe after I make sure of a few things."

"Huh?" Tsume gasps while Kuromaru's ears perk up.

"What?"

"Nothing. I didn't think I'd actually get a reply!" Tsume grins widely, "You're finally acting like an Alpha in matters other than fighting~ Mom will be happy!"

He scoffs at this and looks at Rin, "Are you sure you don't want to train with them?"

He would have forced her if she didn't wear weights on her ankles and wrists as she flipped the pages of her book. Shaking her head in response, Rin replies, "No. I want to focus on one thing and excel at it first. I will have to prepare for combat training since I need to clear the physical tests to certify as a combat medic of the team and start getting B-ranked or higher missions."

Kai looks at her for a minute before glancing back at Tsume with a quiet grin. Paying no attention to her superiors' response, Rin throws herself to her studies again.

'Shizune, Kakashi, Kurenai, and Konan— all have passed Nagato-san's more difficult test. Shizune did the best out of them. I don't want to lag behind them. Since I am good at this, pick this specialty and stick with it. Only then can I develop myself around one gimmick that makes me useful!'

The approach is what other shinobi and kunoichi adopt commonly. One specialty. And in the remaining time, they brainstorm ways to cover the weakness of said gimmick and bolster their strengths.

A substantial period has passed since Tsunade streamlined the requirements for a combat medic and enforced them in the hospital so Rin is aware of what she should focus on first.

Control.

She must commit to chakra control wholeheartedly. That is why she is standing horizontally on the surface of a tree as she reads quietly.

It is hard.

It is very challenging.

Not only does she need to divert her focus on maintaining the same consistency and output of chakra, but she also needs to focus on the text, all the while gravity makes sure she continues to feel woozy.

'Wait, the scalpel enter what part of the penile stretch?'

A moment of distraction is all it takes for her to fall with a loud thud as her book smacks down on her face.

Tsume thins her lips, but before she can bark a few words of encouragement, Kai smirks and shakes his head. Instead, as Rin pulls aside her book, Kuromaru trots to her and licks her red nose as she groans and sits up.

"It's so hard to divide my attention…" She mutters under her breath.

With a voice loud enough to let the other children hear him, Kai chuckles, "You got that right. I wouldn't suggest easy tips. My team has moved on to jogging on large onsen pools as they read their material. Boy, they fall in every five minutes or so."

"It's not easy!" Kurenai shoots her Sensei a glare. She is no longer the wide-eyed fool who worshipped him blindly.

"But you are doing great," Kai smiles back, making her scoff and return to work with no protesting grunts. Konan rolls her eyes.

'Kurenai is stupidly easy!' Yes. Konan has seen past the menace to orphans. Beyond that curtain lies an even more dangerous monster that drives children to their limits daily. That monster would do anything to make them work— coaxing, stern orders, promises of rewards, empty lies of rest— nothing is below that monster.

Konan fears what next she might reveal about her former Boss and current Sensei. Just what kind of monster is he hiding further?

{A/N: Pause.}

Rin feels no need to hear anything else, and she wipes Kuromaru's saliva off her face before returning to the task with a determined look.

"We should train like this more," Tsume mutters with an impressed look.

"No!" Obito gasps. He feels the mental turmoil should be enough to awaken his Sharingan. That's how much he dreads D-ranked missions.

Too bad for him.

Kai is going to get 8 SP today by hook or crook. That's why he demanded credit for the work to register the mission under his name.

His [Jonin Instructor] title works to actively promote the growth of whomever Kai may teach if the other party genuinely views him as one of their teachers. Else, he did not believe RIn would be making improvements this quickly.

'The same goes for them,' Kai looks at Guy and Obito. 'Especially Obito. I did not stop to think back then, but his improvement also involves the ability to awaken his Sharingan. The more he trains while asking for my pointers, the more emotional he feels.'

'Acting sappy and apologizing; feeling hungry at odd moments; chasing after Kakashi like Guy; Moaning like other red-eyed bitches when tasked with something difficult— are just a few of his traits.'

'Now I want to see what I can cook with Nagato. More clones. I need to push even further… fuck, like that's possible.'

Kai is at his mental limits. It is his grit that makes him not get distracted easily. Since he only managed his seventh clone recently, he will automatically enter a period of slow mental growth. He would be a fumbling mess like the first time he started this if not for his experience.

'Hehe~ Just chakra is not a solution to everything. As usual, the answer is to remain consistent with the grind. Something I am teaching Kushina even now!

He'd never feel frustrated by his current condition. Reaching limits means only one thing to him— an opportunity to break said limits. His stats prove it. It's the expression of his growth.

[Name: Kai

Age: 15

Title: Jonin Instructor

Gamer Traits: Skill Tree; Sleepless Gamer

Rank: Jonin

Hit Points: 100%

Stamina: 100/100% (48.1%/min)

Senjutsu/Chakra: 326161 (92345→ 93189+250%) || (3115/min) (860→ 890

+250%)

Physique: 484→ 485/1000

Mental: 559→ 567/1000

Perception: 489→ 502/1000

Water: 54.9→ 55/100%

Wind: 33/100%

Fire: 21.1→ 21.3/100%

Earth: 42.2→ 46.8/100%

Lightning: 31/100%

Yin: 40.3/100%

Yang: 40.1→ 40.4/100%]

[Skill Points: 2976→ 3050]

[Reduction of Chakra Wastage: 100%]

[Reduction of Senjutsu Chakra Wastage: 54→ 54.5%]

All this being his month's improvement, Kai is more than satisfied. If nothing else, his previous life had a limit of 100 on his stats.

The limit in this world is ten times that, and just as hard to grow after a certain point. Kai has already hypothesized that the natural limits to his growth after adopting the kekkei genkai are around 500-600 stat points.

But his issue continues to be [Physique].

With Wood Clones, Kai has a proven method to train his other two stat, but his physique has only grown by 25 points in the past few months. Granted, he hasn't focused on this stat again for a long time, but it shows how hard it is to find a trusted source to grind.

'Even Tsunade's natural strength shouldn't be beyond the 600 mark, and that's being generous. Only a few shinobi have come close to finding the most refined physical might.

The First Hokage and the Third Raikage are two of the most famous titles associated with brute force.

'Is there a way to put the body through the greatest grind ever?' Kai questions again.

'Can I bench press cities? But that would be too hard to set up. Even Tsunade does not know how her grandfather got so strong. By all accounts, he simply existed to overshadow others. He just put his mind to something and eventually peaked. As simple as that. But what about his body? Even when I used [Chimera Cursed Seal] using his cells, I felt nothing except an affinity with Mokuton. But…'

Looking at Guy, Kai's expression grows thoughtful.

'There is something I can still do.'

Similarly, the image of Cerberus resurfaces in his mind and the experiments on his Tenketsu.

'Eight Gates are too mysterious, but I don't understand something. The eight gates limit the chakra potential to 20%. So… am I still limited to 20% when I reach the limit of 1000 points in my stats?'

Kai refuses to believe things can be this simple. But he admits that his eight gates biologically and spiritually limit him. This is the kind of limit a body must have.

'Aside from completing Orochi's wet dream and studying Kyubi after I finish my wooden grind, I will research the eight gates. Fukushu is interesting without a doubt, but eight gates take priority for me. I think, for Orochi, it should be the opposite. She is more interested in marvels of jutsu like Fukushu.'

The thought provokes his desire to gain a byakugan. Replicating it would need to be pushed back. With so many more important tasks, Kai has to streamline his goals.

'Tch, war is only good for more SP… I would have spent my SP on the current five techniques if I wasn't so close to completing them. A week, at most!'

He buries his impatient thoughts and directs others before starting his spar with Tsume as their teams would be slaving for the entire day.

— — —

"Hmm, very good. All of you are progressing at a commendable pace."

Hiruzen hides his recent worries and regards the two weary teams with a kind smile. The current situation has not been kind to him. His wrinkles have deepened in a matter of days, and the gray in his hair is getting paler.

Team 6 and 9 brighten visibly at the praise and grin broadly while the old Kage nods at Kai and Tsume, who have already reported the completion of the missions.

With the formalities finished and nothing more to talk about, Hiruzen dismisses others but lets Kai stay since the youth had raised his desire for a personal audience. Before Kai could begin, Hiruzen signals him to stop and tosses a scroll in his direction.

'Write your concerns if they are truly important.' Hiruzen gestures. 'If else, you may speak. But do converse casually while you write.'

Doing this may clue Kai in about the situation he is facing but Hiruzen pays it no mind. Kai is his most appreciated candidate for a successor and has earned his trust through his work ethic.

Kai speaks with a broad smile as he starts drawing loosely on the scroll with swift strokes.

"I think, I am one step closer to my dream of Harem, Lord Third. I had a very successful date with Kushina."

Hiruzen rolls his tired eyes and shakes his head.

"Did you know that the Uzumaki doesn't tire easily? I dread the day if I accidentally hooked another Uzumaki."

As he talks, Kai hands the scroll back.

"I guess Minato shares this taste for a reason. I always wondered how he fared with that redhead, but now Minato has my undying respect."

Both Kai and Hiruzen chuckle.

Meanwhile, Hiruzen read the scroll.

— I am prepared for the peace mission with Uzushiogakure. If possible, let Kushina and Minato join. Kushina has gotten better control of her strength, and her seal does not leak any of Kyubi's chakra. I modified a bit of seal from the knowledge Mito-sama left Kushina. As for Minato, his skills in Fuin are next to my own, and Kushina's. While we cannot divulge her clan secrets, if he is present to witness the seals used by Uzu then it should be fine.—

Hiruzen eyes it before burning the scroll.

Nodding, Hiruzen dismisses Kai with a smile that betrays no emotion.

"I advise you again to be cautious of Kunoichi like that," he chuckles, "If you let yourself get sapped away because of this pursuit, it will be a great loss to the village."

Kai grins and nods before leaving.

As Kai takes his leave, Hiruzen quietly mulls.

If things were simple, he would have Kai prepared to leave first thing tomorrow morning but…

'The Hyuga Affair will attract trouble. I can feel it. If only I knew earlier that someone with such an infiltrative network had already taken root in the village, I would not have pushed Hiashi and Hizashi to deal with their clan's discouraging traditions. But it's too late for that. The best case scenario is to alter the seal on the branch family, safeguard the byakugan of the main family, and incorporate them into an institution of the village. The Barrier Team is a good choice. But it will hardly come to pass. Not all members of the Hyuga Clan will just enter into combat teams. And Hiashi wouldn't want that either.'

The old man lets out a breath of turbid air.

'That is why I cannot let go of vital personnel willy-nilly. The peace mission might become complicated, and Kai has yet to deliver the seal Yata asked him to prepare. But Kushina's situation is relatively acceptable. I hope Kai can marry or impregnate her to tie her to Konoha.'

As filthy as these schemes would feel to the eyes of an ordinary citizen, it is simply routine for Hiruzen.

'I just wish the Anbu initiative accomplish a fraction of what Sakumo has in Suna front.' Hiruzen sighs and recalls the newly established team sent out to accomplish missions that a lone White Fang could execute before breakfast.

***

Alternate Title: The Slaver; Even Greater Monster Behind the Orphan's Nightmare; Hol Up Konan! Don't Look for That Monster!; Increased Growth; Obito's That Time of the Month; Red is Red, Whether From Eyes or…; Limiters; Steady Growth; Impatient Week; Kurenai is the Easiest— It's Canon; Born to Peak; Agreeing to the Mission; Regretful Undercurrents; Kai's Path to be the Haremkage!; Haremkage of the Village Hidden in the Pubes? Dungeon?; Cheerleader Kai Doesn't Exist, It Cannot Hurt You; A Fraction of White Fang

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