[Through many days of unremitting progress and physical strengthening, you have obtained a Favor]
[energy crystal * 30]
[Basic Taijutsu (Proficient Level) * 1]
He hadn't expected training to trigger a Favor, which came as a bit of a surprise to Hyuga Aokawa.
From the initial act of punishing evil by killing the thug, to slaying the bounty Ninja... and now to physical training.
Hyuga Aokawa was beginning to grasp the pattern of the Favor.
However, the sample size was still relatively small; it wasn't necessarily the only way to trigger it.
He would have to observe further.
He took out a pair of goggles, put them on, and sat down in a shady spot at the edge of the playground.
Sitting cross-legged, he sealed his Acupoints and began refining Sage Mode Chakra.
This was another of his advantages.
Sage Mode Chakra could quickly recover the body from fatigue after training and repair cellular damage.
Otherwise, given his physical constitution, he wouldn't be able to keep up with Guy's intensity even without overtraining.
Soon, eye shadows appeared around his eyes beneath the goggles.
Hyuga Aokawa circulated a surge of Sage Mode Chakra through his body.
The fatigue from training was greatly relieved, but that small amount of Sage Mode Chakra was soon exhausted, and the eye shadows faded away.
"Aokawa!"
A shout came from the distance.
Hyuga Aokawa took off his goggles and looked toward the source of the sound.
A sphere that looked like it had grown two short little legs was bouncing toward him from afar.
When the "sphere" bounced up to him, he saw clearly that it was Hyuga Ryosuke.
As his gaze swept over the other's round figure, a strange feeling inexplicably welled up in his heart.
He looked uncertainly at the exceptionally prominent white pupils on that round face and couldn't help but ask:
"Ryosuke, did your ancestors have any dealings with the Akado Clan?"
Hyuga Aokawa was somewhat curious.
"The Akado Clan?"
Hyuga Ryosuke looked dazed. "No, why do you ask?"
"Nothing!"
Hyuga Aokawa shook his head, suppressing his gossipy curiosity.
He gave a long stretch, his joints letting out faint pops, and then stood up with a nimble kip-up.
Hyuga Ryosuke squinted at him. "Your stamina doesn't look like you just finished training. Slackng off again, aren't you?"
"You wouldn't understand."
Hyuga Aokawa waved his hand, too lazy to explain, and tilted his head. "Let's go, come eat at my place."
Encountering this fat guy at this time meant he couldn't avoid being leeched for a meal.
"Oh, well, that's so embarrassing."
Hyuga Ryosuke rubbed his hands together, acting polite while his feet honestly followed along.
"Forget it then."
"I was just being polite, why are you taking it so seriously?"
"..."
The two of them headed home side by side.
Just then, a green figure swept past them like the wind.
"Aokawa, let's continue our youthful training tomorrow!"
Before Hyuga Aokawa could speak, the green figure had already dashed far away.
Hyuga Ryosuke raised an eyebrow and turned to Hyuga Aokawa. "How did you end up hanging out with that hot-blooded dead last?"
"He's no dead last," Hyuga Aokawa countered.
Hyuga Ryosuke was taken aback, then nodded in agreement. "True, after all, you've been held back twice and still haven't graduated."
"Compared to him, you're the dead last."
"Get lost." Hyuga Aokawa rolled his eyes at him, not bothering to argue.
He watched the distant green figure that was almost out of sight and said with some emotion:
"Maybe he will be the strongest of our generation."
Hearing this, Hyuga Ryosuke's face was full of disbelief as he eyed Hyuga Aokawa suspiciously:
"Such high praise?"
In his impression, although Hyuga Aokawa's Aptitude was poor, he was arrogant; the geniuses in class had never received a single word of praise from him.
It was rare to see him give someone such high praise, especially a recognized dead last.
This greatly piqued Hyuga Ryosuke's curiosity. He leaned in and whispered:
"Do you know something?"
Hyuga Aokawa shook his head. "Not really, but there are many kinds of geniuses. Being able to work hard continuously is also a type of Genius."
He nudged Hyuga Ryosuke with his elbow and tilted his head toward the path Might Guy had just run down.
"With that training volume of his, could you endure it after all these years?"
"Definitely not."
Hyuga Ryosuke shook his head like a rattle.
Was he joking? If he could endure that, would he still have this physique?
"But he has endured it for so many years. Ordinary people's recovery ability can't compare to his."
"If you put it that way... I guess so."
Hyuga Ryosuke rubbed his double chin, reluctantly agreeing.
But then he puffed out his chest and proudly displayed his Byakugan. "However, no matter what, he's still a commoner. Kekkei Genkai is everything."
Hyuga Aokawa shook his head at the sight, not explaining further.
Presumably, right now, no one would imagine that this hot-blooded dead last in people's mouths...
...would one day almost kick his way to the series finale.
Moreover, he would force the most arrogant of all Ninjas—the Six Paths poser who possessed Hashirama cells, the Rinnegan, and the Ten-Tails—to...
...personally admit he was the strongest in Taijutsu. That recognition carried far more weight than any title like the strongest Hokage.
"Konnichiwa, Aokawa-kun!" A few bell-like, crisp greetings interrupted his thoughts.
The two of them turned to look.
As they turned, they saw several youthful and beautiful girls walking arm-in-arm, smiling and waving at Hyuga Aokawa.
"Konnichiwa, Haruna, Hitomi, Risa..."