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Chapter 124: A Generation of Talents
Onoki's brain was buzzing.
He had lived for decades and seen all kinds of geniuses.
Some excelled in Ninjutsu, some in Taijutsu, and others in Genjutsu.
But he had never seen a genius who developed "slacking off" to such an extreme level!
Those Earth Clones had perfectly even chakra distribution, extremely stable forms, and could even perform delicate tasks.
This meant the kid's chakra control had already reached a terrifying level!
In just one day!
In a single day, he had mastered a C-rank ninjutsu to the point of playing tricks with it!
"You... you..."
Onoki pointed at Kizaru, his finger trembling, wanting to scold him but unable to find the right words.
Scold him for being lazy? He actually mastered the technique, and better than anyone else.
Praise him? Looking at the ground full of salted-fish clones, Onoki felt his blood pressure skyrocketing.
"Wow! That's amazing!"
Ishida's eyes lit up as he leaned in to poke one of the Earth Clones.
"Doi-aniki, can you teach me this? If I learn it, can I make my clone do the training while my real body sleeps?"
"Of course you can."
Kizaru said with a beaming smile.
"Art, you see, is about investing limited energy into unlimited enjoyment."
"Learning to make others work for you is the first step in growing up."
Iwako nodded vigorously from the side. "I want to learn this too! If I learn this, I won't have to do my own laundry anymore!"
Onoki clutched his chest, feeling like his back pain was about to flare up again.
It's over.
The future of the Hidden Stone.
It's all over.
This unhealthy trend was spreading like a virus, rapidly eroding the brains of the Hidden Stone's younger generation.
"Doi!!!"
Onoki took a deep breath and let out a deafening roar.
"Dismiss these ridiculous clones right now!"
"Since you have so much energy, go repair the defense fortifications outside the village! Use Earth Style: Mud Wall!"
"If you don't finish, you're not allowed to eat!"
The smile on Kizaru's face froze instantly.
"Eh? Repairing walls?"
"Isn't that the construction team's job? Why use child labor?"
"And I never said I had too much energy..."
"Cut the crap!"
Onoki actually had good intentions, driven by his appreciation for talent.
Since this kid had such great Earth Style aptitude, he would use a massive amount of engineering work to temper his chakra reserves and ninjutsu proficiency.
Once he was worked half to death, let's see how he'd slack off then!
"Not going."
Kizaru lay back down on the clone-chair and even put on an eye mask.
"That costs extra."
"You!"
Onoki laughed out of extreme anger.
"Good! Very good!"
"Since you won't go, this old man will personally train with you!"
Before his voice faded, the chakra in Onoki's body exploded instantly.
"Earth Style: Weighted Boulder Jutsu!"
Boom!
A terrifying gravity instantly enveloped Kizaru.
The Earth Clone beneath him crumbled into a pile of dirt in an instant.
Kizaru was pressed into the ground until only his head remained above the surface.
"So heavy... so heavy..."
Although Kizaru shouted that it was heavy, there wasn't much pain on his face. Instead, it looked like he was experiencing some novel kind of massage.
"Teacher, this is corporal punishment. I'm going to complain to the Daimyo about child abuse."
"Shut up!"
Onoki floated above Kizaru's head, looking down at him.
"From today on, you will stay in this state!"
"You can eat when you can stand up under this gravity!"
Having said that, Onoki turned to look at the dumbfounded Ishida and Iwako.
"And you two!"
"Don't think you're exempt!"
"Train with him! Whoever dares to slack off gets thrown into the rock pile!"
Ishida and Iwako wanted to cry but had no tears.
Looking at Kizaru, who was just a head on the ground, half of their yearning for the "Way of the Salted Fish" instantly collapsed.
Is this the price of slacking off?
It's too scary!
However.
Buried in the dirt, Kizaru was actually thinking:
Ah... this is great.
Being buried means I don't even have to turn over.
Plus, the soil is cool; much cooler than outside.
This old man actually knows how to pamper people.
He narrowed his eyes, feeling the pulse deep within the earth.
Although his body was immobilized by gravity, the chakra inside him began to circulate spontaneously, resisting the external pressure.
This passive training method...
Seems not bad?
Even less effort than active training?
Yosh.
Kizaru gave himself a thumbs-up in his mind.
This is what it means to get stronger while lying down.
As expected of me.
Watching Onoki's retreating back as he stormed off, Kizaru—just a head above ground—curled the corner of his mouth into an imperceptible arc.
This dungeon...
Seems a bit more interesting than I imagined.
As long as I don't run into that psycho Uchiha Madara or that wooden block Hashirama Senju.
Getting a civil servant job in this village full of rocks and peacefully slacking off until the grand finale.
Should be... not too hard, right?
"Hey, Ishida."
Kizaru in the dirt suddenly spoke.
Ishida, who was miserably doing push-ups, looked up. "What is it, Doi-aniki?"
"Help me get that foxtail grass over there."
"Without something in my mouth, I feel like something's missing."
Ishida: "..."
Iwako: "..."
Is this the world of a genius?
Even buried in the ground, he has to maintain that unique style?
The artistic style of the Hidden Stone Village truly went completely off the rails on this day.
Tsuchikage Building, Top Floor Office.
The wind outside the window was still biting, mixed with gravel slapping against the glass, making a fine, continuous sound.
The room was dimly lit, with only an oil lamp flickering on the desk.
Mountains of scrolls almost buried the short figure behind them.
"Lord Tsuchikage."
A tall, burly man stood before the desk, holding a freshly delivered intelligence report, his brow furrowed.
It was Kitsuchi, Onoki's son and the current backbone of the Hidden Stone.
At this moment, the man, standing over two meters tall, looked at his father floating in mid-air rubbing his old waist, a trace of hesitation on his face.
"That child named Doi... aren't you being too harsh on him?"
Kitsuchi couldn't hold back in the end and asked.
"The multiplier on the Weighted Boulder Jutsu already exceeds the limit a Genin can bear, and burying him in the ground... even for a Chunin, this training method could be fatal."
That child was only twelve.
Although the Hidden Stone valued tenacity, this training method, bordering on torture, still made Kitsuchi's heart skip a beat.
"Harsh?"
Onoki stopped rubbing his waist, raised a white eyebrow, and rolled his eyes at his son grumpily.
"You don't know shit!"
Onoki floated back to his chair, grabbed a document, and tossed it aside, his tone full of frustration at unmet expectations.
"You think this old man is abusing him?"
"You haven't understood that brat's talent at all!"
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