The sun, already high in the sky, beat down on the young boy, Ishiki, as he finally collapsed onto the ground.
His small, twelve-year-old body was trembling, slick with sweat and grime.
Every muscle screamed in protest, a fiery testament to the rigorous 'Saitama Exercise' he had just completed.
It was a brutal regimen of a hundred push-ups, a hundred sit-ups, a hundred squats, and a ten-kilometre run, and today, he had conquered it despite the weakness gnawing at his bones.
With a final, ragged breath, Ishiki willed his focus inward, a familiar action for those with access to their inner mechanics. A translucent panel shimmered into his view his STATUS.
STATUS
Name: Ishiki
Age: 12
Chakra: 22/32 (Recovering)
Strength: 16
A genuine smile, one of pure relief and hard-won victory, stretched across his face. "Finally," he murmured, his voice hoarse.
He had been stuck at a 'Strength' level of 15 for what felt like an eternity, hitting a frustrating bottleneck that no amount of pure training seemed to break. But today, the indicator had moved. The effort had paid off.
He glanced up at the sky. It was nearing the oppressive heat of the afternoon.
Knowing he was already late, he quickly got to his feet and headed toward the familiar, secluded spot by the Naka River where he usually met his two powerful, yet strangely supportive, training partners: Hashirama Senju and Madara Uchiha.
As he approached the riverbank, the aroma of roasting fish hit him, a deep, smoky scent that instantly triggered a violent, loud groan from his empty stomach.
Hashirama and Madara, who were expertly turning skewers over a small, crackling fire, instantly whipped their heads around, their eyes landing on the source of the embarrassing noise. Ishiki felt his cheeks burn a deep crimson.
Hashirama, ever the picture of easy-going warmth, chuckled and waved him over.
"Ishiki! Come, come, eat with us!" He pulled a perfectly cooked, golden-brown fish off the fire and tossed it to Ishiki, who caught it automatically, his hunger overriding his mortification.
They sat down, the only sound for a moment being the gentle lapping of the river and the satisfying crunch of fish bones. It was Madara, perpetually intense and focused, who finally broke the silence.
"You're late today, Ishiki," Madara stated, his gaze piercing. "Did you lose interest simply because you hit a bottleneck? If so, I am deeply disappointed. Laziness is not a trait I tolerate."
Hashirama, sensing the young boy's slight slump, offered a gentler correction.
Madara is harsh, Ishiki, but he means well. Remember, if you train correctly and consistently, you can overcome any bottleneck.
Don't give up. His concern was palpable, a genuine warmth that always managed to settle Ishiki's nerves.
A deep sense of appreciation for their mentorship welled up in Ishiki's chest. He looked at them both, his smile now confident.
"I didn't give up," he announced, his voice firm.
"I overcame it. That's why I'm late."
Madara's eyebrows shot up in a rare display of surprise on the usually stoic Uchiha's face.
Ishiki finished his fish, wiped his mouth, and reached into his cloak, pulling out the new item listed on his status: the Concentrated Food.
It wasn't 'food' in the traditional sense, but a small, sleek flask containing a clear, faintly glowing liquid.
"This is how," Ishiki said, introducing the gadget.
They both looked at the flask with intense curiosity. Ishiki handed it to Hashirama, explaining its function.
It's meant to absorb and concentrate ambient life force, or chakra, and convert it into a potent nutritional supplement.
He then gave Hashirama a specific instruction: "Please, let it absorb your chakra for a moment."
Hashirama, the legendary user of Wood Release and a man whose chakra reserves were famously vast and pure, looked confused but complied.
He poured a small amount of his own prodigious chakra into the bottle.
Almost immediately, the clear liquid inside began to turn a rich, vibrant green, the flask visibly filling with the potent energy.
"Stop now," Ishiki instructed, taking the flask back. He held it out to both of them.
"Now, drink."
Skeptical but trusting, Madara and Hashirama each took a small sip of the highly concentrated, enriched liquid. The effect was instantaneous and shocking.
Both legendary shinobi gasped as a torrent of pure, invigorating energy surged through their bodies, instantly replenishing their reserves and banishing any lingering fatigue.
Their chakra networks felt cleansed and supercharged.
Madara's shock was profound. "Soo, that's what did it!" he exclaimed, his eyes wide with recognition.
"A powerful tool indeed! It feels like even I benefited from just that small sip."
Ishiki nodded proudly. "Yes. It delivers body-revitalising nutrition almost instantly.
If we train immediately after drinking it, the nutrients are utilized more efficiently, drastically enhancing our strength gains.
I only have a small, average chakra pool, but when powered by Hashirama's enormous and incredibly pure chakra, the effects of the liquid are amplified immensely."
The implications were clear and exciting.
Their eyes met, a shared realisation igniting a new fervour: This gadget could accelerate their strength gains exponentially.
Wasting no time, the trio started their training immediately after finishing their meal. The regimen now had a powerful new component, a cycle of consumption and exertion:
If they were trained, they would drink the Concentrated Food before a session.
If they felt low on chakra, they would drink it for instant replenishment.
If they sustained a minor injury, they would drink it for rapid cellular repair.
And so, fueled by the revolutionary gadget and the sheer willpower of three ambitious young shinobi, their rigorous training resumed with a fierce, renewed intensity, pushing them closer to the pinnacle of power.