One full year.
A year had passed since Dan began the second stage of his training, and he now stood at the edge of the giant hole he had finally completed.
He looked down at the immense depth he had dug with his own hands, with his chakra, and with his sweat and blood. One hundred meters in diameter. Five hundred meters deep. Fifty steps, each ten meters deep.
It was a majestic sight. The giant circular hole descended downward in regular steps, resembling an inverted amphitheater stretching toward the depths of the earth.
Dan smiled a thin smile. It was finally finished.
But the results were not in the hole itself; the results were in his body, in his chakra, and in his strength.
Dan raised his hand in front of him, and without any significant effort, the chakra formed a solid axe in the air. Then he transformed it into a knife. Then into a spear. Then into a hammer. The shapes changed quickly and smoothly, as if the chakra were an external limb of his body, controlled as easily as he controlled his arms or legs.
He had gained superhuman control over his chakra. Every atom of it was under his absolute command. He could shape it, direct it, and change its density, solidity, and sharpness as he wished.
This level of control would not have been achieved without the past year of continuous digging, constant use of chakra, and the perpetual pushing of his limits. Additionally, his chakra reserves had doubled twice over.
He didn't feel like he had reached the level of geniuses who are born with massive amounts of chakra, but his reserves had become average—decent enough for fighting and survival.
Dan knew the reason behind his originally small reserves. When he moved to this world, he realized that the humans here were different from the humans of his original world. They were like biological monsters compared to him, possessing much greater physical potential.
Dan suspected the reason was either natural energy or the influence of the Otsutsuki, especially since he noticed in the village of the Sage of the Six Paths that everyone could refine chakra regardless of talent.
He didn't truly understand the reason; he used to think that the talent for refining chakra was exclusive to those with a special gift. But after thinking, he felt it was because in this era, the Sage of the Six Paths existed, and perhaps he influenced the world in some way to spread his philosophy of Ninshu.
This explained why his reserves were very small in the beginning. His body simply wasn't built like theirs. But his harsh and focused training program compensated for a large part of this deficiency. He pushed his body to its limits and forced it to adapt, grow, and become stronger.
Now, he possessed average chakra reserves and superhuman control over them. He wasn't a genius, but he was strong in his own way. And Dan would not stop.
He was not the type to rest after an achievement. The moment he completed the hole, he immediately began the next stage. He remained very focused on his training. No time for rest, no time for celebration—only continuous progress toward his goals.
The next stage was clear in his mind. He needed to carve out water channels to bring water to the giant hole he had dug.
Dan stood at the edge of the cliff where the original waterfall flowed. He looked at the terrain, the distance between the waterfall and the hole, and the height and slope. His plan was complex but clear.
He would carve a channel from above the cliff, a new branch from the original river extending toward the hole. Then he would make it fall from a height to create a new waterfall that poured directly into the deep pit.
But this wasn't enough. He didn't want the hole to become just a collection of stagnant water, a dead lake without movement. So, he would also dig channels underground and above ground to connect the hole back to the original river. This way, water would flow into the hole from the new waterfall and then exit through the channels to return to the river.
A continuous flow. Living water, moving and clean.
This project had two goals. First, it was a continuation of his chakra training. Digging channels, shaping rocks, and splitting the earth required intensive use of chakra, which would continue to refine his control and improve his skills.
Second, and most importantly, it was preparing a place for his next physical training. Dan had already decided on the next method of physical training: Training underwater.
The idea was simple but effective. Water provides greater natural resistance than air. Training underwater, especially in the depths where the pressure is higher, would immensely increase the effectiveness of physical exercises.
Every movement would be harder, and every exercise would require more effort. The body would be forced to adapt, grow, and become stronger. This was why he made the hole in the form of steps—each step ten meters deep, down to five hundred meters.
This way, Dan would be able to train at different levels of depth and pressure. He would start from the upper steps where the pressure is lower, then gradually descend, increasing the difficulty as his strength improved.
Eventually, he would reach the bottom, five hundred meters deep, where the pressure is immense and every movement would be a true challenge. It was a long-term training plan that would take years, but it was effective because the pressure would be distributed over every small part of his body during training.
Dan started working immediately.
The day after completing the hole, he began digging the channel from above the cliff. He used his chakra axe, cut the rocks, shaped the earth, and dug steadily toward the hole.
It was hard work. The terrain was difficult, the rocks were solid, and the distance was long. But he did not stop.
Every day, he dug for hours. He shaped the channel, widened it, deepened it, and made sure the slope was correct so that the water would flow exactly how he wanted. He enjoyed the work. With every strike of the axe and every piece of rock he removed, he felt as if he were carving his own body. Another step toward his goal.
Weeks passed, and the project began to take shape. The channel from above the cliff grew longer, approaching the hole. The lower channels progressed slowly underground.
Dan did not abandon his other exercises. Every morning, he still practiced his physical routine, climbed the mountain, and fished from the river. In the evening, he refined chakra, studied seals, and experimented on the sheep in his pen.
It was a full, packed routine that left no free time at all.