Starting From Being Adopted by the Second Hokage!

"Shimura Danzō, what are you doing?"

Renya shouted at Danzō, who was lying face-down on the ground.

"Get up, hurry up and get up!"

"I can't... I can't go on..."

Danzō collapsed on the ground, exhausted like a dead dog.

He had already lost count of how many laps they'd done. All he remembered was that ever since training had begun, his legs hadn't stopped running.

This training was several times harsher than anything he was used to.

Sarutobi Hiruzen and the others weren't doing much better. Their legs felt like they were filled with lead, almost impossible to move.

They looked at Renya in shock. Although Renya was drenched in sweat, his voice was still full of energy—clearly, he had plenty of strength left.

So this is how Tōbirama-sama trains his students?

No wonder Renya is so powerful...

"Pathetic. Get up. Everyone's waiting for you. You don't want to be the one dragging down the entire team, do you?" Renya said coldly.

Hearing that, Danzō clenched his teeth, forced himself to his feet, and struggled to stand.

"I... I understand..."

"Just ten more laps. Hang in there, everyone," Renya encouraged.

At this point, everyone's stamina had been completely depleted. They could only rely on sheer willpower to finish the training.

Training that pushed beyond physical limits like this often helped unlock hidden potential in the body.

Of course, there was a threshold to how far one could go.

If they pushed past it, not only would it fail to awaken potential—it could cause permanent harm to the body.

Especially for children still in the process of growing.

Senju Tōbirama was watching from the side precisely because he was worried they might overtrain on their own.

...

When the running finally ended, Renya sat on the ground, watching the others lying sprawled out, panting heavily. He couldn't help but recall his own first time training.

Back then, he was only seven. His body was still developing, so while Tōbirama didn't push him too hard, it had still been brutal.

Now, a year later, his training load had already doubled.

That was why Hiruzen and the others were practically dropping dead...

Shimura Danzō looked up at the deep blue sky, his mind completely blank. He was too exhausted to think.

All he could hear was the pounding of his heart.

The others were in similar states. Among them, Sarutobi Hiruzen was holding up a little better—but not by much.

He turned his head to look at Renya, who was sitting on the ground with a pale face, and wondered to himself,

"Renya is only seven—how did he manage to complete Sensei's training?"

After all, he himself was two years older.

Hard to imagine—two years from now, just how terrifyingly strong would Renya become?

By that time, would I even be able to match him?

"I have to train hard. I can't let Renya surpass me!" Hiruzen clenched his fists, eyes burning with the desire to grow stronger.

He was the genius of the Sarutobi clan, after all—there was no way he'd sit back and let someone else outshine him.

At that moment, Senju Tōbirama walked up to them.

Despite their exhaustion, the boys quickly scrambled to their feet.

Tōbirama gave a slight nod and praised them.

"Not bad. You all managed to persevere."

He had seen their determination firsthand—not bad at all for the students he had personally selected.

With his guidance, they were sure to grow into exceptional shinobi who loved the village and would dedicate their lives to it.

Maybe, one day, the next Hokage could be chosen from among them.

"Starting today, I'll personally guide you to become stronger," said Senju Tōbirama.

Hearing this, everyone's breathing quickened, eyes full of admiration.

"Sensei! We'll train our hardest!"

Renya looked at the expressions on their faces and twitched the corner of his mouth.

Had they already forgotten the hell they'd just been through?

They had been on the verge of collapse just moments ago—and now, they were full of excitement again.

He was starting to look forward to the expressions they'd wear during the next round of training.

Tōbirama looked at their excited faces and slowly said,

"Physical strength is the foundation of a shinobi. We'll continue with physical training."

The moment he said that, everyone's faces froze.

Wait—again?

Didn't we just finish running?

You're saying we have to run more?

Renya looked at their expressions, lips curling upward.

"You really thought getting stronger was going to be that easy?"

Danzō scoffed coldly. "Hmph, it's just running. I can handle it!"

Renya gave him a strange look.

"Who said we're running?"

Danzō looked puzzled.

"We're not running? Then what?"

Renya smiled and rattled off over a dozen training methods in one breath.

"Push-ups, squats, climbing walls..."

Danzō: "..."

...

By the time the morning training ended, the boys were too exhausted to even crawl off the ground.

Today's training made them fully aware of how terrifying Tōbirama-sama's regimen really was—every single exercise pushed their physical limits.

They began to question themselves—could they really endure this kind of training moving forward?

In the end, the five of them helped each other up and staggered away.

Senju Tōbirama said, "Kid, what do you think of them?"

Renya paused. This old man was testing him again.

He looked in the direction the boys had left and replied,

"They're determined and willing to work hard. Their potential is limitless."

Tōbirama stared at Renya's profile, then asked, "Do you think they love the village?"

"Of course. They definitely love the village," Renya replied without hesitation.

"And you?" Tōbirama suddenly asked.

"Of course I love the village too." Renya smiled.

"For the village's future, would you be willing to give your life?"

Renya didn't answer right away. He thought for a long while before replying, "Maybe..."

Loving the village and being willing to die for it were two entirely different things.

Compared to the village's safety, he cared more about his own.

Tōbirama didn't press further. He nodded, deep in thought.

He had long noticed that Renya didn't seem to feel any sense of belonging or identification with the village.

If it were anyone else, it wouldn't be such a big deal. But for someone from the Uchiha clan, it could be dangerous...

Over the years, he had tried his best to instill a love for the village in Renya—but it hadn't worked.

Still, time was on his side. He believed he could slowly change Renya's mindset.

"Kid, let's go home and eat."

"What do you want for lunch today, old man?"

...

Three years passed in the blink of an eye.

Now it was the ninth year since Konoha's founding.

This year, Renya turned ten. He had grown to a height of 1.5 meters.

Renya was quite satisfied with his height—no longer a little shorty.

Well, okay, his legs still weren't exactly long...

In these three years, Renya's strength had improved at lightning speed, and he was beginning to show signs of surpassing Sarutobi Hiruzen.

He figured it might be because his body had finally started to mature—both his physical attributes and chakra reserves were rapidly growing.

Afraid of being overtaken, Hiruzen pushed himself to train even harder.

Seeing his best friend working so hard, Shimura Danzō refused to fall behind.

The others were the same—thus, an endless spiral of competition began.

With Senju Tōbirama's guidance and their own hard work, the academy's regular teaching methods no longer suited them.

At the boys' request, Senju Tōbirama agreed to let them graduate early.

Technically, it was only one year ahead of normal graduation age, but compared to their peers, it made a big difference.

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Pls Drop some Power Stones

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