Path Of War

The Chūnin Exams were still weeks away from starting. Rin’s team had, therefore, already packed their gear and set off toward the Fire Country.

Their journey was sure to be a long one. Because they had to maintain their cover as obscure Genin from the Rain Village, they could not use direct transport or speed across the canopy. They also had to walk the main roads, stop at designated checkpoints, and establish a paper trail.

That left Arthur alone in his domain with time to fill.

He currently stood in the center of the stadium facility. The massive arena was quiet in the early mornings.

Shisui governed this training ground now. It used to belong to Hoshikaze, but Hoshikaze was gone.

Arthur still had the gravity chamber built inside a hidden passage within Sun Stream Plaza. He wanted to use it. He needed the crushing weight to force his body to adapt.

But he could not.

This modified clone body was simply too flawed. If he stepped inside the chamber, the artificial muscles would tear within a day. His original body could manage a week under maximum pressure without breaking a sweat.

So here he was: training in the open dirt when the stadium was empty.

There was no real weighted equipment out here. Standard shinobi did not lift iron plates; they employed chakra to lift heavy objects and condition their bodies. Arthur did the same, but he utilized his ninshū.

By the time he finished training, a thin line of dawn broke over the stadium walls. It was morning.

Arthur wiped his face. He could continue his routine, but he chose to stop because Sasuke Uchiha was scheduled to enter the facility soon. Arthur did not want to see the boy today.