Suddenly, Jokichi felt a mass of hot current rise from his lower abdomen, illuminating his surroundings like an open flame, allowing him to see inside his body from a wondrous perspective. He saw his skeletal structure transforming, his cells cheering, his blood boiling, his heart beating vigorously, and everything within his body radiating vitality. The hot current swam through the chakra pathways across his entire body, and with every cycle, his body seemed to undergo a rebirth, becoming more vibrant. The insignificant amount of chakra refined over a year was also growing stronger along with it.
If at first it was merely water droplets hitting a wall and sliding down, leaving traces, now it was water pouring from a faucet. Moreover, for every cycle the hot current made around his body, his chakra would grow a fraction stronger, and he believed it would not be long before it turned from a thin stream out of a faucet into a brook, then into rivers and lakes, and finally converging into a vast ocean. Everything was transforming on its own, not requiring conscious control.
Jokichi opened his eyes, quickly took off his clothes, and jumped into the river with a splash. The life force erupting within his body made him feel as if he had eaten a super tonic, causing hot air to surge into his chest and abdomen, blurring his vision, and his face felt burning hot, presumably flushed completely red. Jumping into the river at this moment actually turned the freezing river water into warm water. Fortunately, this change did not last long.
After about fifteen minutes, the hot current within his body gradually faded away until it disappeared completely, and the cheering of his body also came to an end. Jokichi stood up from the water, quietly looking at his reflection in the river. Skin smooth and warm like jade, sturdy and powerful muscles evenly distributed across every part of his body, not a fraction lacking, nor a fraction excessive, giving his body a sense of aesthetic power without being bloated, beautiful like a gemstone.
"Fortunately, I did not grow the pale skin and keratinous tissue of the Otsutsuki," Jokichi murmured softly while touching his forehead, feeling his smooth brow. He clenched his fist, feeling the power within his body. Very strong, giving off an illusion of invincibility.
His outward appearance did not seem to change much, but Jokichi could feel that every organ, every part, and even every cell in his body had undergone a rebirth, becoming more full of life, more energetic, and far tougher. The chakra within his body was so abundant that he did not know how to describe it. If the chakra refined over a year in the past was only enough to use the Transformation Technique once, now using it ten times would consume less than one percent of his chakra. Jokichi did not know how much chakra a Jonin had, but from the ninja experience left behind by his parents, he could tell that his chakra had already surpassed that of a Chunin.
"I suppose I now have the qualifications to compete for the pinnacle of this world," Jokichi muttered to himself with clenched fists. Yes, he merely had the qualifications. Even the Sage of Six Paths and Asura... they were born with a Perfect Sage Body, but they were not invincible from birth. They likewise went through long and arduous training before obtaining invincible power. Jokichi merely possessed the same body as them now, so that illusion of invincibility was always just an illusion, and if he wanted to be truly invincible, he still needed to train properly.
That is right, training even harder than before. Jokichi walked ashore step by step, waited for the water on his body to dry before putting on his clothes, and then continued his previous training. He wanted to test exactly what the difference was between the Perfect Sage Body and his previous ordinary constitution.
Jokichi arrived in front of the wooden dummy, spread his legs shoulder-width apart, bent his knees slightly, and threw a solid and powerful straight punch at the wooden dummy. 300 straight punches, this had been Jokichi's continuous training goal recently. He could usually only throw about 260 consecutive punches, and even with the Hot-Blooded Headband, he could only endure 280 punches. But this time, he achieved his goal very easily, completing 300 straight punches in a row. Moreover, he did not feel tired at all, and instead looked completely radiant.
Continue until he can no longer throw a punch. Jokichi wanted to test the current limits of his body. He maintained a moderate rhythm as he punched, continuously striking with his left and right hands, leaving punch mark after punch mark on the wooden dummy.
The cool breeze blew gently, and the leaves rustled. Although the child in the forest had a slightly tender face, his eyes were very resolute and mature, as he continuously threw punches left and right, creating a series of banging sounds upon impact with the wooden dummy. The baby birds seemed accustomed to this commotion, yawning one by one as they rested in their nests.
Time slipped away, the sun set in the west, and the birds that went out returned to their nests. The commotion in the forest finally came to a stop as well. Jokichi lay on the lawn panting heavily, yet his face was filled with endless joy. After a day of practice, he had already experienced the benefits of the Perfect Sage Body.
No matter how tiring the training was, he could always recover his stamina very quickly, and even if he got injured during training, his body would heal itself immediately. Furthermore, the same training intensity produced completely different effects on his body. If his previous ratio of training volume to physical gain was 100 to 1, now it was 10 to 1 or even higher.
As for chakra... Jokichi, who only knew the Transformation Technique, consumed it slower than it recovered, so he could not even begin to comprehend exactly how strong this ability was.
After resting on the lawn for a while and feeling his stamina recover somewhat, Jokichi sat up, patted the dirt and grass leaves off his back, packed up his empty bento box, and left. Although the Perfect Sage Body was formidable, it still had to obey the law of conservation of energy. Even though in this short amount of time, Jokichi felt his stamina had mostly recovered, his stomach was growling loudly.
He felt an unprecedented hunger, and if he continued to train, it would probably backfire. Training must have a plan, otherwise it will only yield half the result with twice the effort. Not to mention, if life was only about training, that would be far too boring! His body underwent a drastic transformation today, so he had to celebrate it properly! Yes! He should splurge on barbecue for once!
Jokichi went home in high spirits, washed the bento box clean, took a bath, and changed into a clean dark green kimono before heading out with his wallet. At this time, night had already fallen, and the full moon hung high in the sky. However, the commercial street towards the east of Konoha was still brightly lit and bustling with people. Jokichi walked through it, feeling the long-lost liveliness, and a smile could not help but appear on his face.
Unlike his previous polite smiles, this one came straight from his heart. Perhaps it was also related to the series of good things that had happened over the past month!
A few minutes later, Jokichi arrived at a shop named Yakiniku Q. This is a self-service barbecue restaurant that Choji frequently visits, and as a foodie, a restaurant he frequents must taste good. Jokichi entered the shop, and it was already packed with people.
"It seems I will not be able to taste Yakiniku Q today," Jokichi said with a look of regret. He had no income right now, so eating a barbecue meal was a high expense, and he was unlikely to have a similar expense anytime soon.
"There is still an empty seat over there, but you will need to share a table with others, if you do not mind..." the waitress said from the side while pointing at a table in the corner.
The dining tables at Yakiniku Q were elongated and could seat six people, and the high chair backs blocked the inside like a private room, so one could only see what was inside by walking through the aisle. There were only two people sitting at the dining table in that corner. It was just that those two were somewhat fat, occupying half of the space, but there was still half of the space and a grill left empty.
Upon seeing those two people, Jokichi's eyes lit up, and he immediately said, "Of course I do not mind."