The Chuunin Exam finally starts today, but Zoro can't do anything about it because the early rounds aren't open to the public. So he just takes Hiyori to walk around the village because they also can't go out of the village to train in the forest that is used as an exam location.
Hiyori is happy to take a stroll with her uncle again after quite a long time. She uses this chance to be pampered by her uncle, like asking to sit on his shoulder during their stroll.
Zoro does her request, making her very happy. She really likes to sit on Zoro's shoulders when they walk around the village like this because she can see everything from a higher point of view which amazes her.
"Uncle, when can we watch the big brothers and sisters?"
"Next month. The time gap between the early rounds and the final round is big. They want to give the final round participants more time to train while the villages also prepare for everything else to make sure the final round runs smoothly because many people will watch it."
"Eh? Then you will train big brothers and sisters again?"
"Maybe, if they pass to the finals."
"What are you saying, Uncle?! They will pass you know. Uncle was the one who trained them, so they will pass for sure, hmph!" Hiyori is annoyed that Zoro doesn't believe in them even though he trained them.
"Hahaha! Right, they will pass because I was the one who trained them, you are right." Zoro is amused by this kid's confidence.
"That's right. My uncle is the best, so the ones he teaches are also the best." Hiyori nods confidently.
Zoro also believes they have big chances to pass the preliminary rounds. He has seen their growth in the last 2 weeks and he can say they are strong enough to be Chuunins.
But there are many factors that can affect their chance to pass. They can fight people with bad compatibility with them early in the exam or maybe even need to fight against each other.
Either way, they can only know it after the preliminary round is over. They don't have a way to watch it, so they can only wait for now. There's nothing they can do other than enjoying their day while waiting for the result.
It will take a few days until they finish the 1st to preliminary rounds. So during those days, Zoro and Hiyori feel quite bored because they have nothing to do. Walking around the village was fun at first, but it's getting boring now.
"Uncle, can I start training now?"
"Hmm, sure. You have fully recovered, so you can start training your body. But are you sure you want to train? It will be very hard and tiring, you know."
"I know. But I also want to be strong like those big sisters, Aunty Shizune, and Grandma Tsunade. I like the sword like uncle though, so I want to learn using a sword."
"Then, will you promise me that you won't quit just because it's getting a little more difficult?"
"Yes! I promise I will keep trying even if it's very difficult." Hiyori salutes like a cadet.
"Even if it's painful?"
"It will be painful?"
"Of course. Didn't you see how those big brothers and big sisters got hit during their training?"
"Uh, right. A-alright, I will endure the pain. Hiyori is strong."
"Good, then do you want to start training now?"
"Yes!"
"Alright, let's start by preparing your body. You need a strong body before learning everything else. If you are weak, then you won't be able to even lift a sword."
"Is a sword heavy?"
"Why don't you try lifting one?"
Zoro puts Wado Ichimonji on the floor and asks Hiyori to lift it. As expected, she struggles to lift it from the floor because this sword is heavy.
"Good swords are usually quite heavy because they are very solid. Though my swords are heavier than most swords of the same size. But now you can see that it's not easy to lift a sword without having proper strength. So training your body is necessary. Now, let's start the training."
Zoro starts Hiyori's training with physical training because it's the most basic. It's also to improve her health because she has just recovered from her health issues caused by the unfortunate incident that befell upon her before.
As this is her first day of training, Zoro only makes her train a little just so she can understand what sort of training she'll do from now on. Overtraining is also not good for her young body's growth, so Zoro keeps it under the limit.
He doesn't want her to lose motivation too, so he keeps the training intensity to be moderate for now. Once she falls in love with swordsmanship, she will try to push her limit herself even without him forcing her because that's what happened to him.
Forcing her to train hard even before she falls in love with the swords will only make her hate it. So Zoro doesn't want to push her too far because the effect won't be good.
Besides, she might want to learn something else later instead of swordsmanship. A child like her can change preference on a whim and he doesn't want to limit her options.
If she wants to learn something else, then he will try to find a way for her to learn it. He won't force her to learn swordsmanship just because he is a swordsman. Zoro believes that everyone is free to choose their path, so he won't force his path to others.
Hiyori surprisingly wants to train to her limit immediately. But Zoro stops her because it's still her first day of training. She might be very eager now, but she will regret it once she gets sore muscles tomorrow.
He's glad he stops her from overdoing her training because the next day, she really gets those sore muscles. Luckily, it's not that bad because Zoro kept her training intensity under control yesterday.
"See? This happens even though you didn't train too much. Imagine what would happen if you just trained as much as you wanted yesterday. I know you are excited, but you can't get a good result in an instant. You get better and stronger by training consistently for a long time, not by training as hard as you can in just a day."
"Yes, I'm sorry, I will follow your instructions, uncle."
"Alright, let's just train a little today so you'll still have progress. Then later I'll show you some basic moves. You won't try them yet until you have enough stamina, but you can see what they look like as references."
Hiyori's eyes sparkle when Zoro tells her he will show her some basic moves. So she eagerly does today's physical training which is less than yesterday, but more difficult because of her sore muscles.
Though she is quite disappointed when she sees the basic moves because they are just the basic forms of swinging, stabbing, footwork, etc. Well, basic techniques are usually not interesting, after all, so her reaction is normal.
"They seem boring, right?"
"N-no!" She says it after showing an obvious uninterested gaze.
"It's fine, even I thought they were boring at first. But it will be different once you hold the sword. Of course, I mean the training bamboo sword, but it's a sword none the less. Once you hold and swing the sword, it will feel as if even the most basic move is great."
Hiyori doesn't seem to believe him, so Zoro tells her to try once. He gives her a bamboo sword that still seems quite heavy for her, but she still can lift it.
She tries to swing the sword vertically at a dummy and she finally understands what Zoro says. It really feels great and fun when her sword hits the dummy. She wants to do it again, but Zoro takes away the sword.
"I told you it's not time for you to train with this yet because you need to train your body first. Once you are ready, you can swing this sword as much as you want. So train your body seriously until you are allowed to wield this sword."
With a burning passion, Hiyori starts training seriously from that day on. She follows all of Zoro's instructions so she can start training with the sword as soon as possible. But before she can even train using the sword, the result of the preliminary round is finally out.
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Chapter: 157. Five Kage Summit
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