Naruto: Reincarnated as a Demon King

Izumi didn't just bring food for Raiden she also brought news. The first-year, full-grade random combat training was about to begin!

The rankings would determine class placement.

Each grade in the academy was divided into an elite class and a regular class. Incoming students were assigned randomly based on the order they registered.

After three months of observation, the instructors secretly assessed the students, separating the top performers from the weak ones and leaving behind those whose potential wasn't immediately obvious.

The top students were pre-selected for the elite class, while the weakest were assigned to the lowest-ranked class.

As for the majority of students whose skill levels weren't as easily distinguishable, they had to go through an exam to determine their placement.

The exam had two parts: a written test and a combat evaluation.

This was a ninja world. Just being book-smart wasn't enough to defeat an enemy with words alone this was a world of battle, where strength was justice!

That's why the written exam only accounted for 10% of the final score, while the combat evaluation made up the remaining 90%.

Want to enter the elite class?

Defeat your opponent!

…

"That's how it is. Tomorrow…" Izumi bit her lip. Her anger had long since faded, replaced only by a faint worry.

She understood Raiden's situation. In the entire academy, she was probably the only one who spoke to him.

Not only did his classmates dislike him, mocking him with cruel words, but even the teachers viewed him with cold indifference.

And yet, Raiden was such a good person.

"Be careful tomorrow." Izumi hesitated for a moment before softly advising him, "If it gets too dangerous, it's okay to forfeit."

"Even if you don't become a ninja, you won't starve."

"As long as my family's shop is open, we'll always hire you. You eat a lot, but you're also really strong stronger than several workers combined."

"If you work hard, even an ordinary person can make a living…"

As she rambled on, Raiden gradually stopped eating, quietly watching her without saying a word.

Perhaps Izumi wasn't the most stunning girl But at this moment, in Raiden's eyes, the nagging, adorable girl in front of him was the kindest, most gentle person in the world.

"What are you staring at, dummy?" Izumi's face flushed red. Puffing up her cheeks, she stood up angrily. "I was talking to you, and you're spacing out?"

"Hmph! Forget it, I'm leaving!"

With that, she practically fled.

With a soft thud, the door closed behind her, and her figure disappeared into the night…

…

After Izumi left, Raiden quickly finished the rest of his meal but didn't rush into training right away.

It was common knowledge that exercising immediately after eating wasn't ideal. More importantly, he had a few experiments in mind regarding his Ox King Devil Fruit ability.

Why had the jet-black Flames suddenly appeared?

Raiden had a rough guess.

He suspected that after rigorous training, his body had reached a certain level of toughness, triggering the ability of Earthfire.

As he moved to aid digestion, he contemplated how to incorporate his power into combat.

"The simplest way is to use it like gauntlets, reinforcing my fists for stronger punches while preventing recoil damage."

He raised his hands, interlocked his fingers, and clenched his fists tightly. A layer of pure black Heavy Metal Flames enveloped them, exuding a weighty, grounded energy.

Boom!

He struck the sandbag in the corner of the room. His punch landed with a solid, resounding impact.

Heavy Metal Flames possessed mass. The same punch, delivered with seven-tenths of his strength, landed with an even greater force, amplifying his attack!

Yet, Raiden didn't feel any additional strain.

In other words, the gravitational enhancement of the flames didn't affect him directly it didn't consume extra stamina in exchange for more power.

He didn't feel the weight of the Heavy Metal Flames at all But the punch's power had clearly increased by an entire level, proving that the gravitational enhancement was real!

"Harder than diamond, yet malleable… Heavier than steel, yet without weight…"

"It's like Vibranium from the Marvel universe"

This power was incredible!

Raiden grinned, excitement flashing in his eyes.

Once his enthusiasm settled, he calmed himself down.

"…But aside from defence, I can't think of many ways to use it."

He tilted his head, pondering for a long time. Other than reinforcing his strikes and shielding his hands from harm…

Nothing else came to mind!

What do you do when you can't think of new techniques?

Raiden grabbed his head, ruffling his hair into a complete mess.

Frustrated. Extremely frustrated!

Was he just too dumb?

Lifting his leg, he let the flames engulf his entire shin before unleashing a powerful sidekick against the sandbag.

A muffled thud echoed as dust scattered from the impact.

Right now, he could only partially transform, selectively summoning Heavy Metal Flames to reinforce specific parts of his body, like his fists, legs, or other areas that needed protection.

He knew this limitation was due to his insufficient physical strength he wasn't strong enough to withstand more Earthfire power.

It was also because his chakra reserves weren't high enough to sustain greater transformation.

His Heavy Metal Flames were directly linked to his chakra whenever he used them, his chakra drained.

At first glance, this seemed contradictory.

After all, Devil Fruits were supposed to consume stamina to activate abilities, while chakra was a combination of physical and spiritual energy.

Wasn't that unfair?

But Raiden knew better.

Chakra was fundamentally different from stamina. If he used one unit of stamina, he could maintain his Heavy Metal Flames for one second But one unit of chakra could sustain it for ten seconds!

"In the end, it all comes down to physical endurance and massive chakra reserves."

Once he finished digesting his meal, Raiden readjusted his mindset and resumed training.

He refused to slack off just because he had upgraded from an ordinary Zoan-type Devil Fruit to a Mythical Zoan.

Day after day, his gruelling regimen continued.

As the saying goes, there's no such thing as the strongest ability only the strongest user.

Innate talent was an advantage. But if someone used it as an excuse to avoid hard work, they would regret it one day.

Boom! Boom!

He continued with the most basic, straightforward punches.

No unnecessary flourishes.

Throwing a proper punch wasn't just about swinging a fist it required controlled breathing, a firm stance, and generating power from the waist to drive the arm forward.

Seven-tenths of his strength. No more, no less. Enough to maintain impact while ensuring that the next punch would be just as powerful.

Sweat and effort wove together in the dimly lit room, creating a scene of relentless training…

103, 104…

233, 234…

A mechanical voice in his mind silently counted each strike. A thin layer of mist coated his body.

It was sweat, absorbing heat and evaporating into steam.

A wasted youth leads to regret in old age.

Rather than standing idle, begging for scraps like a clever bird in its nest, Raiden would rather be a stubborn fledgling, flapping its wings and soaring through sheer determination.

The sound of relentless strikes echoed through the humid air.

Tonight would be another sleepless night…

…