Dan sat upon a flat rock atop the surrounding mountain overlooking the base, watching his children train in the valley below. The sun had begun its slow tilt toward the horizon, casting long shadows across the ground, yet not a single person stopped their regimen. This was the core principle he had instilled in them since their earliest years: discipline despite exhaustion.
His first wave of children had reached their thirties. Sam and Sofia were exactly thirty years old, and the others followed them by a difference of only months or a year. Just five more years remained. At the age of thirty-five, they would apply the first version of the Vitality Seal to themselves. Dan had decided that he would not assist them in this process; it was a firm resolution he had made. Each child must apply the seal personally or face failure. The first seal is not inherently difficult for those who have awakened the bloodline limit, and all of his children had successfully done so. Nevertheless, failure remained a possibility, and failing would simply mean they lacked the necessary qualifications for this arduous path. After all, true power demands effort, patience, and a constant, unceasing persistence.
As for the standard he had set—the Kage level—his first wave of children had surpassed it long ago. All of them. Even some of their younger siblings who started training later had managed to reach this lofty height. Whenever Dan thought of his eldest son, a smile would touch his lips, and a wave of pride would wash over him. If one were to compare Sam's strength to the standards of this world—or rather, the standards of the future Dan knew from the anime—Sam currently equaled a very powerful Kage. He was not an ordinary Kage, but rather at the level of the three Legendary Sannin who would appear decades later: Tsunade, Jiraiya, and Orochimaru at their absolute peak. After only thirty years of life, Sam stood at that level.
Dan was proud. He would not say it aloud, but he was proud. The others were not far behind him. Sofia, Amy, Leon, Hoshi, and Nina—they were all at the Kage level. The differences between them were minor, a matter of individual effort rather than a lack of talent. Sam merely surpassed them because of his extreme strictness and relentless persistence during training. The strangest thing was that even the younger children, those sixteen or seventeen years old, had reached a level close to that of a Kage. They were teenagers possessing enough power to be the elite forces of this world. However, Dan considered this a predictable result.
This was the outcome of rigorous training starting from the age of six. It was the result of focusing on the basics before anything else—physical strength, chakra control, and mental discipline. There were no shortcuts and no "super-techniques" at the beginning; there was only hard work, day after day, year after year. Then there was the bloodline limit. They had all awakened it, and they had all inherited his supernatural chakra control. This alone gave them a massive advantage over anyone else. On top of all this were the powerful, direct techniques he taught them: the threads, the high-speed movement techniques, and the enhancement of physical strength using chakra. The result was that his children reached the Kage power level before the age of twenty-five. All of them, without exception, although this was only in terms of raw power; in terms of experience, they were still at zero.
Dan noticed something else: talent varied among them. This was natural, as it is impossible for everyone to be at the exact same level. Sam was the strongest, followed by Leon, then Sofia and Hoshi, who were almost equal. Felix, from the second wave, possessed exceptional talent and might one day even surpass Sam. Kai was a quick learner but sometimes lacked sufficient resolve. The quiet Amelia possessed incredible chakra control, though her physical strength was lower than the rest. Each one was different, yet all of them, without exception, broke through the Kage level before the age of twenty-five.
This had become the standard of the Walt family. It was not the goal for the best or the strongest, but rather the absolute minimum requirement. Dan did not want to lose any of them, and that was the true reason behind all this strictness. The world was dangerous. Wars were constant in the outside world. Ashura and Indra were tearing the continent apart. Clans were forming, conflicts were being born, and blood was flowing. His children had to be strong—not to rule the world or gain fame, for Dan did not care for such nonsense—but for survival. To defend themselves. To protect their family.
If one of them went out into the external world, if they faced hostile ninjas, or found themselves in a battle, they had to possess the power to survive. At the very least, they needed the ability to flee if they could not achieve victory. The Kage level was a good standard; it was enough to survive in most situations. It was not enough to face the real monsters or those who would come later, but it was enough to avoid an easy death.
Dan watched Sam practicing with the threads in the nearby mountain area. Thousands of thin threads shot from his fingers, cutting through rock targets fifty meters away at various angles with excellent control. Sofia was training with the enhanced fist, her strikes in the air leaving sharp explosions around her. Amy and Hoshi were sparring together. Leon was refining his chakra in a hole at a depth of 160 meters. All of them were serious. All of them were committed. Dan was satisfied.
But what about the distant future? What comes after the first seal? The second seal—which includes the muscles—would only be granted to those who proved their worth. Not all of his children would reach that level; it required higher power, deeper control, and stronger resolve. Sam and Leon certainly would, and generally, most of his children from the first wave had the will to reach that stage. The third seal, which Dan had applied to himself and which targets the internal organs, would be reached by only a very few. Perhaps two or three from each generation, if they were lucky.
As for the fourth cellular seal that Dan was still planning, perhaps none of his children would ever reach it. Perhaps his grandchildren, or his great-grandchildren, after generations of evolution. That was fine. Dan would not force them toward the impossible. Each would reach their own limit. The important thing was that the minimum was guaranteed—the first seal, basic strength, and the ability to survive. The rest was optional.
Dan also looked at his wives; some were training and others were talking. Twelve women, all of whom appeared as if they were in their teens. Even their eldest daughters appeared older than them now that the second seal had been applied. Their lifespans would surely exceed three hundred years. They would accompany him for centuries; he would not lose them to old age. The idea was strange. He had married them when they were small, frightened girls. Now they were powerful warriors who would live for centuries. Life is strange sometimes.
They had given him children who now numbered forty-four. Some were adults in their thirties, some were teenagers, and some were small children. The Walt family, which had come about by chance, had become a reality. It was a hidden power in the shadows, growing silently and strengthening steadily. No one in the outside world knew about them. Not even the worst plotters behind the scenes in this world suspected that a massive hidden power was growing in the darkness. For Dan, that is exactly how the situation should remain. For a few more years, until the first children applied the first seal, and until he was certain they were strong enough... perhaps only then would he begin allowing them to go out into the outside world on limited missions, for scouting and gathering information. But for now, they still needed more training, more strength, and more hiding. Patience was a virtue for him and for his large family.
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