Dance

"Hey-ha!"

With a thunderous shout, a giant tree in the courtyard—thick enough for two people to wrap their arms around—snapped in half at the waist.

It was hard to believe that it had been smashed apart by the fist of a six-year-old girl.

Senju-Style Super Strength Technique.

This technique looked simple, but it was actually extremely complex.

As everyone knew, force worked both ways. If one merely used precise Chakra control to gather it in the hands and feet before releasing it, it would be nowhere near enough to achieve this level of destructive power.

The returning impact alone would have been enough to shatter the user's arms.

Medical Ninjutsu was involved as well.

It was an extremely advanced form of Nintaijutsu.

On the covered walkway beneath the eaves, a beautiful woman with a kind and gentle face watched her granddaughter train with doting eyes.

She was Uzumaki Mito, the First Hokage's wife and the first Nine-Tailed Jinchuriki.

She was Konoha's strongest hidden pillar of support.

Though she had rarely acted throughout her life.

After taking a light sip from her teacup, Mito said, "Little Tsunade, don't wear yourself out. Come have some water."

"No, Grandma Mito!"

Without even turning around, Tsunade flatly refused and continued training. She strengthened her control over Chakra, steadily pushing her progress forward through the painstaking repetition of punch after punch.

"You child, honestly. Aren't the trees in the yard enough for you to destroy? Come rest for a while."

"What are you talking about, Grandma? There are as many trees as you want in a forest like this!"

Though she said that, Tsunade still punched the air. Because of the special nature of her Taijutsu, there really were not enough training props for her to wreck. Only when she felt she had improved would she punch a wooden post to verify it.

"You never used to train this hard. Did something happen?" Mito asked.

Tsunade gritted her teeth and said nothing, silently sweating through her training.

Seeing that her granddaughter did not speak, Mito smiled. "Tell Grandma. Grandma will help you."

In Mito's eyes, Tsunade had inherited the powerful Chakra and tenacious Life Force of both the Senju and Uzumaki clans. At the current Ninja Academy, she absolutely had no opponents.

Her talent was among the very best, especially in Medical Ninjutsu and Taijutsu, where she had surpassed even her grandfather Hashirama.

Not to mention at the same age—when Hashirama had been alive, his Monster Strength had only been at Tsunade's current level. He had merely relied on his powerful physical gifts to throw punches.

If Tsunade had been dealt such a blow that she was training this hard, she must have encountered an opponent her own age.

Hearing that, Tsunade stopped punching. After a long while, she said aggrievedly, "No matter how I think about it, I can't beat her. With Taijutsu alone, I have absolutely no chance of winning. But you won't let me learn Ninjutsu, Grandma. If I knew Fire Release, I wouldn't have been so pathetic."

"Tsunade, if a person can master even one thing in her life, that is already impressive. Coveting other Ninjutsu does not suit you," Mito said.

"Grandma! None of that matters! You said you'd help me, so teach me a Ninjutsu that can defeat her!"

"You haven't even told me her name yet."

"Mimi, Aburame Mimi!"

"The Aburame clan?" Mito looked somewhat puzzled. "Did she use Kiyanchū?"

"What's that?" Tsunade looked even more confused. "Grandma, are you getting senile? They're called Kikaichū!"

"I'm not senile. If they were Kiyanchū, Fire Release would be of little use," Mito said.

The Third Hokage had never seen those old monsters from the Warring States Era fight, but Mito knew very well how terrifying they were.

"How could that be? Wouldn't that mean I can't win at all?!" Tsunade looked utterly disappointed.

"How could you not win?" Mito rose to her feet. "Tsunade, wait here a moment."

She turned and went inside. Before long, she returned carrying two large scrolls.

"Your grandfather left these for you." Mito's eyes were filled with nostalgia.

"What kind of scrolls are they?"

"Summoning Technique." Mito smiled. "With these two techniques, it would be hard to lose even if you tried."

"Grandma is the best!" Tsunade cheered and hugged the two large scrolls, each as tall as she was.

"How do I use them, Grandma?"

"Prick your finger and press your fingerprint in blood. Then you can hurry up and start practicing." Mito said gently, "Satisfied now?"

"Mm!" Tsunade nodded repeatedly, her eyes sparkling.

She could not wait any longer.

At the Hyuga Clan Grounds, Hitomi's training caused far less commotion than Tsunade's. One ordinary wooden post was enough for her to strike for a long time.

"Not enough!"

"Far from enough!"

Her hands, wrapped in bandages, were already covered in bloodstains.

The wooden post rang with each strike.

Yet Hinata Hitomi still showed no sign of fatigue. She did not have Tsunade's convenient conditions, nor did she know Medical Ninjutsu to speed up the healing of her wounds.

She could only wait for them to scab over and heal naturally, leaving her hands covered in proof of her efforts.

"Young Miss." The Branch Family maid at her side could not bear it any longer. "Young Miss has been like this for some time now."

Beside her, a weathered man entering his old age gazed at Hitomi.

He was Hyuga Ten-nin, though that was not his real name. No one had called him by his true name for a long time. As one of Konoha's founders, a legendary figure rumored to stand shoulder to shoulder with Uchiha Madara and Hashirama Senju, he was the former Clan Head of the Hyuga Main Family.

At the same time, he was Hitomi's father.

Hitomi's elder brother was already the Clan Head. Hitomi had simply been born into the wrong time and the wrong family.

At that moment, Heavenly Ninja walked over and stopped in front of Hitomi.

Seeing her father, Hitomi stopped moving. She lowered her head and said nothing.

They did not look like father and daughter at all, but rather members of the Main Family and Branch Family.

"Do you want to dance?" Heavenly Ninja asked.

Hinata Hitomi did not answer, only clenched her small fists.

"In this world, only geniuses have the right to dance. You are not one, and neither am I."

Silence.

"You don't even dare answer me. What meaning is there in your efforts?"

"You might as well accept your fate, become someone's bride, then a mother, and die peacefully."

"You must understand that sometimes, even dying peacefully is a luxury."

"Why won't you accept it?"

"This level of resistance alone is far too weak."

"You want to become a bird and dance, but you cannot."

"You are too weak."

"What is wrong with staying in the cage?"

"Even if you could leave the cage, so what? It would only be a larger cage."

"There would still be raging winds and violent storms, along with all kinds of ill-intentioned beasts."

"I'm not afraid," Hitomi said softly.

"What did you say?" Heavenly Ninja asked.

"I'm not afraid!" Hitomi roared. "I'll fly away! I'll fly far, far away! Into the skies above! I'll never stay in a cage again! No storm can stop me! No one can stop me!"

"Is that so?" the man said, and in the next instant, he silently activated his eyes.

Byakugan: Pressure

Without any visible movement, an immense pressure arose from nowhere and crashed heavily onto Hitomi's body.

She staggered and was forced to the ground.

"How unsightly. What use is it that you are not afraid? The Shinobi World ultimately speaks through strength."

Pinned to the ground, Hitomi clenched her teeth and resisted stubbornly, constantly trying to rise.

"Compared to monsters, you are too ordinary, my daughter."

"Shut up!" Hitomi growled.

Every bone in her body creaked.

"Shut up! I'll show you that I can fly! Stop looking down on me!"

With a low roar, Hitomi suddenly exerted herself. Then came a sharp crack—her bones broke. In the agony, she collapsed miserably onto the ground.

She was covered in dirt and grass clippings.

"So this is what desperate effort amounts to. Ridiculous."

After saying that, the man withdrew his technique and turned to leave.

"I told you not to look down on me!"

Behind him, Hitomi, with several broken bones, stubbornly forced herself back up and screamed at her father's retreating figure.

His footsteps paused.

"Then let me see how far you can fly," the man said.

At the same time, a Ninjutsu scroll seemed to accidentally fall from his body.

Only after the man had walked away did the maid dare step forward to support Hitomi.

But by then, Hitomi in her arms had already fainted from the pain.

The maid picked up the scroll. After hesitating for a moment out of curiosity, she opened it and took a look.

After only one glance, she immediately closed the scroll.

This was not something she was allowed to see.

Secret Transmission: Gentle Fist Art

Because I have a day job, updates are not very fast. I'll try my best to post twice a day, though I do not have many chapters saved up. Thank you all for your support.