The Two-Tails Teacher Guides Your Training

Although Moriyue felt he might have been tricked by Yugito Nii, he couldn't find any proof and could only move with the four large iron rings.

Perhaps Yugito Nii hadn't lied to him. At first, he was indeed bound by these iron rings and couldn't move, but as he kept trying, he found he could move slowly, his body seemingly adapting to the strength.

"Come on, push a little harder, you're almost there."

"Accelerate, your speed isn't fast enough. Unleash your potential, faster, faster."

"Engage your core, hold on, push."

Yugito Nii's voice was as usual, but it seemed to contain other emotions.

Moriyue felt like he was dying. His body, drenched in sweat, still swayed up and down, his breathing growing rapid. Moriyue was starting to falter.

"I can't do it anymore, I can't hold on, I've reached my limit." Moriyue exhaled, all his strength pouring out like a breached dam. He collapsed onto the ground, too exhausted to move.

"Mmm~ 218, you've improved." Yugito Nii looked at Moriyue, sprawled on the ground like a salted fish, and nodded with satisfaction. Doing over two hundred push-ups with that much weight was a faster improvement than she had expected.

Moriyue had been training with Yugito Nii for almost a month. During this time, he had only undergone physical training. As Yugito Nii put it, "Your path of training is different from ordinary ninjas. Pure ninjutsu will be difficult for you to master, but nintaijutsu should be easier. I'll teach you once your training is sufficient."

Moriyue had completely immersed himself in training this past month. The surrounding gossip had lessened considerably due to Moriyue's previous life-risking performances, but the general attitude towards Moriyue in the Hidden Cloud Village remained unoptimistic, even if they didn't say it openly.

"Don't pay attention to what those people say. People who don't strive for progress are everywhere. They criticize others instead of improving themselves; people like that won't get far." Yugito Nii jumped off Moriyue's back. She had intended to add a bit more weight for Moriyue, but her small frame was unfortunately ineffective.

Moriyue knew Yugito Nii was concerned about him, so he nodded. He hadn't paid attention to the gossip anyway.

"So, can I learn swordsmanship now? And other forbidden jutsus? I think I can try to understand other forbidden jutsus, maybe I can find a way to alleviate the side effects of the Life-Burning Forbidden Jutsu." Moriyue removed the iron rings binding him, and his body immediately felt much lighter. A simple jump felt like he could fly.

After this period of training, Moriyue's body had developed well-defined muscles, lean but not bulky. His internal tissues and blood vessels had also largely recovered since he hadn't used forbidden jutsus for a long time. Moriyue had been feeling unprecedentedly good these past few days, as he no longer had to endure constant, agonizing pain.

Yugito Nii's eyes dimmed. She had also been happy during this time. Moriyue's ostracization by others had created a strange sense of resonance for her; she now considered Moriyue a friend. However, Moriyue practiced the Life-Burning Forbidden Jutsu and could die at any moment. His desire to break the side effects of the forbidden jutsu was as difficult as climbing to heaven.

"Alright, we'll start later. But regarding forbidden jutsus, don't get your hopes up too high. Forbidden jutsus are called forbidden for a reason – they possess high power and high side effects. If the side effects of forbidden jutsus could be easily overcome, they wouldn't be called forbidden jutsus."

Yugito Nii gave Moriyue a heads-up, tossed him a towel, and took out two katanas, leading Moriyue out of the training room.

Moriyue nodded. He wasn't interested in overcoming the side effects of forbidden jutsus; he was interested in other forbidden jutsus and how to develop them. Relying on the immortality granted by the Dog Talisman, he could practice forbidden jutsus without restraint. The more, the better. Forbidden jutsus that others avoided like the plague were treasures to Moriyue.

Taking the katana handed to him by Yugito Nii, the feel was completely different from the first time he held one. The incredibly heavy katana felt like a cotton swab in Moriyue's hands.

Chop, slash, thrust, hack, lift, cut, single-handed mastery.

Stab, slide, stir, collapse, point, draw, effortlessly.

He hadn't just been using brute force during this time. Yugito Nii was an excellent teacher. She not only taught Moriyue how to train but also shared all the sword theory and techniques that the Hidden Cloud Village had compiled over the years.

He didn't know where Yugito Nii had learned the damned rote learning methods, but she had even compiled the sword theory into a set of papers. Moriyue hadn't expected to have to study again here.

The two, each lost in their own thoughts, arrived at a place Moriyue was very familiar with. It was a square rock platform, about ten meters above the ground, resembling a boxer's ring.

This time, unlike with Darui, Moriyue didn't rely on anyone's help. He climbed the high platform solely through his own strength. His fingertips, like ice picks, clung firmly to the rock crevices. Moriyue was as light as a swallow, his entire strength concentrated in his arms and feet as he leaped upwards, like an ape that had lived in a deep valley for years.

With a backflip, he landed steadily on top of the stone platform. Moriyue looked at the familiar large pit in the center of the platform. History was indeed coincidental.

Yugito Nii was already waiting for him on the other side of the platform. The view from up high was excellent, the gentle breeze rustling, Yugito Nii's light brown hair fluttering slightly. She held her sword in one hand, her posture like a swallow in the clouds.

"Attack me. In battle, one can best feel each other's will."

Yugito Nii lightly thrust her sword. There was no flourish in this strike, only incredible speed. The swiftness of Lightning Release Chakra was infused into Yugito Nii's blade. This strike seemed to cleave through the clouds.

Moriyue's reaction was also swift. Gripping the sword hilt with both hands, he retreated sharply, shifting his center of gravity to the rear right. Simultaneously, he adopted a forward-leaning posture, his blade angled behind him. Using the momentum of his forward lean, he swung his sword upwards at an angle.

"Clang!" The blades collided. Moriyue's sword was forcefully deflected by Yugito Nii's. After this simple probing, the two continued to engage in close combat, and for a time, the stone platform echoed with the "ding-dong" sound of metal striking metal, sounding somewhat like a phoenix's cry from afar.

Darui, lying on a nearby stone platform, covering the back of his head and dozing, was also disturbed by the sound. He sat up with a look of utter resignation and glanced at the two combatants from a distance before lying back down.

"It was the right decision to leave this kid to her. Being a teacher is too troublesome..."

Satisfied with his wise decision, he changed his position and continued to sleep.

Following Yugito Nii's training methods, that kid would probably become a capable warrior soon.