"Ha... ha... ha..."
Heavy gasps echoed through a secluded hollow deep within the Forest of Death.
Duanmu Ci was drenched in sweat, kneeling on one knee with both hands braced against the damp earth, his body trembling slightly from intense soreness. He had just finished a nearly self-torturous round of weighted physical training—carrying a boulder half his height as he sprinted, dodged, and leaped through woodland choked with thorns and vines.
This was his third day under Tsunade.
During the day, he followed Tsunade and Shizune around, assisting in busy, noisy hospitals or temporary medical stations. He learned to identify herbs, treat external injuries, prepare basic disinfectants, and worked like the most diligent apprentice. Tsunade seemed determined to temper him starting from the very basics. The dull, tedious work constantly wore away at his patience, but he always kept a respectful, focused expression.
Only in the evening, once work at the medical station had temporarily ended and Tsunade had been summoned away by the higher-ups or gone to handle other matters, did Duanmu Ci get a moment to breathe. He devoted every bit of that time to secret training deep within the Forest of Death.
He had to master the power inside him as soon as possible! Those three forces that had erupted out of control on the battlefield, saving his life while nearly taking it as well, were his only means of surviving in this cruel world and achieving his goals! Tsunade's protection was temporary. Danzo's covetous gaze was like a thorn in his back. He could not rely on disguise and luck forever.
"Sage Body... Wood Release... Rinnegan..." Duanmu Ci steadied his breathing, sat cross-legged, closed his eyes, and began trying to communicate with the most mysterious and violent of forces—Nature Energy.
According to what Tsunade had occasionally