From Now On, Let's Train Together Every Day!

At the ramen shop, Watanabe ate his noodles and said, "Tsunade, I'll return the scrolls you gave me once I've learned the techniques."

Tsunade didn't think much of it. She'd given Watanabe the scrolls in the first place and had never expected him to return them.

But Watanabe was so proud that he'd even written her IOUs for a few sets of clothes. Of course he'd feel the same way about scrolls, which were worth far more.

"Those three techniques aren't easy to master. We'll talk about it once you've learned them."

"Have you mastered them?" Watanabe asked curiously.

To put it bluntly, mastering even one S-rank technique was enough to make it your signature move. You could get by on that one trick alone.

"No. I'm learning other techniques right now, and I don't have that much time to spare," Tsunade replied.

Watanabe pondered that, guessing that Tsunade must be learning another S-rank technique.

What a rich, beautiful heiress!

Who knew how many S-rank techniques her family had? Even a little spillover from what they had would be beyond his reach.

"Tsunade, from now on, let's train together every day!"

Watanabe seemed to have made up his mind and suddenly invited her.

"Cough, cough!"

Tsunade choked on her soup and coughed violently twice, her face turning red.

"Don't rush. Take your time eating. There's still plenty of time before class."

Watanabe patted her back to soothe her.

Tsunade: "..."

Her face grew even redder. She felt awkward with his hand on her back and shifted slightly, still not used to Watanabe touching her so casually.

"Why bring this up all of a sudden?" she asked, pretending to be calm.

Watanabe looked completely serious. "I'll help you grow stronger, too. We'll get stronger together!"

Tsunade considered it for a moment, then nodded with an air of reserve. "All right. But I can only train with you when I have time."

Watanabe smiled brightly. With Tsunade's promise, it would be hard for his strength not to improve quickly.

And having someone like him to train with would surely help Tsunade, too. They were friends, after all. He couldn't let one side do all the giving. Helping each other was what real friends did, and it would make their friendship stronger.

Tsunade paid for lunch. Watanabe didn't fight her for the bill this time. After all, he already owed her a huge sum of more than sixty thousand ryō, and he didn't even know how he'd pay it back.

When he arrived in class that afternoon, Watanabe's completely new look caused quite a stir among his classmates.

"Whoa, did this guy strike it rich somewhere?"

Jiraiya's expression was the very definition of shock.

Watanabe used to be the shabbiest-dressed person in class. Now that distinction belonged to Jiraiya.

"Watanabe-kun looks surprisingly good in a suit."

"Yeah, he looks like a gentleman. So refined and handsome."

"Watanabe-kun should have dressed like this ages ago."

"..."

Several girls who thought they were on good terms with Watanabe gathered around him, chatting and laughing as they struck up a conversation.

Tsunade felt uncomfortable about it. She suddenly regretted buying Watanabe those clothes. She hadn't done it so he could flirt with other girls.

[Attracting attention: Presence -3, Sense of security -2, Inferiority complex +4...]

Watanabe was numb to it all.

Don't do this to me.

He missed the days when he'd been an inconspicuous dead last.

"Tsunade bought the clothes for me. I think they look great, too," Watanabe said, fending off the girls' chatter.

At that, the bustling classroom fell silent. Everyone exchanged glances.

The corners of Tsunade's mouth lifted slightly.

Hmph. At least he knows what's good for him.

"No wonder. Tsunade bought them for you. You two are really close."

The girls laughed awkwardly and tactfully stopped crowding around Watanabe.

Only a couple who were very close would buy each other clothes, especially a suit that was obviously so expensive. They understood the implication behind Watanabe's words.

"What's there to be proud of? You're just living off a woman!" Inuzuka Kiba grumbled to himself.

He thought Tsunade would regret it someday. Watanabe hadn't approached her with innocent intentions at all. He'd probably scam her out of her money and seduce her, only to cruelly abandon her in the end.

Then wouldn't a decent guy like him be the one to pick up the pieces?

"Looks like I really don't have a chance..." Dan Katō glanced at Tsunade, who hadn't tried to explain herself, his face flashing with dejection and sadness.

Jiraiya's eyes darted around. Then he sneakily leaned toward Tsunade. "Tsunade, how about you take care of me, too? I'm good in bed—"

Tsunade punched him squarely on his dog-like head, the veins on her forehead throbbing. "Are you tired of living?!"

Life at the Ninja Academy was always so dull, boring, and lively all at once.

After using Tsunade as a shield, Watanabe finally became the inconspicuous nobody he'd been before. No girls came to bother him anymore, and aside from the thickheaded Inuzuka Kiba, he doubted any of the boys would give him trouble either.

Watanabe was rather pitiful, when you thought about it. Tsunade was the only person in class he could truly call a friend. He was only on familiar terms with everyone else.

Even he had only gotten to know Tsunade over the past couple of days.

Watanabe spent the whole afternoon slacking off as usual. His blood vitality increased by about as much as it would have if Tsunade had punched him three times. Even a mosquito-sized gain was still a gain. It was better than nothing.

After school that evening, Watanabe approached Tsunade with practiced ease. "Are you going home tonight?"

Tsunade immediately understood what he was getting at and replied primly, "I can go home a little later."

"Then come to my place. I'll cook for you."

Tsunade agreed, though not without a little reluctance.

Watanabe didn't bother preparing an elaborate dinner that evening. He simply stir-fried two home-style dishes, and Tsunade still ate them with relish.

After dinner, the two of them began training, and Watanabe took out the ninjutsu scrolls.

"Mutual Multiplication Paper Bomb Technique is pretty dangerous. You could easily blow yourself up. Learn Flying Thunder God and Spirit Transformation Technique first," Tsunade advised him.

After a moment's thought, she added, "Flying Thunder God is Space-Time Ninjutsu and takes a lot of talent. Spirit Transformation Technique is a little easier, so you should learn that one first."

"Okay."

Watanabe understood that trying to learn too much at once would only make him master none of it. Learning even one S-rank technique would be an impressive achievement.

The essence of Spirit Transformation Technique was to transform one's body into a living soul, allowing it to travel through the physical world regardless of distance. It could also possess another person, enabling the user to control their body or enter their Spiritual World.

"Isn't this just like the primordial spirit leaving the body in xianxia novels..."

After reading the scroll's description, Watanabe mused to himself, immediately becoming interested in the technique.

The more powerful a technique was, the greater the risks that came with it. Spirit Transformation Technique was a perfect example. It placed extremely high demands on the user's spiritual strength, and every time the soul left the body, it would suffer damage to some degree.

The scroll therefore explained in detail that anyone hoping to master Spirit Transformation Technique had to temper their willpower over a long period, strengthening their soul until it could meet the requirements for using the technique.

"I'm a transmigrator, so my soul must be stronger than an ordinary person's. I should be able to skip the initial step of tempering my willpower."

Watanabe decided to give it a try. Following the instructions in the scroll, he formed the "Rabbit" hand seal, closed his eyes, and directed his Chakra along a specific pathway, reaching out to the soul hidden deep within his Spiritual World.