Thunder Breathing Breakthrough!

Uchiha Clan compound entrance.

"Halt!"

Qingyi Lang suddenly flipped over from his handstand training, shouting at a ninja wearing an Uzumaki Headband:

"Uchiha Clan compound. Outsiders are forbidden."

As he spoke, Qingyi Lang scanned the newcomer from head to toe, a hint of confusion in his heart.

An Uzumaki Clan ninja?

Why come here instead of the Senju compound?

"Young Man, please inform them."

The Uzumaki ninja didn't force his way in. Instead, he said with a smile, "I'm here on the orders of Lord Mito and Princess Tsunade to invite a ninja from your clan named Uchiha Ao to meet them."

"Uchiha Ao?!"

Qingyi Lang exclaimed in surprise, "Why would those two important figures want to see that guy... him? Do you have a token?"

"Young Man, you know that Lord Ao?"

The Uzumaki ninja's eyes lit up. As he spoke, he took out a scroll from his bosom and handed it over, asking enthusiastically, "How strong is that Lord? Is he handsome? Does he have a high status in your clan?"

"..."

Qingyi Lang gave the Uzumaki ninja a strange look and took the scroll.

His strength was alright. His status? Currently, he was just a nobody.

As for handsome...

What, if he's handsome, do you want to marry that brat?

While thinking this, he remained responsible with his job. He carefully read the scroll... Hmm... The name was correct, and it bore the seals of the Senju Clan and that Uzumaki Mito.

After confirming, Qingyi Lang became even more puzzled.

Why would those two invite Ao?

Tsunade, fine. She was still young. It wasn't strange to have contact in places like the Ninja Academy.

But Lord Mito? She was a powerhouse no less than a Kage.

Though he had some doubts, Qingyi Lang didn't make things difficult for the man.

"Other than his ordinary appearance, I can't tell you anything else. However, I will deliver your token to him for you."

"...This."

The Uzumaki ninja's face contorted in distress. He had been ordered to personally deliver it to that Uchiha Ao.

However, he knew the rules of the Uchiha Clan and didn't force his way in. Instead, he took out a banknote worth ten thousand ryo from his bosom and stuffed it into Qingyi Lang's hand, fawning, "Thank you for your trouble, Young Man. Please notify Lord Ao as soon as possible. Lord Mito and Tsunade will be waiting for him at his residence this afternoon."

Qingyi Lang nodded in agreement and accepted the money.

After watching the Uzumaki ninja walk away, he looked at the banknote in his hand and murmured, "I'll give this money to Ao. I've already taken enough advantage of that brat. I don't know when I'll be able to pay him back."

Heh heh...

Unknowingly, has the gap between me and him grown this large?

Even such a powerful figure has noticed him...

Qingyi Lang shook his head with a wry smile, then turned back and shouted to the guard post behind him, "Shuta, you mind the post for a bit. I need to go back to the clan for something."

"Okay, go ahead."

Home.

"101, 102, 103..."

Ao, shirtless, with blue electric arcs flashing on his back, had six iron plates weighing a total of one ton pressed against him. He was diligently performing a set of Kegel Exercises.

Sweat dripped continuously from his forehead and waist, forming small puddles on the ground around him.

He had been in this state for half an hour. To be precise, he had been using Thunder Breathing for nearly forty minutes.

This was because, thirty minutes ago, he had pushed the progress of Thunder Breathing to its limit, reaching an entirely new Realm.

"Hoo... Haa..."

Ao gasped for air, and the veins on his body began to bulge one by one, a sign that his body was nearing exhaustion.

But he still didn't give up. Only when the numbers on the screen before his eyes changed did he suddenly stand up, lifting the six iron plates weighing one ton with one hand and placing them on the ground.

[Thunder Breathing - Improved 2/200]

[B-Rank Ninjutsu: Significantly reduces chakra consumption. Wraps the body in lightning chakra, moderately increasing hardness and speed.]

"Haa... nearly half an hour... with a ton of weight, and only... a single point of progress?"

Sou stared at the numbers on the light screen, panting as he muttered.

He had just experienced it. Although this new style of Thunder Breathing didn't enhance the body as much as Lightning Release Armor, its chakra consumption, endurance, and body training efficiency were far beyond what Lightning Release Armor could achieve.

In just the past half hour, he felt his physical fitness had improved by more than double!

In other words, his Eight Inner Gates had even reached the point of opening the second gate, the Gate of Healing, and this was in combat state!

Sou clenched his fist, feeling the explosive growth of power in his body, and concluded:

"Although my overall combat power still doesn't match an elite Jonin, in terms of taijutsu, I might have already surpassed most elite Jonin."

Just then, a stream of information suddenly flowed into his mind.

This was the feedback and insights gained from the progress of Thunder Breathing, giving him a deeper understanding of this new ninjutsu.

After a while, the first thing he said upon opening his eyes was:

"Lightning Release Armor and Thunder Breathing can actually fuse?!"

That's right, this was the information he obtained from those insights.

Moreover, if these two could fuse, the resulting qualitative change would be terrifyingly unprecedented!

Just imagine a Lightning Release Armor with long duration, whose enhancements to speed and power were not diminished. How strong would such power be?

This was just a preliminary estimate. The fusion of the two would definitely not be as simple as 1+1, and there would surely be other miraculous effects!

Perhaps, at that time, Lightning Release Armor and Thunder Breathing could no longer simply be called ninjutsu.

Calling it Lightning God Armor seemed more fitting!

It was a pity that Lightning Release Armor hadn't made much progress yet. With his current chakra reserves, even with Ration Pills and several tons of weight, he estimated he could only gain two to three points of progress per day at most.

"Too slow..."

Sou sighed, feeling his body, which only had the chakra reserves of a regular Jonin.

Sigh... If only I were a Jinchuriki.

"Sou, are you home?"

At that moment, Qingyi Lang's voice came from downstairs.

"Huh?"

Sou glanced curiously at the clock on the wall. "It's only a little past 1 PM. Why is this brat getting off work so early today?"

He casually picked up a white t-shirt from the sofa, put it on, and used a Body Flicker Technique to appear before Qingyi Lang.

"Whoa, you're showering at noon? You're all wet."

Qingyi Lang exclaimed the moment they met. But upon closer inspection, Sou's physique seemed even more upright. The t-shirt that had been slightly loose just a few days ago was now stretched taut by bulging muscles.

"Holy crap, what's going on with you..."

"What?"

Sou cheekily raised his right hand, showing off his sparkling bicep, and laughed.

"Attracted by this dad's body, which can be called a work of art?

Too bad, dad's straight! You can look, but you can't touch."

"Get lost."

Interrupted by Sou, Qingyi Lang finally remembered the main business. He cursed with a laugh, "If your body is a work of art, then my body is divine."

As he spoke, he handed over the token. "Here, this is a token from a Uzumaki Clan ninja who came while I was on duty.

They said Lord Mito and Princess Tsunade invite you to Lord Mito's residence this afternoon to meet them."

"Lord Mito?"

Sou frowned upon hearing this. The current Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, the wife of the deceased Hashirama.

Why would she be looking for me?

A fifty-year-old aunt seeking a child with a large sum of money?

It's not impossible. Looking at the original work, she also had the Hundred Healings Mark between her brows. Perhaps her current appearance is around thirty years old...

"...Uh."

Sou shook his head, dispelling these absurd thoughts, and asked, "Did they say what it was about?"

"No..."

Qingyi Lang first shook his head, then added, "However, that Uzumaki ninja was very interested in you, asking about your strength, status, and so on. They seemed very interested in you."

Another Uzumaki Clan member has appeared...

This sounds a bit strange.

Sou looked at the scroll in his hand, which bore a seal, and mused.

Uzumaki Mito... Sealing Technique... Nine-Tails Jinchuriki...

Perhaps the chakra deficiency I'm currently experiencing could be resolved by her...

Let's do it then!