Golden Light Chakra Mode

"Not bad, kid. With swordsmanship like that, even a Chunin probably wouldn't be your match. Most Jonin would have a hard time dealing with that kind of assault, too. Your slashes are fast, and they pack a decent punch.

"And those high-speed slashes remind me of a certain senior. Though his had a lot more edge to them. Anyway, it's my turn now."

The Chakra Scalpel spun around Tsunade's fingertips as she smiled and spoke softly to Uchiha Gen.

In the next instant, the rubble beside Tsunade flew into the air, and her figure vanished before Uchiha Gen's eyes.

"So fast!"

His Two-Tomoe Sharingan whirled rapidly. As he watched Tsunade flash in front of him and raise her long leg, a trace of surprise flickered in Uchiha Gen's eyes.

Chakra and qi intertwined, bursting through his leg in an instant.

Modified—Body Flicker Technique!

Uchiha Gen's body became a blur, just as Tsunade's attack came crashing down.

Boom!!

With a deafening crash, a huge crater appeared in the ground where Uchiha Gen had been standing. The earth cracked, and dust billowed everywhere.

"Come on, kid."

Through the dust, Tsunade looked toward Uchiha Gen, who had flashed over to stand on the river's surface. Her eyes lit up.

"He can even Water Walk? Not bad!"

Tsunade raised a hand and flung off her green robe, revealing the fitted vest beneath. She clenched her fist, and her slender arm gave a sharp crack.

It was the sound of chakra clinging evenly to her arm and rubbing against the air at high speed.

"This woman really doesn't think things through. If she lands a hit... I'm in trouble."

Uchiha Gen frowned as he looked at the ground Tsunade had damaged.

This woman was taking things a little too seriously.

If that was the case...

Heaven and Earth Profound Sect, root of all qi.

Cultivate through countless tribulations, and attain my divine power.

Within and beyond the Three Realms, the Dao alone reigns supreme.

Golden light envelops my body.

A flash of golden light burst into the night.

Boom!!!!

The force of the punch slammed into the golden light around Uchiha Gen, but it didn't move him in the slightest.

"Huh?"

Tsunade had never intended to actually hit Uchiha Gen with her fist. Seeing the golden light around him, she froze in surprise.

What... was that thing?

"A golden... chakra mode? No, that can't be right! How could a student still in the academy master a chakra mode?"

Staring at the golden light around Uchiha Gen, Tsunade completely forgot that they were in the middle of a fight. She could only wonder in shock whether she had fallen under a genjutsu.

Uchiha Gen said nothing in response to her astonishment. He raised a hand and threw a punch.

Boom!

Water surged in every direction, and Tsunade's figure wavered.

"Not bad! No wonder Grandma said you'd be perfect for learning Strength of a Hundred. I like your strength. You seem to get even stronger when you activate this mode, and your chakra... it's actually burning?"

Though she had momentarily forgotten they were fighting, the instincts of an elite Jonin kicked in the instant Uchiha Gen attacked. Tsunade reacted at once, blocking his punch with her arm.

Tsunade stared at Uchiha Gen's current state, her eyes shining. For some reason, seeing his chakra start to burn suddenly gave her a new direction for the Cursed Technique she was developing.

"If I turned the chakra stored in the Yin Seal into fuel and set it alight, could I gain a tremendous burst of strength for a short time?"

The new idea for her technique spurred Tsunade to suddenly exert her strength.

Boom!!

The riverbed beneath Uchiha Gen and Tsunade broke apart, and the immense force drove all the water out of the river channel. Uchiha Gen himself shot away like a cannonball.

"Crap! I didn't hold back!"

Tsunade's mind froze as she watched the golden ball of light fly away. Horrified, she immediately used the Body Flicker Technique to rush toward the spot where Uchiha Gen was about to land.

"Cough, cough... Is the gap between my strength and an elite Jonin really this big? And this thing... it seems to have some pretty nasty side effects."

Golden flames flickered around him. Uchiha Gen clutched his chest, a thin streak of blood at the corner of his mouth. Looking at the golden flames dissipating over his chest, he murmured under his breath.

Golden Light Chakra Mode was the result of Uchiha Gen turning the Golden Light, originally a technique for protecting the Dao, into an offensive technique. He had developed this short-lived burst mode by combining chakra with qi.

Qi could contain and assimilate, and it could also be used to "ignite"—in other words, to spur chakra into rapidly burning up and briefly enhance the body.

This mode sacrificed the Golden Light's original defensive capabilities, but greatly boosted all of Uchiha Gen's attributes. The drawback was that it consumed a tremendous amount.

"Lie down and rest for a while. I'll heal you. Your chakra mode just now wasn't complete, so you'd better not use it again until you've perfected it. It could shorten your life. Forcing out chakra and making it burn like that... You really are reckless.

"But your strength is astonishing. With that amount of chakra, you probably have more than most of the Jonin in the village."

Tsunade rushed over using the Body Flicker Technique and placed a hand on Uchiha Gen's shoulder. Green light spread over him as she carefully examined his body, then frowned and spoke gravely.

The vitality of the cells in Uchiha Gen's body had fallen drastically. That was what happened when someone extracted and strained a massive amount of chakra all at once.

"Yeah. My whole body feels like it's fallen apart."

Uchiha Gen lay down. He was indeed a little exhausted, and Tsunade's punch had hurt quite a bit.

"Being exhausted is nothing. Someone once took one of my punches head-on and broke several ribs. You should count yourself lucky you're fine.

"You're built well—really sturdy. I'm starting to understand why Grandma treats you so specially. You're a real monster."

As she healed Uchiha Gen, Tsunade spoke in a low voice.

There was something very strange about Uchiha Gen's body. Its vitality was several times greater than Nawaki's. Nawaki had the Senju constitution, but what was going on with an Uchiha like him?

As she treated him, Tsunade felt the vitality of the weakened cells in Uchiha Gen's body gradually return, and watched them recover at an astonishing pace. The more she saw, the more unbelievable she found him.

"Should I thank you, then?"

Uchiha Gen rolled his eyes at her. He didn't even need to think about it. The person whose ribs she'd broken had to be Minato Namikaze's unfortunate teacher.

"No need. This was my mistake, after all. I'll treat you to a meal tomorrow to make it up to you. Barbecue, maybe? Nawaki seems to have gotten his allowance."

Tsunade withdrew her hand from Uchiha Gen and apologized.