Tsunade Turns the World Upside Down

"Where to?"

Qingyu turned back.

Could it be the casino?

Then he would have to refuse righteously.

"Have you heard of Maruboshi Kosuke?"

Tsunade asked.

Qingyu thought for a moment and remembered the man. Maruboshi Kosuke was an Eternal Genin, but his strength was actually quite impressive even among Jonin.

Still, Qingyu pretended not to know and shook his head.

"Maruboshi Kosuke is skilled in both Water Release ninjutsu and swordsmanship. His attainments in Konoha-Style Swordsmanship may not be as famous as Hatake Sakumo's, but in some respects, his foundation is more solid than Hatake Sakumo's."

Tsunade paused, then added,

"And he received help from Second Granduncle. If I ask him, he should be willing to guide you."

At those words, Qingyu immediately felt that he had misjudged Tsunade.

What he lacked now was guidance in swordsmanship.

Although Hatake Sakumo and Orochimaru both made time to instruct him, they were busy people and had little free time.

Kakashi was a decent sparring partner, but a sparring partner and a teacher were two different things.

Maruboshi Kosuke's appearance happened to fill that gap.

After all, there were not that many missions a Genin could undertake.

"Thank you, Sister Tsunade."

"Mm."

Tsunade nodded, then held out her hand toward Qingyu.

Qingyu lowered his head to look at that fair, clean palm, then raised his eyes to Tsunade's face.

"What does that mean?"

"Do you have any money left?"

Tsunade said it with perfect justification, without the slightest hint of embarrassment.

Looking at Tsunade, who was so righteously demanding money from him, her junior, Qingyu's mouth twitched slightly.

This was completely upside down.

That phrase could not have been more fitting here.

"No money."

Qingyu refused without hesitation.

Tsunade withdrew her hand.

"Oh, then forget it. I was going to say I could take you there right now, but if you don't have money, we can only wait for a while..."

A trace of regret appeared on Tsunade's delicate face.

Qingyu looked at the hand extended before him again, fell silent for a few seconds, then pulled several large-denomination bills from an inner pocket and slapped them into Tsunade's palm.

Tsunade had usually given him this as pocket money and living expenses, but Qingyu was frugal and had spent very little of it.

Yet even this little amount had caught Tsunade's eye.

Tsunade took the bills and counted them with her head lowered. Her face instantly blossomed into a smile.

"Kid, this is called an investment. Once I win, I'll pay you back double."

Tsunade spoke smugly.

If she stopped going to the casino just because she had lost money gambling, wouldn't that mean she had absolutely no chance of winning it back?

She put away the bills, bent down, and scooped Qingyu up in one motion.

Qingyu only felt his face sink into a soft chest.

Tsunade's body heat seeped through the thin fabric, and the sheer scale after being squeezed nearly made him unable to breathe.

Before Qingyu could wriggle free, Tsunade pushed off the ground.

Body Flicker Technique!

Wind howled past his ears as the scenery around them sped backward.

Tsunade was incredibly fast. Qingyu could not even make out the outlines of the buildings around him.

Before long, Tsunade landed and set Qingyu down.

Qingyu finally had a chance to breathe fresh air.

After taking several breaths, Qingyu looked around again.

This was quite a secluded place.

There was a wooden house ahead, and Qingyu saw an elderly man whose eyes were narrowed into slits, giving him a somewhat kindly appearance.

"Long time no see, old man."

Tsunade walked over and greeted him with a smile.

"Lady Tsunade, is this Qingyu?"

Maruboshi Kosuke knew a little about Qingyu's existence.

Although this was their first meeting, he still felt that this child had to be Qingyu.

After all, Tsunade would not casually bring just any child here.

"That's right. I brought him here because I want him to learn swordsmanship from you."

Tsunade said.

Maruboshi Kosuke nodded.

He turned around, took two wooden swords from beside the wall, held one himself, and tossed the other to Qingyu.

"Let me see what foundation you have."

Qingyu caught the wooden sword and took his stance.

Maruboshi Kosuke raised his wooden sword as well.

The two faced each other in the clearing for a moment before striking at the same time.

The crisp clash of wooden swords echoed through the woods.

But after only the first exchange, Maruboshi Kosuke could tell that Qingyu was no ordinary child.

He discovered that Qingyu learned extremely quickly and could soon make judgments about his sword techniques.

And he had heard that the boy possessed the Sharingan...

If he awakened the Sharingan, that ability would likely improve even further.

Watching from behind, Tsunade noticed that Qingyu had improved considerably again.

Ever since entering the Ninja Academy, Qingyu had advanced at breakneck speed.

Is the power of his bloodline beginning to reveal itself within Qingyu?

Tsunade wondered.

Before long, Maruboshi Kosuke took the initiative to stop.

Seeing this, Qingyu lowered his sword as well.

"You have excellent aptitude."

Maruboshi Kosuke said.

He had created an S-rank technique that combined swordsmanship and Genjutsu, called "Konoha-Style: Willow."

[Collectible trait detected: Seasoned Sword Sense]

[D-rank trait: Seasoned Sword Sense]

[Effect: Improves comprehension of swordsmanship, allowing the user to see through an opponent's sword paths more quickly in actual combat.]

Qingyu looked at the words floating before him.

Another D-rank trait, and one that directly improved combat ability.

"Then I'll leave him in your care, old man."

Tsunade said from the side with a smile.

"It's no trouble."

Maruboshi Kosuke shook his head. His gaze rested on Qingyu, warmth in his eyes.

Qingyu was also Lord Tobirama's clansman. Maruboshi Kosuke no longer had the chance to repay Senju Tobirama, but he still had the chance to help Qingyu.

"Lord Tobirama showed me kindness back then. I couldn't ask for more than for one of his clansmen to be willing to learn swordsmanship from me."

Several months passed in the blink of an eye amid his daily training.

Qingyu's life became even more fulfilling.

Every morning, he went on a run with Might Guy. In the morning, he attended classes at the Ninja Academy. After school in the afternoon, he went to practice swordsmanship with Maruboshi Kosuke. At night, he returned home to soak in the medicinal bath prepared by Tsunade, then reviewed everything he had learned that day with the Sharingan before sleeping.

Under Maruboshi Kosuke's guidance, his swordsmanship improved rapidly.

The core of Konoha-Style Swordsmanship lay in having a solid foundation. Every move and stance had to be practiced until it was ingrained in one's bones.

Qingyu possessed the Sharingan, allowing him to practice every movement to an exceptionally precise standard.

Maruboshi Kosuke taught patiently, and Qingyu learned quickly.

During this time, he had already mastered sword techniques such as "Konoha-Style Swordsmanship: Dance of the One-Day Flow."

Simply put, it was a seamless combination of three movements: a downward slash, a horizontal cut, and a diagonal upward strike. All three were completed within a single breath.

If the opponent blocked the first strike, they could not block the second. If they blocked the second, they could not block the third.

Of course, Qingyu had not forgotten to spend more time around Rin Nohara, Yūhi Kurenai, and those ninjas with strong sensory abilities in hopes of triggering traits.

In the shinobi world, the importance of sensory ability could never be overstated. Being able to discover enemies early and see through traps and ambushes was often even more important than one's combat strength.

But luck did not seem to be on his side. After several months, not a single sensory-type trait had dropped.

Konoha's weather grew colder by the day. In the blink of an eye, another semester had passed, and winter had arrived in Konoha.

The New Year was approaching as well.

Qingyu stood in the courtyard, his breath turning into white mist.

Looking at the scarred wooden training post in the backyard, he suddenly realized that he had entered another new year.

The Third Shinobi World War would soon arrive as well.

Qingyu thought to himself.

But that also meant that before the Shinobi World War arrived, Hatake Sakumo would suffer slander and attacks.

Qingyu could not really understand how some shinobi could drive a top-tier combatant to death through ostracism.