Tsunade's Heaven-Reversing Formation

"Where are we going?"

Qingyu turned his head back.

Could it be the casino?

If so, he would have to righteously refuse.

"Have you heard of Maruboshi Kosuke?"

Tsunade asked.

Qingyu thought for a moment and recalled the man; Maruboshi Kosuke was a perennial genin, but his actual strength was quite impressive even among jonin.

However, Qingyu still feigned ignorance and shook his head.

"Maruboshi Kosuke's Water Release ninjutsu and swordsmanship are both excellent. While his attainments in Konoha-Style Swordsmanship aren't as famous as Hatake Sakumo's, in certain aspects, he is even more solid than Hatake Sakumo."

Tsunade paused, then added:

"Furthermore, he received favors from Second Granduncle. If I were to ask him, he should agree to mentor you."

Upon hearing this, Qingyu immediately felt he had misjudged Tsunade.

What he lacked right now was guidance in swordsmanship.

Although Hatake Sakumo and Orochimaru would both spare time to instruct him, they were busy with their own affairs and had little free time.

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

The appearance of Maruboshi Kosuke filled this gap perfectly.

After all, there weren't actually that many missions for a genin to perform.

"Thank you, Sister Tsunade."

"Mm."

Tsunade nodded, then reached out her hand toward Qingyu.

Qingyu looked down at that fair palm, then looked back up at Tsunade's face.

"What is the meaning of this?"

"Do you have any money left?"

Tsunade said it righteously, without a hint of a blush.

Qingyu looked at the Tsunade before him, who was shamelessly demanding money from him, a junior, and the corner of his mouth twitched slightly.

It was simply turning the world upside down.

That phrase couldn't be more appropriate here.

"No money."

Qingyu refused flatly.

Tsunade retracted her hand.

"Oh, never mind then. I was going to say I could take you there right now, but since you have no money, we'll just have to wait a while..."

A look of regret appeared on Tsunade's exquisite face.

Qingyu looked at the hand extended toward him once more, remained silent for a few seconds, then fished several large-denomination bills from a hidden pocket and slapped them into Tsunade's palm.

These were the allowances and living expenses Tsunade usually gave him, but Qingyu was very frugal and didn't spend much.

To think she would even covet this little bit.

Tsunade took the bills, lowered her head to count them, and her face instantly blossomed into a smile.

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

Tsunade said triumphantly.

If she stopped going to the casino just because she lost money, wouldn't that mean she'd never get it back?

She tucked the bills away, then bent down and scooped Qingyu up into her arms.

Qingyu only felt his face sink into the softness of the Baby Canteen.

Tsunade's body heat radiated through her thin clothing, and the scale of the 106-centimeter compression left him almost unable to breathe.

Before Qingyu could squeeze his way out, he saw Tsunade exert force under her feet the very next moment.

Body Flicker Technique!

Whistling winds rushed past his ears, and the surrounding scenery retreated rapidly.

Tsunade's speed was immense; Qingyu couldn't even make out the outlines of the buildings beside them.

Not long after, Tsunade's feet touched the ground, and she set Qingyu down.

Qingyu finally had the chance to breathe some fresh air.

After taking a few breaths, Qingyu looked around once again.

This was a rather secluded spot.

In front stood a wooden cabin, and Qingyu spotted an old man with eyes squinted into slits, looking quite kind-hearted.

"Long time no see, old man."

Tsunade walked up and greeted him with a smile.

"Ah, Lady Tsunade. Is this Qingyu?"

Maruboshi Kosuke knew a thing or two about Qingyu's existence.

Even though it was their first meeting, he felt this child had to be Qingyu.

After all, Tsunade wouldn't just bring any random 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 the wall, held one in his hand, and tossed the other to Qingyu.

"Let me see your foundation."

Qingyu caught the wooden sword and assumed a stance.

Maruboshi Kosuke raised his wooden sword as well.

The two stood in a standoff in the clearing for a moment before striking simultaneously.

The crisp sound of wooden swords clashing echoed through the woods.

Just from the initial exchange, Maruboshi Kosuke felt that Qingyu was no simple child.

He discovered that Qingyu had a strong ability to learn, quickly making judgments against his sword techniques.

Furthermore, he had heard that this child possessed the Sharingan...

If he were to activate the Sharingan, this ability would likely improve even further.

Tsunade watched from behind, noticing that the brat Qingyu had improved significantly once again.

Ever since enrolling in the Ninja Academy, Qingyu had been progressing rapidly, as if riding a rocket.

Is the power of his bloodline beginning to manifest within Qingyu?

Tsunade mused to herself.

Not long after, Maruboshi Kosuke voluntarily stopped.

Seeing this, Qingyu sheathed his sword.

"Excellent aptitude."

Maruboshi Kosuke said.

He had created a unique S-rank technique that combined swordsmanship with genjutsu, known as "Konoha-Style: Willow."

[Trait available for collection detected: Seasoned Sword Sense]

[D-rank Trait: Seasoned Sword Sense]

[Effect: Increases comprehension of swordsmanship, allowing one to see through an opponent's sword path faster in actual combat.]

Qingyu looked at the text appearing before him.

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

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

Tsunade said with a beaming smile from the side.

"It is no trouble at all."

Maruboshi Kosuke shook his head, his gaze falling on Qingyu with warmth.

Qingyu was also a clansman of Lord Senju Tobirama. Maruboshi Kosuke no longer had the chance to repay his debt to Senju Tobirama, but he still had the opportunity to help Qingyu.

"Lord Tobirama showed me kindness back in the day; I couldn't ask for anything more than to have his clansman willing to learn swordsmanship from me."

Several months passed in the blink of an eye amidst the day-to-day training.

Qingyu's life became even more fulfilling.

Every morning, he went for a run with Might Guy, attended classes at the Ninja Academy in the morning, went to practice swordsmanship with Maruboshi Kosuke after school, soaked in the medicinal bath prepared by Tsunade in the evening, and reviewed everything he had learned that day with his Sharingan before bed.

Under the guidance of Maruboshi Kosuke, his swordsmanship progressed rapidly.

The core of Konoha-Style Swordsmanship lay in being solid; every move and every stance had to be practiced until it was second nature.

Qingyu possessed the Sharingan, which allowed him to practice every move to perfection.

Maruboshi Kosuke taught with patience, and Qingyu learned quickly.

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

To put it simply, it was a coherent combination of three movements: a downward hack, a horizontal slash, and a diagonal lift, all executed within a single breath.

If an opponent blocked the first strike, they couldn't block the second; if they blocked the second, they couldn't block the third.

Of course, Qingyu did not forget to interact more with Rin Nohara, Yūhi Kurenai, and other ninjas with keen sensory abilities to trigger traits.

In the Shinobi World, the importance of sensory ability could not be overstated; being able to detect enemies in advance and see through traps and ambushes was often more important than combat strength itself.

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

The climate in Konoha grew colder by the day, and in the blink of an eye, another semester passed, and winter arrived in Konoha.

The New Year was also approaching.

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

He looked at the scarred wooden target in the backyard and suddenly realized that he had ushered in another new year.

The Third Shinobi World War would likely be arriving soon as well.

Qingyu pondered to himself.

However, this also meant that before the Shinobi World War arrived, Hatake Sakumo would also be slandered.

Qingyu could not quite understand the behavior of ninjas who could actually ostracize a top-tier combatant to their death.