"Strength of a Hundred?"
Qingyu perked up at once.
Tsunade's Strength of a Hundred was one of the most iconic skills in the Naruto world.
One punch could split the ground.
The principle was to precisely concentrate chakra and release it in a burst at the instant a fist or foot made contact with its target, creating astonishing destructive power.
"You've been training with Maruboshi Kosuke for so long that your stamina and chakra reserves have both improved. Your foundations should be good enough now."
Tsunade spoke.
"Strength of a Hundred demands a great deal of chakra control. Too little chakra, and it won't have any power. Too much, and you could hurt yourself."
"You're at the perfect age to learn it. If you wait until you're older and your bones have set, you'll need more time to adapt. Come to the backyard later, and I'll see how good your chakra control is. If you pass, I'll start teaching you today."
After that, she went back to her usual languid manner and told Qingyu to keep painting.
Seeing this, Qingyu had no choice but to submit to Tsunade's tyrannical ways.
"Not bad. You've got the hang of it."
Tsunade watched Qingyu's movements.
"Did you practice in secret?"
"Painting nails and treating wounds both involve using your hands to perform precise work on a small area."
Qingyu spoke without looking up.
Tsunade thought it over. It did seem hard to argue with that.
Qingyu finished painting the last toenail, screwed the cap back on, and looked up at Tsunade.
The dark red polish gleamed faintly under the light, making her feet look even fairer.
Once he was done, Tsunade spoke.
"Let me check how you're developing later."
Qingyu's hands paused. He raised his head and looked at Tsunade.
The room fell silent for several seconds.
He was so small. Could he really handle a big job?
"...Tsunade, the way you put that makes it easy to misunderstand."
"Misunderstand what?"
Tsunade didn't get it at first. But when she saw the peculiar expression on Qingyu's handsome face, she suddenly understood and smacked the back of his head.
"What kind of things are you thinking about at your age? I meant I'd see if you're ready to learn Strength of a Hundred."
Then Tsunade had Qingyu take off his shirt. After examining him, she led him to the backyard.
Tsunade punched the ground, smashing a huge crater into it.
Qingyu's eyelid twitched.
Wouldn't that hurt like hell if it hit someone?
Tsunade then began explaining how the technique worked.
Qingyu listened carefully.
Tsunade's Strength of a Hundred was fundamentally different from ordinary Taijutsu.
Ordinary Taijutsu increased the force of a blow by training the muscles, perhaps using chakra to enhance their explosive power.
Strength of a Hundred was different. At the instant the fist touched its target, it released chakra all at once in a highly concentrated form.
So the amount of chakra couldn't be too low, either.
Even with perfect control, too little chakra would mean limited power.
Neither of these requirements posed a problem for Qingyu.
With the support of his Senju bloodline, his chakra reserves far exceeded those of others his age. Training in Medical Ninjutsu had also honed his chakra control to a fine degree.
After listening to Tsunade explain it several times, Qingyu slowly gathered chakra into his right fist.
He could clearly feel the chakra flowing through his network of pathways. It passed through the largest network near his heart, then traveled down his arm and into his fist.
But when he tried to release the chakra in a burst as he punched, it scattered across the surface of his fist instead of forming the focused, penetrating force he needed.
"That's pretty good. You should be able to master it soon."
Tsunade nodded.
The holidays always passed quickly.
In the blink of an eye, more than half a year had gone by.
Qingyu had picked up a few traits here and there, all of them improving his basic abilities. [Diligent Study], for example, increased his learning ability by 20%.
[Subtle Perception] increased his perception by 30%, and so on.
Unfortunately, he still hadn't obtained the [Counter-Attack Intuition] trait he'd been hoping for.
Qingyu had punched the wooden posts in the yard into splinters, replacing them again and again.
Tsunade had scolded him for wasting money, then turned around and hauled back an even thicker post from the lumberyard.
For more than half a year, Qingyu had practiced Strength of a Hundred in the backyard day after day.
"Ha!"
The instant Qingyu's fist struck the wooden post, chakra burst from its surface. Wood chips flew, and another shallow dent appeared in the target.
He pulled his fist back and examined the back of his hand. The skin around his knuckles was only slightly red, without any cuts or bruises.
Strength of a Hundred really did demand exceptional chakra control. Release the chakra too early, and it scattered across the fist; release it too late, and there wasn't enough time to create penetrating force.
But Qingyu found that he had an unexpectedly good aptitude for the technique, making his training twice as effective.
In Tsunade's words, he had already mastered half of it.
When he threw a punch, his chakra could keep pace with his movements. He just hadn't stabilized the timing of the burst yet.
Sometimes a punch left a deep crater in the post. Other times, it only left a crack on the surface.
Besides Strength of a Hundred, Qingyu had also learned a new Water Release Ninjutsu from Maruboshi Kosuke.
He had also obtained a trait from Kosuke called [Logistics Cooking], which made food taste 30% better.
Qingyu wondered whether, if he kept improving this trait, a single bite might make someone think the food was so delicious their clothes would burst off.
As for Water Release Ninjutsu, Qingyu had learned Senju Tobirama's Water Release: Water Dragon Jutsu from Maruboshi Kosuke.
Tobirama had originally taught it to Kosuke, who had now passed it on to Qingyu.
The standard version of the technique required forty-four Hand Seals, but Tobirama's simplified version reduced them to four while making chakra use even more efficient.
After forming the four Hand Seals in sequence, a rapidly churning stream of water surged out of thin air behind Qingyu. It spiraled upward through the water, gradually taking the shape of a dragon.
The water dragon's form was still unstable, and the outline of its head was blurry. It swayed in the air a few times before collapsing with a splash, soaking the ground.
"It's still a little unsteady. You'll need to get used to it."
Qingyu shook the droplets from his hands.
Tsunade leaned against the doorframe, watching him with a roasted chicken drumstick that had already gone cold in her hand.
She shoved the drumstick into her mouth and took a bite. As she chewed, she suddenly stopped.
Qingyu picked up a towel from the ground and wiped his face. When he turned around, he saw Tsunade looking at him with a complicated expression.
"Tsunade, what's wrong?"
"Nothing. I just think you're training way too fast."
Tsunade tossed the chicken bone into the trash can and licked the oil from her fingers. Her lips glistened.
"At this rate, you'll be able to release the technique completely by the end of the month."
She shook her head, but her mind was on something else.
Since awakening his Sharingan, Qingyu's eyes hadn't evolved at all. They had remained at the One-Tomoe stage.
But the Sharingan's evolution required intense pain as a catalyst. Qingyu was so even-tempered that he rarely experienced overwhelming joy or sorrow. He hardly ever showed any emotional fluctuations at all.
But now, his training was getting faster and faster, and his chakra reserves were steadily growing. At this rate, perhaps he wouldn't need any emotional stimulus. The growth of his chakra reserves and his body alone might be enough.
[Detected an obtainable trait: Senju Instinct] [C-rank trait: Senju Instinct] [Effect: Increases Senju bloodline Purity by 20%.]
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