Sarutobi Hiruzen: This Child Has My Heroic Bearing

Qingyu paused in the middle of wiping his face.

A surge of heat welled up from the depths of his body without warning.

His meridian system was expanding at a speed he could clearly perceive.

He could feel his chakra reserves climbing rapidly.

His chakra capacity, which had already far exceeded that of his peers, jumped up another magnitude in this very moment.

His heartbeat was steady and powerful; every contraction pumped blood throughout his entire body, and he could feel the pulse thrumming in his fingertips.

With every breath, his lungs expanded more smoothly than ever before.

At this level of chakra, Qingyu estimated that he might already possess the scale of one Kakashi.

He already carried the bloodlines of the Senju and Uchiha, and now that the purity of his Senju blood had increased, the balance between the two had shifted slightly, yet it produced no rejection reaction whatsoever.

On the contrary, the strengthening of his Senju bloodline felt like adding a thicker foundation to his body, providing a more stable platform for the Yin Release power brought by his Uchiha bloodline.

Stepping on his own feet, he could practically ascend to the heavens.

Beyond the significant improvements in chakra volume, physical recovery, and stamina, Qingyu sensed another change.

His Sharingan was faintly heating up.

Shaking his head, Qingyu lowered his center of gravity, concentrated his chakra into his right fist, and unleashed it the moment he threw the punch.

The instant his fist struck the wooden post, a sound more muffled and heavy than any before exploded through the courtyard.

A fist-sized depression was smashed into the center of the post, with spiderweb cracks extending outward from the impact point.

Qingyu withdrew his fist, looking at the deep crater and then at the back of his own hand.

Tsunade's eyelids twitched as she watched from behind.

The power of that punch was far greater than she had anticipated.

Had this brat suddenly had an epiphany, or what?

When it was time to eat, Qingyu washed the wood shavings off his hands and face and sat down at the dining table.

Shizune had gone to help at Konoha Hospital today, so it was just him and Tsunade at home.

Tsunade slumped over the table, resting her heavy, almost indecently voluminous chest against the tabletop.

She poked at the rice in her bowl with her chopsticks in her right hand, while her left elbow rested on the table, her chin propped up by her palm, her golden-brown eyes studying Qingyu across the spread of dishes.

"How are you training so fast?"

Qingyu placed a piece of meat into his bowl and replied with a straight face:

"I don't know, it just happened as I kept practicing."

Tsunade stared at him for a few seconds, and finding that the kid didn't seem to be brushing her off, she could only sigh.

She had no choice but to attribute it to Qingyu's unique talent.

The Senju and Uchiha bloodlines had fused perfectly within him, each drawing on the strengths of the other to create a freak with more potential than either clan alone.

Thinking that although the Senju clan had disbanded, there was still a successor, Tsunade suddenly felt her mood improve significantly.

She reached out with her chopsticks, picked up the largest piece of braised pork from the plate, and dropped it into Qingyu's bowl.

"Eat more. Training in Strength of a Hundred consumes a lot; if you don't put on some meat, your bones won't be able to take it."

Qingyu looked down at the glistening piece of braised pork in his bowl, then looked back up at Tsunade.

Tsunade was already poking at her own rice as if nothing had happened, as if that gesture had been entirely casual.

Qingyu smiled.

Tsunade truly cared for him.

It was just that Qingyu didn't know how long this filial piety of his would last, or if it would eventually turn sour.

Ninja Academy.

In the blink of an eye, the new semester was nearing its end.

Qingyu and Kakashi stood only a few meters apart, each gripping their respective weapons.

Kakashi drew the short blade from his back, and Qingyu unsheathed his katana.

"Qingyu, this time I specifically learned a new Water Release ninjutsu from my father."

Kakashi's tone carried a rare hint of confidence; it seemed this new technique had truly given him a sense of security.

"What kind of ninjutsu?"

Qingyu asked casually.

"You'll find out soon enough."

Kakashi spun his short blade in a flourish.

Watching Kakashi's self-assured demeanor, Qingyu suddenly felt a bit of anticipation.

Ever since the second month of enrollment, Kakashi had not won against him a single time.

After losing the top spot, Kakashi was not discouraged; instead, he became more resilient with every setback, returning periodically to challenge him with newly learned ninjutsu or fresh sword techniques.

Although he lost every time, each encounter allowed Qingyu to see something new.

This was the reason Qingyu was always willing to spar with Kakashi.

Kakashi was truly a fertile field of leeks; beyond the special traits, copying his ninjutsu was a dish one simply had to taste.

The two performed the Seal of Confrontation and stepped back to create some distance.

Kakashi was the first to begin weaving signs, his fingers moving so fast they blurred, completing one hand seal after another in a short span of time.

Watching his movements, the more Qingyu looked, the more familiar they seemed.

One had to know that ninjutsu requiring such a long sequence of hand seals could be counted on one hand.

Qingyu had already guessed what technique it was.

A second before Kakashi was about to complete the final seal, Qingyu moved as well.

His hands also began to weave signs, but unlike Kakashi, he only performed four.

As the four seals were completed, the air began to fill with dense water vapor.

Two streams of water rose simultaneously from behind each of them, swirling and condensing in the air into the shape of dragons.

Both water dragons took form in the air at the same time, their scales and claws vivid, water shimmering, before they roared and lunged at each other.

Boom.

The two water dragons collided violently in mid-air, the water exploding outward like a torrential downpour.

The onlookers retreated a few steps, the mist kicked up by the impact refracting a faint rainbow in the sunlight.

Kakashi stood where he was, eyes wide, his face full of disbelief.

"How do you know this technique too?"

He had practiced with his father for quite some time to learn this Water Style: Water Dragon Jutsu, only achieving today's result after much effort.

He had intended to surprise Qingyu with this technique, yet not only did Qingyu unleash the same one, but he had used forty fewer hand seals to do it.

"Your Water Dragon... how did you weave the seals so fast?"

Hearing Kakashi's confusion, Qingyu smiled slightly.

Only honest fellows like Kakashi and Kisame Hoshigaki would bother weaving every single hand seal one by one.

Qingyu casually flicked the water droplets off his blade and explained in a calm tone:

"I learned the simplified version created by the Second Hokage. Lord Tobirama felt that forty-four seals were a waste of timing back then, so he re-optimized the technique and streamlined it down to four."

Kakashi fell silent.

He knew the Second Hokage was the recognized master of Water Style; simplifying techniques was the work of a genius for others, but for Senju Tobirama, it was only natural.

It was just that Kakashi hadn't expected Qingyu to know this technique as well.

The crowd around the training ground erupted in gasps.

"Water Dragon Jutsu? Isn't that a B-rank ninjutsu? When did the two of them learn that?"

"Qingyu only used four seals... did I count wrong, or was it really just four?"

In the Hokage's office, Sarutobi Hiruzen was also closely monitoring the battle.

"This child truly possesses the heroic spirit I had in my youth."

Sarutobi Hiruzen sighed with emotion.

Such learning ability was exactly the same as his own during his younger years.