Tsunade Comes Knocking

Shangguan Yue struck while the iron was hot, dragging Uchiha Fugaku out once more for practice. This time, he managed to loot the Uchiha Style Shurikenjutsu.

After Shangguan Yue's relentless grinding, Uchiha Fugaku was practically being stripped down to his underwear.

Finally, he looted Uchiha Fugaku's Uchiha Style Nintaijutsu. Feeling the crude usage methods flooding his mind, Shangguan Yue couldn't help but scratch his head, yet the novel way of manipulating chakra fascinated him. Previously, he had relied entirely on the amplification of Longque to brute-force his sword qi.

But things were different now; this time, Uchiha Fugaku had brought him the method of using chakra to form and project sword qi.

Both the power and efficiency were leagues beyond what he was used to. Once he had looted what he wanted, Shangguan Yue ended the deathmatch, pinning Uchiha Fugaku to the wall with a single strike of his blade.

Lasting less than a second in the arena, the Genin-level Uchiha Fugaku was nothing more than easy prey for Shangguan Yue, posing absolutely no pressure.

Following this, the Uchiha Bloodline fragments dropped by the Uchiha Fugaku clone merged into his body.

The changes this time were quite subtle; there wasn't much pain, only a sensation of warmth spreading through his body and an itch in his eyes. When he opened them again, he was pleasantly surprised to find that everything before him had slowed down once more. He knew his eyes had evolved and shouted out loud.

"Chuuni, conjure a mirror for me to see."

"You really are a handful."

Chuuni flew into the air, looking reluctant, and manifested a large mirror that hovered before Shangguan Yue.

Shangguan Yue looked at his reflection, his gaze fixed on the two tomoe spinning within his eyes, and felt a surge of delight.

"That's more like it. As long as the bloodline concentration is sufficient, the abilities will manifest naturally. Who needs emotional trauma?

Watching friends and family die, or the requirements for the Mangekyo—even killing one's own kin—what a twisted way to awaken power.

But it's fine now; this is easy for me. If I wait until the night of the Uchiha Clan massacre, wouldn't I just take off? But before that, my strength must surpass everyone else's. There's still plenty of time; I'll take it slow."

Shangguan Yue looked at the entries for Hyuga Hiashi and Hizashi Hyuga he had recorded, but after some thought, he ultimately abandoned the idea of challenging them.

The Byakugan was too conspicuous. Since it was a permanent state, he couldn't control the eyes turning white. If he rashly absorbed the Hyuga bloodline now, he would be exposed too quickly.

Faced with the loss of their Kekkei Genkai, the Hyuga clan wouldn't be polite; all sorts of assassinations would follow one after another.

"I must remain steady."

Besides, that Gentle Fist technique could only be used while the Byakugan was active. It was a pity to discard it, yet tasteless to consume.

Better to wait until later. There was nothing left here, so he might as well head out.

Shangguan Yue left the Balance space, his consciousness returning to his body. He opened his eyes and looked at the night sky outside the window, which had yet to brighten.

Shangguan Yue wanted to push himself up and walk around; having spent so much time in the Balance space, he didn't feel sleepy at all.

On the contrary, he was full of energy. Just as he moved his body, his head was pressed against something soft.

Looking up, he saw a patch of white. It was Tsunade, who had appeared in his home at some point and was now sleeping on his head.

Shangguan Yue's movement woke Tsunade, who opened her eyes and looked at him.

"You little heartbreaker, you haven't come to see me in so long."

"Tsunade, you're an adult now. You need to learn to be independent and stop relying on me so much."

"Hey, you brat, are you getting cocky? How have your studies been lately?"

"Not bad. Sakumo-san has been helping me build a foundation; it's just simple sword swings every day.

He says he won't teach me actual sword techniques until my foundation is rock solid."

"That's good."

Tsunade's mood suddenly plummeted. With teary eyes, she threw herself into Shangguan Yue's arms.

It was worth noting that in this short time, Shangguan Yue's height had reached over 1.6 meters, a significant growth spurt, and he was still getting taller.

He estimated that in another month he would hit 1.7 meters. Now, the two were nearly the same height, with Tsunade only a tiny bit taller than him.

Furthermore, Shangguan Yue had been using his spiritual energy to train his body, and his body to train his spiritual energy, the two complementing each other.

He used his spiritual energy to suppress his muscles, ensuring that every step he took required exponentially more effort.

He also used his spiritual energy to drag his feet while walking, controlling fine iron sand to circulate around his entire body to increase the resistance.

This not only improved his control over his spiritual energy but also increased its density.

Every night, when Shangguan Yue practiced the spiritual energy cultivation method newly generated by his Moon Release, his spiritual energy grew rapidly.

Shangguan Yue had entered a phase of rapid growth in strength. Looking at Tsunade in his arms, his heart stirred, and he asked, "Tsunade, what's wrong? Is someone bullying you?"

"No, it's just that I might have to leave Konoha soon to go on a mission. This mission will take a long time.

I'm not even sure if I'll be able to come back."

Tsunade lifted her head and stared intently at Shangguan Yue. "Yue, will you give yourself to me?"