It's Only Been a Few Days-How the Hell Have You Improved Again?

Kyohiko kept punching and dodging, using the many punching bags to hone his body's instincts and overcome the drawbacks of moving too fast.

After training for quite a while, he sat down to rest and dispelled his Shadow Clone. A flood of complex knowledge poured into his mind, leaving him utterly exhausted, his ears ringing.

That was the physical limit of an ordinary person.

He couldn't keep a Shadow Clone active all the time. Otherwise, he risked being overwhelmed by the backlash—and might even die.

Kyohiko rubbed his temples.

As he thought things over and tried to absorb everything, a bag dangled down in front of him.

"Eat."

"What?"

Kyohiko looked up, somewhat dazed.

Jiraiya smiled. "Special Military Ration Pills from the hospital. Training like this, how are you supposed to keep up with the energy you're burning without them?"

"Thank you, Teacher."

Kyohiko was indeed hungry. His vision was swimming with stars.

If Jiraiya hadn't brought the pills, he'd planned to catch his breath and then go out to get something to eat.

It was his first time trying a Military Ration Pill.

It tasted awful.

But...

The energy from it was absorbed much faster than food. Before long, his hunger had eased, and he no longer felt so weak and drained.

"How is it?"

"No wonder they've become the most popular food. They really are amazing!"

Kyohiko couldn't help praising them.

Jiraiya left him a bag, then turned serious.

"Military Ration Pills can replenish your body's energy, but not your mental energy. If your mind is completely exhausted, you can still die."

"Teacher, I know."

Kyohiko nodded.

He valued his life above all else. How could he possibly train himself to death?

Only then did Jiraiya smile.

"The Matsuyama Clan sent word. They may arrive in Konoha tomorrow. Don't train too hard, and you'd better go to Konoha Hospital to get those bruises treated."

Then he got up and left without mentioning the meeting.

Kyohiko didn't ask, either.

The meeting had probably been unpleasant, and Tsunade might even have smashed the table—

Knowing her, that was entirely possible!

At dusk, Tsunade came by again, the scent of her body wash mingling with the smell of alcohol.

She carried a bag and, with no regard for manners, climbed straight over the wall instead of using the front gate.

The Sannin were all much of a muchness.

Kyohiko grumbled inwardly.

He stood and bowed.

"Lady Tsunade."

"How's the book?"

Tsunade asked.

Kyohiko answered honestly.

"It's all basic material, but it's given me a lot to think about."

"You've already seen results in such a short time?"

Tsunade sounded doubtful.

There was a long way to go between understanding what a book said and mastering it in practice.

Tsunade glanced at his Shadow Clone, worried that Kyohiko was rushing things.

"You can test me if you like."

Kyohiko was confident.

Some things produced immediate results.

For example—

[Water Style: Water Wall (Proficient)]

As an important defensive Water Style technique, the Water Wall had become proficient after Kyohiko studied the Second Hokage's book and benefited from the improved chakra control granted by his Strength Enhancement Technique. He had managed it after only a few tries.

At the proficient level, he could control his chakra more precisely and freely adjust the range and defensive strength of the Water Wall.

Next, he planned to try forming the Water Wall with only two Hand Seals.

But that would require deeper understanding and experimentation. It wasn't something he could master simply by reading a book.

For now...

Kyohiko formed the Hand Seals.

Thanks to his regular training and practice, his fingers were nimble, and he completed the Hand Seals in a flash.

Water Style: Water Wall!

Water gushed from his mouth and rose into a towering barrier about five paces away on every side.

As one of the Sannin, Tsunade might not know Water Style herself, but she'd seen plenty of Water Style users.

By her estimation, Kyohiko's Water Wall was already above average.

Since she'd last seen him...

It had only been a few days, yet he'd improved again—and by a lot!

Tsunade grew serious.

At first, she'd only wanted to help this talented half-clansman.

Now...

She found herself thinking of her deceased family—

If Nawaki had been even half as capable as Kyohiko, he wouldn't have died.

Tsunade's eyes dimmed.

"Lady Tsunade, Teacher said things didn't go well. I don't think you need to dwell on it. Any change—"

"Kid, that's none of your business. I was just thinking about something else."

Tsunade composed herself.

She looked away and tossed him a scroll.

"Take it and have a look. Don't go practicing recklessly."

"What is it?"

Kyohiko caught it.

He unrolled the scroll—

There was no title, only the main text. The ink was fresh, and it looked as though it had been written that afternoon.

The contents...

Were precisely the Strength Enhancement Technique.

"This is the Strength Enhancement Technique?"

"Strength... Sure, you can call it that. It's pretty much what you imagined: quickly refining, gathering, and releasing chakra. But it's easier said than done. Not many people can manage it."

Tsunade looked serious. "What about you? Do you know where your problem lies?"

"After reading the Second Hokage's notes, my biggest takeaway was that the same principles apply to a lot of things. Chakra is like speed: if it moves too fast, you can't control it effectively, and it ends up rebounding on you."

"Mm."

He'd thought that far ahead...

What remarkable insight!

Tsunade marveled inwardly, though her expression remained calm.

"Identifying the problem isn't hard. The key is, do you have a solution?"

"Slow it down and reduce the force. But when necessary, I think I can risk getting hurt to increase the force. I can't let that hold me back..."

Kyohiko answered without hesitation—

It was easy to respond when he already had the answer!

These were the solutions he'd gained after leveling up.

However...

"Slow it down" and "reduce the force" were relative terms.

Even at the proficient level, the chakra control and physical strength required for the Strength Enhancement Technique were still formidable by ordinary shinobi standards.

Tsunade smiled.

"You've got plenty of theories. Can you actually do it?"

"I was afraid of getting hurt, so I didn't try it rashly. But I think I can."

Before, Kyohiko hadn't met the requirements.

But now...

His chakra control was no longer an issue.

That was the beauty of gaining a skill level.

But Tsunade had repeatedly warned him not to experiment recklessly, so he couldn't tell her he was certain he could do it.

"Then try."

Tsunade said.

Kyohiko was a little surprised.

"You..."

"I don't have to see an injury to treat it."

Tsunade said flatly.

Kyohiko nodded.

"All right!"

He stood and went over the technique's principles and key points in his mind.

Then Kyohiko focused the chakra in his body, slowing the rate at which he refined and gathered it.

A moment later—

Bang!

The ground cracked and caved in, leaving a fist-shaped crater about the size of a washbasin.

Kyohiko checked his arm.

"Lady Tsunade, I'm not hurt."

"Let me see."

Tsunade came over to check his condition. She sensed around him, confirmed he was fine, and gave a small nod, though she was astonished inside—

He'd actually done it!

This guy...

He really was a genius!

She didn't know what Senju Tobirama had been like as a child, or how gifted he'd been, but she imagined he hadn't been much different from Kyohiko.

Truthfully, even Tsunade wasn't sure whether Kyohiko's explanation was correct.

She'd always had a natural talent for chakra control and had been able to use her strength freely from a young age. The only things that had held her back were her age, chakra reserves, and physical strength.

As for lacking chakra control...

Sorry, she'd never experienced that herself, so it was hard for her to think of an effective way to break the technique down and make it easier.

That was a genius's problem.

Now, Kyohiko had come up with a solution—and put it into practice!

"Try increasing the chakra a little."

"Okay."

Kyohiko tried again.

This time...

He refined, gathered, and compressed the chakra at a rate ten to twenty percent faster than before.

Then—

Bang!

One punch.

The ground cracked, and chunks of earth and stone flew everywhere.

The force was more than ten or twenty percent greater than before!

"Did you notice?"

"Even a slight increase makes a huge difference in the force. But I feel like this is about my limit. Any more, and it might put too much strain on my body."

Kyohiko explained what he'd felt.

"You're not compressing your chakra quickly enough, so it'll be hard to increase the force much further. But you can control your chakra with great precision. That's your advantage."

Tsunade sensed his chakra carefully and couldn't help marveling. "Even though you've made this technique easier, it's still impossible for an ordinary shinobi to learn."

For Shizune...

Even Kyohiko's simplified version of the Strength Enhancement Technique was still a forbidden technique. She couldn't learn it or try it lightly.