Upgrade, New Developments

Konoha Camp.

When Taiichi saw Guy and the other two arrive, he immediately resumed his respectful attitude towards Tsunade.

At least on the surface, there was no indication that he had just been glaring at Tsunade.

If you don't protect your own teacher's reputation, who else can you rely on? This is Taiichi's most basic thought.

Guy, who had run up to her, saw Tsunade and immediately stopped and bowed at a 90-degree angle.

"Lady Tsunade, I'm so sorry, I didn't notice you were here."

Tsunade then regained her composure as a frontline Commander, giving a cool nod and offering a few words of encouragement to Guy and the other two before turning and returning to her tent.

"As expected of the Sannin, the most powerful female ninja in Konoha history. That aura, that composure, is simply amazing!"

Ebisu watched Tsunade's retreating figure, sighing repeatedly with a sense of pride, which made Taiichi twitch involuntarily.

Silly child, you can't judge a book by its cover! Otherwise, when you get swindled out of everything, no one will help you.

"Taiichi, what are our plans for today? We specifically asked Captain Hizashi for permission, and today we can rest and train with you exclusively!"

Kai was already eager to try, and even while talking, he kept punching and kicking, maintaining a low-intensity workout.

Have you had breakfast?

Taiichi didn't reply to Kai directly, but instead asked about breakfast.

Kai's fist, which he had thrown out, froze in mid-air, while Ebisu and Genma behind him were in tears.

Finally, someone remembered about breakfast. They had been woken up early by Kayla to exercise and then came to find Taiichi, so they were already starving.

Seeing their expressions, Taiichi knew the answer and simply waved his hand at them.

"Let's go eat first. People need food to survive; without enough energy, training will be much less effective."

Ebisu and Genma exchanged a glance, then immediately scurried off to catch up. Kai was only a step behind; realizing what was happening, he immediately filled his eyes with tears and ran after them.

"I see, eating is also a part of youth. I've learned another lesson today."

The four of them walked briskly toward the breakfast distribution point, attracting the attention of countless people along the way. After all, they had a rising star like Taiichi and a genius like Kai.

After a whirlwind meal, Taiichi led the three to his usual training ground.

"First, I need to know what level each of you is at right now."

With a single gesture, three puffs of white smoke flashed by, and three Shadow Clone appeared around him.

"When you fight my Shadow Clone, you must be determined to kill them, so that I can better understand your situation."

The three were eager to try, as opportunities to be guided by Taiichi were rare, and they wanted to seize this chance.

Especially for Ebisu and Genma, who are not as close to Taiichi as Kai, and do not have any powerful clan elders, this opportunity is all the more precious.

The three Shadow Clone led them in three different directions, so that they wouldn't be affected by others while fighting.

Only Taiichi himself remained in place. He didn't stay idle; he picked up the Short Sword on his back and began practicing his swordsmanship, stroke by Isshiki.

Yesterday's advancement in Advanced Meditation to Lv8 brought about such a change for Taiichi. He was very curious to know what new changes would occur if his swordsmanship and Taijutsu were also advanced to Lv8.

Not far away, Kai and his Shadow Clone Taiichi, who had come to a corner, started fighting without needing anyone's command.

Kai immediately unleashed a Leaf Whirlwind, a fierce kick aimed at Taiichi's legs, attempting to break Taiichi balance.

Taiichi didn't dodge the first attack, but instead raised his leg to meet it, wanting to test Kai's strength.

With a muffled "thud," Taiichi's eyebrows twitched slightly.

That kick was truly powerful; Special Jonin who isn't skilled in Taijutsu would only have this level of strength.

After enduring several of Kai's attacks, including punches and kicks, Taiichi had a better understanding of Kai's overall strength. The next step was a formal exchange of blows.

This change immediately revealed Kai's disadvantages. Compared to Taiichi, who had been through countless battles, Kai had far too little practical experience. Most of his moves were textbook-standard and he lacked his own understanding.

Take this Arm-Block Punch, for example. It's a standard move of the Konoha Strong Fist Style, but if you just punch a little higher, you could hit your face directly and cause more damage. So why insist on punching according to the standard form?

There are many such examples. After a series of battles, Taiichi realized that Kai had a good foundation and strong enough power, but he lacked more combat experience to fully integrate what he had learned.

Even so, thanks to his solid foundation, he possessed the strength of a typical Chunin.

On the other side, Ebisu and Genma Shiranui presented a completely different scene; these two were also standard Civilian ninjas.

Although he doesn't focus on Taijutsu like Guy, he doesn't really know many Ninjutsu either. Apart from the Three Body Technique he learned at the Ninja Academy, he is quite good at Genma's Senbon and Shadow Clone techniques, while Ebisu is only decent at Body Flicker Technique and Shadow Clone techniques.

Overall, the two are typical Konoha Genin. Considering they graduated not long ago and already have their current strength, they can only be described as Konoha Genin with decent talent.

After the test, the three reunited with Taiichi. At this time, Taiichi also finished the last move of his Isshiki technique and put the Short Sword back into its sheath.

Receiving the information from the three people transmitted through his Shadow Clone, Taiichi was straightforward.

"Kai, focus on your Taijutsu. You don't need to do anything else today. Just fight with my Shadow Clone and use every move you can think of."

He then created two Shadow Clones, saying, "Two against one, you'd better be flexible if you don't want to get a really bad beating."

Taiichi's words were malicious, but it was unclear whether Kai understood the underlying meaning. In any case, he was seen with tears in his eyes, shouting "Youth!" as he grabbed his Shadow Clone and ran out.

Watching Kai run off into the distance, Taiichi turned his gaze to Ebisu and Genma. "Your situation is a bit more complicated. Kai specializes in Taijutsu, so he doesn't need to worry about anything else, but you two will definitely have to learn Ninjutsu."

The two nodded frantically, like chickens pecking at rice. They were quite self-aware, knowing they didn't have Kai's perseverance and didn't need to specialize in Taijutsu like Kai. Learning other things was best for them.

Do you know your own Chakra nature?

"I am of the Earth element," Genma said.

"I am of the wind attribute," Ebisu continued.

Taiichi. "In that case, I'll teach you a suitable Earth Style Wind Release Ninjutsu. Use the rest of the time for sparring and practice; you all lack practical combat experience."

The two immediately beamed with joy. For these Civilian ninjas, being able to learn Ninjutsu that matched their own attributes was already a stroke of luck; they didn't care about whether it was suitable or not.

Taiichi then created two more Shadow Clone, each taking one of them to teach.

The technique taught Genma Shiranui was Earth Style: Earth Style Wall. He discovered that Genma had many offensive methods but lacked defensive ones, and hoped that this Ninjutsu could make up for his deficiency in this area.

Ebisu learned was Wind Style: Great Breakthrough, a wide-range Wind Style that could compensate for his lack of diverse attack methods.

The two were indeed quite talented, and they had already mastered the basics of Ninjutsu in just half a day.

Although the Ninjutsu they're using right now doesn't seem very powerful, it's a breakthrough from zero to one, which is of extraordinary significance. With more practice, they can take it to the next level.

Of course, this wasn't the most important thing they got from Taiichi.

Considering their future development, Taiichi explained to them his rudimentary understanding of the Wind Release Nature Transformation, as well as his future cultivation methods.

This is the most precious gift they received today; after all, it's better to teach a man to fish than to give him a fish.

The instruction on Shadow Clone was in full swing, and Taiichi's own training also yielded remarkable results.

Originally, the differences between Taiichi's three advanced skills— Taijutsu, meditation, and swordsmanship—were not that significant.

Following yesterday's breakthrough in meditation, Taiichi felt that a breakthrough in his swordsmanship was also imminent.

With complete focus, Taiichi wielded his Short Sword, seemingly becoming one with the blade, achieving a state of perfect harmony between man and sword.

This feeling was unlike anything he had ever experienced before; it was like a sudden enlightenment, which made Taiichi increasingly fascinated by it.

Until one moment, Taiichi's spirit soared again, and the state he had been in yesterday returned. In his perception, Natural Energy permeated the entire world.

The body below continued to wield the Short Sword according to instinctive memory, and Natural Energy was also interacting inexplicably with Taiichi's body along with this movement.

Taiichi could feel his body slowly but steadily growing stronger, as if Natural Energy was strengthening his physique.

It took Taiichi a full quarter of an hour to slowly emerge from this state. The Short Sword he was wielding stopped, and he carefully savored the feeling he had just experienced, feeling a strange, faint emptiness in his heart.

After calming down his reluctance to let go of that state of enlightenment, Taiichi looked at his own panel.

[You are practicing Advanced Swordsmanship, and your understanding of related techniques has improved!]

[Your Advanced Swordsmanship skill has been upgraded, experience points +1]

[Congratulations, your Advanced Swordsmanship has been upgraded to Lv8 (1/9000)]

[Congratulations! After a long period of training, your physique has increased by 1.]

Sure enough, his Advanced Swordsmanship has been upgraded to Lv8.

Although each of the three advanced skills becomes increasingly difficult to improve upon, after two experiences, Taiichi was certain that the benefits he could gain from each improvement far exceeded those of the previous ones.

In particular, the observation of Natural Energy has just been repeated, and this time the observation lasted for a longer period of time, giving Taiichi a more intuitive understanding of Natural Energy.

The fury and warmth of fire, the agility and sharpness of wind, the flow and surging of water, the weight and inclusiveness of earth, the fierceness and fury of thunder----

These are only the Taiichi is familiar with. There are many other types of Natural Energy, but those seem to be not close to him because of Taiichi's own attributes, and they do not bring Taiichi any more feelings.

With this realization, Taiichi composed himself and threw himself into training for Advanced Taijutsu. According to Taiichi's estimation, the upgrade would only take a couple of days, which further fueled Taiichi enthusiasm for training.

Time passed by, and a day flew by. As the Sun Barrier began to set, Kai, Ebisu, and Genma emerged from the grove, their bodies weary.

They were all disheveled and in a sorry state, with bruises all over their bodies. Kai even walked with a limp, clearly having injured his leg as well.

The three of them were stunned when they saw each other's miserable state; they hadn't expected that the other person was in the same predicament.

"Haha, Genma, what's with all those dark circles under your eyes?!" Ebisu burst into laughter, but then gasped for breath, as if aggravating his wound.

"Ha, you have the nerve to talk to me like that? Your beggar clothes aren't much better!" Genma straightened his clothes, which barely covered his body, and glanced at Ebisu with disdain.

"Youth is so full of challenges." Kai, standing on one tiptoe, didn't forget to share his youthful sentiments. "Today is the most rewarding day I've had since graduation. Taiichi, your guidance has been incredibly helpful."

Ebisu and Genma nodded in agreement; this kind of targeted training was something they could only dream of.

After all, not all Jonin are as well-rounded as Taiichi; for example, Hizashi couldn't teach them Strong Fist and Ninjutsu.

The three of them now looked at Taiichi with fervent eyes.

Ignoring the three fools, Taiichi had already obtained the relevant memories from the Shadow Clone.

It can only be said that the ninjas who left their names in the original work all had their extraordinary abilities. Not to mention Guy, even Genma and Ebisu showed a desperate spirit when training.

We will not waste a single second, nor will we give up until we have exhausted every last bit of energy.

"Alright, you two should keep quiet. There will be other opportunities like this in the future. Now come over here quickly, let me treat your injuries first."

The three of them cheered and sat down in front of Taiichi.

Their injuries looked serious, but they were actually just superficial wounds. With a medical expert like Taiichi there, treating them would be a matter of minutes.

Once everything was finished, the four of them walked briskly towards the Earth Flow.

In the woods, only the laughter and chatter of a few people remained.

Time passed day by Tenten, and such things began to happen one after another ever since the Mist Village began its attack on the village.

Although Tsunade had taken precautions and notified all the villages along the coast, reality was always so cruel.

Reluctance to leave their homeland, a glimmer of hope, and various other reasons have kept most villagers stranded in their villages.

As a result, Konoha's defensive range inevitably expanded significantly, and its defensive strength naturally weakened.

The second and third village-annihilation incidents occurred one after another. Although the Konoha Ninja pursued and killed them afterward, they could not succeed in every attempt.

Having tasted success once, Mist Village became even more reckless.

They discovered that as long as they didn't venture too far inland, moved quickly enough, and avoided encountering Taichi Matsushita, their success rate in raiding was quite high.

Moreover, they gradually stopped attacking villages solely for supplies.

They discovered that using these villages to ambush pursuing Konoha Ninja seemed to be a fairly effective strategy.

When the first group of pursuers, Mist Village, appeared, the nature of this battle to protect the village changed.

"Tell me, how should this be resolved?" Tsunade looked Jonin the Jonin below and angrily threw out her question.