Anyone who read the previous chapter and let their mind wander should take a moment to reflect on whether their thoughts have taken a turn for the worse... Haha.
But back to the story.
After playing around for a while, the two leaned against the edge of the hot spring pool. Above them stretched a sky full of stars, and the vacation already felt worthwhile, even though it had only just begun.
"Obito, I'll teach you Strength Enhancement and the Yin Seal," Tsunade said, scooping up some water and pouring it over her smooth, rounded shoulder.
"Huh? I don't need those, do I? I have the Mangekyō Sharingan."
"But your techniques are too limited. A ninja's abilities fall into three broad categories: Taijutsu, genjutsu, and ninjutsu. The Sharingan is indeed very powerful for genjutsu, and it greatly enhances Taijutsu, too. But that only helps if your body can keep up. And the Sharingan puts too much strain on you. Overusing it will make you go blind!"
"All right, all right, don't get worked up. I'll learn, okay?" Obito said with an ingratiating smile.
"Strength Enhancement is all about applying chakra with precision. Gather your chakra into your fist, then compress it. Be careful not to hurt yourself."
"Mm." Obito readily agreed, but when he tried it for real, he was completely lost.
He'd never learned any ninjutsu, and the original Obito had been replaced by Lu Ming as soon as he started school. How could he have learned anything?
All his skills came from the system, and he could use them just by activating them. If he said he didn't know how, Tsunade would think he was brushing her off. His reputation as a genius had already spread throughout the Shinobi World...
"Um, why don't you teach me? How do I guide it? If you're going to be a teacher, you should act like one." Obito used one of his favorite tricks: shifting the responsibility onto someone else.
"Hm?" Tsunade was startled at first, then seemed to realize something remarkable.
"Ahem... Obito, come a little closer." Tsunade's face grew warm as she reached out and pressed a finger against Lu Ming's lower abdomen. A faint blue glow appeared.
"Mm..." The sudden sensation left him a little excited.
"Chakra is stored in the channels throughout our bodies. I'm sending a little of my chakra through your channels. Can you feel it?" Tsunade asked.
"Mm, I can't feel anything."
"I'll increase it a bit." The blue glow on her fingertip brightened.
"What about now?"
"I think I can feel something..." Obito sensed what seemed like a tiny foreign point in his lower abdomen, but it was so small.
"Please, Teacher Tsunade, use a little more force. That's not enough!"
"All right, Obito. Get ready. Here I come!" The blue chakra glow instantly grew twice as strong. Tsunade was extremely confident in her chakra control; otherwise, she wouldn't have dared to do this, since it could easily hurt him.
"I can feel it." The tiny point now felt like a little bug.
"Good. I'm going to move my chakra. Guide your own chakra along behind it, and remember the path it takes."
Tsunade's finger slowly moved from Obito's lower abdomen up to his torso, then to his shoulder, arm, and fist.
Obito took a deep breath and tried to move the energy inside him. To his surprise, he got it on the first try. So I really am a genius!
Tsunade's chakra was like a tour guide, expertly traveling through the channels in his body, while he followed behind like a tourist.
As his own chakra reached his fist, a brilliant blue flame of chakra enveloped it.
Obito could feel the terrifying power contained in his fist. His attributes were far superior to Tsunade's, so his Strength Enhancement was naturally much more powerful!
He was beginning to understand why Tsunade had such a short temper. With power like this, not smashing something felt like a waste...
"Release the chakra and try again," Tsunade said when she saw the chakra flames around Obito's fist.
I didn't know I had a talent for teaching! I really am a genius! Tsunade thought smugly.
"Um... you're not going to help me anymore? I haven't memorized it yet," Obito said.
"Obito, you really are an idiot!" Tsunade mocked, pointing at him.
Hmph! Foolish Tsunade. Your Uncle Obito is brilliant! Obito thought.
"All right. Do it yourself this time!"
"I... I forgot again. Teacher Tsunade, am I really stupid...?"
"Get lost! One last try. If you still can't learn it, you might as well die! With intelligence like that, there's no reason for you to keep living!"
Seeing that Tsunade was about to explode, Obito had no choice but to learn it, as if by chance...
"Teacher Tsunade, have you ever thought about this? Strength Enhancement can be used as an attack. So couldn't we gather chakra around our whole bodies and change its nature—for example, make it hard? Then it could be used for both offense and defense."
"Mm, what you're describing does exist. The Third Raikage used a similar method. His One-Finger Nukite was called the Strongest Spear, and the Lightning Release Armor, formed by gathering Lightning Release chakra around his entire body, was called the Strongest Shield. He was an incredibly powerful man."
"But that method isn't suitable for everyone. It requires a strong body and a huge amount of chakra. I developed my Strength Enhancement to suit my own circumstances."
"Oh, I see. Teacher Tsunade, I think I could reach the Third Raikage's level, too. Please, you have to guide my chakra through my whole body!"
"Huh?"
"Are you done soaking? If you are, let's go back to the room and work hard on our training!"
"You... you jerk!"
Before you continue