Learning Monster Strength and Sparring with Tsunade

Inside the director's office at the orphanage.

Yakushi Nonō sat facing Danzo and Aburame Ryoma.

Danzo got straight to the point. "There's a mission. A very difficult one.

"Wandering Miko, only you can handle it."

Yakushi Nonō's expression was cold as she said gravely, "You must be joking, Lord Danzo. Root is full of experts and talented people. You have plenty of candidates."

Danzo ignored her provocation. In his eyes, she was already dead.

"Only a veteran spy can complete this mission. I don't trust anyone else, and word of it must not get out."

After a pause, Danzo continued, "If you complete the mission successfully, I'll persuade the Hokage to increase funding for the orphanage.

"Otherwise, there will be no reason for the orphanage to exist."

His tone was flat, as though he were discussing something trivial.

He knew this was Yakushi Nonō's weakness. As long as he brought up the orphanage, she would submit.

A trick didn't have to be new, as long as it worked.

Yakushi Nonō closed her eyes in anguish. After a moment's thought, she ultimately accepted the mission.

Danzo wasn't surprised at all. He took out a photograph and placed it in Yakushi Nonō's hand.

"This man is a double agent for Iwagakure. He's obtained a great deal of intelligence on Konoha. He must be killed."

Danzo rose to leave, leaving her with a few indifferent words.

"Don't disappoint me. You know the consequences."

Yakushi Nonō shuddered at those words.

Only after a long time did she pick up the photograph. One look gave her a sense of familiarity.

She quickly stripped away the pictured man's makeup in her mind, reconstructing his actual features.

The result immediately astonished her.

Wasn't this the very ninja who had just left earlier?

He was actually a double agent for Iwagakure?!

But the few times he had visited the orphanage, he had only made charitable donations. He hadn't shown even the slightest ulterior intent.

Yakushi Nonō fell into confusion.

Deep down, she felt he wasn't a bad person, but she had to complete Danzo's mission.

That old bastard was ruthless and unscrupulous. If she didn't carry out the mission, he would destroy the orphanage. When that happened, it wouldn't just be Kabuto Yakushi-all the children would die, except Yecheng, who had already become Tsunade's apprentice!

Danzo was entirely capable of doing something like that!

Yakushi Nonō sat in her chair, silent for a long time.

"Thanks for the hard work."

Yecheng took the scroll from his shadow clone, then released the technique.

With a poof, all the memories of what the shadow clone had experienced over the past few days flooded into him.

Anyone else would probably have been left dazed for quite a while by that enormous volume of information.

But Yecheng, already accustomed to the Six Eyes, handled it with complete ease.

"Fucking Danzo. He's already getting ready to make his move?"

Yecheng's expression shifted slightly.

In the original story, Kabuto Yakushi shouldn't have killed Yakushi Nonō until at least Naruto's second year. He hadn't expected it to happen a year early now!

His own appearance had most likely caused a butterfly effect that led to this outcome.

Fortunately, Yecheng had made arrangements ahead of time, already recruiting Kabuto Yakushi and telling him what might happen in the future.

That would greatly reduce the chance of the tragedy occurring.

He also needed to leave a contingency in place for Yakushi Nonō.

At that thought, he immediately created a shadow clone, which raced off with a Ninja Crow.

This also put Yecheng on his guard. The original plot he knew so well had already changed. Its broad direction was still correct, but he could no longer blindly trust the details.

That was precisely why Yecheng wanted to establish his own intelligence network. [Shadow] had been born from that idea.

Although Kabuto Yakushi was its only member for now, Yecheng believed new members would join before long.

Shisui Uchiha would awaken his Mangekyō Sharingan sometime this year, gaining the strongest genjutsu, [Kotoamatsukami]!

Then that sneaky bastard Danzo would ambush him and gouge out his eye. Ultimately, utterly disheartened, he would entrust his remaining eye, along with his resolve to protect the village and his clan, to Uchiha Itachi before jumping off a cliff to his death.

Those two Uchiha really were each more of a piece of work than the other!

Actually, every single member of the Uchiha Clan was a real piece of work!

But it wasn't time to confront Danzo directly yet. Once Shisui fled in defeat, Yecheng could look for an opportunity to save him. Perhaps [Shadow] could gain another capable member that way.

"Teacher, I want to learn Monster Strength."

After returning home and seeing Tsunade, now awake, lounging on the couch drinking with nothing to do, Yecheng decided to find her something to do.

"Monster Strength?"

Tsunade waved a hand. "Today's lesson is the Mystical Palm Technique. You mastered Yang Release Chakra nature transformation yesterday, so today we should strike while the iron is hot..."

"I already know the Mystical Palm Technique."

Yecheng chuckled. A mass of green-glowing Yang Release Chakra appeared over his palm, brimming with vitality. There was no question: it was the Mystical Palm Technique.

"Shizune taught me."

Tsunade: ?

She turned a questioning look toward Shizune.

Shizune scratched her cheek with a finger and smiled awkwardly. "I only demonstrated it twice..."

Tsunade instantly understood what had happened.

It was simply Yecheng displaying his astonishing talent again, learning the highly advanced Medical Ninjutsu known as the Mystical Palm Technique in just a few minutes.

Heh. I'm already used to it.

Tsunade stared speechlessly at the sky, her gaze a little unfocused.

How long has it even been?

That brat Yecheng has already learned even the Mystical Palm Technique!

He's almost wrung me dry!

Damn it!

I have to teach this brat a lesson!

"Teacher?"

"C'mon. Backyard."

Tsunade spoke through slightly gritted teeth.

"Monster Strength is Nintaijutsu. If you want to master it quickly, of course you need actual combat."

Yecheng: Huh?

Me, fight Tsunade? Seriously?

"So-called Monster Strength isn't essentially just raw physical strength. It's a technique for controlling and using chakra. What it primarily tests is also your chakra control and Yang Release nature transformation. The changes involved are..."

"I'll demonstrate it first. Watch closely."

Tsunade took off her tea-green, long-tailed coat. After molding chakra, she directed it into her right arm and fist, then threw a punch.

Smack!

Boom!

The ornamental rock formation before her, which looked expensive at a glance, was instantly smashed to pieces by that punch. Broken stones flew in all directions, scattering across the ground.

"Aaaaaaaah! Lady Tsunade!!!"

Shizune's hands shook. Her face immediately twisted in anguish as she let out a piercing shriek.

"Ahem..."

Tsunade coughed, ignored Shizune's agonized wailing, and looked at Yecheng.

"Brat, give it a try."

That destructive power is incredible!

Yecheng watched with yearning.

He listened to Tsunade's detailed explanation, and then she demonstrated it before him once more.

If Yecheng still couldn't learn it, he might as well gouge out his Six Eyes.

He immediately followed Tsunade's instructions, first molding chakra, controlling it to concentrate in his right hand, then applying Yang Release nature transformation before finally driving a punch straight out!

Bang!

Yecheng didn't test whether his fist or the ornamental rocks were harder.

He punched a wooden training post. What should have been an ordinary punch blew the post apart!

Splinters filled the air, flying in every direction!

That post was made of ironwood!

A single Monster Strength punch was terrifying indeed!

Yecheng raised his hand and stared at his fist in disbelief.

Previously, although he had a move that strengthened his body with Yang Release Chakra, his strength hadn't been particularly outstanding. It had remained within normal bounds.

But the power of a Monster Strength punch far surpassed it!

Without a doubt, having mastered Monster Strength, Yecheng had made another significant leap in combat ability!

Shizune was surprised to discover that she wasn't surprised at all by Yecheng learning Monster Strength, something she herself had failed to learn, in such a short time.

Yes, this was Yecheng. This was a true genius.

Was there anything strange about him learning Monster Strength so quickly?

It would have been big news if he couldn't learn it!

Exactly~

Seeing that Yecheng had indeed learned Monster Strength with ease again, Tsunade used every ounce of effort to keep the corners of her mouth from rising.

Many emotions welled up within her as well.

Shizune had followed her for many years. It wasn't as though she had never taught her Monster Strength.

But without enough talent, she simply couldn't learn it. There was nothing more to say.

There had even been a time when Tsunade wondered whether no one would be able to inherit all her skills.

Only after meeting Yecheng did that question finally seem to have an answer.

Yecheng might be able to learn all her knowledge and ninjutsu.

And today, under her watchful eye, Yecheng had learned Monster Strength with casual ease.

Tsunade was certain now. Yecheng was the apprentice who could inherit everything she had to pass on!

Since he was her apprentice, the right thing to do was to teach him everything she knew in the strictest way possible!

Tsunade shouted, "Brat, take this!"

As she spoke, she suddenly attacked with a punch!

She was incredibly fast!

Yecheng was startled. With the power behind Tsunade's punches, even if she deliberately held back, taking one would definitely hurt!

He hurriedly threw himself wholeheartedly into the sparring session.

With help from the Six Eyes, Yecheng's powers of observation were extraordinary, but his physical abilities couldn't keep up with his reactions at all.

Fortunately, Tsunade was only sparring with him and deliberately slowed the pace of her attacks. Otherwise, with Yecheng's current physical abilities, she would have knocked him out in just a few exchanges.

Whoosh!

Tsunade abruptly closed in, raising her fair leg high before bringing it down like a battle-axe.

Yecheng pushed the Six Eyes to their limit to observe her. He could even clearly distinguish the texture of the pale skin on her thigh!

He saw the attack, but his body was nearly at its limit. Only by giving it everything he had did he finally escape the strike by a hair.

Her plump big toe, smooth as jade, swept past him before her foot slammed into the ground.

Bang!

The earth beneath them shattered under the terrifying strike. Cracks spread like a spiderweb from the point where her attack landed, causing dreadful destruction.

Shizune imagined what would happen if that kick landed on a person and immediately shuddered, hurrying forward.

"Please stop, Lady Tsunade! Are you trying to kill him? This is only sparring!"

"Don't worry. Teacher knows how far to go."

Yecheng stood up behind her and patted Shizune's back, but because his arm was temporarily weak, he ended up patting her bottom instead.

Fortunately, Yecheng wasn't four years old at the moment, and Shizune didn't immediately fire back with a triple barrage of false sexual accusations.

Otherwise, Yecheng would have really suffered!

"Even so, there's no need to go this far! What if he gets hurt?"

Shizune was full of concern.

Tsunade pursed her lips. "I'm the strongest medical ninja. If he gets hurt, I can just heal him!"

"Lady Tsunade, have you forgotten..."

Hemophobia!

Right. She had forgotten that.

Only then did Tsunade remember. She fell silent for a moment, then turned and left.

For the first time, she hated her hemophobia so much. It had nearly made her hurt her most beloved apprentice!

This damned hemophobia. Why did it have to be me...

"Yecheng, are you all right?"

Shizune dusted Yecheng off, then looked at him with considerable concern.

Lady Tsunade had not fought anyone in over a decade. Though she still had her strength, her control over it was nowhere near what it had once been.

And though they had called it sparring, their fight had actually grown heated. If they kept going, someone was bound to get hurt!

That was something Shizune did not want to see, so she immediately rushed out to interrupt them.

Yecheng smiled and said, "Shizune, you're worrying too much. Even if I get hurt, it's fine. I've still got you, haven't I?

I'm sure you can heal me."

Even if you can't, I know the Mystical Palm Technique myself, and I have Yang Release chakra enhancement too. It won't be a problem at all!

Of course, he still had to say something nice.

"You and that silver tongue."

Sure enough, Yecheng made Shizune laugh, and she reached out to tap his forehead.

Then she used the Mystical Palm Technique directly, healing every minor scrape on Yecheng's body.

"Oh? Yecheng, your body recovers remarkably well!"

Shizune discovered this unexpectedly.

The lighter injuries on Yecheng's body were almost completely healed, and even the deeper wounds had stopped bleeding.

"It seems to be caused by my Kekkei Genkai. Its healing and recovery abilities are both quite good."

Yecheng answered with a smile, without revealing the truth.

After all, his Kekkei Genkai had not truly awakened yet, and he was a war orphan. It would not make much sense for him to name "Shikotsumyaku" outright.

"Shizune, I'm going to practice Monster Strength a little longer."

"All right, then. Be careful."

Knowing about Yecheng's unusual constitution, Shizune did not try to dissuade him again.

Monster Strength was truly extraordinary. After learning it and using it extensively, Yecheng had already mastered the skill completely.

For the next step in his training, Yecheng wanted to spread monster strength chakra throughout his limbs, rather than only molding and converting it on the spot when he attacked.

With the precise chakra control granted by the Six Eyes, Yecheng felt he might be able to do it.

Once he incorporated the technique that strengthened his body with Yang Release chakra, he would have created the extremely powerful Nintaijutsu, "Yang Release Chakra Mode"!

The "Lightning Release Chakra Mode," which only the Raikage of Kumogakure could inherit, was a Nintaijutsu that provided Lightning Armor and greatly enhanced speed.

The "Yang Release Chakra Mode" Yecheng was developing, meanwhile, would enhance all his physical abilities while giving his strength an especially large boost!

It would surpass the former by far more than a small margin!

Yecheng could not help touching his eyes.

His ability to develop this technique to this stage was entirely thanks to the Six Eyes he had drawn in a single lucky pull!

No wonder those Uchiha were always covering their eyes and laughing wildly.

If he really managed to develop "Yang Release Chakra Mode," Yecheng dared to laugh even more wildly than the Uchiha!