Carrying the sealed scroll of the Twelve Palaces, Shinji returned to the hideout where Ryuzetsu and Chino resided.
As he entered the underground hideout, he paused in surprise.
In just a few days, Ryuzetsu and Chino had redecorated the place, adding a touch of warmth and even adorning it with fresh flowers.
"Looks like they're getting along quite well," Shinji chuckled, heading toward the underground training arena.
In the training arena:
Boom, boom, boom.
The two figures clashed, sometimes entwining, sometimes swiftly breaking apart, engaging in relentless combat and pursuit.
"Chino, you need to conceal your intentions—your attack patterns are too obvious!" Ryuzetsu called out.
"That was a feint!" Chino grinned, retorting, "Heh, Ryuzetsu, your movements are a bit slow!"
"Take this!"
During their spar, the two didn't hesitate to offer pointers while trading playful banter.
Shinji didn't interrupt, instead concealing himself in the shadows to observe quietly.
Compared to a few days ago, their taijutsu had noticeably improved—or rather, their ability to harness the effects of Blue Higanbana No. 1 had reached a new height.
"Putting them together was definitely the right call," Shinji thought, a smile tugging at his lips as he stepped out from the shadows.
"Who's there!?"
Hearing the movement, the two immediately halted their spar, assuming defensive stances.
Upon recognizing Shinji, they bowed in unison, their voices filled with respect. "Shinji-sama!"
Clearly, after learning from Ryuzetsu about the weight of Shinji's identity as the Akatsuki's 'A,' Chino had finally grasped the extent of his power.
Shinji strolled into the arena. "Both of you, come at me together. I want to test the results of your recent training!"
Ryuzetsu and Chino exchanged a glance before charging at Shinji from opposite sides.
"Heh." Shinji's lips curved into a faint smile, his eyes radiating confidence.
Before mastering the Twelve Palaces, facing both Ryuzetsu and Chino—empowered by Blue Higanbana No. 1—with only taijutsu would have put some pressure on him.
But now, things were different!
Whoosh.
In an instant, Shinji's figure vanished!
"Where'd he go?"
Ryuzetsu and Chino froze, frantically scanning their surroundings.
At that moment, Shinji appeared behind Chino, delivering a single hand chop that effortlessly knocked her to the ground.
"Chino, watch out—"
Ryuzetsu's warning was cut off as Chino collapsed.
Swish.
Having downed Chino, Shinji darted toward Ryuzetsu, breaking through her defenses in two moves and landing a heavy punch to her stomach, sending her flying.
In the blink of an eye, Shinji had easily defeated both Ryuzetsu and Chino.
"Ow…"
The two groaned on the ground, hunched over as if Shinji's blows had been too heavy for them to stand.
"Hm?"
Shinji let out a soft sound of surprise.
The hand chop aimed at Chino's neck had targeted a pressure point on her carotid artery. Normally, it should have knocked her out for four or five hours.
Yet, Chino was merely slumped on the ground, still conscious.
As for Ryuzetsu, who had been sent flying, she should have been knocked out as well, but she was only curled up, groaning, without losing consciousness.
"It must be the effect of Blue Higanbana No. 1. It seems the drug significantly enhances their resilience too," Shinji quickly deduced.
Moments later, Ryuzetsu and Chino staggered to their feet before Shinji.
Chino spoke up, "Shinji-sama, I didn't expect you to be this strong. So during our previous sparring sessions, you were holding back!"
Ryuzetsu, exasperated, thought to herself, "Chino's such an idiot. The leader of the Akatsuki is one of the strongest in the shinobi world—of course he's powerful!"
Shinji pulled out the sealed scroll of the Twelve Palaces. "This contains a taijutsu secret that will help you better harness the power of Blue Higanbana No. 1."
"A taijutsu secret?!"
Ryuzetsu and Chino's eyes lit up in unison.
Taijutsu secrets were rare, even in major ninja villages, and some smaller villages didn't possess a single one.
Unsealing the scroll, Shinji spread it out on the ground, explaining, "This taijutsu secret is called the Twelve Palaces. It's a technique that trains all the body's organs and structures!"
"Wow!"
Ryuzetsu and Chino's eyes gleamed even brighter.
While filled with curiosity about the Twelve Palaces, they also realized what a rare opportunity it was to train in it!
But upon seeing the scroll's contents, their excitement froze, replaced by confusion.
Undoubtedly, the complex diagrams of human anatomy and dense medical terminology on the Twelve Palaces scroll were like an indecipherable book to them.
Shinji had anticipated this and led them out of the training arena back to the hideout.
There, he set up a small classroom.
He first addressed Ryuzetsu. "Ryuzetsu, you possess Hidden Grass Village's unique Yang Release Bloodline Limit, giving you a natural affinity for Yang chakra. So, in addition to taijutsu, I suggest you study medical ninjutsu!"
"Yes!" Ryuzetsu nodded eagerly. Medical ninjutsu was an advanced skill, and learning it in Hidden Grass Village was no easy feat.
Her Bloodline Limit had limited combat utility, as the Dragon Life Reincarnation Technique was a life-for-life secret art—using it meant sacrificing her own life. Thus, studying medical ninjutsu to leverage her Bloodline Limit was her best option.
Shinji then turned to Chino. "Chino, you have the Chinoike Clan's Bloodline Limit. In addition to taijutsu training, awakening your eyes is your top priority at this stage! If you can awaken the Ketsuryugan and gain the ability to manipulate blood, your strength will undergo a qualitative leap!"
Before Chino could respond, Ryuzetsu looked at her in surprise. "Chino, you… you have a dojutsu Bloodline Limit?"
If shinobi with Bloodline Limits were the nobility among shinobi, those with dojutsu Bloodline Limits were the nobility among Bloodline Limits.
Chino scratched her head, knowing little about her own heritage and not yet having awakened her Ketsuryugan, leaving her utterly confused.
Shinji tapped the blackboard, drawing their attention. "Alright, now I'll explain the cultivation method of the Twelve Palaces!"