-----
-----
Two days later.
[Under your wise leadership, the "early medical-ninja training" proposal has passed and will now enter the trial phase.]
[Reward: Monster Strength Technique +1 level]
…Huh?
Tsunade works that fast?
And it passed this easily?
Leo was a little stunned.
But after thinking it over, he realized it probably wasn't that smooth.
Two days ago, the most important point he brought up was combat ability. Early training was just one tiny branch of the "tiered structure" and "specialization" he hinted at.
Yet the notification just now didn't mention any of the courses that actually increase combat skills.
Leo let out a quiet sigh.
When it came to medical training…
Partly, Tsunade's authority in the field was absolute. And partly, Konoha really, desperately needed medical ninja.
Medical ninja saved countless lives on the battlefield and during missions. With Tsunade pushing early training, of course it went through easily.
But everything else—
That would take a long time, if it ever happened at all.
And as expected—
At this moment, the Hokage Building's conference room was roaring with noise.
The massive table in front of Tsunade had just been smashed into splinters.
She was furious.
"Why do civilian genin have to learn so much useless crap?! They can barely survive on the battlefield as it is—most of them go out there just to die!"
"Tsunade, it's not as if only you have seen combat," Danzo said coldly. "We crawled out of the blood and mud too."
Koharu chimed in, "The academy's regulations were set by the Second Hokage—"
"Bullshit! The Second also said kids shouldn't be sent to war, and look how many early graduates you've shoved onto the front lines these years! Didn't hear you mentioning his rules then!"
Tsunade's voice was sharp, biting.
"Tsunade!"
Koharu shook with anger, but… she couldn't actually refute her.
"Enough."
Hiruzen nudged aside some shattered wood with a weary expression. "Tsunade, Jiraiya… early training for medical ninja can be tested, but overhauling the entire academy is too drastic. Especially in the current situation. Let's wait a bit."
Jiraiya looked just as frustrated, even a little angry.
"We finally get a short period of peace, and instead of guiding the next generation, instead of improving things while we can, you want to wait until the next war? Seriously?"
He was siding with Tsunade now.
These old fossils were hopeless—rigid, stubborn, clinging to stability, refusing to change, refusing to listen.
Hiruzen fell silent.
At last he shook his head. "There won't be another major war for several years. Let's stabilize things first… in a few years, we can re-evaluate."
All the villages had suffered devastating losses in the recent war. Everyone needed time to recover, rebuild, breathe.
In his judgment, no village would dare start another conflict so soon.
"…Fine."
Tsunade stood up. She didn't argue anymore.
But she was deeply disappointed.
…
"Tsunade, stop drinking already. You know as well as I do, nothing major was ever going to come out of the first meeting. Getting early medical-ninja training approved is already a huge win."
Jiraiya tried to coax her gently.
Tsunade just shook her head.
She emptied another cup, then slumped, voice heavy.
"That's not it. It's just… the teacher I once saw as wise and brilliant… is becoming rigid, stale, afraid to act."
Jiraiya didn't speak for a while.
He poured himself a drink, downed it, then asked quietly, "So what do you want to do?"
"Become Hokage."
Tsunade's eyes sharpened. She slammed her hand on the table.
"If the village stays in the hands of these old men, it'll rot and crumble."
Some of her usual fire returned.
Then she looked at Jiraiya seriously.
"Jiraiya, you need to step up and run for Hokage. I'll back you."
Jiraiya rolled his eyes and stood up.
"I'm gonna go check on Leo. The brat learned Shadow Clone recently. If he screws up and blows himself up, I'll lose a perfectly good student."
He left.
Tsunade held her cup but didn't drink again. She turned to the window, gaze clouded and restless.
…
Leo wasn't practicing Monster Strength. He was… feeling it out, studying it.
He had reached the "proficient" level.
At this stage, chakra gathering and release became more delicate. After reading many books, he concluded—
At this level, small-scale use shouldn't backfire on his body anymore.
He still couldn't casually throw out monstrous punches like Tsunade or Tobirama.
But that wasn't the real point.
The real value wasn't simply having Monster Strength in battle.
Even though it was just one level, the attached knowledge, the new insights, the change that seeped deep into his muscles and instincts—it all benefited him massively.
Just like when he achieved master-level Body Flicker.
The difference between beginner and proficient was huge.
Technically his raw power hadn't changed, but his chakra control had become far finer. He could refine physical and spiritual energy more cleanly, gather it faster.
That was the foundation of advanced Monster Strength usage.
Once you understand one principle deeply, other techniques connect naturally.
This fundamental improvement helped with Water Style, Body Flicker, everything.
It was a bigger boost than any single jutsu upgrade.
"Beginner to proficient is basically a chakra-control breakthrough. But my body is still too weak. I can't use it repeatedly."
"My body needs more training."
"And next… I need to work on compression."
Chakra compression.
Not just Monster Strength—Rasengan, Water Severing Wave, they all relied on it, just at different levels.
Leo was studying this now.
Compression.
The basic version could be done with Shadow Clones like Naruto, but that brute-force style wasn't for him.
Master-level compression required real discipline.
Tobirama's Water Severing Wave was the perfect example of compression pushed to the extreme.
Of course…
Grinding it out by hand still wasn't as fast as a convenient system reward.
Leo worked out in the courtyard, training his body, but after a while he knew it wasn't enough.
This kind of exercise was too simple—no edge, no pressure.
"I need to remodel the yard."
He spent the whole morning working.
By the time Jiraiya peeked over the wall, the once-overgrown yard had been cleared flat. New wooden frames stood everywhere, each with sandbags hanging from it.
What the hell is this?
Jiraiya watched as Leo punched a set of sandbags—
Then—bam bam bam!
They rebounded and slammed him into the ground.
Fortunately the sandbags were soft enough not to break bones.
"Damn… is he training his reflexes? No, he's also wearing weighted gear."
Jiraiya felt a chill run down his back.
This was brutal training.
This kid was harsh on others, sure, but he was even harsher on himself.
Seven years old.
What seven-year-old trained like this?
And on top of that…
Inside the house, another Shadow Clone sat reading intensely, pages turning nonstop.
"Genius always looks glamorous from the outside, but behind it is blood and sweat…"
Jiraiya sighed.
If an ordinary kid trained like this, they'd still grow into something impressive. And Leo wasn't ordinary at all.
This boy was going places.
Most impressive of all…
He had a maturity far beyond his age.
"Don't tell me… he's another Child of Prophecy?"
The thought slipped into Jiraiya's mind.
It sounded ridiculous. Like he was seeing "Children of Prophecy" everywhere.
Leo was already the third candidate he'd encountered.
The first was Nagato.
With the Rinnegan, it was only natural.
The second was Minato.
The strongest of the young jonin, already wielding the Flying Thunder God, a forbidden space-time technique.
And the third…
This seven-year-old right in front of him.
Jiraiya suppressed his chakra and watched from the shadows, thinking quietly—
Hopefully the next candidate won't be even younger.
But probably not.
The Child of Prophecy was likely among these three.
And Jiraiya believed that with all his heart.
"....."