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Leo kept punching and weaving around the dangling sandbags, using the chaotic rhythm to sharpen his body's instincts. He needed this—his speed was getting so fast it was starting to work against him.
After a long stretch of training, he finally sat down to rest and released his shadow clones. The flood of their accumulated knowledge slammed into his mind, making his head throb and his ears ring.
This was the downside of having a normal human body.
You couldn't maintain shadow clones for too long. Push it too far and the backlash wouldn't just knock you out—it could kill you.
Leo rubbed his temples.
Just as he was trying to sort out the incoming information, a small bag dropped into view.
"Eat."
"Huh?"
He looked up, confused.
Jiraiya grinned. "Special rations from the hospital. You're training like a maniac. You won't last long without soldier pills."
"Thanks, sensei."
Leo really was starving. His vision was sparkling.
If Jiraiya hadn't brought these, he was planning to catch his breath and then stumble out to get some real food.
It was his first time trying soldier pills.
They tasted awful.
But—
Once he swallowed it, the energy conversion hit fast. Way faster than normal food. In no time the hollow weakness in his stomach faded.
"How is it?"
"No wonder they're the mainstream ninja ration. They're pretty amazing."
Leo couldn't help praising them.
Jiraiya left him an extra bag, then his expression turned serious.
"They can refill your physical energy, but not your mental energy. If you burn out mentally, you'll die just the same."
"I know, sensei."
Leo nodded.
He valued his life too much to train himself into an early grave.
Jiraiya finally smiled.
"The Matsuyama family sent word. They'll probably arrive in Konoha tomorrow. Don't overdo it today. And go to the hospital to get that bruising taken care of."
With that, he stood and left, never mentioning the earlier council meeting.
Leo didn't ask either.
Because he could already guess the atmosphere. Probably a lot of arguments. Maybe even Tsunade smashing the table.
With her temperament, that sounded pretty likely.
…
By evening, Tsunade showed up again, carrying the scent of body wash mixed with alcohol.
She had a bag in her hand and, with zero manners, hopped straight over the wall instead of using the door.
The Three Legendary Sannin really were all the same.
Leo grumbled inwardly.
He stood up and bowed.
"Lady Tsunade."
"How're the books coming along?" she asked.
Leo answered honestly.
"They're all basic fundamental stuff, but they helped me a lot."
"That fast?"
Tsunade clearly didn't buy it.
The gap between reading something and applying it in practice was huge.
She glanced at the shadow clone nearby, worried Leo was rushing things.
"You can test me if you want," Leo said, full of confidence.
Some things really did show immediate results.
For example—Water Release: Water Formation Wall (Mastered)
It was an essential defensive water jutsu. Leo had studied the Second Hokage's notes and, with the chakra control boost from his Strength Enhancement technique, managed to push it to a mastery level after a few tries.
At mastery, the Water Formation Wall could be shaped more precisely, with adjustable range and density.
His next goal was to form it with only two hand seals.
But that required deeper understanding and couldn't be picked up from books alone.
Right now…
Leo ran through the hand signs. Thanks to daily training, his fingers moved fast.
Water Release: Water Formation Wall!
A torrent of water blasted from his mouth, forming a tall barrier around him about five steps out.
Tsunade might not use water techniques, but she'd seen plenty of water-style ninja.
And by her judgment, Leo's Water Wall was easily mid-level.
From last time to now…
It had only been a few days, and he'd already made huge progress.
Tsunade's expression sharpened.
At first, she only wanted to help a talented "half clansman."
But now—
She couldn't help thinking of her dead loved ones.
If Nawaki had even half of Leo's talent… he might still be alive.
Tsunade's gaze dimmed.
"Lady Tsunade, sensei said things didn't go smoothly? I don't think you need to take it to heart. Any kind of reform—"
"Kid, that's none of your business. I was thinking of something else," she cut him off.
Tsunade steadied her emotions and tossed him a scroll.
"Take it. Read it. Don't practice blindly."
"What is it?"
Leo opened it.
No title. Fresh ink. Looked like it had been written earlier today.
Inside…
Was her Strength Technique.
"This is the Strength Technique?"
"Strength… well, calling it that works. It's basically the same as what you imagined—rapid refinement, concentration, and explosive release of chakra. Easy to describe, hard to actually do."
Tsunade's tone grew serious. "You know what your main issue is?"
"From the Second Hokage's notes, the biggest lesson for me was that many principles overlap. Chakra is like speed—if it's too fast to control, you lose it and hurt yourself."
Tsunade softly exhaled.
Thinking that deeply already…
His insight was incredible.
"Finding the problem isn't the hard part," she said. "Do you have a solution?"
"Slow the process down and reduce power. But in emergencies, I think it's worth risking injury to increase output. I don't want to be restricted by it…"
Leo answered instantly.
That was the solution he'd gained after leveling up his technique.
Still—
"Slowing down" was relative.Even the beginner-friendly version required chakra control and physical ability far above normal ninja.
Tsunade smiled.
"You talk a good theory. Can you actually do it?"
"I didn't try because I was afraid of getting hurt, but… I think I can."
Before, Leo definitely didn't meet the requirements.
Now, though—
His chakra control was no longer an issue.
That was the charm of leveling up a skill.
But since Tsunade had warned him again and again not to try recklessly, he couldn't just admit it out loud.
"Then try it," Tsunade said.
Leo blinked.
"You're sure?"
"I don't need to see it to treat you afterward," she said calmly.
Leo nodded.
"Alright."
He stood, remembering the key points.
Then he gathered chakra, slowing down the refining and concentrating process.
A moment later—
Boom!
The ground cracked and sank, leaving a fist-sized crater like a big bowl.
Leo checked his arm.
"Lady Tsunade, I'm not hurt."
"Let me see."
Tsunade stepped over to examine him. After sensing and confirming, she nodded lightly, though inside she was stunned—
He actually did it.
This brat…
Really was a genius.
She had no idea what Tobirama Senju was like as a kid, but she suspected he wasn't far from this.
Even she had never thought through the problem this way. Her talent for chakra control was so absurdly high that she could use monstrous strength naturally from a young age. Her only limits had been her age, chakra reserves, and physical maturity.
Issues like "insufficient chakra control"…She'd never experienced them, so she'd never developed easy training methods.
The troubles of a natural-born genius.
And now Leo had solved the problem on his own—and made it work.
"Add a bit more chakra," she said.
"Okay."
Leo tried again.
This time…
Everything—refining, gathering, compressing—sped up by about ten or twenty percent.
Then—
Boom!
His fist slammed down. The ground burst open, dirt and stone flying.
The power boost was far more than ten or twenty percent.
"You see it now?" Tsunade asked.
"A small increase in speed makes a huge difference. But I think this is close to my limit. Any more and my body might not hold up."
Leo shared his thoughts.
"Your compression speed isn't high enough to push the power further, but your fine control is excellent. That's your strength."
Tsunade scanned his chakra carefully and let out a soft breath.
"You've lowered the difficulty, but normal ninja still wouldn't be able to learn this," she said.
As for Shizune…
Leo's simplified version of monstrous strength was still forbidden-technique tier. Definitely not something an ordinary ninja should mess with lightly.
"....."