"This is something every shinobi must experience, but you're completely unaffected. Kushina and Mikoto couldn't even handle killing from a distance using ninjutsu, yet you directly stabbed someone with a kunai."
Tsunade looked curiously at Hayato Ren as she asked.
"Perhaps I have deeper resolve, or maybe all the books I've been reading these days taught me which spots can most easily kill an enemy."
"Eww~ You really should have been Orochimaru's student. You two are like peas in a pod."
"Teacher Tsunade, would you really let such a good student like me transfer to someone else? And did you vomit during your first kill?"
Tsunade pulled Hayato Ren in front of her and began vigorously ruffling his hair.
"You cunning little brat, now you're making up stories about me? But thinking back now, while I didn't vomit back then, I couldn't eat meat dishes for several days. That useless Jiraiya vomited his guts out. As for Orochimaru, he was just like you are now - completely unaffected."
At this moment, Kushina and Mikoto finally returned, their faces pale.
From their appearance, it wasn't hard to guess they might become vegetarians for the next few days.
What happened next goes without saying. After returning to Konoha and completing the mission report, Tsunade excitedly ran off in a certain direction.
From the somewhat fanatical expression on her face, it wasn't hard to guess her destination was the gambling den.
After two days, Kushina and Mikoto had mostly recovered.
However, they still weren't in the mood for celebration.
Thus, everyone returned to their respective homes.
Time flew by, and half a year passed in the blink of an eye. During this period, Tsunade led Hayato Ren and the other two through over twenty C-rank missions.
Now, Kushina and Mikoto had grown accustomed enough to eat their meals near corpses without losing their appetite.
Meanwhile, Hayato Ren's Medical Ninjutsu had made significant progress. His medical skills now surpassed those of most doctors at Konoha Hospital.
In Tsunade's home, looking at Hayato Ren's handsome face, Tsunade couldn't help but murmur to herself.
"This brat really is growing more handsome. Who knows how many people he'll trouble in the future..."
Then, Tsunade took out a scroll from her bosom and placed it before Hayato Ren.
"This is the Summoning Scroll of Shikkotsu Forest. Quickly sign your name."
Hayato Ren nodded without asking questions, directly biting his finger and signing his name.
After all, the Shikkotsu Forest where the slugs reside is one of the three great Summoning Sanctuaries in the Shinobi World.
Moreover, Hashirama Senju's Sage Mode - making him the strongest below the Six Paths level - most likely originated from Shikkotsu Forest.
Otherwise, among the three sacred grounds, there's no reason why Ryuchi Cave and Mount Myoboku would have Sage Mode training methods while Shikkotsu Forest wouldn't.
Hayato Ren also spotted two familiar names in the summoning scroll - one was Tsunade, and the other was Hashirama Senju.
Seeing Hayato Ren sign his name, Tsunade continued speaking.
"You should be quite familiar with how to summon a Summoning Beast. Now try summoning Katsuyu."
Hayato Ren nodded and, taking advantage of the unhealed wound on his hand, formed the hand seals for summoning a Summoning Beast.
With a "poof," a cloud of smoke filled the living room. When the smoke cleared, a slug the size of an adult human appeared between Hayato Ren and Tsunade.
Anyone with a fear of insects would probably die on the spot if they saw this scene.
Although Katsuyu's appearance wasn't particularly appealing, her voice was exceptionally pleasant, like that of a gentle older sister.
"Lady Tsunade, what matter requires my summoning?"
Tsunade pointed at Hayato Ren.
"It was this boy who summoned you. He's my student, Hayato Ren, who just signed the summoning contract with Shikkotsu Forest."
Katsuyu turned to examine Hayato Ren, then slightly bowed her head and spoke in her gentle voice.
"I see. Then please take care of me from now on, Lord Ren."
Hayato Ren immediately bowed in response.
"Please take care of me as well, Katsuyu."
The biggest difference between Katsuyu and other Summoning Beasts was her ability to divide herself, yet there was only one Katsuyu in all of Shikkotsu Forest.
This meant that the Katsuyu Hayato Ren summoned was actually a clone of Katsuyu.
With sufficient Chakra, summoning the complete Katsuyu wouldn't even make suppressing a Tailed Beast particularly difficult.
However, even a ninja from the Senju clan like Tsunade couldn't summon the complete Katsuyu.
Perhaps only Hashirama Senju possessed that level of Chakra, though he didn't need to summon Katsuyu anyway - he could just clap his hands together to summon a wooden humanoid that could easily overpower the Nine-Tails.
After becoming acquainted with Hayato Ren and seeing there was nothing else requiring her presence, Katsuyu released the Summoning Technique and returned to Shikkotsu Forest.
After Katsuyu disappeared, Tsunade continued speaking.
"Although you have powerful Summoning Beasts like Charmander by your side and have contracted with Katsuyu, your personal combat abilities are still lacking. Therefore, I plan to teach you a Ninjutsu I created myself, which I've named Super Strength."
After saying this, Tsunade brought Hayato Ren to the training ground outside the house.
Then, Tsunade gently raised her left leg and forcefully stomped on the ground.
With a tremendous "boom," the entire earth began trembling as if an earthquake had occurred.
Where Tsunade's left foot had landed, several bottomless fissures now appeared.
Seeing Hayato Ren's somewhat stunned expression, Tsunade revealed a proud look.
"Super Strength works by stimulating cells throughout the body with Chakra to enhance taijutsu, which is quite similar to the Cloud Ninja's Lightning Release Chakra Mode. I once shattered an entire hill with a single punch. If you master Super Strength, protecting yourself won't be a problem at all."
Hayato Ren nodded repeatedly like a chicken pecking at rice, then looked at Tsunade with admiring eyes.
This time, Tsunade was bringing out all her signature techniques. Aside from the yet-to-be-developed Yin Seal, both the Summoning Scroll for Katsuyu and Super Strength were Tsunade's trump techniques.
This demonstrated that after half a year together, Tsunade had completely accepted Hayato Ren as her successor disciple.
In the following days, Tsunade began to gradually impart the essence of Super Strength to him.
However, although Hayato Ren possessed exceptional talent in Medical Ninjutsu, he proved rather mediocre in other forms of Ninjutsu.
After spending the entire afternoon, Hayato Ren had not even grasped the basics of Super Strength.