Kiyohara and Tsunade kept their hands locked together, straining against each other.
Honestly, Kiyohara felt that Tsunade really did live up to the name "Steel Hand" right now.
Her grip was seriously strong.
The two of them remained deadlocked like that for about five seconds.
A flicker of surprise crossed Tsunade's eyes, only to be replaced by even greater interest.
"Interesting…"
Tsunade muttered, no longer holding back. Chakra instantly surged through the meridian system in her right arm.
Monster Strength, activated!
Kiyohara immediately felt the force in her palm spike sharply. Caught off guard for just a moment, his arm was pushed noticeably backward.
"Sensei, doesn't this count as cheating?"
Kiyohara stabilized himself at the last second, while quickly mobilizing chakra through his own body.
At the same time, he used his Sharingan to observe the chakra flow in Tsunade's arm.
In theory, the Sharingan could copy Monster Strength as well.
But Kiyohara couldn't replicate it—or rather, even though he could see how the chakra flowed, he still couldn't imitate it.
Clearly, it required some kind of prerequisite training.
"Stop trying to copy it. If it were that simple, your clan would've learned my technique ages ago."
Tsunade grinned smugly.
Monster Strength technically fell under taijutsu, but more importantly, learning it required medicinal baths.
Those baths gradually changed the body and helped it adapt.
Only then could Monster Strength be used properly.
"Is that so?"
A layer of pale blue electric arcs appeared around Kiyohara's arm, and the current made Tsunade feel a faint tingling numbness.
She couldn't help but let out a soft sound.
Kiyohara gave her a strange look.
Tsunade's brows tightened slightly.
This brat…!
But the force in her hand increased again.
She could feel the resistance in Kiyohara's arm suddenly grow stronger under the boost of the lightning arcs.
Their locked arms trembled violently over the stone, shifting left and right as the struggle became even fiercer.
Fine cracks even began spreading across the stone surface under the force of their clash.
That was with both of them consciously controlling their strength.
Otherwise, the rock would have ended up just like the wooden table from before—destroyed outright.
Nohara Rin unconsciously clasped both hands in front of her chest.
Kurenai stepped closer as well, staring without blinking.
A few more seconds passed.
Kiyohara noticed veins starting to stand out on Tsunade's forehead.
He wasn't much better off himself.
Right now, he was only using Lightning Release Chakra Mode to locally strengthen the power in his arm.
He still hadn't used the power of the curse mark to amplify himself even further.
At that moment, Tsunade's wrist suddenly twitched.
She used a clever burst of technique, instantly changing the direction of her strength—from a straightforward downward press into a twisting levering motion.
The force Kiyohara was using to resist was thrown off course, and his balance slipped for an instant.
"Hah!"
Tsunade seized the opening, her strength exploding outward.
Smack!
Kiyohara's hand was firmly pinned against the cold stone surface.
The match was decided.
Tsunade let go and rolled her wrist. She had won, but the look she gave Kiyohara was full of amazement and completely undisguised admiration.
"You little brat, just how is your body built?"
That little twist-and-turn she'd used at the end was already edging into unconventional technique. Otherwise, Kiyohara might really have been able to hold out against her for even longer.
Kiyohara flexed his slightly numb wrist and smiled faintly.
"You're still stronger, Sensei. That last move—was that a Monster Strength technique?"
This still wasn't Kiyohara's full physical power.
If he had gone all out, he could've stacked Magnet Release: Magnetic Field Rotation on top of it and borrowed the force of the magnetic field itself.
But if he did that, Tsunade might actually lose.
And that was like playing tennis with your boss.
You don't make the boss end up out of breath.
You play to their tastes.
You don't have to win—but you do need to make it feel like the boss won fair and square.
Tsunade wasn't Kiyohara's boss, but the same principle worked just fine with her.
He could see the corners of her brows lift slightly.
Clearly, not many people could match her in a contest of strength like this.
And in the end, she'd still won.
"Quick reaction, brat."
Tsunade admitted it openly, then walked over to a bucket nearby and scooped up some water to wash her hands.
"Raw strength alone isn't enough. The instant burst of chakra, the route it takes through the meridian system, the coordination with muscle movement, and even the clever technique that lets you finish off your opponent—those are the real essence of Monster Strength. It's not just about pumping chakra in."
She dried her hands, turned around, and faced Kiyohara with her back to Rin and the others. The teasing look faded from her face, replaced by seriousness.
"Want to learn it?"
Kiyohara froze.
Tsunade stepped closer, nearly brushing his ear, and lowered her voice so only the two of them could hear:
"I'll teach you Monster Strength. How much you can master depends on your own talent and practice."
Her breath, carrying the faint scent of alcohol and herbs, brushed across his ear.
Then she stepped back half a pace, her voice returning to normal. Speaking both to the still slightly stunned Kiyohara and to Rin and Shizune, who were watching eagerly nearby, she said:
"Of course, not today. Come tomorrow."
Then Tsunade glanced toward Kurenai and Rin, who had been watching the whole time.
"Have you two finished your training?"
Everyone immediately scrambled back to what they were supposed to be doing.
Tsunade gave Kiyohara a look, clearly meaning don't forget, then turned and went back to instructing Rin.
Kiyohara nodded repeatedly.
…
The next day, Kiyohara went to find Tsunade.
The two of them headed to a quiet open area on the eastern side of the camp.
A lot of the place had already been wrecked by Kiyohara's training.
Tsunade swept her gaze across it and concluded that this brat really had been working hard.
Then she began explaining the techniques behind Monster Strength.
"Watch carefully."
Tsunade raised her right hand and slowly clenched it into a fist.
"Monster Strength mainly comes down to two things: gathering chakra and applying it with technique. At the most basic level, it means refining a large amount of chakra in an instant, then concentrating it into a single point. That point can be your fist, your fingertips, even your shoulder or knee. Then, the moment you make contact with the target, you release it with proper technique."
As she spoke, Tsunade swung her right fist down at the ground.
Boom!
The moment her fist touched the ground, her chakra exploded outward.
The earth caved in half a meter deep around her fist, forming a clean bowl-shaped crater.
Cracks spread outward like a spiderweb, extending as far as ten meters away.
Kiyohara had already activated his Sharingan. With his three-tomoe Sharingan, he watched the flow of chakra through Tsunade's arm.
He could see exactly how chakra gathered from the body's meridian network into her fist—and how it exploded outward at the moment of impact.
"Understand the principle?"
Tsunade pulled back her fist and brushed the dust off her hands.
"Instant chakra concentration and release, coordinated with the timing of muscle exertion."
Kiyohara nodded.
That was also what Tsunade had mentioned yesterday.
"There are two major difficulties."
Tsunade held up two fingers.
"First: chakra control. You need to compress a large amount of chakra in an extremely short amount of time, which demands absurdly high control. Second: your body's ability to withstand it."
She pointed to her arm.
"The force released in that instant works both ways. Your body has to be strong enough to withstand the recoil. Otherwise…"
Tsunade paused, her tone turning serious.
"The enemy won't be the first thing to break. Your bones will."
Kiyohara understood.
It was a double-edged sword.
If your body couldn't handle it, the first thing to suffer wouldn't be the enemy—it would be you.
Then Kiyohara began trying it himself.
Under Tsunade's guidance, he recalled the chakra flow and threw a punch into the ground.
Boom!
His fist slammed down, kicking up dust.
A clear fist-shaped impact mark appeared in the ground, with cracks spreading five or six meters around it.
The power was only about half of Tsunade's demonstration, and broken stone flew outward.
But this was only his first attempt.
A flash of amazement appeared in Tsunade's eyes.
"You little monster… your chakra reserves are ridiculous."
She crouched by the crater and touched the cracks at the edge.
"Your control's still rough, and your timing on the release is a little late. But doing this much on your first try is already beyond expectations."
She stood up, patted Kiyohara on the shoulder, and for once her tone carried open praise.
"If you really manage to fully master Monster Strength, and combine it with that absurd chakra pool and body of yours… tsk. Just thinking about it is terrifying."
Kiyohara flexed his slightly numb fist.
The technique behind Monster Strength really was borderline inhuman.
His body was already pretty tough as it was.
And even so, just trying out a single punch had left him a little numb.
If someone else tried learning this, wouldn't they crack their bones?
The recoil from that blow had genuinely been intense. If his body hadn't been strengthened recently by the Yotsuki bloodline, his whole arm probably would've gone limp for half the day.
"But Monster Strength isn't something you can master by only practicing this."
As expected, Tsunade changed directions.
"Starting today, every three days you'll soak your whole body in a medicinal bath. I'll have Shizune prepare the herbs. The goal is to nourish your meridian system, strengthen your muscles and bones, and gradually let your body adapt to this explosive mode."
She gave him a look that said you know what I mean.
"This is one of my trump-card taijutsu techniques, after all. Full service. I'll teach you the whole package."
For the rest of the afternoon, Kiyohara practiced under Tsunade's guidance again and again.
Tsunade's teaching style was just like her personality—simple and efficient.
By sunset, Kiyohara had already gotten the basics of Monster Strength down.
What remained was learning to apply it smoothly, then continually adapting his body to it.
And of course, that step also required the medicinal baths.
…
Several days later, in Konohagakure.
Kiyohara returned to the village.
He walked down the familiar streets, the sweet aroma of grilled dango drifting through the air.
He was back this time to hand over some frontline supply reports and pick up a batch of encrypted communication scrolls. Early the next morning, he'd be returning to the Land of Rivers camp.
Kiyohara looked around Konoha and noticed that the oppressive atmosphere seemed a little lighter than before.
"What are you looking at?"
Rin asked curiously.
This time, Kiyohara had brought Rin back with him as well.
That included Might Guy and Kakashi too.
The reason for bringing Guy back was to continue handling some Anbu handover matters.
And since Guy was a taijutsu specialist, his body came into direct contact with enemies during missions.
That meant his clothes got torn up very easily.
So he also needed to pick up a fresh Anbu uniform.
"Nothing."
Kiyohara withdrew his gaze.
Then he said,
"Everyone go get some rest first. We won't be leaving for the Land of Rivers until tomorrow afternoon."
"Then I'll go continue burning my youth!"
Might Guy was the first to respond.
"Come on! Time for a long-overdue run through the village!"
He immediately sprinted off and started running.
Kakashi, meanwhile, said,
"I'm heading home first, Kiyohara."
He was planning to go back and review the sword techniques his father had left behind.
That way, working together with Ganmaru in the future would go much more smoothly.
Before long, only Rin was left standing beside Kiyohara.
"You're not going home?"
Kiyohara asked.
"My father probably isn't back yet."
Rin shook her head.
"Do you want to go get some dango?"
Rin suddenly spotted a roadside stall selling it.
So Kiyohara ended up going with Rin to eat some dango before finally heading off.
Along the way, he also ran into Uchiha Inabi.
Inabi asked him about Uchiha Tekka's situation.
Kiyohara told him that Tekka was still over on the Kumogakure front and seemed fine.
…
Meanwhile.
At Mikoto's house.
"Itachi, dinner's ready."
Mikoto called out.
Uchiha Itachi came in from the courtyard.
Mikoto set the food down on the table. Fugaku wasn't home again tonight.
So the dinner was simple. The gift, on the other hand, had taken a bit more thought.
"I'm here, Mother,"
Itachi said.
It didn't take long for him to notice that there were two extra things on the table.
A wrapped bundle and a food box.
Curious, he asked Mikoto what was inside them.
"They're gifts for Kiyohara."
Mikoto replied.
Earlier, while coming back from buying groceries, she had happened to hear Inabi mention that Kiyohara had returned.
Fugaku had told her before to bring Itachi to visit Kiyohara more often.
Apparently, Kiyohara's reputation on the front lines had been growing more and more, to the point that he was starting to look like a rising superstar ninja on the level of Minato Namikaze.
So after cooking dinner, Mikoto had hurriedly prepared the gifts.
She planned to bring Itachi along to visit.
"Itachi, even between master and student, people need to visit each other and keep in touch."
Mikoto said seriously.
Because she had noticed that while the boy looked humble, he actually had a bit of arrogance in him.
His attitude toward many of the other children in the clan was basically disdain.
The only person who could probably keep him firmly in check was a super-genius like Kiyohara.
"I understand."
Itachi nodded.
…
At dusk.
Training Ground Three.
From the forest came repeated, heavy thudding impacts.
Kiyohara was shirtless, sweat rolling down the lines of his muscles and gleaming in the sunset.
He was repeatedly practicing the force application of Monster Strength. Each punch against the reinforced training post made it shudder violently, leaving deep fist marks in the wood.
After the medicinal baths and days of hard training, his control over instant chakra concentration and explosive release had become more and more refined. The numb soreness caused by recoil was also gradually decreasing.
Just then, light footsteps sounded from the edge of the training ground.
Kiyohara pulled back his fist and turned to look.
Uchiha Mikoto stood at the edge of the woods, holding Itachi's hand.
She carried an elegant food box, her face wearing a gentle smile.
Meanwhile, Itachi held a long object wrapped in purple silk, his big dark eyes curiously staring at Kiyohara… and at Kiyohara's sturdy, sharply defined body covered in a light sheen of sweat.
Mikoto's gaze unconsciously landed on Kiyohara too.
Broad shoulders. Tight chest and abdominal muscles, all clearly defined. Sweat slid down his abs and disappeared into his waistband.
His body was completely different from the Uchiha men she usually saw.
After all, when it came to building a body, talent really mattered.
Even with performance enhancers, there were levels to it.
Some people only needed a little to get results others couldn't achieve even with a whole bucket.
Her cheeks warmed slightly, and she quickly looked away, but inwardly she couldn't help thinking that this boy Kiyohara… was almost too well-built.
"Mother?"
Itachi looked up at Mikoto in confusion when she suddenly stopped walking.
"Ah, it's nothing."
Mikoto came back to herself, smiled to cover it up, and led Itachi forward.
"Kiyohara-kun, sorry to interrupt your training."
Mikoto approached, her voice gentle.
"Mikoto-san. Itachi."
Kiyohara casually grabbed the towel hanging from a nearby branch and wiped off his sweat.
"I heard you were back in the village, so I happened to bake some pastries and thought I'd bring you some."
Mikoto handed over the food box, then lightly patted Itachi on the back.
"I also have something to give to Sensei."
Itachi stepped forward, holding out the purple-wrapped bundle with both hands, and said seriously,
"Sensei, Father asked me to pass this on to you. He said it's… a thank-you gift."
Kiyohara took it. It felt surprisingly heavy, shaped like a senbon case.
Judging from the structure, it probably had some kind of mechanism that could split it into many individual needles.
He didn't unwrap it. Instead, he shook his head.
"Mikoto-san, you're all being too polite. I really haven't taught Itachi that much. Most of the time, he's been training on his own."
"Kiyohara-kun, you're being too modest."
Mikoto bowed slightly.
"Itachi said the advice you gave him helped him tremendously. As his mother, I'm truly grateful."
Her eyes fell on her son before returning to Kiyohara.
"I was wondering whether Kiyohara-kun has time to give him some guidance today?"
"I do."
Kiyohara nodded.
He had just finished training anyway, so taking a little time to teach wouldn't hurt.
After a few more words, Mikoto indicated that she should be leaving.
"I made plans with Kushina. Kiyohara-kun, I'll leave Itachi in your care."
Her lips curved slightly as she handed over the elegant food box.
"No problem, Mikoto-san."
Kiyohara said.
Mikoto really did have high emotional intelligence.
Kiyohara remembered that the Jin no Sho had explicitly listed her as a retired jonin.
And from some of the information he'd gathered himself, that matched up.
So there was a very good chance Mikoto had awakened her Sharingan too—quite possibly even the three-tomoe Sharingan.
That surprised Kiyohara a little.
Because an Uchiha this mild-tempered really was one of a kind.
Maybe only Uchiha Kagami back in the day had been like this too?
After Mikoto left, Kiyohara opened the food box.
It was packed generously.
Itachi took a glance as well and looked a little surprised.
His own dinner that night had been simple, yet what Kiyohara got was so elaborate.
"Itachi, your mother's cooking is seriously good."
Kiyohara picked up a piece of meat and commented.
"Thank you."
Even though Itachi knew Kiyohara was praising his mother, it still somehow felt a little strange.
After that, Itachi started asking Kiyohara about things on the battlefield.
Kiyohara answered selectively.
"So the Seven Ninja Swordsmen really were killed by you, Sensei?"
Itachi asked.
"That's right."
Kiyohara replied.
Between him and Might Duy, they had just about wiped out the first generation of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen.
Might Duy killed four of them, and Kiyohara killed three.
At this point, all Kirigakure had left was the second generation of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen.
~~~
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