Tsunade withdrew her finger and casually shook out her wrist. The sleeve of her yukata slipped down a little, revealing the smooth, toned line of her forearm.
"This technique is basically a special way of applying force. In an extremely short instant, you compress and condense chakra into a single point, then release it all at once to create tremendous destructive power. Once you've mastered it, you can combine it with taijutsu and use it through any part of the body.
"It's a little harder to learn than Mystical Palm. On top of precise chakra control, it also demands extremely strong moment-to-moment control. You can't afford even the slightest bit of waste."
Honestly, this trip was turning out to be way more rewarding than he'd expected.
At first, Yuu had figured that learning either Mystical Palm or Monster Strength would already be pretty great. In the worst case, getting something like the B-rank Chakra Scalpel would still have been fine.
Instead, he was getting all of it.
But still…
Was this for real? She was even teaching Monster Strength?
Even though its rank was about the same as Mystical Palm, the latter was at least a technique most medical jōnin could use, so it wasn't exactly rare. Monster Strength, on the other hand, had only ever been mastered by Senju and Uzumaki descendants, plus Sakura Haruno. Even Jiraiya and Orochimaru, who had spent years around Tsunade, never learned it.
Sure, those two might simply not have been suited to that style.
But even Shizune—who had followed Tsunade for decades and could already use Mystical Palm skillfully—still hadn't learned it. That alone showed how absurdly valuable Monster Strength was.
Could it be…
that in Tsunade's eyes, he and Rin had already risen to the same tier as the future Sakura, and she was preparing to formally take them on as disciples?
Then again… the more likely truth was that she was getting ready to leave the village.
On the other side,
Tsunade added a few more explanations, then swept her gaze across Yuu and Rin in turn.
"You've both been in the medical class for a while now. Monster Strength will be the threshold I use to judge your ability. If you can learn it, great. If you can't, that's fine too.
"But let me make one thing absolutely clear: whether you learn it or not, anything related to Monster Strength is not to be passed on in any form without my permission. If you do, I'll personally strike your names off the medical class roster. Understood?"
Her sharp eyes fell on them. Yuu and Rin both stiffened and straightened their backs at once.
"Yes, Lady Tsunade! We won't tell anyone!"
After all, this was a Senju clan secret technique. Respecting the copyright was only fair.
At that moment, the familiar text box appeared in front of Yuu's eyes:
[Ding! High-quality potential romance target detected: "Monster Strength"! Limited-time encounter triggered!]
[In a gambling house tucked away in one corner of Konoha, you run into a blonde, red-eyed girl by chance. She sits at a gaming table with one leg crossed over the other, her long-sleeved robe half-open to reveal a pale arm. A sake gourd hangs at her waist, and dice-shaped earrings dangle from her ears. Dice spin between her fingers as she lounges there in a carefree, unruly way. Suddenly, she slams the dice cup onto the table. "Well? Big or small?"]
[Talk]
[A: Big]
[B: Small]
[C: I want to inspect the dice!]
"Wow…"
No surprise there—this was a secret technique taught by Tsunade, so of course it opened with gambling. This character was definitely modeled after a younger Tsunade.
After thinking for a moment, Yuu chose C.
[At your response, the blonde girl narrows her eyes and suddenly leans in. The hollow at her chest shows faintly as she does. "What's that supposed to mean? You think I'm cheating? Save it. If you don't want to bet, plenty of other people do. Keep talking and I'll break your bones."]
[A: Big]
[B: Small]
[C: I want to inspect the dice!]
…
…
Looks like he had to pick one.
Yuu glanced at Tsunade's unfairly dangerous figure, hesitated, then gambled on "Big."
[The blonde girl sneers and lifts the cup, fully expecting victory—only to see a large result: a red 4, 5, and 6. The sudden loss sends all kinds of thoughts racing through her mind, but in the end, she can only sigh and accept the result.]
[Monster Strength: Ugh, I lost. This is all your fault! But since you beat me fair and square, there's nothing I can do. According to our wager, I'll temporarily follow you around as your servant. But don't get smug—I'll win it back next time!]
[Monster Strength Affection +1. Added to romance list!]
"…Huh."
That was it?
Yuu scratched his head, unsure whether he'd genuinely guessed right or whether Monster Strength just had Tsunade's "always loses when gambling" personality built in. But since it had entered the list, it didn't really matter. Even if she won later, she couldn't exactly run out of the list.
"Alright, that's the two new techniques taught."
Tsunade waved a hand, pulled the collar of her yukata a little more closed, and turned toward the house.
"Whether you learn them or not depends on you. Head home."
"Wait."
Yuu called out to her.
"Hm?"
"Well…"
Under Tsunade's gaze, Yuu coughed lightly.
"Lady Tsunade, I have one—no, two requests."
"Oh?"
"First, I'd like to borrow that Mystical Palm scroll and make a copy so I can review it a few more times later. Of course, please don't worry—I won't pass it on. Only Rin and I will read it, and I'll return it as soon as I've copied it."
"Oh. That's fine."
Tsunade nodded. "And the other request?"
"Second, I want to discuss a business deal with you."
"…?"
The "business" Yuu meant was, naturally, Konoha Raw Cola.
Tsunade didn't look all that interested.
"Hm. So this is that sweet drink you were talking about? The taste is decent, but it doesn't really have any punch.
"The main ingredients are probably blood-mist grass, coagulation flower, and spirit wood, right? Those herbs all help stop bleeding, dull pain, and restore stamina. Spirit wood is even a main ingredient in soldier pills. And I'm guessing the sweetness comes from snakeheart fruit?"
"As expected of Tsunade-sensei. Your palate is incredible."
Yuu praised her.
"Hmph. Cut the flattery. I never said I was taking you as a disciple."
Tsunade thought for a moment.
"Well, even though I personally think this kind of sweet drink is just okay—not nearly as good as sake—only people over twenty are allowed to drink alcohol. For kids your age, something like this might actually be pretty popular.
"And since your father can't continue as a ninja because of his injured leg, letting him do a little business and earn some money to help support the family isn't a bad path. The fact that you came up with this at all shows real thoughtfulness and a good head on your shoulders. In that case, I'll give it a try and help you improve the formula.
"As for profit sharing, forget it. I'm still doing fine for myself. I don't need to take a cut of something this small."