That slap just now—Tsunade had deliberately put a fair amount of strength into it.
Yet Yuya had taken it head-on. His body had only swayed slightly.
That level of physical resilience made her inwardly impressed.
Physical durability and ninjutsu power were entirely different things. To temper the body to such an extent required truly brutal training, the kind that pushed one to the limit again and again.
That was the nature of taijutsu.
For Yuya to possess such a physique—at his age, no less—
Even without asking, Tsunade could imagine how much hardship and effort he must have endured to reach this point.
She couldn't help but sigh softly to herself.
And then—
Yuya looked at her timidly and suddenly said something that shattered the atmosphere completely.
"Uh… Tsunade–big sister… are you planning to study my body…?"
Pff—!
Tsunade's expression instantly turned bizarre. She nearly spat out blood.
What kind of nonsense was that?!
It made it sound like she had some kind of improper intentions.
"Behave yourself! Say one more thing like that and I'll rip your tongue out!"
She glared at Yuya, feigning anger.
Yuya immediately stood straight.
Fine, fine—study away if you want.
Being examined by Tsunade was one thing… as long as it wasn't Orochimaru, everything was fine.
Tsunade really was curious about Yuya's body. In the end, she couldn't resist and placed a hand on his shoulder, sending a thread of chakra into him.
As a medical-nin, this was second nature to her.
Almost effortlessly, she probed every detail of Yuya's body.
Then—
Her expression froze.
"This is…?"
The moment she fully perceived what was going on inside Yuya, Tsunade was plunged into utter disbelief.
The Eight Gates was a forbidden technique, but she was well aware of it.
In fact, many elite jōnin had some knowledge of the Eight Gates, even if they didn't deliberately train in it.
For example, Kakashi Hatake could open the earlier gates.
The first two gates could even be considered supportive techniques.
It was only from the Third Gate onward that the Eight Gates' true power began to manifest.
Yet what Tsunade sensed inside Yuya—
Those two blazing "flames," one near his heart and the other in his lower abdomen—
Her shock reached its peak.
This was clearly the Eight Gates… in an opened state!
And not temporarily—
—but seemingly permanently open!
Even more unbelievable—
Why were the Seventh Gate and the Eighth Gate active?!
She could clearly sense that the first six gates were completely closed!
"Y-you… have you trained in the Eight Gates?!"
Tsunade finally asked, her voice filled with disbelief.
Yuya nodded first—then shook his head.
"I practice the Eight Gates, but it's somewhat different. It's a forbidden technique that works in tandem with my Vibration Release Kekkei Genkai. I call it the True Eight Gates."
Yuya briefly explained the principles behind the True Eight Gates.
This technique could only be used by someone who possessed Vibration Release like himself. Even Tsunade—no matter how talented—would likely be unable to cultivate it.
And even if she could, Yuya wouldn't have minded telling her.
No matter what, Tsunade had helped him today.
Yuya always remembered those who treated him well—returning one foot for every inch received was his way of doing things.
Not to mention, Tsunade had now—somewhat theatrically—become his "big sister."
Joke or not—
Yuya felt nothing but respect and gratitude toward her.
Hearing his explanation, Tsunade took a long while to recover.
A strange, brilliant light flickered in her eyes as she stared at Yuya. After a long moment, she let out a deep breath and gave a wry smile.
"You brat… you really are a monster."
"Then that makes you a monster's big sister."
Yuya grinned at her.
"Hmph," Tsunade snorted. "Don't think it's that easy to earn my recognition."
"But didn't you already agree?" Yuya asked helplessly.
Tsunade's lips curved into a mischievous smile.
"I agreed—but that doesn't mean I recognize you yet."
"Then what do I have to do?"
"Haven't thought about it."
She answered with perfect seriousness.
Pff—!
Yuya nearly spat out blood.
So she'd just been messing with him this whole time?!
As expected of a woman destined to become Hokage—
Not only overwhelmingly strong, but sharp-minded too.
She clearly had nothing to do with the phrase 'all muscle, no brains'.
"Anyway," Tsunade said, lifting her chin slightly,
"from now on, work hard. Do everything you can to earn my recognition."
With that, she turned and left gracefully.
…Was this tsundere behavior?
Yuya's mouth twitched.
Just then, Tsunade—now with her back to him—flicked her wrist.
Pa—!
A scroll dropped lightly at Yuya's feet. He instinctively reached out and caught it.
"This is…?"
He looked down at the scroll, then toward the darkness where Tsunade had vanished. Instead of chasing after her, he opened it.
"As I thought!"
Joy flashed across Yuya's face.
Inside was the training method for Superhuman Strength.
Tsunade had just… handed it to him like that.
Clenching the scroll tightly, Yuya looked toward the direction Tsunade had disappeared.
A faint, indescribable smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.
Elsewhere — Deep Beneath Konoha
In the dark underground depths of Konoha—
A masked figure flickered into existence inside a pitch-black chamber.
The patterns on his mask were far more intricate than those of ANBU.
He was a member of Root.
"Lord Danzō. The mission has failed."
"…Hmm?"
In the darkness, Danzō Shimura opened his eyes, frowning slightly.
"The Uchiha clan interfered and prevented you from saving that brat Yuya… is that it? Forget it. If he couldn't be saved, then so be it. The Uchiha clan paid a sufficient price this time, and Yuya died a fitting death."
"It's just a pity… such a perfect tool was destroyed."
As Danzō lamented inwardly—
The Root ninja suddenly shook his head.
"Lord Danzō, the situation was not as expected. Yuya's strength exceeded all predictions. He is completely immune to genjutsu, and the power of his Vibration Release Kekkei Genkai has increased significantly."
"He killed Uchiha Han."
Root operatives were trained by Danzō to be emotionless, absolute killers.
Even while delivering such shocking news, his tone remained flat and calm.
But no matter how calm he was—
Danzō could not remain calm.
"What did you say?!"
His eyes widened instantly.
Even with Danzō's composure, he lost control in that moment.
What kind of joke was this?!
How could such an utterly inconceivable outcome occur?!
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