Tsunade paused for a moment, then said,
"The old man can be infuriating sometimes, but Konoha… in the end, it is the village my grandfather built with his own hands. Even though I left the battlefield, I still hope to do something more for it."
As she spoke, Tsunade took out a slightly worn scroll from her chest and handed it to Sora.
"This is…" Sora did not take it immediately, instead looking at Tsunade with confusion.
"A chakra manipulation technique. I call it 'Super Strength'."
Tsunade explained,
"It involves extremely precise control of chakra, concentrating it on a specific part of the body to unleash terrifying destructive power."
"Your taijutsu foundation is very good. The Eight Gates Formation focuses more on explosive speed and power, but its requirements for microscopic chakra control are relatively lower. This 'Strength of a Hundred' might make up for some of your shortcomings, making your attacks more efficient and reducing unnecessary consumption."
"Also, although I don't know why your chakra amount is relatively small, your control is quite decent. Learning this should give you more of an advantage than the average person."
Sora's heart shook.
Super Strength! This was one of Tsunade's signature abilities, incredibly powerful. Cultivated to a high level, splitting mountains and cracking rocks was nothing.
He hadn't expected Tsunade to teach this to him.
'Is it because of our shared Uzumaki lineage connection? Or does she see potential in my taijutsu and wants to leave a spark for Konoha? Or maybe both?'
Sora quickly thought it over. This gift was no small thing.
"Lady Tsunade, this is too precious…" Sora did not accept it immediately.
"Take it."
Tsunade directly stuffed the scroll into Sora's hand, her tone brooking no refusal,
"While this isn't exactly a forbidden secret, very few people can learn it. Whether you can master it depends on your own comprehension. We still have time on the way back to the village. If there's anything you don't understand, you can come ask me."
Her gaze held a trace of complexity,
"I hope you can use this power well, to protect yourself, and also… to protect those who need protecting."
After saying this, she seemed a bit tired, and waved her hand, indicating Sora could leave.
Sora held the scroll in his hand, which still carried a bit of warmth and even a faint scent. He could feel the value contained within it.
He took a deep breath and bowed solemnly to Tsunade,
"Thank you, Lady Tsunade! I will definitely study diligently and live up to your trust!"
At this moment, his gratitude was sincere.
He had actually thought about the Strength of a Hundred back when he first joined the Anbu. But the Anbu jutsu library didn't have it. At the time, he deduced that the Strength of a Hundred was probably a secret technique unique to the Senju clan, and he likely had no chance of obtaining it.
He never thought he would get it from Tsunade now. This would undoubtedly greatly enhance his close-combat destructive power. Combined with the power of the Eight Gates Formation and the Azure Dragon Fruit, his strength would reach a new level.
After exiting the cave, Sora found it difficult to calm his emotions.
He found a secluded spot and couldn't wait to open the scroll.
The scroll recorded in detail the chakra control principles, operational pathways, and key points to pay attention to during cultivation of "Super Strength".
Its core lay in "precision" and "concentration", compressing a massive amount of chakra into a single point in an instant and unleashing it, producing a devastating effect.
This placed extremely high demands on chakra control. The slightest carelessness could instead injure oneself.
'It really is exquisite!'
'This isn't just brute force. It's a highly sophisticated art of chakra application!'
The more Sora studied it, the more he felt the profundity of this secret technique.
For the rest of the journey, Sora would ponder the contents of the "Strength of a Hundred" scroll and try to practice the most basic chakra control exercises whenever he had free time.
Occasionally, during breaks, he would also ask Tsunade about some key points.
Although Tsunade was not in a good mood, she appeared very patient when instructing Sora, often pinpointing the crux of his problems.
This benefited Sora immensely, and his understanding of "Super Strength" improved rapidly.
'It seems this journey back to the village won't be boring.'
Sora looked at the strand of chakra at his fingertip, compressed to the extreme and vibrating slightly. A glimmer of anticipation flashed in his eyes.
This unexpected harvest would become another important means of survival and victory for him in the future.
...
Several days had passed since leaving the front lines. Sora and his group traveled along remote paths towards the direction of Konoha Village.
Tsunade was eager to return home. Or rather, she wanted to escape that suffocating, blood-soaked battlefield as soon as possible. Therefore, the travel arrangements were not relaxed, but they were not rushing either.
Sora spent most of his time immersed in the "Strength of a Hundred" cultivation scroll given by Tsunade.
'Gathering chakra at a single point in an instant and releasing it precisely… It sounds simple, but it's truly difficult to do.'
As he walked, Sora multitasked, trying to control the chakra at his fingertip, making it no longer distribute evenly but concentrate into a point like an awl.
This kind of microscopic control was extremely mentally taxing. The slightest lapse would cause the chakra to lose control and dissipate.
'No wonder Tsunade said very few people can learn it. Without sufficient chakra control ability and a strong physique to support it, forget about injuring the enemy, you'd injure yourself first.'
He couldn't help but recall that in the original story, Sakura also had exceptional talent in chakra control and received careful instruction from Tsunade before mastering the Super Strength.
'My advantage lies in my physical strength and recovery ability. The Azure Dragon Fruit and Uzumaki lineage give me enough margin for error. My control isn't weak either, but I still need a lot of practice to reach the cultivation standard for the "Strength of a Hundred".'
Just as Sora was immersed in his cultivation, Night Owl, who was scouting at the front, made a hand signal. The squad immediately stopped.
"Lady Tsunade, approximately one mile ahead, there are chakra fluctuations. About seven or eight people. Their strength… is very ordinary."
Night Owl reported in a low voice, his tone carrying a hint of strangeness.
"Rogue ninja?" Fox frowned, "We've encountered a few groups along the way. Sensing our presence, they all hid far away. What's wrong with this group?"
Grey Wolf also sensed it and shook his head,
"The strongest one has a chakra amount roughly at chunin level. The others are even more like small fry. There are even two ordinary people without any chakra at all."
Hearing this, a trace of impatience appeared on Tsunade's face. She waved her hand,
"Don't bother with them. Keep moving forward. If they don't know their place, just deal with them."
"Yes."
Fox responded, signaling the squad to remain alert and continue forward.
Sora also felt somewhat puzzled. Although the main battlefields of the Third Great Ninja War were in the border minor countries, the flames of war had spread. Coupled with mission friction, the appearance of rogue ninja within the Land of Fire was not strange.
These ninjas mostly came from destroyed minor countries or defected from small ninja villages, surviving in the cracks, doing things like petty theft, or even robbery.
But these people were often shrewder than anyone, keenly aware of who could be provoked and who could not.
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