Once Tsunade finished stretching, her pants loosened back into their normal relaxed fit.
"Take a look."
Kiyoshi gathered chakra into his palm, and a soft green glow naturally appeared.
Tsunade's previously lazy posture immediately became more serious.
Kiyoshi's level of chakra control was already beyond what Shizune could currently achieve!
After all, ever since Dan Katō died, Tsunade had personally taken Shizune—Dan's niece—under her care.
And Tsunade had taught her everything she knew about medical ninjutsu without holding anything back.
Yet despite such direct guidance, Kiyoshi's level was actually higher?
"How long have you been studying?"
"I started learning after graduating from the Ninja Academy."
Kiyoshi answered honestly.
His chakra control was already excellent, so naturally his medical ninjutsu wasn't lacking either.
The trait panel might label him as a Medical Genin, but that didn't reflect his true ability.
In reality, with the addition of several other traits, Kiyoshi had already far surpassed ordinary lower-ranked medical ninja.
He was already comparable to veteran medical ninja who had spent over a decade in the field.
"Hey, Kurenai… what's going on?"
Asuma scratched his head.
He knew a little about medical ninjutsu, but only on a surface level.
He couldn't understand why Tsunade suddenly sat upright and started questioning Kiyoshi.
"I'm not really sure either."
Kurenai gently shook her head.
But whatever it was, it had to be something good.
She had noticed that Kiyoshi seemed involved in almost every field.
Most ninja specialized in one area and built their personal fighting style around it.
But Kiyoshi seemed to have no weaknesses at all.
He was developing in every direction.
Meanwhile, Shizune looked completely stunned.
She still remembered the afternoon Tsunade examined Kiyoshi's body, back when she had secretly observed him from the side.
In the blink of an eye, that once skinny and ordinary boy had become a medical ninja stronger than her.
"Nonoe got herself a good student."
Tsunade lifted the bottle and took another drink.
If Dan Katō were still alive, she might have had the motivation to personally teach Kiyoshi.
Back then, she had even dreamed of placing a medical ninja on every squad.
Unfortunately, various circumstances eventually caused the idea to collapse.
"Shizune, if you've got nothing to do, spend some time learning from Kiyoshi. His medical ninjutsu is pretty solid."
After saying that, Tsunade started shooing the three of them away.
Three days later, everyone gathered at the village gate as agreed.
Kiyoshi's ninja sword was still being reinforced and modified, so it hadn't been returned yet.
For now, he was using a temporary katana.
At his current level, that was already more than enough.
Kiyoshi had nearly mastered Wind Release: Chakra Blade Membrane.
Not only did it increase the sharpness of the blade, but the thin layer of chakra also added some defensive durability.
At the very least, it prevented the sword from breaking too easily.
Tsunade was no longer wearing her usual green haori with the giant kanji for "gamble" on the back.
Instead, she wore a practical combat outfit.
Compared to the newer standard green flak jackets currently used in Konoha, Tsunade still wore the older gray version.
The style popular during the Second Great Ninja War.
"Let's move."
After confirming everyone had arrived, Tsunade adjusted the arm guards on her wrists and led the group toward the Land of Wind.
With ninja travel speed, they could reach the country in roughly three days and nights.
By now, Kiyoshi was already used to this sort of travel.
For ninja, transportation mostly depended on their legs.
Only a handful of nations possessed trains at this point, mainly technologically advanced countries like the Land of Snow.
By the time railways spread throughout Konoha in the future—and eventually into the Boruto era—there would even be something called the "Thunder Train."
A product developed by the Land of Fire's largest company: the Raimon Corporation.
Essentially just a train powered by Lightning Release chakra technology.
"Hah… kid, don't you ever get tired?"
Tsunade was about to suggest taking a short break when she realized Kiyoshi had effortlessly kept pace with her the entire time.
Meanwhile, Asuma and Kurenai were already panting heavily.
"I'm fine."
Kiyoshi replied calmly while checking his trait progress.
The Fatigue Resistance trait had continued increasing and had already reached 89%.
After all, continuous travel also counted as repetitive training.
He constantly had to refine chakra, maintain chakra flow beneath his feet to boost speed, and stay aware of his surroundings to avoid enemy ambushes.
Meanwhile, the Apprentice Wind Release Ninja trait had already reached 100%.
Its effect increased his talent for Wind Release nature transformation by 10%.
The shrine maiden sealing-technique trait he obtained in the Land of Demons had also progressed significantly.
Within a few more days, it would likely evolve into a blue-grade trait.
Overall, everything was steadily improving.
Tsunade, meanwhile, had no idea what Kiyoshi was thinking.
She only found the Uchiha boy's stamina unusually impressive.
But when she remembered his Yotsuki bloodline heritage, it suddenly made sense.
The group continued traveling during the day and resting at night.
Before long, they arrived in the Land of Wind.
Whoooooosh—
Yellow sand stretched endlessly across the landscape.
Unfortunately, they had also encountered a sandstorm.
Kurenai's eyes watered badly from the blowing sand.
Kiyoshi pulled out a cloth veil he had prepared beforehand and wrapped it around her face.
Before coming to the Land of Wind, he had already anticipated the harsh environment here.
But Kiyoshi quickly noticed something surprising.
The sandstorm had almost no effect on him at all.
Unless the sand struck from extremely close range, it couldn't damage his skin whatsoever.
Kiyoshi immediately understood why.
This was undoubtedly the result of constantly using Lightning Release: Iron Block over long periods of time.
Not long ago, his Strength stat had increased by another 5%.
That meant the upper limits of his body—tempered through Lightning Release: Iron Block—had also risen by 5%.
"We'll go around this area."
Tsunade covered her face with one hand, leaving only her light-brown eyes visible as she ordered the group to avoid the storm.
Asuma hurriedly nodded.
"Lady Tsunade, let's hurry! My face feels like it's getting sliced apart!"
Tsunade nodded and led everyone away.
At that moment, Kiyoshi spotted a pale-yellow venomous scorpion desperately trying to bury itself beneath the sand.
The creature had likely been exposed after the storm shifted the dunes.
Kiyoshi casually picked it up.
"Keep moving."
Tsunade urged.
"Right."
Kiyoshi nodded.
As he followed after the group, he opened his hand and allowed the scorpion to sting him.
The poisonous tail struck hard against his wrist.
But in the next instant—
The stinger couldn't pierce his skin at all.
Instead, the tail itself began bending from the impact.
"Without even using chakra, creatures like this can't break my skin anymore."
Kiyoshi tossed the scorpion back onto the ground and caught up with Tsunade.
The moment it landed, the scorpion frantically burrowed back into the sand.
Kiyoshi was already familiar with this species.
If it had actually pierced his skin, he could have immediately injected himself with antidote.
But instead, it had only left behind a faint white mark.
It couldn't even puncture the surface of his skin.
"The next step… should be resisting basic ninja tools."
Kiyoshi thought to himself.
Not long afterward, the group finally crossed the sandstorm.
Standing atop a distant sand dune, Kiyoshi suddenly spotted the beautiful silhouette of someone familiar.