"How…did you do it father?"
His voice was haggered and it took nearly all of his remaining strength just to speak.
"Shadow clones are more than just disposable soldiers. They're your best companions because they're you as well. Don't just use them to fight. Communicate with them through your mind and see through their eyes."
Seeing that Uehara didn't even move, he smirked.
"I'll impart to you a fighting technique of mine I made that utilises shadow clones."
He crouched down and touched his forehead. A faint glow of blue chakra rushed into his forehead.
"This technique is called the Water-Style Taijutsu. It's name is simple and it's purpose is straight to the point. You'll make two shadow clones to fight with you. Simple right?"
Uehara was dazed when he processed the knowledge of the technique in his head. Although it sounded and seemed simple, it was in fact very complicated. He just didn't rely on his clones to gang up on an opponent. Rather, the actions between him and his clones must be fluid and concise like water. This will allow the three of them to deliver powerful blows to the enemy while also raising their defence to the maximum.
"Thank you father. I will make sure to thoroughly master it."
"Don't be in a rush. You must first master how to fully connect with your shadow clones. Until you can complete this minor assignment, we cannot continue with your training."
Uehara's mouth twitched.
[Minor assignment he says.]
Volkarin seemed to sense his thoughts and flicked his forehead.
"Remember. Don't rush anything. If you rush and your foundation isn't solid, you won't make it past the 9th Gate. Many talents rushed but they had nowhere to hide when they couldn't become gods and got killed."
Uehara looked at Volkarin in confusion?
"Killed."
Volkarin ruffled his hair while smiling.
"Do you think you can become a god without slaughtering a few people? Forget it. There's some things that you can't fully understand right now. Just remember not to rush. Our race is gone and there's a possibility we're the last surins alive. If you fail to become a god in the future, there's no one who can protect you while you recover."
"Yes father."
Uehara gave a light bow before fading away. When he opened his eyes, he found himself on Chizuki's lap. An overzealous expression adorned her pretty face as if caressing him was the most satisfying thing ever. With the beauty of the nature around them contrasting well with her effeminate figure, it would make for a beautiful awe-inspiring photo.
Unfortunately, Uehara wouldn't allow her to feel at peace for much longer. He moved away from her thighs and morphed back into his humanoid form.
"Your physique has been tempered to a satisfactory degree. It's time for you to begin your advanced lessons."
Chizuki's eyes widened in happiness. Although it would be difficult, she was willing to learn. After all, with sufficient strength, she could finally be free from the control of others and also, Uehara wouldn't abandon her.
"Yes master."
Uehara led her outside to a clearing a few hundred metres from the house.
"Chakra isn't like Ki. Chakra is very versatile and has lots of different paths while Ki is direct, basic and easy to understand. You humans use hand-signs in an effort to move your chakra to produce certain effects. That is wrong. That is a crutch."
He casually blew out a wind scythe that left a gash on the bark of a nearby tree.
"The amount of chakra I used in the wind scythe is close to eighty percent less than what your average high-class shinobi can do and the damage is about fifty percent more."
He turned to face her.
"The reason why I made you focus on increasing the strength of your body and also repeatedly put you through life or death scenarios was because chakra does not listen to weak existences, especially humans. It is especially harder for your race since you also have ki inside your bodies inhibiting you."
A cyan-like aura manifested around him.
"Before I explain any further, this is chakra in it's diluted form. This is the form that most existences use."
His aura then turned royal-blue.
"This is chakra in it's purest form, otherwise known as nature chakra. This is the chakra I've been channeling into you and Sakura."
His aura then turned into a serene golden yellow.
"This is nature energy. It is what us demons, including dragons form from. I don't use this chakra because I cannot replenish it at a fast enough pace."
The aura around him dispersed. Chizuki was staring at him with a serious expression. She absorbed all she said like a sponge.
"Now let's continue. In simple terms, chakra is like a child. If a child sees that you are weak and pathetic, it naturally will not respect you. But, if you're strong and have a strong will, chakra will absolutely respect you. What you humans do is you beg chakra to do things for you. What happens when you beg a child? They won't give their all. It will be half-hearted. That's why you expend way more chakra for a subpar attack."
He pointed at the triskele mark on her chest.
"Right now, your body has had a taste of my chakra, which makes the quality of your chakra much higher than your average human. And also, since you have a strong body and a strong mind, you have a higher capacity of chakra."
Golden nature energy covered his hand.
"Nature energy is very corrosive to weaklings like you but if you can channel your chakra properly, you will be able to withstand it."
He suddenly appeared in front of Chizuki and punched her in the gut, sending her skidding by a few metres. She fell to the ground on all fours as she coughed out blood.
"You have three seconds to use your chakra to expel the nature energy I injected in you. Starting now."
Three seconds passed but Chizuki still couldn't expel the corrosive chakra before Uehara punched her again. She could only last for eight more rounds before too much nature energy was in her system, causing her to bleed from her mouth and nose.
Ending the session, Uehara stood besides her hunched over figure and tapped her shoulder.
"You did well. Very few can survive what I just did to you. You have the whole night to expel the nature energy in you. I'll help you a bit."
He injected a bit of his nature chakra in her and used it as a buffer to buy her time to get used to the nature chakra.
"T-thank you, m-master."
Uehara frowned.
"Don't talk. Focus on expelling the nature energy or you will turn into stone."
He retracted his hand from her shoulder and went over to a tree and sat down against it. His eyes never left her figure as he watched her struggle to eject his nature energy. Although he appeared calm, his fists were clenched an they could vaguely be seen trembling.
Chizuki resolved herself to complete this task as soon as possible. Utilising her chakra, she began using it to push against Uehara's nature energy. Slowly but surely, she pushed all of it out. When she opened her eyes it was already early morning and the sun would rise in an hour or so.
"You're finally finished. Good. You have until sunrise to rest up. Channel your chakra all over your body and remember not to strengthen, but revitalise. It's all in the mind."
He vanished after speaking, leaving Chizuki alone to recover. She didn't waste anytime and went straight back into meditation with a smile on her face.
[Master watched over me the whole night~]