The Ashura bloodline—a descendant of the Sage of Six Paths' son, was finally his!
Kazuya felt his heart burn with a fiery sensation. It was as though an inferno had ignited in his chest, spreading through his entire body. His veins, his muscles, his very being—it all pulsed with new strength.
The power of the Sage's body was flowing into him.
Ashura—one of the sons of the Sage of Six Paths, this bloodline carried immense potential. It was the reason behind the unparalleled strength of legendary figures like Naruto, Hashirama, Madara, and even Sasuke, who bore the opposing bloodline of Indra.
And now, Kazuya had unlocked that same power.
The Ashura bloodline might not manifest as raw chakra immediately, but it provided Kazuya with a key—a key to unlock the path toward the realm of Six Paths power.
Kazuya grinned inwardly.
Not only had Tsunade handed him three million Ryo, but now she had gifted him Ashura's bloodline as well. She was truly a god-tier colleague, the kind every boss would dream of having.
Taking a deep breath, Kazuya suppressed the heat coursing through his body. The fight wasn't over yet.
"Speed it up," he thought.
Tsunade's fighting style relied heavily on her immense strength and close-quarters combat. Kazuya wasn't one to exploit weaknesses unfairly, so he decided to engage her in a head-to-head physical bout.
"Heavenly Foot of Pain!"
"Same here!"
"Sky-Cracking Punch!"
"RAAAAAAHHHHHHH!!"
Tsunade's furious roars echoed through the battlefield as she unleashed her incredible strength, demolishing everything in her path. The surrounding terrain was reduced to rubble under her relentless strikes.
Even Shizune, who was watching from afar, had to retreat further for her safety. Clutching Tonton tightly, she watched in awe and fear.
"It's unbelievable," Shizune whispered, hugging the small pig closer. "Tsunade-sama's strength is terrifying, just as always. It's truly frightening."
But what shocked her even more was the figure darting between Tsunade's attacks. Amid the chaos of shattered ground and pulverized trees, Kazuya moved gracefully, effortlessly avoiding each of Tsunade's bone-crushing blows.
"How is this possible?"
"Could Kazuya-kun match Tsunade-sama in strength?"
Shizune was astonished. To her, Tsunade was the pinnacle of battle prowess in the ninja world. Yet here was Kazuya, holding his own against her.
Boom!
Boom!
Boom!
Each of Tsunade's powerful strikes tore through the air, generating shockwaves with her monstrous strength. But despite her furious efforts, her expression grew more focused and tense.
"He's too fast," Tsunade muttered under her breath. "I can't even graze him. How am I supposed to land a hit like this?"
It was frustrating—unbearably so.
Tsunade, rarely one to be put in a corner, found herself struggling. No matter how much she unleashed her strength, her punches were always missed by a fraction of a second. Her opponent was just too fast.
Within the cloud of dust and debris, Kazuya's figure flickered from one point to another, avoiding each blow with effortless grace. Tsunade's strength was unmatched, but raw power meant nothing if it couldn't hit the target.
And Kazuya? His combat style was a perfect counter to hers—based on pure speed and evasion.
Lv.5 Taijutsu mastery.
Lv.5 Shunshin no Jutsu (Body Flicker Technique).
Ultra-speed reflexes.
Kazuya was simply too fast for her.
The Flying Thunder God Technique.
Kazuya's speed configuration was second to none in the entire ninja world. As long as the Fourth Hokage didn't show up, Kazuya was essentially invincible.
Speed was also the perfect counter to someone like Tsunade.
[You have obtained 200 chakra points.]
[You have obtained 200 chakra points.]
[You have obtained 50 points of Yang Release talent.]
[You have obtained 50 points of Yang Release talent.]
[You have obtained 30 points of Ashura's bloodline.]
[You have obtained 20 points of Ashura's bloodline.]
One after another, golden orbs of light flew toward Kazuya.
Soon enough, he had gathered 300 points of Yang Release talent and 50 points of Ashura's bloodline. But as the battle went on, the amount of Ashura bloodline he could collect started to dwindle.
Not all battles were created equal.
A friendly spar and a life-or-death clash would yield different rewards.
"It's time to wrap this up," Kazuya said with a light smile.
He knew that continuing the fight wouldn't lead to any more high-quality drops.
Swish!
In an instant, a flash of white light zipped through the air.
Kazuya appeared right behind Tsunade as if he had teleported.
"Tsunade-senpai, thank you for the lesson," Kazuya said calmly, placing a kunai at her throat.
The scene was insane.
So insane that Shizune, who had been watching from afar, was left utterly stunned. She dropped her pet pig in shock, her eyes wide in disbelief.
"That's it! I'm done!" Tsunade swatted Kazuya's hand away, a mixture of anger and frustration on her face. "What the hell is the old man thinking, sending a monster like you to be my apprentice? Isn't this just slapping me in the face?!"
She had lost.
By this point, Tsunade could tell she probably wasn't going to win this fight. Even though she had plenty of tricks left up her sleeve, who was to say that Kazuya didn't have his hidden aces?
If the battle continued, she didn't have much faith in pulling off a comeback.
"Fine…" Tsunade sighed, her expression deflated. "I couldn't even win, so I don't have much face left to be your teacher. But if there's anything you want to learn, feel free to ask."
"Kazuya-kun," Tsunade said seriously, "Sensei believes in you. And after seeing this, I do too. You don't need to be so formal with me."
"Senpai..." Kazuya feigned a look of deep emotion.
Of course, how could he possibly be formal with her after this?
After all, she still owed him 3 million ryo.
Tsunade sighed. "Also, publicly, you'll still be known as my disciple. That's what Sensei wants. He has you in mind for future leadership."
"The Hokage position isn't something you need to rush into. Sensei's getting older, and it's not appropriate for him to take another disciple at this point."
As straightforward as Tsunade was, she wasn't one to mince words. Since she trusted the Third Hokage's judgment, she decided to be upfront with Kazuya.
"Thank you, Tsunade-senpai," Kazuya replied with a polite smile, though inwardly he already knew.
It wasn't surprising that the Third Hokage had plans to groom him for the role of Hokage.
And it made sense.
Hiruzen Sarutobi was pushing sixty, and Kazuya was only twenty. There was just too big of a gap between their ages for Hiruzen to take him as a direct disciple.
This was similar to Naruto's case in the original storyline. If Minato hadn't died and Kakashi wasn't so lacking, Jiraiya likely wouldn't have been the one to train Naruto.
"You are a monster, aren't you?" Tsunade grumbled, stealing a glance at Kazuya.
She had given it her all, and yet she couldn't bring him down.
If it were a life-or-death fight, Tsunade estimated she only had about a forty percent chance of surviving.
And that was just to survive—not even to win.
At that moment, Shizune finally gathered herself and walked over with her pet pig.
She looked around at the devastated landscape, a bit overwhelmed by the sight of the battlefield, which had been turned to rubble.
"Kazuya-kun is something," Shizune murmured, still in awe. "Even though Lady Tsunade went all out, she still lost!"
"Well, maybe this is for the best. Maybe Lady Tsunade will cool down a bit and stop gambling away 3 million Ryo…"
"Shizune!" Tsunade snapped, her spirits reigniting. She stood with her hands on her hips, bellowing, "How many times have I told you, money doesn't matter? If we run out, we can always borrow more!"
"The world is full of people to borrow from!"
Kazuya: "..."
"The world is full of people to borrow from?" Kazuya thought.
Well, that's a saying even a dog would shake its head at.
But, in fairness, it did suit Tsunade's personality.
Note: If you are interested, read up to chapter 60 at patreon.com/MythicForge11