10 Chapter 10: Great Rewards
Nawaki found it easier to circulate the pure energy of the orb. Despite its greater strength compared to the faint red orbs, he managed to circulate it more precisely, thereby strengthening his body. Minutes later, a series of clicks echoed from his body, and a dense white aura formed around him. His blood seemed to boil, and his skin turned red as sweat trickled down slowly.
Enduring the pain, Nawaki gritted his teeth, driven by his determination to become stronger and silence the persistent sense of danger in his mind. Utilizing the benefits of the purple orb, he focused on finding the most effective way to meditate and circulate energy. He was inching closer to perfect balance.
After nearly 20 minutes, he finished absorbing the energy from the deep red light orb. As the effects of the first purple orb began to fade, he swallowed another, this time a pistachio-sized one. Testing the effectiveness of his efforts, Nawaki consumed a faint red light orb. The energy spread easily, aiding particularly needy areas of his chakra channel.
The refinement process seemed to purify his gross chakra channels, making them wider and more resilient. Ignoring the discomfort, he continued. Only three minutes had passed since consuming the faint red orb, and he was pleased to notice a significant reduction in consumption time.
Without pausing, he then took four faint red light orbs. The energy influx was immense, filling him uncomfortably to the brim. As his body continued to refine, Nawaki's facial color gradually normalized.
Thirteen minutes later, he reopened his eyes, smiling in satisfaction. He had improved upon the technique his sister had taught him.
Wondering if Tsunade was awake, Nawaki contemplated sharing some of the dim red light orbs with her. Now possessing an abundance, he couldn't consume them all himself, especially after perfecting his circulation technique.
Before he could check on his sister, there was a gentle knock at his door.
"Sis?" he asked.
"Yes, it's me," Tsunade's voice responded from outside.
"Come in," Nawaki invited.
Tsunade entered, dressed in leggings and a white floral T-shirt.
Tsunade's attire accentuated her figure, drawing Nawaki's attention for a few moments before he shifted his gaze to her face. Tsunade, feeling slightly uncomfortable under her little brother's gaze, sighed but soon brushed off the awkwardness and approached him.
Before Tsunade could say anything, Nawaki enthusiastically shared his success. "It worked again, and this time I got even more orbs," he beamed.
Noticing that Tsunade seemed colder than usual as she sat beside him, Nawaki frowned and took her hands, concerned by their chill. "Have you been waiting outside for long?" he asked.
"It wasn't too long. It's okay," Tsunade reassured him, not showing any discomfort despite the possibility that she had been waiting in the cold.
"You could have just come in. You didn't need to wait outside," Nawaki insisted.
"It was no trouble, really," Tsunade replied with a smile, then adopting a more serious expression, she asked, "You said you got even more orbs… How many more?"
"A little over 200," Nawaki answered.
"That many!?" Tsunade was visibly shocked. She had been impressed when he previously obtained around fifty orbs, but over 200 was beyond her expectations.
"Yes, it surprised me too," Nawaki admitted with a modest smile. "It was all thanks to the shadow clone technique I learned from our clan's library. Without it, I wouldn't have achieved so much so quickly."
Tsunade was momentarily speechless. While she knew Nawaki had mastered the shadow clone jutsu, its effective use required a certain level of skill. Considering the inherent vulnerability of shadow clones, Nawaki's ability to utilize them so effectively was remarkable.
Taking a deep breath to process the information, Tsunade realized the enormity of Nawaki's achievement. Successfully hunting rabbit-like monsters, avoiding attacks, and efficiently distributing chakra to maintain the clones for an extended period was no small feat.
As she pondered this, her surprise only grew. "Have you calmed down?" Nawaki asked, noticing her more composed demeanor.
"Yes, well, I have," Tsunade responded, still holding his hands. "This is great news. I was worried..."
She trailed off, seeming to have more to say but finding it difficult to articulate.
"Worried something might happen to me?" Nawaki ventured a guess at Tsunade's unspoken concern. "Is that why you were waiting at my door? Because of the Hokage?"
"When did you become so observant?" Tsunade looked at him with a mix of suspicion and surprise.
"Maybe it started after I began consuming the orbs?" Nawaki suggested.
Tsunade, releasing one of his hands, brought hers to his face and gently nudged his pink cheek with her index finger. "It makes sense, but why do I get the feeling you're trying to sidestep the question?"
"Even if I was, you'd still prefer the illusion, wouldn't you?" Nawaki playfully teased.
To his surprise, she agreed, "Yes, you're right."
"Really?" Nawaki was now the one surprised by her response.
Changing the subject, Tsunade said, "Okay, let's focus on what's important. You feel it too, don't you? Let's not waste time. The stronger you become, the less worried I'll be."
Realizing his older sister shared his sense of foreboding, Nawaki nodded in agreement. "Yes, I'll do my best to get stronger," he promised.
He produced 50 faint red light orbs and offered them to Tsunade. "Use these for now. When you run out, I'll give you more."
Initially, Tsunade had intended to refuse the orbs, concerned for Nawaki's well-being. However, learning about his abundant supply and his effective use of shadow clones, she accepted his offer gratefully.
Sitting opposite each other, Nawaki shared his insights on improving the energy/chakra circulation technique and taught it to Tsunade.
Tsunade was again surprised when she realized that the enhanced technique allowed her to achieve the same results with half the effort.
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At 4 am, Nawaki checked the small dimension within his mind and took another five deep red light orbs. He recognized the profound benefits of these orbs, despite their longer consumption time.
Observing Tsunade, he saw her shedding skin, enveloped in a pure white aura that contrasted with the black impurities being expelled. Despite the unpleasant smell of the expelled impurities, Nawaki was struck by Tsunade's enduring beauty, even amidst the unappealing process.
This sight reminded him of a friend from his past life who had striking blue eyes but an otherwise unremarkable appearance. His friend, known for his humor, often joked about his looks, even comparing himself to a cigarette pack model. This memory momentarily distracted Nawaki from the stench around him.
Although initially overwhelmed by the smell emanating from both Tsunade and himself, Nawaki fought the urge to stop meditating and shower. Inspired by Tsunade's ongoing meditation, he attempted to dull his sense of smell. While not completely eliminating the odor, this adjustment made the situation more bearable, allowing him to refocus on circulating the energy in his body.
A thought then crossed Nawaki's mind about improving his Sensory Technique. Previously, he hadn't specialized in sensory skills, but now, with the help of the purple orbs, he saw an opportunity to enhance his abilities. The idea of being able to detect not only chakra but also the energy from monsters in the hunting dimension intrigued him.
As he gathered all the information he knew about Sensory Techniques, Nawaki pondered the possibilities. With the resources at his disposal, he felt optimistic about his potential to develop this skill further.
The Sensory Technique enables sensors to easily detect and track targets, with the range of detection varying among users. However, its effectiveness can be compromised when targets conceal their chakra.
Nawaki, aspiring to enhance his sensory capabilities, considered using the purple orbs to refine his skills to a level where not even hidden targets could escape detection.
Determined not to squander the valuable purple orbs, he meticulously reviewed all the information he had about the Sensory Technique. After a few minutes, he selected a purple, pistachio-sized orb and consumed it.
Following this, Nawaki's mind entered a state of heightened activity. His ability to understand complex concepts improved significantly, and his thoughts became clearer. He revisited the sensory information, finding that what was initially perplexing now made more sense.
He delved into the intricacies of the Sensory Technique, focusing on the nuances of chakra manipulation for detecting targets. Nawaki absorbed all relevant information, categorizing, summarizing, and striving to comprehend as much as possible.
As he continued to expand his understanding of the Sensory Technique, Nawaki became deeply engrossed in the learning process.
Several hours into this intensive study, Nawaki was jolted from his concentration by an unexpected movement on the bed.
Seeing Nawaki open his eyes, Tsunade smiled at him, saying, "It's already morning; let's take a shower. It's almost time for you to go to the ninja academy."
Nawaki felt a bit taken aback as he looked at her, then at her chest. Her pert nipples were pushing against the thin material of her blouse, which barely concealed her ample, firm, round breasts. "Yeah," Nawaki replied, looking at her face. He asked, "Are we going to shower in my bathroom or in the bigger one?"
After pondering for a few seconds, Tsunade responded, "It's best if we use the bigger bathroom; it's more convenient for us."
Nawaki agreed, saying, "Alright then... I'll at least wash my hands first. I'll need to take a change of clothes there after all." Tsunade smiled and said, "Right. Just get your shorts and a t-shirt for me. I'm going ahead."
Without waiting for his response, she rose from the bed and stretched with her hands up, leaving the room shortly after. Nawaki, who was left behind, got out of bed and made his way to the bathroom.
Upon seeing the dirt on his face, he grimaced and washed his hands, taking the opportunity to clean his face a little. Closing his eyes, Nawaki could feel the chakra of all living beings in the Senju complex. All in all, he sensed the chakra of his older sister and two servants; one was in the place where he had laid out clothes, and the other was in the kitchen. Nawaki was pleased with himself; his sensory sense had greatly improved in just one day.
After exiting the bathroom, Nawaki grabbed some clothes for himself, including a pair of elastic shorts and a loose shirt for his Sis, and walked out to the main bathroom.
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In a spacious room, an elderly man behind a wooden desk sighed. Reading the letter he had received yesterday once more, the old man with a pipe in hand blew a smoke ring.
"Why does she have to be so stubborn?" The old man felt tired. The content of the letter announced her return, bringing with her a 10-year-old girl. Even without it being explicitly stated in the letter, he knew the girl's worth: the next Jinchuriki. The biggest problem was that Mito Uzumaki wanted the girl from the Uzumaki clan to reside in the Senju Clan.
That wasn't right; it was spoiling his plans! But he didn't dare say she couldn't do that.
Thinking of all the sacrifices he had made to conceal Minato Namikaze, making him appear as a regular orphan attending the ninja academy while secretly teaching him the secret Jutsu, even some of the Second Hokage, he sighed.
He had been so confident that everything was going well; Danzo didn't even seem to suspect what he was doing. He liked how obedient Minato was and how his eyes sparkled when he declared he would be the next Hokage and protect the Leaf Village with his life; it filled him with satisfaction.
However, if he allowed Nawaki Senju to get too close to the Uzumaki girl who was coming with Mito Uzumaki, a significant portion of his plans...
He blew out another smoke ring. "Why don't they just do as I say? Why does Tsunade have to be so stubborn?" His thoughts were interrupted when he heard three knocks on the door.
"Hokage-sama!"
"Come in!" He said.
