The blade ultimately stopped one centimeter from Tamura Hao's head—so close it nearly brushed his scalp.
"Huff… huff…"
Tamura Hao gasped for breath. Sweat beaded across his forehead, his face flushed, his heartbeat nearly twice its normal pace. Both arms trembled as he struggled to keep them steady.
This was the backlash from his earlier burst.
Even with enhanced comprehension pushing his chakra control to its current limit, such prolonged, high-intensity output still placed tremendous strain on his body—bordering on injury.
More critically, Fukuroi's raw power was overwhelming. Each collision had severely tested his arms; he could already feel multiple muscle strains.
"Sensei… you're too strong. Even at full burst, I couldn't force you back a single step."
After catching his breath, Tamura Hao sealed both blades back into the armguards and spoke honestly.
Fukuroi's strength and speed far exceeded his own. During the entire exchange, Fukuroi hadn't even used ninjutsu—only chakra-reinforced physical strength—yet he'd effortlessly neutralized Tamura Hao's barrage.
Hundreds of strikes.
Not a single injury.
And once Fukuroi counterattacked, Tamura Hao had been driven back like rotten wood under an axe.
This was the difference between a jōnin specialized in nintaijutsu and everyone else.
And—future Eight-Tails jinchūriki, no less.
Of course, the main issue was that he himself was still too weak.
At best, his current combat strength was roughly equivalent to Rock Lee during the Chūnin Exams—without the Eight Gates.
And that had been a burst state.
From start to finish, the fight hadn't even lasted a minute.
Not even three minutes.
Once his chakra ran dry, pure physical ability alone simply couldn't bridge the gap.
Fukuroi glanced at his own ninja blade—its edge now resembling a jagged saw—and sighed inwardly.
But his gaze toward Tamura Hao was filled with approval.
"That burst was impressive. You could go head-to-head with taijutsu-focused chūnin.
Achieving this at ten years old is rare."
"Choosing long blades to compensate for your lack of ranged ninjutsu was also wise—especially against opponents like puppet masters or trap-heavy fighters. It keeps you safer."
If not for his limited chakra reserves preventing sustained output, Tamura Hao already possessed true chūnin-level combat ability.
Of course, rank wasn't decided by strength alone—tactical command was equally important. That part remained to be seen.
"I've only reached this level by putting in several times the effort of ordinary people."
Tamura Hao shook his head with a trace of bitterness.
This was the cruelty of the world.
Talent determined the upper limit.
Effort merely decided the lower bound.
Without Ōtsutsuki blood, even dreaming of becoming a Ten-Tails jinchūriki was meaningless.
"You're still young," Fukuroi said calmly.
"Your body hasn't fully developed—focusing on brute strength right now isn't suitable."
"Your blades and sword style emphasize thrusting over cutting. That means speed suits you far better than raw power."
"Next, I'll guide you in Lightning Release nature transformation. Once mastered, you can stimulate nerves and muscles with lightning chakra to explosively enhance speed."
"That kind of stimulation places far less strain on the body than pure strength amplification—much better for your age."
"Finally—real combat. Your fundamentals are solid, but too rigid. Only constant real battles will truly bring your swordsmanship to life."
Fukuroi outlined Tamura Hao's near-future training path with clarity.
"See? I told you—A-Hao is a rare genius."
A figure flashed into view beside them.
It was A.
A had arrived earlier and watched the entire fight.
Though it lasted barely a minute, he'd found it both fascinating—and surprising.
He'd always known this junior was gifted, but had assumed his talent lay in weapons and innovation, or unconventional thinking.
He hadn't expected such combat aptitude.
From A's perspective, Tamura Hao was visibly improving mid-fight. Even under Fukuroi's counteroffensive, his responses grew smoother and more composed.
If not for the overwhelming power gap—and chakra exhaustion—he might've lasted longer.
"Brother A."
Tamura Hao greeted him.
"Come on. I've already prepared medicinal baths, recovery medicine, and medical ninja."
A wrapped an arm around Tamura Hao's shoulders and led him off the training field.
Fukuroi followed as well—he still needed to discuss Tamura Hao's long-term path in detail.
Night Moon Medicinal Baths
"These… aren't these the Yotsuki clan's secret medicinal baths?!"
Standing before three massive barrels filled with dark medicinal liquid, Fukuroi was stunned.
He had used Yotsuki body-tempering baths before.
They were incredibly effective—enhancing physique and repairing hidden injuries.
But he'd only enjoyed them fewer than ten times.
One bath alone cost a million ryō.
Even established clans struggled to afford them.
More importantly—
This was a Yotsuki clan secret, further refined under the Second Raikage, incorporating multiple Kumogakure clan medicines.
It was priceless.
And now A had brought Tamura Hao here?
Something was very wrong.
"This is even more advanced than what you used back then," A said proudly.
"This is what our clan uses to temper the Lightning Hand Blade."
"My father's Hell Stab was cultivated using this bath over many years."
This wasn't the simplified full-body bath.
This was the true version.
Each barrel cost ten million ryō.
Previously, the Yotsuki clan could only afford small quantities—used solely to temper the hands for their secret blade techniques.
Their core secret art involved breaking and reforging the body until the hands became as sharp as lightning itself.
Only then could Lightning Release: Lariat – Horizontal Thousand Cuts become truly unstoppable.
Though technically only a C-rank technique, its power rivaled S-rank ninjutsu, capable of piercing even tailed-beast defenses.
The Third Raikage had gone even further—refining this foundation into Hell Stab, repeatedly suppressing rampaging Eight-Tails and Two-Tails.
Now—
A had extravagantly prepared ten times the usual dosage.
Enough to temper the entire body.
"A-Hao," A said seriously, turning to him.
"This is our clan's deepest secret medicine. One barrel costs ten million ryō—three barrels is thirty million."
"The medicinal effect lasts a full month. You can bathe once per month."
"Can you handle it?"
A was placing the future directly in Tamura Hao's hands.
In every area except money, Tamura Hao was impressive.
But his earning power was truly terrifying.
Already shocking.
And in the future?
Surpassing the village's total revenue was only a matter of time.
After discussing with his father, they'd arrived at a bold conclusion:
Use Tamura Hao's financial strength to push all three of them to unprecedented heights.
In the past, limited funds meant only the hands could be tempered.
Now?
They could temper everything.
Once the body was refined to its absolute limit—
The power of Yotsuki nintaijutsu would become something truly unimaginable.