Chapter 125: Two More Talents

"Tatsuma is changing. He's starting to think during battles."

While others saw Tatsuma and Minato's duel as a diversion during their journey, Orochimaru initially thought the same. However, after a few glances, he suddenly noticed something off.

No, not off, but rather too perfect! Tatsuma's previous choices in combat, in Orochimaru's view, had hints of recklessness, but he would never commend it because Tatsuma was too aggressive.

Even during the battle with the Iwa-nin three days ago, Tatsuma hadn't corrected this flaw. But today was different. Tatsuma's choices in combat almost perfectly matched the scenarios Orochimaru had envisioned in his mind.

"That's the way to do it! Rational."

"Very rational," Orichimaru couldn't help but praise. 

In the past few rounds, both Tatsuma's choices and Minato's responses were almost identical to what Orochimaru had imagined, making him extremely comfortable watching.

This feeling is like having some surreal scenes in the mind, which are difficult for to describe and impossible to see similar scenes in reality.

But suddenly, one day, there was a special effects artist who created such visuals, magnificent and shocking, completely in line with your aesthetic and imagination.

Orochimaru's commentary also caught the attention of Tsunade and Jiraiya beside him. As they watched the sparring of the two students, their eyes were filled with amazement.

A street fight was hard to watch, but the combat guided by the two martial artists was absolutely delightful. The previous Tatsuma and Minato were like a street fighter meeting a martial artist.

Minato's elaborate designs would be disrupted by Tatsuma's aggressive style, making it impossible to see the intricacies. But now, Tatsuma has also become a martial artist, and their combat is like a well-designed sequence.

Tsunade suddenly looked displeased at Orochimaru and said, "Why didn't you remind Tatsuma earlier, that little devil? If he had awakened earlier, maybe he wouldn't have been so aggressive."

Orochimaru: ???!!!

Orochimaru looked at Tsunade with a puzzled expression, as if he were examining an abstract artwork. He wanted to point at Tsunade's face and shout, "Sister, isn't that your student? Why didn't you remind him yourself instead of waiting for me to remind him?!"

Fortunately, at this moment, Jiraiya spoke up, saying, "Tatsuma's competitiveness is too strong. He hasn't suffered losses before, so even if he's reminded, he won't listen. It's only now that he's been injured more often that he's started to become cautious and listen."

All three of them felt that Tatsuma's change was due to Orochimaru's previous reminders. After all, given Tatsuma's level of performance over the years, no one would think he's mediocre.

Even Tsunade, who had previously thought Tatsuma was mediocre, had long forgotten her initial judgment. And since Tatsuma is a genius, the fact that he figured all this out in just three days still seemed absurd, but somehow more acceptable.

"What other problems do they have? You should go remind them quickly. Maybe they can make more progress," Tsunade nudged Orochimaru's arm with the back of her hand, her eyes fixed on the two's duel. Orochimaru's expression softened slightly, but he still said, "The remaining issues are not something they can solve at their age."

Jiraiya nodded and said, "Orochimaru is right. These two brats are barely nine, let alone ten. They haven't even entered puberty yet, their physical growth is too slow, and their Chakra levels can't increase rapidly."

"Is it related to age? I remember when I was ten, I already had a lot of strength and Chakra, at least much more than these two brats."

Tsunade questioned Jiraiya's judgment, and upon hearing her words, the mouths of the other two twitched slightly.

"Minato, I'll take this victory," Tatsuma said at this moment.

At this point, Tatsuma and Minato had also finished their fight. Tatsuma had both of Minato's hands pinned down with one of his own, while his fist was pressed against Minato's clothing over his abdomen, without striking.

Minato, who felt like he had lost so thoroughly for the first time, opened his mouth as if to say something but couldn't find the words. In their previous fights, although there were wins and losses, Minato sometimes opted for a more conservative approach due to the difference in their styles, so he didn't feel that the gap between him and Tatsuma was that big.

However, today, Tatsuma defeated him with his most skilled techniques, leaving Minato feeling somewhat lost. But seeing the smile on Tatsuma's face, Minato eventually smiled back and said, "You're still as amazing as ever. But I'll work hard to catch up."

Tatsuma smiled and released Minato's hands, turning around to stand firm. He then performed the Seal of Reconciliation towards Minato, who also stood straight and followed suit, intertwining his Seal of Reconciliation with Tatsuma's.

"Ding~ [Strength+3], [Stamina+3], [Spirit+2], Would you like to claim?"

"I'll take it."

Although compared to the gains on the battlefield, the gains from such sparring sessions were much fewer, Tatsuma recognized the value of steady progress and sustainable development.

Despite being just a step away from a breakthrough, Tatsuma wasn't in a hurry. It was just a matter of spending a few more days.

"Alright, let's continue on our journey."

At this point, the team had rested enough. Tsunade stood up and called out, and Tatsuma nodded. He didn't arrange another match with Minato, especially with Jiraiya, the major injured member, slowing them down. They couldn't awste too much time.

On the road, Tatsuma and Minato continuously reviewed their recent match. Both analyzed each other's shortcomings from their opponent's perspective, given their relationship, they didn't hesitate to speak the truth, regardless of whether it might hurt.

Whenever Jiraiya couldn't go on and needed rest, the two continued to spar. This was a manifestation of the unity of knowledge and action. Sometimes, they also exchanged Ninjutsu or Sensory techniques.

Upon entering the Land of Fire's territory, Minato's previous study of Sensory Jutsu bore fruit. Although he couldn't use techniques related to the earth yet, he made significant progress in Wind Release Sensory Jutsu. This was thanks to the climate of the Land of Fire. While it wasn't as dry as the Wind Country, it had abundant water vapor in the air without the heavy dampness of the Land of Rain, allowing Minato's chakra to spread freely.

Another three days passed, and the group finally returned to the village. It was said that the Land of Rain hadn't flipped the table yet, but both Danzo and Chiyo chose to hold off and negotiate properly. Maybe they could delay things a bit longer.

During the continuous matches with Minato over the past few days on the road, Tatsuma finally pushed the upper limit of the "Strength" and "Spirit" talents to 10,000 points. At the same time, as Tatsuma had hoped for, he also triggered additional amplification.

"Spirit: 4107/10043 [Additional Amplification (Pending Activation)]

Options for Additional Amplification:

[Expand]: Upon activation, increase the body's Chakra capacity with progress in this talent, gradually amplifying it, but without altering Chakra refining speed.

[Rejuvenation]: Upon activation, increase Chakra extraction speed and physical endurance, gradually amplifying with progress in this talent, but without changing overall Chakra capacity."

One option increases capacity while the other improves refining speed and allows the body to squeeze out more Chakra. Without hesitation, Tatsuma chose [Expand].

Given his battlefield experience over the past year, he rarely found himself in situations where he needed to refine Chakra during battle, or rather, he dared not do so, as being distracted on the battlefield could be fatal.

Therefore, he was very cautious about his Chakra allocation, always reserving Chakra for one Rasengan and another for using Body Flicker Jutsu to escape, with little concern for Chakra recovery.

Directly increasing Chakra capacity would allow him to use more Ninjutsu in each battle without the need for careful allocation. As for refining speed, Tatsuma didn't think his refining speed was slow, and as long as he prepared well before battles, it was sufficient.

Moreover, the name "Rejuvenation" always tended to distract Tatsuma, especially since during the time he followed Jiraiya in training, he had often been taken for walks along the streets where the "Rejuvenation" massage parlors were located.

Unfortunately, unlike Tsunade, who was a gambling addict, Jiraiya knew better than to pass on his bad habits to his juniors. So every time, it was Jiraiya who went for a rejuvenating massage, while he and Minato could only wait at nearby beverage shops.

Tatsuma then looked at the other talent.

"Strength: 4378/10001[Additional Augmentation (Pending Activation)]

Additional Augmentation Direction Options:

[Hercules]: Upon activation, enhances overall muscle strength, gradually increasing with the progress of this talent, providing corresponding augmentation to normal strength and physical strength.

[Enhanced Strength]: Upon activation, enhances instantaneous explosive power, gradually increasing with the progress of this talent, providing corresponding augmentation to instant muscle activation and Chakra burst."

The description was clear. The former option would enhance normal strength while providing an additional boost to physical endurance, essentially shortening Tatsuma's time spent enduring physical strain. This option was likely inspired by characters like Might Guy or the Fourth Raikage.

The latter option focused on explosive power, as the name suggests, allowing the body to unleash greater strength in a short period. It could also achieve effects similar to Tobirama Senju's Chakra bursts in the later stages. Reference characters for this option include various members of the Senju clan and Naruto's use of the "Unrivalled Strength" technique while using the Five-Tails Kokuo, allowing for increased instant power through muscle activation, Chakra bursts, or a combination of both.

Tatsuma initially wanted to choose "Hercules" because enduring physical strain is an extremely long process. For his body, which has not yet reached puberty, the boost from "Hercules" would be quite beneficial.

However, Tatsuma had a second thought. He realized that his talent "Stamina" was also nearing its critical value. Although the eight attributes displayed on the system panel resembled those from the ninja abilities formula book he read in his past life, there were still some differences.

For example, "Stamina" encompassed not only the mastery and proficiency levels of Taijutsu but also various aspects such as physical endurance and bodily recovery. Similarly, "Wisdom" wasn't just about IQ but also about the extent of a ninja's common sense, knowledge, and intelligence gathering abilities.

Therefore, instead of using the additional augmentation of "Strength" to enhance physical endurance, it would be better to wait for the more specialized "Stamina" to compensate. After weighing his options, Tatsuma chose "Enhanced Strength."

After all, his sensei was one of the representatives of "Enhanced Strength." So, as her student, having "Enhanced Strength" would be quite reasonable, wouldn't it?

Among the four talents related to the body, three have reached the Jonin requirements, with only "Stamina" lagging behind a bit. However, if one focuses on training diligently every day, it will only take one or two months to catch up, even faster on the battlefield.

Moreover, the various additional augmentations unlocked after reaching Jonin requirements for talents also made Tatsuma feel what it's like to be a genius. No wonder some geniuses find learning and doing things so easy and effortless.

Tatsuma's progress not only delighted himself but also left Jiraiya and Orochimaru, who had been watching him make rapid strides over the past few days, feeling like their faces were swollen.

After all, they had previously said that due to his age, Tatsuma couldn't progress too quickly.

Even Tsunade, who hoped for her disciple to grow up quickly, felt something was amiss. After returning to the village, Tsunade said to Tatsuma:

"Wait for me at my place. After I finish reporting my work, I must give you a physical examination. I suspect there's something wrong with your body."

---- 

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