Chapter 53

Darn, who would have doubted it! By the way, during the time mom has been using them, her chakra volume has greatly increased — practically by one and a half times, and now she's at the level of a decent jonin.

Considering the increased control with learning Rasengan, clan techniques will be more effective in application as well. Accordingly, the chances of survival in a confrontation have significantly increased. I think by the time she returns to duty, Saya will be at the same speed level.

Considering that I found a couple of quite useful and interesting seals in the scrolls that she can use, I have no doubt about the outcome in a battle against an ordinary jonin-level shinobi. Though, these seals don't really work for me yet, leading to deformation and destruction of the test sub… uhh, clone, but with the remaining time, I'll gain enough experience to apply such complex matrices without the slightest error.

By the way, I mostly study fuinjutsu with the help of clones — much safer for health. The count of explosions from incorrectly applied seals has already reached seven hundred. And that's just explosions, not counting the failed attempts.

It's no wonder that the study of such a complex ninja art is practically not conducted without an experienced instructor. I think it's because of such risks that they invented Uzumaki Kage Bunshin, and all the other advantages came along with it.

"— Lunch is served!" a plate of fried rice and pieces of meat topped with vegetable salad was placed in front of me, distracting me from my thoughts.

"— What about you?" I asked, scanning the table and noticing there wasn't a second plate.

"— I'll call her now," the clone smiled and dispersed, while the other began serving a portion for Sae.

And a couple of minutes later, the door slammed shut and she appeared, in a sweat-soaked tank top and loose, movement-friendly pants, part of the Anbu uniform. Gliding over her figure, I instinctively noted the absence of a bra under the tank top, as well as the absence of bandages, popular among half of the kunoichi.

But the main attention was drawn to the bloody knuckles, clearly indicating the intensity of training. Probably, I'll have to change the training dummies again. Which time already within the past three months. Still good, the seals on them are restored by the wood, if at least half remains intact.

"— Hands!" I demanded sternly and quickly, using the small first aid kit I always carried with me, cleansed the wounds and swiftly healed them, leaving no scars on the smooth skin.

"— Thank you, Ryu-kun," Ma sighed with relief and stretched upward with pleasure, cracking her joints.

I immediately buried my nose in the plate and shoved the thoughts that involuntarily emerged from such a sight into the farthest corner of my mind. The wet tank top, clinging to the skin, left no room for imagination.

Darn, the next three years until I get my Hitai-ate will be very difficult, considering the awakening interest in the opposite sex. Well, I found a suitable establishment with red lanterns during one of the inspections of Konoha, so if I continue to grow like this, in a couple of years, I can just crash there, relieve the tension.

Of course, under a Henge, otherwise Saya and her sister will cut off everything they can if they find out. Although, it's definitely worth it! Remembering Tsunade, I involuntarily started comparing her wealth with what I had seen earlier with Linli and Sae.

Stop! With a considerable effort of will, I threw such thoughts out of my head and focused on picking at the rice with chopsticks. Urgently increase the workload!

Then no extra thoughts will intrude. A quick poke at the bottom revealed that the plate in front of me was pristine, without a single grain left, and a pleasant heaviness rested in my stomach.

"— Whew, thanks!" I sighed in relief, pushing away from the table and looking up at Ma. "How's the training going?"

"— Good, with the help of seals and intensified exercises, my speed has greatly increased, and I can create Rasengan in a couple of seconds," Saya proudly replied, tearing herself away from her almost empty plate. "Now I'm almost as fast as Setsura, and every three sparring matches out of ten end in my victory."

Wow, quite a progress — Aunt Setsura is quite capable of competing even with the strongest Akamichi in close combat and is a recognized leader in taijutsu among the Nara. I felt the weight of her blows and the skill in shadow dance firsthand. That's the official style of taijutsu among the Nara, although the overwhelming majority of the clan stops at an improved version of the academic style. Lazy bunch, darn!

"— Good progress!" I nodded approvingly.

"— Thank you! But without you, I wouldn't have grown in strength at such a speed," Saya smiled.

Well, the presence and help of a qualified iryo-nin in such situations always helps, and considering that we were taught to perform restorative massage in the introductory course, even after the most intense training, I healed the injuries I received, then conducted a massage session with healing chakra, thoroughly stretching every muscle, removing lactic acid buildup, and supplying the necessary nutrients for recovery from the body's reserves.

As a result, nothing hurt the next day, allowing me to resume intense training. True, the downside was increased appetite, but considering the amount of food I consumed, mom only caught up with me in volume. It's enough to say that our plates could hold at least two regular portions, and with a normal mound, all three.