Chapter 62 (Patreon)

After seeing Jiraiya off, Kushina created a shadow clone and had it continue developing the Water Release Chakra Mode. Roy had no experience with Water Release and could offer little guidance, so she had no choice but to figure it out herself.

As for Kaorui, Roy needed to help her grow accustomed to having the blade drawn from her body as quickly as possible. Otherwise, using Merciful Rain during an actual battle would be far too dangerous.

At the very least, she could not collapse after the blade was drawn. On a battlefield, that would leave her completely defenseless before the enemy.

Kaorui slowly exhaled and gathered her resolve.

“I’m ready, Roy-kun. Let’s begin.”

This training was different from ordinary practice. It required her to experience the blade being drawn repeatedly until her mind and body gradually became accustomed to the sensation.

To avoid disturbing Kushina’s training, Roy led Kaorui into another room.

He placed a meditation cushion on the floor and had her kneel on it so that her knees would not be bruised if her strength gave out again.

“Cleave open the chest and reflect the heart—bloom, Kyōen!”

With the release command for his Shikai, the Zanpakutō at Roy’s waist vanished. A moment later, its hilt emerged from the center of Kaorui’s chest.

Although this was not the first time she had witnessed it, Kaorui still found the sight frightening.

The blade was clearly lodged inside her body, yet she could not feel its presence at all.

As expected of Roy-kun. He really is a god. This isn’t a power that belongs in the shinobi world.

“I’m starting.”

After warning her, Roy wrapped his hand around the hilt and began drawing the blade out as slowly as possible.

There was a reason people compared prolonged suffering to cutting flesh with a dull blade.

Roy was not deliberately slowing down to embarrass Kaorui. He wanted the sensation to last as long as possible so that she could gradually adapt to it.

Once she could endure the blade being drawn at this speed, her reaction would not be nearly as severe when it needed to be drawn quickly during a real battle.

Kaorui gritted her teeth and clutched her legs tightly, desperately trying to remain conscious.

“Hold on. Just a little longer. Half the blade is already out.”

Roy’s encouragement helped Kaorui, who had been on the verge of collapsing, regain some of her determination.

Although Roy deliberately slowed his movements, the blade was only so long. After two and a half minutes, he finally pulled it free.

“Kaorui-chan, are you all right?”

Seeing her swaying in front of him, Roy reached out and supported her by the shoulder.

However, it would have been better if he had not touched her. The instant his hand made contact, Kaorui’s body, which had only just begun to settle, shuddered several times.

“I... I’m fine, Roy-kun,” Kaorui answered between ragged breaths.

“You don’t need to pretend you’re fine. Do you want to return to your room and rest for a while?”

Kaorui shook her head and took several deep breaths, trying to calm both her emotions and her body.

Roy activated Merciful Rain to help her recover. After resting for a little more than half an hour, Kaorui finally looked up at him.

“Roy-kun, let’s continue. I can do it.”

Aside from the lingering flush on her face, she appeared to have fully recovered.

Roy returned his Zanpakutō to its sealed state before speaking the release command once more.

“Ngh...”

The second attempt also lasted two and a half minutes. Kaorui’s body trembled just as it had before, but her expression remained much calmer than during the first attempt.

This time, she only needed a little more than twenty minutes to recover.

By evening, Kaorui had not completely adapted to the sensation, but she could at least remain on her feet instead of immediately collapsing to her knees whenever Roy drew the blade.

“As expected of the Uzumaki Clan’s vitality. Your recovery and ability to adapt are incredible,” Roy said. “We’ll stop here for today. Pushing any further would do more harm than good. We can continue tomorrow.”

“Okay, Roy-kun.”

Roy turned as Kushina approached. The moment his attention shifted away from her, Kaorui snatched up the meditation cushion and hurried back to her bedroom.

“Roy-kun, how did Kaorui’s training go?” Kushina asked.

“She made excellent progress. After a few more sessions, she should be completely accustomed to it. What about you? Did you make any progress?”

Kushina shook her head.

Although she understood the basic principles behind the Lightning Release Chakra Mode and possessed an affinity for Water Release, she had rarely trained her Water Release abilities in the past.

Now that she was attempting to develop an entirely new Water Release technique from the ground up, progress was naturally slow.

Roy pulled her into his arms and gently patted her back.

“There’s no need to rush. Take it slowly. Creating an entirely new jutsu is nothing like learning one that someone else has already developed.”

As he comforted her, an idea suddenly occurred to him.

The Lightning Release Chakra Mode worked by enveloping the user’s body in Lightning Release chakra, forming armor around them. At the same time, the lightning chakra stimulated the body’s cells and nervous system, granting tremendous speed and destructive power.

If Kushina immersed herself in a bathtub and allowed flowing water to surround her entire body, wouldn’t it become easier for her to perceive and understand the properties of water?

Sage training followed a similar principle. It was easier to sense natural energy in an environment where that energy was abundant.

By the same logic, training in Water Release would naturally be easier when surrounded by water.

Throughout the history of the shinobi world, aside from a handful of extraordinary exceptions, most shinobi renowned for their mastery of Water Release had come from Kirigakure in the Land of Water.

Likewise, many of the shinobi most proficient in Wind Release had come from Sunagakure in the Land of Wind.

That alone demonstrated how important one’s training environment could be.

Even before coming to the shinobi world, Roy had read enough novels to understand that training in an environment suited to a particular element often made it easier to grasp that element’s nature.

He could not believe that such a simple idea had not occurred to him sooner.

When Roy shared his idea with Kushina, she immediately agreed that it was worth attempting. Training while soaking in a bathtub might indeed help her develop the Water Release Chakra Mode.

While the two of them discussed the details, Kaorui had already returned to her room, changed into dry clothes, and hurriedly begun pulling apart the meditation cushion.

She had just finished dismantling it when she heard them calling her to dinner. Only then did she set the pieces aside and leave her room.

During dinner, Nonō Yakushi gave her usual report about taking the two children outside.

Because Yugito had accompanied them this time, Nonō had not taken the children shopping. Instead, they had simply walked around the Senju Clan Compound.

“Thank you for all your help, Nonō-san.”

“It was no trouble.”

“How have things been at the Konoha Orphanage lately?”

The moment Kushina mentioned the orphanage, Nonō visibly became more animated.

After explaining the orphanage’s general situation, she specifically brought up one of the children.

“Kushina-sama, you asked me about Kabuto before. He truly has a talent for medical ninjutsu, so I’m planning to enroll him in the Academy first and let him learn the fundamentals expected of a shinobi. At the same time, I’ll personally teach him medical ninjutsu.”

“I’ll leave that decision to you. If you don’t have enough money for his tuition, remember to tell me. He’s still young, so make sure you don’t push him too hard. He needs time to rest as well.”

“Yes, I’ll remember.”

Yugito remained silent throughout the meal and focused entirely on her food. Within her mind, however, she was communicating with Matatabi, the Two-Tails.

Kumogakure also had children who had lost their parents in the war. Unlike Konoha, however, the village had never established a dedicated orphanage to care for them.

Instead, those children were entrusted to relatives or other villagers who were willing to raise them.

Both approaches had their advantages and disadvantages. Still, Konoha’s system possessed several aspects from which Kumogakure could learn.

Yugito quietly committed everything she had seen to memory. Once she returned home, perhaps she could propose improvements to Kumogakure’s treatment of war orphans.

After everyone had eaten, Nonō needed to return to the orphanage and prepare for the Academy enrollment of Kabuto and the other children.

Yugito also wanted time alone to organize her thoughts regarding the care and upbringing of war orphans.

The two of them left the table one after the other.

“Kushina-sama, you and Roy-kun can wash up first. I’ll clean everything here.”

Kushina did not argue. However, just before leaving the living room, she glanced past Roy and gave Kaorui a teasing wink.

As Kaorui gathered the bowls and chopsticks, her fingers tightened so sharply that she nearly snapped the chopsticks in her hand.