"I understand! I'll be careful!"
Riku had no idea that Tsunade was thinking about so much at this moment. Hearing her words of concern, he couldn't deny the warmth that rose in his heart.
He really had chosen the right teacher.
And his probing had achieved the desired result.
"When the time is more ripe, and my relationship with sensei is even stronger, maybe I can bring her and even the entire Senju clan into some future industrial plans."
"That way, my Uchiha alliance of mutual interest will definitely go much smoother!"
He thought silently to himself.
Yes, revealing his exceptional perception and learning ability was also part of this test for Tsunade.
If her reaction hadn't satisfied him, at most, he would have just leaked some of his innate talent to the Third Hokage and the others.
He'd just have to be more careful from then on.
But from the moment he decided to test her, the odds of failure were slim.
After all, he made a wish.
And the power of wishes was absolute.
When it came to industrial ideas, Riku believed he could delve into researching potions to enhance physical health, restore cellular energy, boost mental stamina, temper the spirit, purify the bloodline... using medical texts and herbology as a foundation.
Additionally, by combining them with fūinjutsu (sealing techniques), he could even develop medical tags and jutsu scrolls.
"Hmm... Medical tags are a really good entry point. I can definitely use that as a reason to learn high-level fūinjutsu from sensei!"
A flash of inspiration struck Riku.
However, he didn't speak up just yet. He would wait a bit longer. First, he'd finish studying the medical techniques and materials at the hospital and further improve his medical ninjutsu. Once he earned Tsunade's approval in that field, then he'd bring it up.
"Good! As long as you know what you're doing. That's enough."
Tsunade nodded in satisfaction, handed the medical book back to Riku, then returned to her desk and resumed working through the paperwork.
...
Meanwhile, back at the school, in Riku's classroom—
As soon as Riku's shadow clone sat down, Shikaku and the others in front turned around immediately.
Shikaku asked curiously, "Hey Riku, that was Tsunade-sama who called you out just now, right?"
"When did you meet her? What did she want from you—if it's something you can talk about?"
Logically speaking, there shouldn't be any intersection between Tsunade, a Senju, and Riku.
But with a spark of thought, Shikaku suddenly recalled the rumors around the village lately about Riku being a genius in medical ninjutsu. And he felt like he'd already figured it out.
Minato, sitting beside them, was also watching Riku with wide, curious eyes.
Riku smiled and shrugged, seeing the knowing expression on Shikaku's face. "Didn't you already guess it?"
"Tsunade-sensei thinks I have talent in medical ninjutsu. She gave me a test when we met last night, and now she's officially accepted me as her student!"
"She came today just to notify the school. From now on, I'll be dedicating a lot of time to learning medical ninjutsu and related medical knowledge with her!"
"Huh?"
Minato and the others were visibly stunned.
"What about our group training sessions?!" Minato asked quickly, a little panicked.
Shikaku, on the other hand, narrowed his eyes and examined Riku more carefully. "This is a shadow clone, isn't it?"
"Eh? Seriously?"
Minato and Inoichi both blinked in surprise and looked at Riku again.
Choza even reached out to touch Riku's arm, muttering, "It doesn't feel fake though…"
"Haha! Leave it to Shikaku to figure it out so fast!"
Riku grinned and admitted openly, "Yep, this is just a shadow clone."
Then he glanced at Minato and said, "As for our group training? Of course, we're sticking to the original plan!"
"I never said I can only make one clone at a time."
"I can totally use a shadow clone to learn medical techniques from sensei."
"Anyway, in the early stages, it's going to be mostly book reading and theoretical study. There won't be much practical training."
"Even if there is, with my control over Kage Bunshin no Jutsu (Shadow Clone Technique) and my chakra control, the clone can completely handle that too."
"So relax, guys!"
"What you all need to do now is focus on mastering shadow clone as soon as possible!"
Everyone breathed a collective sigh of relief and nodded firmly. "We'll get it down as soon as we can!"
After all, under Riku's guidance, they'd been improving at a ridiculous pace—they weren't about to miss that opportunity.
Everyone has dreams of becoming a genius.
...
Half a month passed in the blink of an eye.
That morning, in the training grounds behind the Uchiha household—
"Swish, swish, swish!"
Riku practiced his fierce and powerful Bājíquán, each punch slicing through the air.
Today, he felt especially good. His blood surged through his body, and his inner strength was smoothly coalescing into one unified whole.
"Rip—!"
With one final punch, a massive sonic boom burst forth from his fist, shaking the very air around him. Even the ground's dust was kicked up violently, leaving the training field a total mess.
"That's...!"
From a short distance away, Nobuhiko and Fugaku had already sensed something odd and stepped back. Now, their eyes widened in shock as they witnessed this scene.
There was no chakra used at all, and yet that punch carried such terrifying force.
Did Riku just break through?
"Bright Force, done! Hahaha!"
Riku lowered his fists and laughed with joy.
After two whole months—relying on insights from his previous life's cultivation of divine power, and combining it with daily medicinal baths—he had finally broken through in guoshu, reaching the Bright Force stage.
How could he not be thrilled?
In truth, he'd initially thought it would only take about a month to reach this level.
But he miscalculated—or rather, he chose not to rush.
His body was still too young, too fragile.
If he forced himself to train too hard, he probably could've reached Mingjin in a month, but the cost would've been severe—damaging his potential, or even stunting his growth permanently.
That was absolutely not a price Riku was willing to pay.
So, on the very first day, after realizing the risks, he voluntarily slowed down his pace.
During this period, he also delved into this world's medical techniques and medical ninjutsu, learning how this world's human body differed from that of his previous life.
Through comparisons, he upgraded his old herbal bath formula using the Uchiha clan's own medicinal techniques, and created an even more potent version.
This was the key to letting him safely reach Mingjin at the age of five.
In fact, under this new herbal formula, not only was his potential undamaged—it had actually increased.
The clearest sign was that over the past two months, his physical stats and aptitude had risen by a total of 104 points.
A very pleasant surprise, even if he'd sort of seen it coming.
"Congratulations, Riku (little bro)!"
Nobuhiko and Fugaku walked over with big smiles.
"Haha! Thanks! You too!" Riku replied happily. "Dad, you're making good progress too. I think you'll break through to Bright Force in about half a month!"
"When that happens, I've got a surprise ready for you!"
Then he turned to Fugaku and said, "As for you, big bro—you've still got some training to do. If you can break through within half a year, that'd be impressive."
Fugaku's face fell just a little. "That long, huh...?"
...
(End of Chapter)
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