Konoha's Tag-System Ninja

Chapter 202: Astonishing Transformation, Tsunade’s Loss! [Bonus Chapter]

After returning from the lab, Shūichi washed up, then sat in his study, focusing intently on his Tag Tree.

The Medical Master tag was now ready to be activated.

Without hesitation, Shūichi activated it.

As the leaves on the Tag Tree glowed with blue light, the tag's effects immediately took hold.

Medical ninjutsu talent increased by 100%, chakra control improved by 100%, and physical compatibility boosted by 100%. Besides Bloodline Limits, is there any medical technique that could still challenge you?—none whatsoever!

At this stage, a 100% boost was incredible for Shūichi.

The enhanced talent for medical ninjutsu covered a broad range, including his ability with Yang Release.

Furthermore, improved chakra control wasn't limited to medical ninjutsu. Many high-level jutsus also required precise chakra manipulation.

However, what interested Shūichi the most was the increase in physical compatibility.

Previously, this enhancement allowed him to rapidly integrate Tailed Beast chakra.

Now...

Shūichi closed his eyes to feel it. He sensed the chakra from the One-Tail within him slowly dissolving.

But it wasn't vanishing!

Instead, it was merging with him on an even deeper level.

Boom!

His chakra erupted involuntarily, blue chakra enveloping him—not the crimson aura of the Tailed Beast.

When he first gained the physical compatibility to harness Tailed Beast power, his connection was not unlike Kakashi's Sharingan.

But Shūichi, unlike Kakashi, had an easier time absorbing the Tailed Beast's energy due to his compatibility. While assimilating Shukaku's power, he had even gained the Sand Body.

Now, however, the One-Tail's energy was no longer an external "card" but had fully integrated into Shūichi's genetic makeup.

At that moment, Shūichi felt his chakra quality soar to new heights.

Among the nine Tailed Beasts, those with more tails possess chakra more akin to that of the Ten-Tails, with the Nine-Tails having the highest chakra quality.

A Tailed Beast's power doesn't just increase a jinchūriki's overall abilities—it's all about the quality of chakra, with sheer quantity being secondary.

This chakra quality isn't about nature transformation; it's about raw, unaltered energy.

In terms of Wind Release, Shūichi was already the strongest in the shinobi world, capable of Wind Release jutsus that rival Shukaku's.

However, before this, Shūichi's chakra quality couldn't match Shukaku's.

With this improvement, Shūichi's Wind Release would now surpass Shukaku's.

Just as in the Nine-Tails Chakra Mode or Sage Mode, he could now exceed Shukaku's power.

The boosts from the Tailed Beast and Sage Modes lie in this very chakra quality.

With higher-quality chakra in its base form, any nature transformation will produce even more powerful results.

Shūichi's physical enhancements had raised his chakra reserves to Tailed Beast levels, but his chakra quality still fell short of theirs.

Now, with this further boost to physical compatibility, he had fully absorbed Shukaku's power, raising his own chakra quality.

After the One-Tail came the Three-Tails, and Shūichi's chakra surged again, the blue aura around him intensifying.

Next, he absorbed the Four-Tails, then the Eight-Tails, each assimilated in succession.

This enhancement brought Shūichi waves of euphoria. Both his mind and body felt transformed, as if he'd undergone an evolution beyond chakra alone.

However, just as Shūichi anticipated absorbing the Nine-Tails' energy and gaining chakra on par with it, the transformation abruptly halted.

It felt like he'd been riding a wave, only for it to vanish suddenly, leaving him unfulfilled.

With a frown, Shūichi muttered, "Even with two boosts, it's still not enough to fully assimilate the Nine-Tails?"

The previous boost to his compatibility came from the Devourer tag, but that tag had no follow-ups.

As for the Master-level tag, there had been no upgrades beyond it so far.

Was Master the limit? Couldn't it evolve to something like Grandmaster?

Or maybe a God of Fire Release or God of Wind Release?

Regrettably, there was no reaction from the Tag Tree.

Shūichi couldn't help feeling a pang of disappointment.

Ah, human ambition never ends!

He contained the vast chakra radiating from him and vanished in a blur.

Outside the Hidden Leaf Village.

Shūichi appeared, stretching and loosening his muscles. His eyes fell on a boulder nearby, taller than a person.

Swish!

With the simplest Body Flicker, Shūichi flashed to the boulder, clenching his fist and slamming it down.

Boom!

The massive rock shattered, fragments flying as dust billowed into the air.

More importantly, Shūichi hadn't used any chakra with that punch; it was purely physical strength.

He looked at his hand and saw no signs of damage.

That punch didn't even cause him pain.

This was only the beginning.

Shūichi could feel his body had grown immensely powerful.

This wasn't a simple enhancement from a tag-induced physical upgrade.

Flesh and blood were still flesh and blood.

But now, Shūichi felt as if he had truly become a human Tailed Beast.

Even without chakra, his physical strength was astonishing.

After all, taijutsu isn't entirely devoid of chakra.

...

"Looks like I need to find someone to spar with."

Gazing at the shattered rocks around him, Shūichi felt unsatisfied. He couldn't fully test his new physical prowess.

"Tsunade it is..."

With a Body Flicker, he returned to the Leaf Village and made his way to the lab.

Upon seeing him, Tsunade glanced up. "Done with whatever you were up to with Orochimaru?"

Shūichi nodded. "Yep, it's finally over."

"And I even made a bit of progress."

"Say, Tsunade, how about I give you a shot to actually land a punch on me this time?"

Tsunade turned and looked at him with a 'you must be crazy' expression.

Shūichi, as if daring fate, added, "Relax, I won't use Flying Thunder God. Just taijutsu, no fancy moves."

"And if I win... you owe me a kiss." He tapped his lips for emphasis.

Tsunade's eyebrow twitched in irritation, just about ready to explode, when Shūichi quickly added, "If I lose, I'll let you handle me however you want and follow your orders to the letter."

Tsunade's face lit up with an aura of pure menace. "I can use Strength of a Hundred?"

"Of course, as long as it's taijutsu."

Tsunade snorted, "Aren't you afraid I'll end up killing you?"

"Don't tell me you've already developed that forbidden taijutsu technique you mentioned?"

Shūichi shook his head. "Not yet, still working on that one."

"So, Tsunade, up for it or not?"

Tsunade stood up, smirking coldly. "Just don't regret it if I end up burying you!"

Shūichi chuckled, then, with a swift motion, wrapped his arm around her waist. Before she could lash out, he teleported them away with the Flying Thunder God.

They appeared on a clearing outside the Forest of Death.

"Die!"

With a furious yell, Tsunade's punch slammed into the ground, creating a crater and sending dust billowing.

Even without chakra enhancements, Shūichi's reflexes were sharp enough that he easily dodged her blow.

Tsunade sliced through the dust cloud, spotting him about ten meters away. With a crunch, she pushed off the ground and launched herself at Shūichi.

They exchanged rapid blows, leaving a trail of craters in the ground with each impact. Tsunade's strikes were relentless.

Ever since Shūichi had pushed her back into training, and especially after overcoming her hemophobia, Tsunade had been in peak form, often sparring with Shizune to keep sharp.

Yet, speed was still her weak point, and she hadn't been able to land a hit on Shūichi.

"Hey, you little perv, are you just going to dodge?"

Tsunade growled, aiming a fierce straight punch.

This time, Shūichi didn't evade. Instead, he raised his hand and caught her fist with a loud slap.

Tsunade's eyes widened. "He's... not even using chakra..."

Before she could react, Shūichi threw her, chuckling, "Tsunade, here I come!"

In an instant, he appeared right in front of her.

"So fast!"

Tsunade instinctively crossed her arms to block his punch.

Boom!

The force from his blow sent her skidding back, carving a long trench in the ground before she could stabilize herself.

"What strength..."

She glanced at her tingling, bruised arms in shock. "He's like a monster!"

"Could it be something like what Orochimaru did?"

"No, his chakra hasn't changed."

"What's going on?"

A thousand questions ran through her mind.

Although it had been a while since they last fought, this sheer, unenhanced physical strength was beyond human.

"Is it... research on the Tailed Beasts?"

Tsunade wondered silently.

"Spacing out in a fight isn't a good idea."

Shūichi's voice snapped her back to the present as he appeared at her side, swinging a powerful kick.

Caught off guard, Tsunade barely had time to raise her arm to block before she was sent flying, tumbling across the ground. She recovered quickly, springing up and launching a devastating downward kick at the incoming Shūichi.

Their fists and feet collided, blasting the air apart with shockwaves, and their immense power gouged craters into the ground with every impact.

Tsunade was losing ground, sweat breaking out on her forehead.

In her base state, she had completely fallen behind.

The worst part? Shūichi hadn't even used chakra to amplify his strength yet. He hadn't tapped into the monster strength technique he'd learned from her either—otherwise...

With another kick from Shūichi sending her flying, Tsunade formed hand seals, and a pattern of markings appeared on her forehead.

Strength of a Hundred Seal activated!

Though she didn't fully release the Yin Seal, she boosted her monster strength and activated cellular regeneration to improve her reflexes.

"I need to take him down in one go, or else..."

A fierce glint shone in her eyes as her embarrassment surged, and with a burst of speed many times faster than before, she charged at Shūichi.

Boom, boom, boom!

In her berserk mode, Shūichi was almost reminded of the Tsunade who once fought against the Susanoo.

Ouch!

After exchanging a punch with her, Shūichi finally felt pain and was sent flying backward.

Thud, thud, thud!

With her first hit landed, Tsunade didn't hold back, her fists and kicks raining down on Shūichi, who was flung through the air like a sandbag.

But just as Tsunade aimed a kick to slam him down to the ground, Shūichi grabbed her ankle mid-air.

"Tsunade, now I'm getting serious!"

With a grin, he unleashed his chakra, tossed her aside, and immediately followed up, his fists raining down like a storm.

Now he was also in a state of cellular regeneration, using chakra to amplify his strength and speed, nearly matching Tsunade's state.

The difference? Tsunade relied on the Strength of a Hundred Seal, while he did not.

"This guy's chakra..."

As she struggled to block his attacks, Tsunade was shocked at the intensity of Shūichi's chakra.

Boom!

With a powerful strike, Shūichi knocked Tsunade out of the air, slamming her into the ground, creating a large crater.

Pain surged through her bones as if they were shattering, nearly making her cough up blood.

"This brat..."

Gritting her teeth, Tsunade's Yin Seal glowed as she fully released it.

The pain and numbness faded, and she sprang up, her power and speed even greater.

Now she was in her all-out mode, holding nothing back!

With this level of power, even Susanoo wouldn't stand a chance.

Seeing her power-up, Shūichi also focused, a blue aura of chakra enveloping him as he activated his cellular regeneration to its absolute limit.

And this put him beyond Tsunade's all-out power.

Though they shared the same Yang Release proficiency, Shūichi's physique enhancements, his chakra quality, now rivaling that of the Eight-Tails, and his [Medical Master] tag's abilities gave him an edge.

Tsunade, even in her fully powered-up state, was soon overpowered.

After hitting her back several times, Shūichi used his speed to appear behind her, locking her legs with his, gripping her wrists, and crossing her arms under her neck.

Now Tsunade was completely immobilized.

"Tsunade, you lost!"

Shūichi chuckled.

Tsunade struggled twice, but even a chakra burst couldn't free her. Finally, she let out a frustrated huff. "Fine, I lost. Now let go!"

Shūichi released her, and Tsunade immediately stood up. "I never agreed to any bets, though."

Shūichi was stunned.

What a sly move!

She'd sworn she'd never go back on her word!

Turning, Tsunade walked away.

Shūichi brushed the dust off himself and was about to speak, but suddenly, she was back in front of him, lips brushing his before disappearing again.

Shūichi couldn't help but laugh, immediately chasing after her.

Tsunade acted as if nothing had happened, her face impassive. "Your boost—did it come from the Tailed Beasts' power?"

Shūichi nodded. "My physique changed after absorbing the Tailed Beast chakra, enhancing not just my body but also my chakra quality."

"But I haven't fully integrated the Nine-Tails' power."

Tsunade's eyes widened. "Fully integrated... So you're like a human Tailed Beast now?"

Shūichi thought for a moment. "Almost, though I'm obviously missing the size."

Then he laughed. "Looks like I've left you in the dust, Tsunade."

Tsunade's astonishment faded into a scoff. "Don't get cocky. I'll develop an even stronger jutsu."

She was fired up! "The next time my new technique's ready, I'll be the one to crush you!"

With that, she sped up.

Shūichi called after her, "Then let's see whose new technique is stronger. And next time, let's make another bet!"

"You'll lose for sure..." Tsunade's figure vanished from sight.

Shūichi didn't chase her. Instead, he activated his sensory jutsu, pinpointing Guy's chakra, then vanished from his spot.

He wanted to see how the Eight Gates technique would affect his current physique.

Plus, he needed to draw inspiration from it to develop a new Yang Release taijutsu forbidden jutsu!

(End of Chapter)

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