During his bout with Might Batsu, Kazuku's combat skills sharpened rapidly.
Strictly speaking, the rewards Kazuku drew from the check-in gift pack were like skills in a game like DNF.
Players, upon reaching a level, could spend skill points to learn abilities.
Like Kazuku drawing the Eight Gates, he could use the "skill" freely.
But learning a skill didn't make you a pro.
Skill timing, usage techniques, and positioning against enemies…
These combat experiences and practical skills couldn't be gained from the gift pack.
To master them, Kazuku had to learn through real combat with Batsu.
At first, he could tell Batsu was holding back.
Many of Batsu's attacks stopped short.
For example, Batsu's steel fist would halt inches from Kazuku's nose, maintaining distance, then retract.
Kazuku couldn't help but marvel.
The raw power from the gift pack was enough for someone like Danzo, weaker than him.
But against a peer-level expert, his advantage became a liability.
Yet…
Kazuku's confidence didn't waver—it soared.
His body was seven, but his mind was adult.
Recognizing his limits and staying grounded was no flaw.
Overreaching with an inflated ego? That led to irreversible mistakes.
Like…
Having Hashirama's chakra…
Didn't mean he could pin Hashirama to the ground!
It only gave him the potential to become strong.
Not instant strength!
There was a fundamental difference!
"Right."
Realizing this, Kazuku's heart surged with excitement, his eyes blazing.
"Teacher Batsu, this fight has taught me so much."
Kazuku and Batsu broke apart, his right toes digging into the ground, channeling immense force, shattering the intact earth.
"Not getting cocky is good."
"Seeing the gap is the start."
"Right now, I'm just an ordinary seven-year-old!"
Kazuku roared at Batsu, bending then snapping his knees, maximizing explosive power, and leaping.
Batsu, meanwhile, was baffled.
Ordinary?
Do you misunderstand "ordinary"?
What kid could punch the ground to pieces?
"He's strong like a monster," Batsu gasped.
If not for his vastly superior experience, he'd have little chance of winning.
"But this growth rate is absurd."
At the start, Kazuku's moves were raw, often neglecting defense during attacks, leaving countless openings.
Against a slow-reacting ninja like Danzo, it didn't matter.
But a speed-type ninja? Those openings would be fatal!
Yet, what Batsu never dreamed…
In just half an hour…
Kazuku transformed.
From a clumsy kid to a taijutsu expert.
His combat skills, attack-defense balance—all leaped forward.
If not for Kazuku's unchanged childish face and body, Batsu might've thought he was fighting someone else.
The transformation was that drastic.
"Kazuku now is like a different person from before."
This growth speed…
Was what truly stunned Batsu!
No!
It was beyond stunning!
"I never thought, in so little time, Kazuku would grow to where I'm feeling the strain."
The early ease was gone, replaced by mounting pressure.
"Each gate has unique combat styles and techniques, with exponentially increasing difficulty."
"But at Kazuku's growth rate…"
"It won't be long before he masters them all… and surpasses me."
Batsu's heart shook.
Techniques and experience he'd honed over a decade…
Kazuku learned in mere moments.
It left Batsu with mixed feelings.
But, realizing Kazuku was his student, excitement took over.
While Batsu's thoughts swirled…
Kazuku, recalling Tsunade's moves, leaped from the ground, channeling monstrous strength's chakra into his right leg.
He raised it high above his head, plummeting toward Batsu.
A gust of wind pressure descended, catching Batsu off guard.
"This… this is Kazuku's power?"
Batsu's eyes widened, arms crossing in defense.
But he quickly realized the oppressive force was terrifying!
A massive word flashed in his mind:
Danger!
If he hadn't felt it himself, Batsu wouldn't believe a seven-year-old could exude such pressure.
Even…
As Kazuku's leg descended, Batsu's instincts kicked in, his right heel digging in, propelling him backward, out of range.
Painful Sky Leg!
Kazuku's leg slammed into the ground like an elephant's whip.
BOOM!
A deafening roar echoed as the earth collapsed, cracks spreading outward.
A powerful shockwave surged toward Batsu.
In the nick of time, Batsu crossed his arms, blocking the impact.
But when he landed, steadying himself, the sight before him stunned him.
Kazuku's kick had carved a half-meter-deep crater, littered with meter-wide boulders.
The ground, split by Kazuku!
Exaggeration aside, this blow's power surpassed Kazuku's punch in the Gate of Limit.
"If I hadn't opened the Gate of Life, even if I saw Kazuku's move, my body couldn't have dodged."
"And this isn't the Gate of Life's usual destructiveness."
"It's… Senju monstrous strength."
Batsu's heart was like a boulder dropped into a lake, ripples unending.
He'd thought combining the Eight Gates and monstrous strength would take Kazuku ages.
Never imagined, on the first day of combat training, Kazuku did it!
(End of Chapter)