Like all newly graduated Genin teams, Team 10 also started with the most basic D-rank missions.
On the river, Shizune and Kurenai carried bamboo baskets on their backs, carefully searching and retrieving floating objects and sediment in the river water.
Shinichi Higashino, who should have been working alongside them, was sitting cross-legged under the shade of a tree on the shore.
The one busy with the two of them in the river was just one of his Shadow Clones.
Tsunade sat on a flat rock not far away, leisurely crossing her legs while holding a can of beverage in her hand.
Her gaze swept over the two girls on the river, then returned to Shinichi's true body on the bank while raising an eyebrow.
"Hey, kid, are you just going to stand by and watch? Letting those two girls work hard in the river while you slack off here?"
At this moment, Shinichi was focusing on his right hand, repeatedly clenching and unclenching his fist.
With each contraction, the muscles in his forearm instantly tighten and bulge, and pale blue chakra is frantically injected along a specific chakra pathway system, flickering between the muscles and blood vessels.
Slowly releasing his palm, the remaining chakra transformed into fine blue specks of light that drifted out from between his fingers, and the bulging veins gradually subsided like the receding tide.
Tsunade watched for a while and said, "Are you trying to concentrate your chakra in your fist more stably and efficiently?"
"Yes, Tsunade-sensei."
Shinichi nodded. "I'm trying to concentrate and maintain chakra precisely, quickly, and safely in specific power-generating areas of the body, such as my arms and fists."
"This?"
Tsunade shook the beverage can in her hand, her tone casual. "I happen to know a little about it."
She said it casually, but in reality, she knew far more than just a little.
The core of her Chakra Enhanced Strength lies in the extreme compression and condensation of massive amounts of chakra, precisely concentrating it in a specific part of her body, and then unleashing it completely upon contact with the target, generating immense destructive power.
The prerequisite for cultivating Chakra Enhanced Strength was reaching an extremely demanding level of fine chakra control.
The key is to compress and condense the immense chakra capable of shattering mountains to its limit, yet perfectly contain it before unleashing it, without revealing the slightest chakra aura or leakage.
Only at the exact instant the attack truly struck the enemy would that suppressed power explode violently. Only then could one be considered to have stepped past the threshold of superhuman strength.
And when every punch thrown and every kick delivered allowed the gathering, restraint, and eruption of chakra to be completely under one's control, when there was not the slightest sense of deliberate power-gathering or stiffness in one's movements, as if this mountain-shattering force were simply part of daily life, as natural as breathing, only then could Chakra Enhanced Strength truly be considered mastered.
Tsunade had already honed this power to the highest level, making it as natural as instinct, and she could control it with ease in every movement.
At this moment, she looked at Shinichi's arm, where veins bulged, and light flickered unstably due to the forced gathering of chakra, and shook her head.
Perhaps out of a sense of responsibility as an educator, or simply like many women who can't stand seeing men idle, Tsunade raised her chin and gestured towards the river.
"Go, get to work."
Tsunade ordered. "Make your main body move too. Later, if I'm in a good mood, I might be able to give you some pointers."
Upon hearing this, Shinichi stopped his experiment, glanced at the busy Shadow Clones and his two teammates in the river, and then at Tsunade's seemingly casual yet uncompromising expression, before nodding.
...
As the sun set, having finished his mission for the day, Shinichi Higashino said goodbye to the members of Team 10 at the crossroads and walked home alone.
Passing by the familiar newsstand, he habitually bought the latest issue of the current weekly affairs.
As he walked slowly, he casually flipped through a book, and the front page headline that caught his eye was like a pebble thrown into a calm lake, instantly drawing all his attention.
"Once Every Three Years! The Taketori Festival Is About to Grandly Open And The Daimyo Himself is Hosting The Land of Fire's First Culinary Tournament!"
The title is in a striking font size, accompanied by pictures of the bustling scenes of previous festivals, with crowds and dazzling lights.
The article provides a detailed account of this oldest and grandest festival tradition in the Land of Fire, as well as a brand-new segment proposed and hosted by the current Daimyo, the Land of Fire's First Culinary Tournament!
The report states that the tournament is open to the entire Land of Fire, including its surrounding towns and ninja villages, and is open to anyone who considers themselves a skilled cook.
The aim is to discover local delicacies and promote the food culture of the Land of Fire.
The ultimate winner will receive the title and certificate of Land of Fire's Master Chef, personally bestowed by his highness the Daimyo, along with the opportunity to enter the Daimyo household's royal kitchen for further training or receive official support to open a restaurant.
Shinichi's gaze lingered for quite a while on the words Master Chef, personally bestowed by his Highness the Daimyo, and open to the entire Land of Fire. His steps unconsciously stopped as he carefully read every detail.
With a slight thought, a corner of his system panel appeared in his consciousness, displaying the description of the talent, Big Eater: [Big Eater (Green): Your digestive system and metabolism have undergone a qualitative change. You can not only eat at an astonishing speed and in enormous quantities, but also efficiently extract energy and nutrients from food, gaining pleasure and energy recovery far exceeding that of ordinary people. At the same time, your perception of food has become exceptionally acute, allowing you to clearly distinguish the most subtle differences in ingredient quality, cooking time, and seasoning balance.]
Compared to the white talent, Foodie, the Big Eater talent further enhances the body's efficient absorption and conversion capabilities, and also adds a keen sense of taste recognition.
The label of having a large appetite is ultimately not impressive enough to leave a deep impression on the outside world, unless Shinichi really becomes a glutton. However, after obtaining the talent of Big Eater, Shinichi's appetite not only did not increase, but actually decreased a little.
This made Shinichi realize that this talent, which was upgraded from Foodie, might not simply give people the impression of being able to eat a lot, because a foodie is not only someone who can eat a lot, but also someone who knows how to eat and understands food.
Thinking of this, Shinichi continued to look at the contents of the newspaper. His eyes flickered, and a bold idea suddenly popped into his mind.
If the First Hokage founded Konoha and established the system of one country, one village in the ninja world, thereby opening a new era, then the Sage of Six Paths created the Ninja Creed and spread the methods of training and using chakra throughout the world, laying down the fundamental foundation for how the entire world operates, turning the title Sage of Six Paths and the profession of ninja into a consensus and habit shared by everyone in the ninja world for thousands of years.
If he could also anchor the name Shinichi Higashino and the things he created within the cultural fabric and historical consensus of this world, just as the Sage of Six Paths anchored the Ninja Creed into history, forming a cornerstone of human civilization and a logic for the operation of the world.
Or even more specifically, if people unconsciously followed his influence in their daily lives, from clothing, food, housing, and travel, to cultural customs, festivals, and celebrations, and even everyday language, then what would happen?