CHAPTER 235: TSUNADE’S PUNCH WAS A HATE CRIME AGAINST EARTH STYLE

Ren sat down heavily, dust puffing up around him as he landed. He took a slow breath, raised both of his arms, and tapped one forearm against the other with a dull thunk thunk. The stone-like exterior was still there in patches, but the majority of his armor had been quite literally punched off of him.

His brow furrowed as he stared down at his forearm and thought to himself, ’Okay... so it’s not even a question anymore, Tsunade’s 80% punch actually shook off the hardened armor, like those guys have their clothes ripped apart in the Food Wars anime. I didn’t even think that was actually possible.’

He paused for a second, flexing his fingers. The armor technique was earth-based after all, reinforced with yang, layered and compacted in real time. But still, earth style had its limits. It was strong, yes, but it had weaknesses. The two most prominent being lightning style... and overwhelming physical force.

And Tsunade definitely counted as overwhelming.

Ren leaned back slightly on one hand as he thought through the logic. ’When I fought Roku earlier and used the hardening, I tanked his lightning style and even managed to block it outright. That was mostly because my armor had far more chakra poured into it than his jutsu did, so mine just outlasted his. That’s why I won that one. But Tsunade...’

He frowned.

’Even with me pumping almost half of my entire chakra pool into the hardened state, it still wasn’t enough. She only went up to 80% of her strength and that alone broke through it. That says something. Actually, it says a lot.’

But surprisingly, he wasn’t annoyed or disheartened. If anything, he felt kind of proud.

’Well, this is Tsunade we’re talking about. She’s the one who punched through Madara’s Susanoo. Twice. Susanoo, the ultimate Uchiha defense. The armor used by Madara Uchiha himself, the strongest of the Uchiha, probably the most insane tank on the battlefield during the war and she broke through that, twice.’

He scratched the back of his head, chuckling a little under his breath.

’So yeah, if my armor got shattered by that level of strength, I’m not even mad. I managed to tank, what, 70% of her strength? That’s kind of absurd when you think about it.’

It was a good sign. It meant the hardening technique he’d developed was no joke. If he could already handle that much force, then with some refinement... who knew how far he could take it.

’I only used half of my chakra to get to that defensive level. I’ve still got 50% left. And that’s me now. As I grow stronger, my chakra’s only going to increase, both in quantity and quality. So maybe one day...’ He grinned faintly, ’I could push this all the way to Susanoo-level defense.’

That thought made him lightheaded with excitement. His body still ached from the impact, but he couldn’t stop himself.

"Hey," he called out, glancing over at Tsunade as he dusted off his knees, "how would you categorize the difference between your 70% and 80% strength?"

She didn’t miss a beat. "Hmm... 70%?" she said casually, "That should be enough to flatten most S-Rankers, unless they’ve got some really bizarre defensive trick up their sleeve."

She continued, "80% is what I use when I’m trying to take down someone who’s actually Kage-level. I’d say that level of strength is enough to go head-to-head with one and win. Maybe not easily, but win regardless."

She looked at him, arms folded, eyes sharp. "If I had to rank your hardening, then its current defense is good enough to help you survive against a Taijutsu specialist at Kage-level for a few seconds. Emphasis on few. But since there aren’t many taijutsu-exclusive Kage types out there, you should be fine for about... ten to twenty seconds, assuming you fight smart."

Ren listened closely, nodding.

"But," Tsunade added, "you’ve still got a good amount of chakra left, don’t you? If you keep pumping it in and re-hardening on the fly, you could boost the defense a notch each time. With that, maybe you can last around a minute. That is, if they’re only using pure Taijutsu."

She continued. "But that’s not going to happen. Kage-level shinobi are way too sharp. They’d take one look at your armor and instantly realize it’s not just regular earth style. They’d adapt, throw in elemental jutsu, sealing, chakra disruption, whatever. You’d be lucky to get 20–30 seconds of proper defense in a real fight."

Ren let out a thoughtful hum, then leaned forward, elbows resting on his knees. She was right. He hadn’t been underestimating Kage-level opponents exactly, but hearing it broken down so bluntly made him realize how narrow the gap still was. His defense wasn’t bad, it was actually insane, but it wasn’t invincible either.

Still, this was just defense. That wasn’t even touching what he could do on offense while in hardened mode.

And once he improved that... once he got better at switching, at layering, at countering... then maybe, just maybe, he’d be able to stand up to Kage-level threats using just his hardening alone.

Tsunade continued, her tone steady but pointed. "As for offensive power, I’d say it varies quite a bit. First, because you don’t really have a set of moves built for that technique of yours. So, you lag a bit."

Ren gave a slow nod, already aware of the gap.

Tsunade gestured with one hand and went on, "Now, maybe that lag could’ve been covered by your Hyperfocus. But you probably can’t use it with much finesse in that armored state, right?"

Ren nodded again.

"Exactly," Tsunade said. "Even if you activate Hyperfocus while using that armor, your body’s still going to feel blocked. First block, extra weight. Second, the design hinders fluid movement. Especially with your size."

Her eyes narrowed slightly, not in criticism, but analysis. "You’re short. When you’re in that full-body hardening state, you basically look like a compact earth golem. The kind you’d expect to see when a earth style user uses the Golem Jutsu, not dancing through a fight. So yeah, your movements lag, even if your mind doesn’t."

Ren scratched the back of his head but didn’t argue. She wasn’t wrong.

"But," Tsunade continued, folding her arms now, "that’s not a deal-breaker. That just means you need more combat experience in that state. With enough time, you’ll be able to form a proper set of movements that work with that frame. Once you’ve got that and combine it with Hyperfocus, the gap will shrink fast."

She glanced down at his fists, then back up. "Until then, your offense in that state is probably about the level of a standard S-rank. Strong, but not overwhelming."

Ren tilted his head, muttering. "Makes sense."

Tsunade continued, "But. If you incorporate the chakra blasts you were using earlier to increase speed, that’d be a different story. Those would add actual destructive force behind your hits."

Ren nodded. "Yeah, I can do that. It’s basically the same principle as Chakra Enhanced Strength. Just blasting chakra through the limbs."

"Exactly," she replied.

"I didn’t use it this time because I wanted to test my defense more. Plus, that technique wouldn’t really work on you anyway."

A happy smile formed on Tsunade’s face. "So you figured it out?"

Ren nodded, his tone casual. "Yeah. Wasn’t that hard once I thought about it. You were the developer of Chakra Enhanced Strength. Makes sense you’d be the one to create a counter for it too."

Tsunade leaned forward a bit, clearly enjoying herself now. "Explain."

Ren rolled his shoulders and lifted his right fist. "So, for Chakra Enhanced Strength, we channel chakra, gather it, hold it, then blast it out at the right moment." He focused for a second and let a chunk of chakra burst from his knuckles into the air with a sharp whump.

He continued, "But at the end of the day, what’s being blasted is still just chakra. It’s raw, unrefined force is powerful, but unstable. So you figured out a way to intercept that in case someone used that against you. The moment someone launches that kind of chakra-infused strike at you, you take the chakra into your body and reroute it. In less than a second, you absorb it and release it through your legs, straight back into the ground."

He blinked once and continued slowly. "I don’t know if that’s genius or outright dumb."

Tsunade snorted, clearly entertained. "If I can do it without dying, it’s genius. If I can’t, it’s dumb. That’s all there is to it."

Ren sighed and shook his head. "Fair enough." But he didn’t press the conversation. He knew full well how absurd the technique was. Sure, he’d simplified it in words, but the reality of it was nothing short of terrifying.

Taking chakra from someone else into your body was already dangerous. Most shinobi would combust before they even processed the foreign chakra. And Tsunade wasn’t just taking it in, she was rerouting it. In microseconds.

He looked at her more closely now, sitting cross-legged in front of him with a same smug grin.

She had to have modified her entire internal system. There was no other way. Some kind of internal channel network that could catch and carry hostile chakra from the point of impact, down through her core, and out through her legs. Probably through her tenketsu system. Maybe she’d created something similar to how lightning armor flows through the nervous system, but even more advanced.

And that’s what made it so ridiculous.

He’d spent minutes figuring out the Earth-Yang Hardening with 99 intelligence, and if his estimate of difficulty was right then her method was a technique on par with his hardening. She, on the other hand, had built a literal anti-chakra system into her own body and just shrugged when asked about it.

Tsunade tilted her head slightly as she spoke, "So tell me something, if you figured it out, then why didn’t you use it? You clearly knew what I was doing, and if you’d just used the same method, you could’ve lasted much longer. Might’ve even pushed me back a bit."

Ren didn’t respond immediately. He just gave her a look, the kind that said he’d already thought the whole thing through. Then he finally answered with a shrug, "Yeah, I knew. But I didn’t use it for a reason. Even if the theory behind it is genius, let’s be real, it’s still a dumbass move in practice. I mean, who in their right mind willingly pulls someone else’s blasted chakra into their own body?"

Tsunade smiled, amused by his tone but not arguing. Ren kept going, "That chakra’s already unstable the second it leaves the user’s fist. It’s raw, volatile, weaponized. And on top of that, it’s not even your own chakra so the risk is insane. If your control slips even slightly while it’s running around inside you, it’d be like swallowing a live bomb."

She didn’t deny it. Instead, her smile only widened, full of confidence.

"It won’t slip."

Ren turned his eyes toward her, then away again with a light exhale. That level of certainty... that wasn’t arrogance. That was just her. Tsunade Senju, the one with the best chakra control in the world. And she knew it. She could make that kind of statement with full conviction because she had spent decades turning impossible things into second nature.

Ren shook his head with a half-laugh. "You really are something else. Look, I’ve got confidence in my own control too, don’t get me wrong. But personally? That technique just doesn’t sit right with me. I’d rather just take the full brunt of a chakra blast head-on than let that thing slither around inside me for even a second. Doesn’t matter how tight my grip is, it’s just not worth it."

He shrugged again, the kind of shrug that meant the conversation was over for him. "I’ve got other ways to block that kind of hit. Which are much more safer and cleaner."

That caught her attention. Tsunade raised an eyebrow, a spark of curiosity lighting in her eyes. "Oh yeah? What other options you got, smartass?"

Ren grinned, the challenge in her voice pulling something mischievous out of him. "You curious now?"

She grinned back, cracking her knuckles in response. "A little."

Neither of them needed to say it, but the moment had already shifted. They both stood again, no words needed. And just like that, the two of them were back at it, brawling like a pair of battle-hardened lunatics, fists flying, chakra flaring, testing each other again and again, pushing limits for the hell of it.

~~~~~

{Well, now you know the current level of the hardening and I don’t really plan to abandon it as Ren doesn’t really have many defensive techniques, especially those usable against S-Rankers and above so the hardening will stay, though I’ll definitely try to improve it.}

{Also, I finished the last Chapter on Pat today and if you guys don’t complete the goals and we remain at a Chapter a day then you’d last for 6 days, if you want to finish early then start pumping stones}

{If you want, you can support me on pat-reon}

{ h t t p s : / / w w w . p a t r e o n . c o m / Z e e n o n }

{You know what else}

{280 Stones = Extra Chapter}

{STONES!!!!}