If Life Were Only Like the First Meeting

Ming Jing sat in the waterside pavilion, snow falling outside, painting his secluded residence white. Tsukishiro Yuexi sat to his right, carefully brewing tea.

"The famous general Xie An of the Jin Dynasty, on a snowy day, gathered his children and grandchildren to discuss literature and philosophy. Suddenly, the snow intensified, and the Duke joyfully said, 'What does the falling snow resemble?' His nephew, Hu'er, replied, 'Scattering salt in the air is somewhat similar.' His niece, Daoyun, said, 'It's not as good as willow catkins rising with the wind.' The Duke laughed heartily." Ming Jing suddenly recited in a low voice.

"It's not as good as willow catkins rising with the wind..." Tsukishiro Yuexi's hands paused, and she asked with a mixture of curiosity and admiration, "Young Master, who is this Miss Daoyun?"

"A talented woman of all ages, Xie Daoyun." Ming Jing picked up the tea brewed by Tsukishiro Yuexi and took a sip, saying with a smile, "Yuexi, your tea brewing skills are getting better and better."

"You flatter me, Young Master." Tsukishiro Yuexi smiled gently. She really enjoyed spending time with the Young Master like this! No conflict, no need for defense, just peace and warmth. This was paradise in her heart.

Speaking of which, after sparring with Itachi last time, that little shota hadn't played with Ming Jing much. This made Ming Jing, who had finally found some fun, incredibly sad, but if others didn't want to play, you couldn't force them, right? So, besides his daily teasing, Ming Jing shifted most of his energy to reading and writing.

He had originally planned to bring over his youthful reading material from back then, The White Purity of the Young Official's Mansion, but after accidentally reading Comrade Jiraiya's great work, Ming Jing felt that White Purity might not really fit the style of this world.

So Ming Jing did something even crazier. As the successor of The Goose Illusionary Book, after careful consideration, he wrote The Way of the Gentleman in the Naruto world...

In a sense, this was even more scandalous than writing The White Purity of the Young Official's Mansion!

A person who used genjutsu taught the world to be a great, noble, benevolent, principled, and trustworthy person, to be as pure in character as bamboo, with a sense of justice in their heart. The benevolent are not worried, the wise are not perplexed, the brave are not afraid.

He would spout lines like, "A gentleman does not act rashly; every action must have a reason. A gentleman does not speak carelessly; every word must be reasoned. A gentleman does not seek in vain; every pursuit must be righteous. A gentleman does not walk without purpose; every step must be upright."

Or, "As Heaven's movement is ever vigorous, so must a gentleman ceaselessly strive for self-improvement. As the Earth's condition is receptive, so must a gentleman embody profound virtue and great tolerance."

Then there were lines like, "Do not flatter the powerful, do not attach yourself to the influential, do not serve the beautiful, do not slander the ugly, do not fear the strong, do not bully the weak, befriend those who do good, abandon those who are malicious, respect the elders, protect the young. Those who serve the people should have their homes secure, officials should fulfill their duties, the poor should not lose their righteousness, and the successful should not stray from the Way."

However, what Ming Jing didn't expect was that this book, The Way of the Gentleman, became widely circulated among the upper class in the Naruto world, even reaching a point where paper became scarce due to its popularity. The entire upper class of the Naruto world, after reading this book, felt as if a new world had opened up to them!

So this is what a truly distinguished, influential, and learned person should be like!

The name Kurama Ming Jing began to spread throughout the Naruto world for the first time, and he was revered as the "Head of Gentlemen," "Number One Gentleman Under Heaven," "Model of Nobility," "Sage of Five Thousand Years," and "A Gentleman in Ignorance of Ming Jing is No Gentleman," among other titles. He was even nicknamed "Gentleman Ming Jing"!

Huh, he wasn't famous as a ninja, but as a moral exemplar.

The Daimyo of the Land of Fire had summoned Ming Jing to the capital three times to lecture, but Ming Jing refused twice. The third time, he didn't say a word and instead had an envoy take a passage back with them.

"The conduct of a gentleman is to cultivate himself in tranquility and nourish virtue with frugality. Without indifference, one cannot manifest aspirations; without tranquility, one cannot reach far. Learning requires stillness, talent requires learning; without learning, one cannot broaden talent, and without aspiration, one cannot complete learning. Indulgence and idleness prevent the sharpening of the spirit, while recklessness and impatience prevent the tempering of nature. Years fly by with time, intentions fade with the days, leading to a withered state, disconnected from the world. To sadly guard a desolate hut, what regret will there be!"

This passage was from Zhuge Liang's Admonition to My Son. Ming Jing's intended meaning was: Son, don't bother me when you have nothing to do!

But the Daimyo of the Land of Fire didn't know Zhuge Liang! Nor had he read Admonition to My Son! After reading the passage Ming Jing had copied, he said to his attendant with great admiration, "As expected of a true gentleman! It is wonderful to have such a sage in our Land of Fire!"

See, that's the price of not being well-read! Being called his son and still being happy...

"Alright, I can't stay home all day! Yuexi, let's go for a walk!" Ming Jing stood up, his thoughts pulled away from the pitfall of being a moral exemplar. He had suddenly remembered that in the original anime, Naruto saved Hinata in the autumn, but in the later The Last movie, Naruto saved Hinata on a snowy day! Kishimoto really tried hard to make the protagonist and his future wife hook up! As a transmigrator, how could he not dig this opportunity?

"Yes!" Tsukishiro Yuexi also stood up and took a robe from the hanger, helping Ming Jing put it on. If people from his past life saw Ming Jing dressed like this, they would surely exclaim, "Sect Master!"

That's right, Ming Jing's outfit was a copy of Hu Ge's portrayal of Mei Changsu from memory. The only difference was his hairstyle, which Ming Jing copied from the peerless handsome man Ouyang Mingri from Ode to Gallantry. Paired with his truly two-dimensional handsome face, honestly, Ming Jing himself couldn't help but be moved the first time he looked in the mirror!

The saying, "A handsome young man of noble bearing, raising his cup to gaze at the blue sky with a sideways glance, as radiant as a jade tree before the wind," probably described him perfectly.

Of course, it also drove the women of the Kurama Clan mad. This was the charm of Hanfu! Only true Han people could wear it with such charm! Inner cultivation of the heart, outer cultivation of the form. For inner cultivation, Ming Jing could only be considered half-step into the realm, but for outer cultivation, he had fully entered. In this world with a hot-blooded anime as its backdrop, Ming Jing's inner cultivation was barely enough. If he were to transmigrate to the Song or Ming dynasties, he might feel a little uncomfortable wearing this outfit!

Unconsciously, Ming Jing and Tsukishiro Yuexi had walked out of the waterside pavilion. Qing Yan, who had been practicing his horse stance in the snow in the courtyard, immediately stopped when he saw them emerge. He naturally walked behind Ming Jing, following silently.

The three of them walked slowly in the snow. In this world, there were only two sounds: the sound of snowflakes landing and the "crunch" of their footsteps. Ming Jing's heart was very peaceful, yet also a little nervous. If someone asked him who his favorite female character in all of Naruto was, he would definitely answer Hinata Hyuga! ...And Tsunade Senju...

One was outwardly delicate but inwardly strong, a cute girl who never gave up on her goals.

The other was outwardly strong but inwardly delicate, needing a protagonist's halo to recover after being hit.

Of course, they both had a common advantage! ...Ahem, ahem, you all know what I mean.

Oh, sorry, my thoughts drifted a bit too far!

Ming Jing recalled that Konohagakure was so large, it would be difficult to find the specific snowy area where Hinata was bullied. Of course, it wasn't impossible.

Ming Jing looked towards the Hokage Rock. The Third Hokage's... surveillance artifact... could be useful now. Of course, with the Third Hokage's integrity, he wouldn't spy on Hinata, but he would spy on Naruto! And Ming Jing just needed to save Hinata before Naruto did.

Some friends might say, even if he saved Hinata, she wouldn't necessarily fall for Ming Jing, right? Although Ming Jing was gentle, considerate, handsome, rich, influential, and cultured, he wasn't Naruto. He wouldn't talk about his life's dream all the time and train diligently like Naruto.

However!

Aside from the protagonist's halo, what was the most attractive thing about Naruto to Hinata?

Dreams?

Don't be ridiculous, who would care about the dreams of a street urchin?

Hard work?

Young man, who in the entire Naruto world worked harder than Rock Lee? Why didn't Hinata fall for Lee? What? You say Might Guy? ...Hmm... Cough, cough, the problem is, when Might Guy was working hard, Hinata's father was probably still dating her uncle...

So, excluding the protagonist's halo, the true source of Naruto's appeal to Hinata was that one heroic rescue. At that moment, young Naruto left an indelible positive impression on the young Hinata's heart, influencing her entire life. Here, Kishimoto wanted to tell everyone that if you want to pursue a goddess, you must start early!

Start early?!

Ming Jing suddenly stopped. Why did he have to wait for that opportunity? He was Kurama Ming Jing! The rich, influential, and powerful young master of the Kurama Clan, who was skilled in genjutsu!

An idea kept replaying in Ming Jing's mind: why couldn't I create an opportunity myself?

That's right! Why couldn't I create an opportunity myself?!

"Young Master??" Tsukishiro Yuexi saw Ming Jing standing there motionless for a long time, his expression constantly changing. She called out with some concern.

This cry truly woke Ming Jing up!

That's right!

I am Ming Jing!

I personally pulled the Kurama Clan from the brink of death to their current status as the wealthiest in the Land of Fire!

I am the successor to The Goose Illusionary Book!!!

Truly speaking, in this world, only Kaguya Otsutsuki is qualified to compete with Ming Jing. (Those two aren't native species; Ming Jing is from another dimension, and Kaguya Otsutsuki is from outer space. Huh???... Hehehe...)

Since that's the case, what is there to be afraid of?! Let's go head-to-head with Naruto! Hmm, it seems it's time to formulate a plan to leave the village and... influence Tsunade.

With that thought, Ming Jing regained his confidence. He continued walking with a smile on his face. Tsukishiro Yuexi and Qing Yan exchanged glances, feeling a bit perplexed, but seeing that Young Master had recovered, they didn't bother asking and continued to follow behind Ming Jing.

"This pair of eyes is the Byakugan, right? How ugly!"

"Yeah, how can you be so weak? You fall over with just a push. Are all the Hyuga Clan like this? Hahaha..."

"Hey, your eyes look exactly like my grandma's eyes after she got cataracts! Are all you Hyuga Clan naturally born with cataracts? Hahahaha..."

Just then, Ming Jing heard the voices of three brats talking in his ear. Hearing the content, Ming Jing was completely stunned! Could it be such a coincidence??

Damn it! Now is not the time to be stunned!

Ming Jing quickly snapped back to reality and rushed over without a word, saying, "You brats, didn't your parents teach you not to bully girls?! Damn it!"

Cough, cough, cough... It's wrong to curse in front of children, but Ming Jing really couldn't be blamed for this! Who could tell him why the person lying on the ground, covered in injuries, was a guy?! Where was Hinata?! Where was the Hinata that was promised?!

"You, what do you want?!" The three brats got nervous when they saw Ming Jing. After all, his attire indicated that he was either rich or noble. Coupled with Tsukishiro Yuexi and Qing Yan rushing over, these little punks immediately chickened out.

"Let's go!" Ming Jing said, shaking his hand with some disappointment. The three brats immediately ran off. Leaving behind a child from the Hyuga family lying in the snow, Ming Jing walked over, helped the other person up, and asked, "Are you okay?"

"I'm not a girl." The first thing this child said was to correct Ming Jing's earlier slip of the tongue.

"Sorry, I mistook you. After all, I don't have the Byakugan!" Ming Jing chuckled awkwardly, casually flattering the Hyuga Clan. It was then that he noticed the bandage on this child's forehead. Could this child be the future super genius of the Hyuga Clan, Neji Hyuga, who almost killed Hinata?

"Thank you." The Hyuga child didn't seem inclined to say much more. He gave Ming Jing a slight bow and turned to leave. Just as I'd expect from a child of such a prestigious family, look how polite he is! Not like that Uchiha Itachi and the future Sasuke, a pair of brothers who only acted cool in front of their best friend and lifelong rival.

"My name is Kurama Ming Jing. If you encounter any difficulties in the future, you can come find me!" Ming Jing said as he watched the lonely figure.

The child from the Hyuga family paused, and after a while, he replied, "Hyuga Neji, my name is Hyuga Neji."