The Battle

After confirming his path as a trainer, Zi Xu peacefully fell back asleep, leaving his clone alone to practice the Silent Fruit's power. Not to mention anything else, the Silent Fruit's effect on sleep quality was remarkable—it ensured he got good rest while helping the clone master the ability. He really was too hardworking.

Morning sunlight filtered through the leaves like scattered gold. Even though he'd been jolted awake once last night by a dream, he still slept soundly through the latter half. When it came to improving sleep quality, I, Uzumaki Zi Xu, hereby proclaim this the best!

"Knock knock knock~" As Zi Xu was washing up, someone knocked on his door. He didn't have many contacts, and even fewer people came looking for him—nine times out of ten it was Hatsumi and Chino. Zi Xu unhurriedly spat out the mouthwash, wiped his face, and walked toward the front door.

The clone had obediently followed Zi Xu's orders, practicing the Silent Fruit's power while he slept, but now it was lying on the floor snoring loudly, making one wonder if it had been slacking off again. After dismissing the clone, he peeked through the peephole and confirmed it was indeed Chino and the others before opening the door.

"Creak~" The door cracked open a sliver as Zi Xu observed the situation outside through the gap.

Chino wore a black casual outfit, her shirt patterned with dark circular designs, paired with jeans that were primarily black with deep blue accents—looking quite sharp. Hatsumi wore a sky-blue short-sleeve with a small beetle pattern on the chest, and her light blue shorts also bore a spiderweb emblem. Zi Xu wasn't checking them out; after confirming no one else was around, he opened the door fully.

"Come on, let's go eat barbecue. It's already noon, why are you just waking up? Hurry, hurry, let's go." Hatsumi urged, eager to see if she could bankrupt the two of them with food.

Chino glanced around Zi Xu's room—a few open books scattered on the floor with titles about lifting curses and sealing techniques, some slightly deformed barbells, and clothes dusted with dirt. Nothing unusual otherwise. She wondered how Zi Xu trained, but it seemed like he just lifted weights to get stronger? She was skeptical about that.

Zi Xu didn't dawdle. He closed the door, changed into a fresh set of clothes, and stepped out. Free meals were a rare opportunity. After integrating a quarter of Kaido's constitution, his appetite had multiplied. Most of his living expenses went to food and buying knowledge-related books, so he was more than eager.

"Can I really eat as much as I want?" Zi Xu flashed Hatsumi a harmless smile as they walked. Hatsumi felt a sense of déjà vu but still nodded confidently, puffing out her small chest with pride.

"Of course, don't underestimate me. I'm a real ninja now. Have you ever heard of a ninja dying poor? Hmph, this time I'm definitely going to see you two patting your bellies full."

"Mhm, so far no ninja has died poor, but why can't you be the first?" Chino teased. Hatsumi pouted, insisting that was impossible.

"...Um, if you can't finish, don't force yourselves. It's bad for your health. Right, health comes first..." Hatsumi was starting to regret her earlier boasts. These two couldn't be judged by normal standards—you can't out-eat a dog. Why hadn't she realized that?

"No can do, burp~ Can't waste Hatsumi's kindness. Gotta, gotta save face. So much food—not finishing it would be a waste." Zi Xu belched between bites and downed another bowl of soup. Chino, laughing and chatting, polished off a plate of barbecue. Hatsumi, long since full, slumped in her seat, watching them eat with some fear.

"Old man, are all the new-generation ninjas this hungry? At this rate, the store's supplies won't last..."

"What can we do? Let them eat. Maybe they haven't eaten in a while, or it's because of training. If they eat, we cook." The shop owner and his wife discussed this nearby. Sharp-eared Hatsumi caught their conversation, snapped out of her stupor, and dragged Zi Xu and Chino to the counter.

"Sorry for the trouble. If you're running low on ingredients, I'm really sorry. They've been hungry too long. No need to prepare more. That's it for today. Here's the bill. We're leaving."

Before the couple could react, Hatsumi pulled the reluctant Zi Xu and Chino out of the barbecue shop, vanishing around the corner like a gust of wind.

"You two heard that, right? It's not that I can't afford it—I just didn't want to trouble the shopkeeper..." Zi Xu and Chino stared at her with expressions that said "Sure, whatever you say." She got embarrassed and quickly changed the subject.

"Ahem, anyway, that's settled. I'll bring you guys again sometime. Tomorrow's the squad assignment, so today let's train properly. I want to test if my tactics are solid."

"Since you're treating, let's do it." Both agreed. They really needed a real fight to gauge their current combat strength. Actual combat was the only standard for testing tactics—progress required it.

The three quickly arrived at their usual training spot, stretched their muscles, warmed up properly, and prepared to fight.

"I'll fight Chino first, then take on Zi Xu."

Hatsumi assumed a stance and waved at Chino. Chino took off her jacket, tightened the pale red headband on her forehead, and positioned her hands one in front of the other, ready.

"Begin." Zi Xu acted as temporary referee.

Hatsumi struck first. She stayed in place without much movement, but her index finger, pointed at Chino, twitched subtly. A palm-sized azure blade, barely noticeable, shot toward Chino at incredible speed—faster than a thrown shuriken. The azure moon blade left a faint trail of light and reached Chino in an instant.

Chino was startled for a moment by the sudden attack, but her movements didn't hesitate. Her left eye activated the Byakugan, and the world turned black and white. In this vision, she could clearly track the blade's trajectory.

She sidestepped with her right foot, wrapped chakra around her palm, and deflected the blade at an awkward angle. The moon blade ricocheted into a nearby tree trunk, leaving a deep gash.

Hatsumi hadn't just stood still after launching that attack. She shifted her steps, quickly closing in on Chino. By the time Chino deflected the blade, Hatsumi was less than four meters away.

This time, Hatsumi's fingers twitched again, and another moon blade shot out. But as it flew, a few faint lights flickered around Hatsumi. The blade was slightly different from before—its azure glow was stronger, and it left more light particles in its path.

"Light bugs combined with moonlight worms, boosting the moon blade's power." Zi Xu silently evaluated. This was already the prototype of a killing move.

Chino felt a strong sense of crisis. Through the Byakugan, she could see that while the blade's size hadn't changed, the energy within had increased significantly. She couldn't take it head-on.

A trigram-like square appeared beneath Chino's feet, and a "Kun" symbol formed in the blade's flight path.

'Kun Character - Misty Dust,' Chino murmured inwardly. The ground beneath the symbol shifted, and dust rose without wind, kicking up a smokescreen that blocked everyone's view and choked Hatsumi's attack to a halt.

"Cough, cough." Hatsumi, alert to her surroundings, released some small insects to guard against any sudden strikes.

"Rustle rustle rustle rustle" The sound of footsteps came. As the dust was about to clear, Hatsumi's eyes widened, glowing with bright blue light.

"Light path bugs? Bright eyes?" Zi Xu noticed the light in Hatsumi's eyes, unsure which insect she was using, but guessed it was a light path bug.

"Crack~" The sound was odd. The smoke cleared, and Hatsumi struck the "Chino" in front of her with a palm, a kunai in her other hand. If she wanted, she could attack during the stun from the hit.

"Heh, I won. Finally got a win, right? Huh? Why aren't you talking? Shocked? It's okay, there'll be plenty of chances to get stronger..." Seeing Chino silent, Hatsumi thought she'd upset her and quickly tried to console her, not wanting a rift between them.

Chino still didn't speak, standing there dazedly as if truly shaken.

"Don't worry, I'm not that fragile. And next time, remember to stay alert." Chino's voice came from behind her. Hatsumi spun around to see a smiling Chino, whose right eye was no longer its usual gray-black but a sinister, eerie red.

"Red Eye? When did I fall under genjutsu...?" Seeing Chino's red eye, Hatsumi understood the situation. The "Chino" in front of her, who hadn't spoken, revealed its true form—a tree.

"Was it in the dust...?" Hatsumi guessed when she'd been caught in the illusion, but blushed at the thought of lecturing a tree.

"Damn it, I won't lose to you next time." Hatsumi clenched her small fists, half-embarrassed and half-annoyed. Chino nodded; this fight had put pressure on her. Without activating Red Eye, she wasn't sure she'd win. Hatsumi just lacked combat experience.

"Then it's your turn to challenge Zi Xu. I'll be the referee." Hatsumi recalled the scattered insects and pointed at Zi Xu. Among the three, only Zi Xu could reliably beat Chino—though at his request, they hadn't told anyone.

Zi Xu pointed at himself, signaling he was ready. He exchanged a glance with Chino and slowly walked onto the field.