Peach Blossom Spring

In the living room, which was less than fifty square meters, the girl spoke aloud of an ideal that transcended dimensions and sincerely invited Mo Jingxian to join her.

Was her ideal ridiculous?

No!

Not only was it not ridiculous, Mo Jingxian actually thought she was braver than he was.

People who pursued their dreams seemed to glow.

At that moment, she shone so brightly that he could barely keep his eyes open.

Mo Jingxian set down his food bowl and replied with unprecedented seriousness, "You're right. Everything has to start somewhere."

His gaze passed through the window and stretched into the distance, toward the forest.

"A country." He repeated the concept. "That's too big a goal. I don't mean the ideal is too ambitious. What I mean is..."

He pointed at the girl, then gestured at himself. "Two people, talking about founding a country."

Mo Jingxian picked out three chopsticks and propped them up on the table to form a triangular frame.

Then he gave it a gentle push.

The frame collapsed.

Ayako Hyuuga furrowed her brow. "You mean... my dream is a little unrealistic?"

Mo Jingxian waved his hand. "Dreams have no boundaries, but reality does."

The girl abruptly looked up at him, her gaze full of hope.

"Just like you said, everything has to start somewhere. Why don't we begin with the dream itself?

"You want to have a forest. Shouldn't the first step be... planting the seeds?"

The girl understood. The light in her eyes grew brighter and brighter.

She grabbed Mo Jingxian's hand. "Xian, tell me... what should I do?"

Her hand felt a little cold. For a moment, Mo Jingxian couldn't tell whose hand was cold.

He placed his hand over the back of hers. "No civilization springs up overnight. It takes generations of effort."

At that moment, the two young people's hands were joined tightly by their shared dream.

"First, we have to survive. Then we find more people who share our ideals. The seeds of our ideas will sprout, and their vitality will surpass anything anyone could imagine."

"Mm." Ayako Hyuuga's dream had become clear. She could see a path ahead.

"Thank you, Xian!"

"I should be the one thanking you."

Ever since Mo Jingxian had come to this world, he had struggled just to stay alive, and in the process, he had cast aside many things.

Ayako had awakened the person he used to be. Her dream might have seemed a little hollow, but no one could ignore her courage in pursuing it.

If even a little girl growing up in such a cruel world could bravely seek the light...

Then how could he, someone who had seen the light, resign himself to falling into darkness?

"Let's give it a name, Xian."

"What name?" Mo Jingxian asked, taken aback.

"The organization's name," she said. "We need an organization to find others like us, of course. You come up with a name."

Ayako had a point. So he came up with one.

He thought it over carefully for a while. "How about Peach Blossom Spring?"

He even took the time to tell the girl the story behind Peach Blossom Spring.

Ayako Hyuuga readily agreed. "How beautiful. I hope I can see what the Land of Peach looks like someday."

Well, she'd already thought of a name for their country.

Mo Jingxian found a plank, smoothed it down, and carved the two characters for "Peach Blossom Spring" into it.

Not bad. He hadn't lost his old skills. He nailed the crude plaque to the living room wall.

The cramped room, the plain wooden plaque, and Mo Jingxian and Ayako Hyuuga—

At that moment, the Peach Blossom Spring organization was officially founded, though it looked more like a joke.

But the two of them were serious. They would carve out a small piece of Pure Land in this twisted world.

According to Ayako, now that the organization had been founded, they needed to establish a guiding principle.

Mo Jingxian carved a line of smaller characters beneath the name:

"Treat others as people, and yourself as a person."

Ayako Hyuuga blinked and said sincerely, "That's so well put."

His vanity received a small boost, and he led the girl to sit down.

"Now that we've founded an organization, let's discuss how to develop it."

Ayako Hyuuga gazed at him expectantly, her eyes full of trust.

It wasn't as if he could expect a girl barely into her teens to hold forth at length, especially when she had grown up in an isolated environment.

"There are two directions: survival and seeking others." Mo Jingxian set the tone.

"Survival is easy to understand. We do our best to grow stronger. The road to making our ideal a reality will surely be full of obstacles.

"One person's strength and energy are limited. We need to find more people, all working toward the same ideal.

"The seeds of our ideas will bloom. When there are enough of us, they'll naturally grow into a forest of hope."

"Grow naturally." Ayako Hyuuga nodded solemnly. "I understand."

The fledgling organization called Peach Blossom Spring had only just been founded. It didn't even have a clear framework yet.

But, just as the two of them had said, it had planted a seed of hope, and one day it would bear fruit.

Next, Mo Jingxian turned the conversation to the chakra of the Hyuga Clan.

"Ayako, how much do you know about the nature of the Hyuga Clan's chakra?"

"The nature of chakra?"

"Right."

The girl thought for a moment, then shook her head.

"The clan has only ever taught us Gentle Fist. Maybe it's because I don't have a high enough standing, but no one's ever told me about the nature of chakra."

"That makes sense."

"Did you notice something strange?"

"I did." Seeing the girl's nervous expression, Mo Jingxian smiled. "Don't worry. It's a good thing."

That morning, when Ayako had sent chakra into his body through Gentle Fist, he had noticed that the chakra of the Hyuga Clan was different from that of ordinary ninja.

He explained his discovery to Ayako, then shared his theory with her.

"Chakra permissions, logic, nature." Ayako Hyuuga pondered, unconsciously repeating the words.

"Right. Compared to ordinary chakra, your clan's chakra has higher permissions.

"In terms of chakra logic, it manifests in three ways: suppression, deactivation, and control.

"That's why you can send chakra into an enemy's body with Gentle Fist to seal their chakra and leave them unable to move."

Ayako Hyuuga's little head was trying to process too much information at once. She seemed a little slow to respond.

"It's easy to understand." He offered an example. "Take the Uchiha. Their chakra logic manifests as aggression, which is why their Fire Release and genjutsu are second to none."

The comparison made things much easier to understand. Konoha's two great ninja clans each had a signature strength.

Mo Jingxian was simply explaining it in terms of chakra logic.

It clicked. Those convoluted terms suddenly made sense.

A flicker of understanding appeared in Ayako Hyuuga's eyes. "Then is the chakra logic of the Senju Clan 'life'?"

Mo Jingxian snapped his fingers. "Exactly. You've got it."

He pointed at Ayako. "The fastest way to grow stronger is to make a training plan based on how your chakra logic manifests. You could also think of it as a fighting style."

"Mm. Go on."

"Do you trust me?" he asked first.

Ayako Hyuuga took his hand and placed it against her chest. "I don't trust anyone but you."

Mo Jingxian felt awkward. Inside his body lived the soul of an adult.

The girl in front of him was still far too young. But as for anything else...

No. He couldn't let his thoughts run wild.

He coughed, unobtrusively withdrew his right hand, and returned to the topic at hand.

"Turn around. Let's try an experiment."

The girl obediently did as he asked.

Mo Jingxian pressed his palm against her back. The element gradually passed through her skin and seeped into her chakra.

Slowly.

Using the Principles of Sealing Jutsu, Mo Jingxian left a formula mark inside her, similar to the mark used in the Ice Flood Dragon Seal.

Then he took out a Kunai and inscribed the same formula on it before stepping ten meters away.

"Attack this Kunai with chakra. Oh, and don't forget to activate the formula."

Ayako Hyuuga looked at Mo Jingxian, who was holding up the Kunai. She didn't quite understand, but she chose to trust him.

Eight Trigrams Vacuum Palm. She had only its form, and struck at the Kunai from a distance.

Ayako had never had the chance to learn the Hyuga Clan's advanced Gentle Fist techniques. She was only imitating the basics.

The next moment.

Something strange happened.

Mo Jingxian suddenly moved the Kunai.

The chakra she had released also curved through the air, chasing after the Kunai.

"How did you do that?" Ayako became intrigued.

"It's just a little trick." He put away the Kunai. "It confirmed some of my earlier theories and gave you a path to advancement that suits you better."

"What path?"

"Long-range attacks, to maximize the advantages of your chakra logic."

"Think about it," he said. "You only need to send your chakra into your enemy's body. Does it make any difference whether you use Gentle Fist to do that?"

Ayako thought it over carefully, then nodded in agreement. "There are other benefits, too. My strength can't keep up with your fighting pace right now, so on the battlefield, you still have to split your attention to look after me."

Seeing Mo Jingxian about to object, Ayako waved to stop him. "Let me finish."

He obediently shut his mouth, and Ayako continued. "It would be different with long-range attacks. I wouldn't just be a burden; I could support you too. The increase in our strength wouldn't simply be one plus one equals two."

"There's more," Mo Jingxian added. "You'd also make the most of your Byakugan. Besides long-range sniping, we'd have a much wider range of tactical options."

They high-fived.

"That's what we'll do." Ayako Hyuuga made the final decision.

After a little celebration, they had to face a difficult question.

Mo Jingxian pointed at her forehead. "Take it off. Let me have a look."

Then he waited quietly, giving Ayako time to think.

The girl didn't hesitate at all. She swiftly removed her Forehead Protector.

To be honest, the Caged Bird formula wasn't difficult to look at, but it symbolized control.

For someone whose heart yearned for freedom, it was the wicked hand that clipped her wings.

He placed his palm against the girl's forehead. Ayako blinked twice quickly but didn't flinch.

Her spine was perfectly straight, forming a line from her tailbone to her neck.

When Mo Jingxian's palm came to rest there, Ayako felt its warmth.

Her tense body relaxed a little, and she leaned forward almost imperceptibly.

It didn't take long, less than five minutes.

Mo Jingxian silently withdrew his hand and lowered his head in thought.

"How did it go? It's all right if it didn't work..."

Ayako Hyuuga's voice trailed off.