Hinata froze for a moment and looked up at him. Although she was starving, the rules of the Hyuga Clan were ingrained in her, and she didn't know Qiushui well enough to feel comfortable accepting.
Qiushui had considered giving the last spot to either Hinata or Sakura Haruno.
But Sakura's impression of Naruto was especially poor at this point. Even if he bonded with Sakura, it would be difficult to get her to train with Naruto. After all, he was just an ordinary schoolteacher, not the Team Leader who would be in charge of them after graduation. He didn't have the authority to tell his students what to do.
Besides, Naruto liked Sakura. If he brought the two of them together to train, Naruto might get distracted. Sakura was also lovestruck, spending all her time thinking about how to get Sasuke's attention. And she was a girl whose will wasn't nearly as strong as it would be later on, so she'd have a hard time adapting to Qiushui's exceptionally grueling training plan.
Most importantly, Sakura was just an ordinary civilian. If he bonded with her, there was no telling whether he'd get any worthwhile reward.
When he'd bonded with Naruto, he'd received Otsutsuki blood. The Hyuga Clan were descendants of the Ōtsutsuki Clan, so bonding with Hinata might earn him a reward like the Byakugan.
That was a valuable ability. Although it wasn't as powerful as the Sharingan of the Uchiha Clan, it had tremendous strategic value. Once he had it, as long as he stayed cautious, he'd hardly need to worry about enemy ambushes while out on missions.
Hadn't Ao, an Elite Jonin from Kirigakure, become so effective on the battlefield after obtaining the Byakugan of a member of the Hyuga Main Family?
Whenever he sensed an ambush ahead during a mission, he immediately used the Byakugan to scout. That was the main reason he'd survived.
Besides, Sakura had put all her talent into Medical Ninjutsu and the Strength of a Hundred Technique, and Qiushui knew nothing about either. Even if he bonded with her, teaching her would be a struggle.
Hinata was different. The Hyuga Clan had trained her systematically for nearly four or five years, so she already had a solid foundation. Even though Qiushui wasn't particularly good at Taijutsu, teaching her wouldn't be too difficult.
Hinata was still hesitating. Given her upbringing and personality, she found it hard to accept.
Qiushui knew what she was unsure about. "I made a little too much today. Naruto and I can't possibly finish it all, so just think of it as helping us out. It'd be a shame to waste it."
He gave Hinata an easy way to accept without feeling too burdened.
Her stomach had been protesting the whole time, and going all the way home now felt too embarrassing. Hinata gave a small nod and followed Qiushui toward the training area.
Naruto Uzumaki and his clones were all studying the material in their textbooks with pained expressions. Their heads were spinning, but whenever their attention wandered, one of Qiushui's clones immediately reminded them to focus.
Naruto kept his eyes on the book in front of him, but he was already wondering why Teacher Qiushui hadn't come back yet. He was starving.
He looked up, his face immediately lighting up with a smile, then jumped to his feet and called, "Teacher Qiushui!"
Qiushui raised his hand and dispelled the clone.
The clone vanished in a puff of white smoke, and a flood of memories poured into Qiushui's mind. Everything it had sensed, seen, and said over the past two hours appeared clearly in his consciousness, along with a faint feeling of fatigue.
Qiushui stood still for two seconds as he absorbed the memories. He realized that the Talent Aura worked even through his clone, since Naruto hadn't left his seat and had been sitting there reading the whole time.
Naruto sprang up and hurried over to Qiushui. He clasped his hands together and asked eagerly, "Teacher Qiushui, what did you make?"
After he finished speaking, he noticed someone standing behind Qiushui. He circled around Qiushui, but Hinata had her head lowered, so he didn't recognize her. Pointing at her, he asked, "Teacher Qiushui, who's that?"
Qiushui said, "You don't recognize your classmate Hinata?"
Naruto immediately moved up to Hinata and bent down to look at her from below. Sure enough, she was the girl in his class who often saw him—or went quiet after he said a few words to her.
Hinata instantly felt all her strength leave her. Her face flushed bright red, and she looked as if she were about to collapse.
Qiushui caught her just in time and gently helped her over to a chair.
He opened a bottle of peach-flavored electrolyte water and handed it to her.
Hinata took a small sip, and her hurried breathing gradually settled.
Naruto stood to one side, scratching his head with an awkward, uncertain look.
I didn't even do anything. Why did she faint?
Qiushui took a checkered picnic blanket from his bag, spread it out on the ground, and arranged the lunch boxes he'd brought.
Naruto could hardly hold himself back. He eagerly grabbed the nearest lunch box.
He had just lifted the lid.
In an instant, a dazzling white light burst from the lunch box, making him reflexively shut his eyes.
Then a rich, mouthwatering aroma wafted over and filled his nostrils.
Naruto took a deep breath, an expression of bliss appearing on his face.
He eagerly picked up his chopsticks and placed a tender, juicy piece of beef in his mouth.
At that very moment, Naruto's mind suddenly went blank. The scene before his eyes began to change. The sky was a clear blue, and an endless grassland stretched out before him. Waves of lush green grass swayed in the breeze, and the air was filled with the sweet scent of grass.
Naruto looked down and was shocked to discover that his feet had somehow turned into hooves. He was stunned and tried to cry out, but all that came out was a deep "Moo."
Then he felt himself start running across the vast grassland on all fours, unable to stop himself.
"Hm?" After swallowing the meat, Naruto abruptly came back to his senses. He looked down at his hands and feet, and only after confirming they were back to normal did he let out a sigh of relief.
"Teacher Qiushui!" His eyes widened, and his voice carried a trace of lingering fear. "I just ate beef, and I actually felt like I turned into a cow!"
Although the food was delicious, Naruto was still a little scared. What if he really turned into a cow while eating?
Qiushui smiled at that and explained, "Relax, Naruto. Delicious food always gives you that kind of hallucination. I just experienced it myself."
He'd thought Naruto might not be able to handle food this spicy, but it seemed he was enjoying it.
"Oh, so that's what it is?" Naruto suddenly understood. The best food he'd ever had was Ichiraku Ramen. He'd never seen anything like this before.
Since his teacher sounded so certain, there was obviously nothing to worry about. Naruto relaxed completely and immediately bent over his food, wolfing it down.
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