The Second High-Quality Talent Bound

Qiushui turned toward Hinata, who was still sitting in her chair, and called to her warmly. "Hinata, come over and eat with us."

He didn't simply hand her a lunch box and let her eat by herself off to the side. First, he had to help her overcome that habit of blushing so hard she nearly fainted whenever she got close to Naruto.

Hinata cautiously made her way over and sat cross-legged beside Qiushui.

Qiushui picked up another lunch box and handed it to her.

Hinata gently opened the lid, then immediately shut her eyes. She'd caught a glimpse of that golden light when Naruto opened his lunch box earlier and had thought she'd imagined it. She hadn't expected it to be real.

How strange... Why is the food glowing? she wondered silently.

But her stomach was already growling, so she didn't think about it any further. She picked up her chopsticks, grabbed a piece of beef, and put it in her mouth.

The next second, the same scene spread out before Hinata: a cloudless blue sky and an endless grassland.

She even saw a cow running happily through the grass nearby. When she looked down, she realized that she had turned into a cow, too.

Hinata jumped in fright, and the illusion vanished in an instant.

She glanced up furtively at Qiushui and Naruto. They were both eating with gusto, showing no sign that anything was amiss, so she didn't ask. Instead, she lowered her head in silence and focused on eating.

She took small bites, but at a rapid pace.

Qiushui and Naruto had only eaten half their food when Hinata's lunch box was already empty.

Noticing this, he picked up another lunch box and handed it to her, saying warmly, "There's more here. Keep eating. Don't be shy."

Hinata's face reddened slightly, and she felt a little embarrassed about accepting it. But the food had been so delicious. It was very spicy and unlike anything she usually ate, but she'd never tasted anything this good in her life, and she was still hungry.

After a moment's hesitation, Hinata accepted it and said softly, "Thank you, Teacher Qiushui."

Naruto wasn't full, either. He was panting from the spice, but his eyes kept drifting toward the last lunch box. The food was spicy, but the more he ate, the more he wanted it. It was like he couldn't stop.

There's only one left. I should leave it for Teacher Qiushui.

But Qiushui simply picked up the lunch box and held it out to him.

"Teacher Qiushui..." Naruto's eyes grew a little misty.

Seeing this, Hinata spoke up. "Teacher, let's share it. I'll give you half."

Naruto quickly nodded along.

Qiushui waved a hand. "You're both growing, so you need to eat more. It won't hurt me to skip a meal."

Hearing this, both of them were even more moved.

They felt that Teacher Qiushui was just too good to them.

A message appeared before Qiushui.

[Hinata Hyuga acknowledges the player. Bind her and add her to the key training program?]

Qiushui paused, surprised that Hinata's favorability had risen so quickly. He didn't hesitate and immediately tapped yes.

[S+ Rank High-Quality Talent, Hinata Hyuga, successfully bound. Current Training Relationship Level: 1]

[Binding Reward Acquired—Byakugan]

The next instant, Qiushui felt a warm current welling up deep in his eyes. His vision changed dramatically. The world before him became a landscape of sharply defined black-and-white lines. He could clearly see the veins in every leaf, and even look past obstacles to see the paths of Hinata and Naruto's meridians, as well as the chakra flowing through their bodies.

A surge of indescribable delight welled up in Qiushui. He hadn't expected to actually obtain the Byakugan.

It really is the Conscience System! Qiushui silently gave the system a thumbs-up.

In high spirits, he saw that the two of them were focused on their meal. He wasn't sure whether his eyes looked any different, so he stood up with his back to them and said calmly, "You two eat first. I'm going to take a look around."

Before either of them could respond, he turned and left.

Qiushui stopped beside a secluded river, took a deep breath, and slowly closed his eyes.

Byakugan, activate.

A moment later, when he opened his eyes again, a faint azure gleam flowed through them.

He crouched down and looked at his reflection in the clear river. The water rippled gently, reflecting his calm eyes. They were still their familiar icy blue, deep and cool, no different from before.

Qiushui breathed a sigh of relief. As long as they hadn't turned into cataract-clouded eyes, that was fine. If someone asked what had happened to them, he really wouldn't know how to explain.

Steadying himself, Qiushui felt a flicker of anticipation as he prepared to test how far his Byakugan could see. He discovered that his vision extended roughly five kilometers.

That meant that in the future, when he went out on missions, as long as he activated the Byakugan, he'd basically be safe from danger—unless he encountered a ninja with exceptionally powerful concealment abilities.

When Qiushui returned to the Training Ground, Naruto and Hinata had finished eating and were crouched by the river, carefully washing their lunch boxes.

Once they'd finished washing up, Qiushui didn't rush into the afternoon training. Instead, he led them on a leisurely walk along the riverbank.

It wasn't good to do strenuous exercise after a meal, so they could use the time to help their food settle.

The three of them walked slowly along the riverbank. A breeze swept over the water, carrying a hint of coolness.

Qiushui felt that this life was truly pleasant, far better than when he'd often had to go out on missions.

Hinata also found it all new and interesting, and kept glancing around.

Naruto had a blade of grass in his mouth and his hands crossed behind his head. He looked completely at ease.

He felt that life couldn't get any better.

Uchiha Sasuke was sitting on a flat rock, holding a seaweed rice ball and eating it one bite at a time, completely absorbed.

His gaze swept past Qiushui and landed on the petite figure behind him. His brows knit slightly, and a trace of confusion flashed in his eyes.

"Why is Hinata Hyuga here?"

The thought flickered through Sasuke's mind, but he quickly looked away, finished his rice ball in a few bites, and leaped down from the rock to continue training on his own.

The walk lasted about fifteen minutes. Qiushui stopped and turned to face the two of them. "This afternoon, we'll start with two hours of running for stamina training."

He paused, then looked at Hinata and asked warmly, "Would you like to train with us?"

Now that Hinata was one of the high-quality talents he'd bound, it would be all the more worthwhile to use this opportunity to get to know her better.

Hinata paused, clearly not expecting him to ask. She lowered her eyes and thought it over, then gently nodded.

I've already come all this way. Staying a little longer... probably won't hurt.

Qiushui then turned to Naruto. "Naruto, just make one Shadow Clone to run with you. You don't need three."

Stamina training was different from studying theory. If Naruto sent out three clones to run at high intensity, his original body would probably collapse on the spot, and he wouldn't be able to continue with the rest of the training.