The Second Bound High-Quality Talent

Qiushui turned his gaze toward Hinata, who was still sitting in her chair, and called out gently, "Hinata, come over and eat with us."

He didn't just hand her a lunchbox to eat alone on the side; he had to help her overcome that habit of blushing until she nearly fainted whenever she got close to Naruto.

Hinata shuffled over cautiously and sat cross-legged beside Qiushui.

Qiushui picked up another lunchbox and handed it to her.

Hinata gently opened the lid and immediately closed her eyes; she had caught a glimpse of that golden light when Naruto opened his box earlier and had thought it was a trick of the light, but she hadn't expected it to be real.

How strange... why is the food glowing? she muttered to herself.

However, her stomach was already growling uncontrollably, so she didn't dwell on it, picked up her chopsticks, and popped a piece of beef into her mouth.

The next second, the same scene unfolded before Hinata's eyes: a sky clear as if washed, and an endless grassland.

She even saw a cow running happily on the grass not far away, and looking down, she realized she had turned into a cow herself.

Hinata was startled, and the hallucination instantly dissipated.

She quietly glanced up at Teacher Qiushui and Naruto, finding that both were eating with great relish and showed no signs of anything unusual, so she didn't ask any more questions, simply lowering her head to focus on devouring her meal.

She didn't take large bites, but she ate at a very fast pace.

By the time Qiushui and Naruto had finished half their meals, the lunchbox in front of her was already empty.

Noticing this detail, he picked up another lunchbox and handed it over, saying gently, "There's more here, keep eating. Don't be shy."

Hinata's face flushed slightly, and she felt a bit embarrassed to decline, but the meal she had just eaten was truly delicious; although it was very spicy and different from the food she usually ate, it was the best thing she had ever tasted in her life, and her stomach was indeed still hungry.

Hinata hesitated for a moment before taking it, saying softly, "Thank you, Teacher Qiushui."

Naruto wasn't full either and was panting from the spice, but his gaze couldn't help but drift toward the last remaining lunchbox; although the food was spicy, he found himself wanting more and more, as if he couldn't stop.

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

Qiushui, however, picked up that very lunchbox and handed it to him.

"Teacher Qiushui..." Naruto's eyes grew slightly warm.

Seeing this, Hinata spoke up, "Teacher, let's eat together. We can share half with you."

Naruto nodded in agreement immediately after.

Qiushui waved his hand and said, "You two are at the age where you're growing, so you need to eat more. It doesn't matter if Teacher skips a meal."

Hearing this, the two felt even more touched.

They only felt that Teacher Qiushui was truly wonderful.

A message popped up in front of Qiushui.

[Detected that Hyuga Hinata recognizes the player in her heart. Bind her and include her in key cultivation?]

Qiushui was slightly stunned; he hadn't expected Hinata's favorability to rise so quickly. Without hesitation, he clicked "Yes."

[S+ grade high-quality talent, Hyuga Hinata successfully bound. Current cultivation relationship level: Level 1]

[Obtained binding reward: Byakugan]

The next instant, Qiushui felt a warm current surge deep within his eyes. Immediately after, his vision underwent a world-shaking change; the world in his eyes turned into clear, black-and-white lines. He could clearly see the veins of every leaf and could even ignore obstacles to see the meridian pathways in Hinata and Naruto's bodies, as well as the flow of chakra within them.

A surge of indescribable joy welled up in Qiushui's heart; he hadn't expected to actually obtain the Byakugan.

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

After checking it out, he felt very pleased. Seeing the two of them with their heads buried in their food, he wasn't sure if his eyes had changed, so he stood up, turned his back to them, and said calmly, "You two keep eating, Teacher is going to walk around nearby."

As his words fell, he didn't wait for their response and turned to leave.

Qiushui walked to a secluded spot by the river, stood still, took a deep breath, and then slowly closed his eyes.

Byakugan, activate.

A moment later, when he opened his eyes again, a faint, azure light swirled within his pupils.

He squatted down and looked at his reflection in the clear river water. The surface rippled slightly, reflecting his calm eyes—they were still that familiar ice-blue, deep and cold, no different from before.

Qiushui breathed a sigh of relief; at least he hadn't developed cataracts. Otherwise, if someone asked what was wrong with his eyes, he really wouldn't know how to explain it.

Qiushui steadied himself, a flicker of anticipation rising in his heart as he prepared to test how many kilometers his Byakugan could see. He discovered that his range of clairvoyance had actually reached about five kilometers.

This meant that in the future, when going out on missions, as long as he kept his Byakugan active, he would basically be safe from life-threatening danger, provided he didn't run into ninjas with extremely powerful stealth abilities.

When Qiushui returned to the training ground, Naruto and Hinata had already finished their meal and were squatting by the river, diligently washing their lunchboxes.

After they finished cleaning up, Qiushui didn't rush to start the afternoon training, but instead took them for a slow stroll along the riverbank.

It wasn't good to exercise vigorously after a meal, so he used this time to help them digest.

The three walked slowly along the riverbank, a gentle breeze brushing over the water and bringing a hint of coolness.

Qiushui felt that this kind of life was truly comfortable, far better than the days when he was constantly going out on missions.

Hyuga Hinata also found it all very fresh, her eyes scanning the surroundings from time to time.

Naruto had a blade of grass in his mouth and his hands crossed behind his head, looking very relaxed.

He felt that life like this was truly blissful.

Uchiha Sasuke sat on a flat rock, holding a seaweed rice ball and eating it with focused, measured bites.

His gaze inadvertently swept past Qiushui, and when he caught sight of that familiar, petite figure, his brows furrowed slightly, a flicker of confusion crossing his eyes.

Why would Hyuga Hinata be here?

The thought flashed through Sasuke's mind, but he quickly withdrew his gaze, finished the rice ball in a few quick bites, leaped down from the rock, and went back to his training without another word.

After walking for about fifteen minutes, Qiushui stopped, turned to face the two of them, and said, "We'll start this afternoon with two hours of physical endurance running."

He paused, his gaze landing on Hinata as he asked gently, "Would you like to train with us?"

Now that Hinata had become a high-quality talent bound to him, he should take this opportunity to get to know her better.

Hinata was slightly startled, clearly not having expected to be asked. She lowered her eyes in thought, and after a moment, gave a soft nod.

Since she had already snuck out, staying a little longer... probably wouldn't hurt.

Qiushui then turned to Naruto and said, "Naruto, just create one Shadow Clone to run with us; you don't need three."

Physical training was not the same as studying theory; if he were to create three clones for such high-intensity running, Naruto's original body would likely collapse on the spot, making it impossible to continue the rest of the training.