Fivefold Critical Hit

In a great mood, Qiushui smiled at Hinata. "Being able to eat is a blessing. Don't deliberately hold back your appetite from now on. Eat as much as you like."

The more Hinata and Naruto ate, the happier he was. It meant they could handle more intense training, and they would grow stronger from it faster than ordinary people.

In the ninja world, physical energy was the foundation for refining chakra. A large appetite meant taking in more energy. Through special metabolic processes, such as the Akimichi Clan's secret techniques, that energy could be converted into greater physical stamina, allowing them to refine more chakra.

In addition, frequent large-scale battles rapidly drained stamina and chakra. Ninjas with big appetites usually had more staying power and were less likely to collapse in battle from running out of energy.

Hinata had still felt a little embarrassed, but after hearing Teacher Qiushui's words, she finally felt at ease.

Thinking that she would be able to eat at Teacher Qiushui's place without deliberately eating less because of rules, as she had at home, a wave of happiness welled up inside her.

[You gave Hyuga Hinata, a high-quality talent with a Level 1 relationship, one serving of a luxurious lunch (homemade)]

[Hyuga Hinata, a high-quality talent, was deeply moved, triggering a fivefold critical hit]

[Reward received—Wind Style: Gale Palm (Max Level)]

Qiushui paused in surprise.

He had indeed obtained the Wind Style: Gale Palm technique before, but that time he had only received beginner-level proficiency—barely enough to get started.

This time, the system had given him max-level proficiency.

In the next instant, a vast amount of knowledge flooded his mind. Qiushui felt as though he had already fought with this technique tens of thousands of times. Every variation became crystal clear: different angles, different force, different ways of releasing chakra.

He knew exactly how to bring his hands together and gather chakra into a fierce gale, using it either to propel himself into a jump or to form a shock wave and blast an enemy. He even knew how to subtly adjust his palms during the technique's release, turning a straight blast of wind pressure into a sweeping fan of force.

Over the next few days, training continued in the same way.

During that time, Qiushui used his talent-gifting ability to give the two of them all kinds of things each day. Perhaps because none of the gifts met their true needs, the rewards he got back were usually Kunai, 10 chakra points, and other little things. What left him even more speechless was that on the third day, he gave Naruto two sets of tracksuits and got one pair of black stockings and one pair of white stockings in return.

Ino Yamanaka rushed into the classroom.

She hurried into the classroom.

She leaned against the doorframe and caught her breath, quickly scanning the room.

Thank goodness. Sakura Haruno hadn't arrived yet.

Her face instantly lit up with a sweet smile, and she walked briskly over to Uchiha Sasuke's desk.

She took a deep breath and bent forward slightly, then pulled a carefully wrapped rice ball from her bag and held it out to Sasuke. Her voice turned soft and gentle. "Sasuke-kun, I made this plum rice ball this morning. It's really delicious. Would you like to try some?"

Uchiha Sasuke held his signature pose, elbows on the desk and fingers interlaced beneath his chin. Gazing out the window, he responded coolly, "I don't need it."

Ino's smile froze for a moment, but she quickly recovered. She took back the rice ball and said, "Oh, okay."

She wasn't all that upset.

It wasn't the first time, after all.

Sasuke-kun had always been like this.

She was used to it.

A flurry of hurried footsteps sounded at the classroom door.

Sakura Haruno dashed into the classroom, panting, a fine sheen of sweat on her forehead. That morning, her parents had kept urging her to eat more—"Just one more bite. Look how thin you are"—and had made her sit at the table for an extra ten minutes. As a result, she'd left late.

When she passed Ino's house, she'd noticed Ino wasn't there.

A sense of foreboding immediately welled up inside Sakura.

Without a word, she took off and raced to school.

The moment she rushed into the classroom, she spotted Ino sitting beside Sasuke—and the plum rice ball still in her hand.

"Ino the Pig!" Sakura strode over, anger in her voice. "How dare you sneak something to Sasuke-kun while I'm not here?"

Ino looked up at Sakura, who was panting hard, and her lips curled into a smug smile. She leisurely set the rice ball on the desk, her tone full of provocation. "Big Forehead, what do you mean, 'while you're not here'? You're the one who came late. And Sasuke-kun isn't yours."

Her words hit Sakura right where it hurt.

Sakura gritted her teeth, wanting to argue, but for a moment she didn't know what to say. Ino was speaking the truth: Sasuke wasn't hers. But she couldn't just admit defeat.

She took a deep breath, tamping down her irritation, and pulled another rice ball from her bag. A cherry blossom had been cut out of seaweed and placed on top. She'd made the Cherry Blossom Rice Ball especially that morning.

Sakura walked over to Sasuke's desk and held out the rice ball, her voice turning sweet and soft. "Sasuke-kun, I made this cherry blossom rice ball this morning. Here, you can have it."

As she spoke, she glanced at Ino out of the corner of her eye, secretly pleased.

Sasuke hadn't taken Ino's rice ball. If he accepted hers—

Then she'd win.

Uchiha Sasuke stayed in the same pose and said coolly, "I don't need it."

This time, Sakura's smile froze.

She stared blankly, then took back the rice ball and said quietly, "Oh, okay."

She put it back in her bag. She wasn't all that upset, either.

It wasn't the first time, after all.

Sasuke-kun had always been like this.

She was used to it, too.

Ino glanced at Sakura. She hadn't succeeded, but seeing that Sakura hadn't succeeded either made her smile happily.

Sakura glanced at Ino as well. She hadn't succeeded either, but for some reason, she felt like she'd lost ground.

They both huffed and turned away.

"Class is about to start. What are you two standing there for? Go back to your seats."

Qiushui's gentle voice reached them. Only then did they realize that class had already begun. They had been so caught up in their rivalry that they hadn't even noticed when he came in.

Ino and Sakura both froze. They exchanged a glance, then hurried back to their seats and sat down obediently.

After two days without class, they'd found themselves missing Teacher Qiushui's lessons a little.

No—not just the two of them.

Every student in the class felt the same way.

Qiushui walked up to the front of the classroom and looked around. The students' eyes were filled with anticipation. He could tell it wasn't an act; they genuinely felt that way.

He felt relieved. After all, earning every student's approval of his teaching style was one of the most gratifying things for a teacher.

Qiushui took out the textbook and began the lesson.

He didn't let the students down,