You're All Getting a C-Rank Mission

"In books, and... by thinking for myself," Ling Xuan answered vaguely.

Hatake Kakashi did not press further, but he added a new note to his assessment of Ling Xuan: meticulous and watertight. Such a level of intellect appearing in a child was, in itself, a matter worthy of attention.

To Ling Xuan, D-rank missions were merely platforms for observation and testing his theories. The personal time after these missions concluded was the true reason for his rapid growth in strength.

The room in the orphanage had long since become a high-efficiency training factory.

Five Shadow Clones, along with the original body, were simultaneously engaged in deep analysis and training across different fields.

Shadow Clone No. 1 (Theoretical Deduction): Before him floated an extremely complex, three-dimensional array composed of chakra. This was his attempt at reverse-engineering based on the incomplete diagrams of the Flying Thunder God in the Scroll of Seals, combined with all the theories on space-time ninjutsu found in the library.

[Flying Thunder God formula coordinate construction in progress... Spatial marking and chakra frequency anchoring are key... Current theoretical model completeness: 3.7%... Requires more high-level spatial theory data for support...]

Although progress was slow, every deduction deepened his understanding of the concept of space.

Shadow Clone No. 2 (Elemental Fusion): He was no longer practicing the Wind-Flame Spiral, but a more complex attempt. His left hand condensed a highly compressed water sphere, while his right hand flickered with blinding lightning.

"Water and lightning... the combination of conductivity and explosive power... the key lies in how to prevent the lightning-attribute chakra from detonating violently within the water, and instead form a stable, high-energy water current..."

He carefully injected the lightning-attribute chakra into the water sphere.

Pop!

The water sphere instantly exploded, sending electric arcs splattering everywhere, leaving the wall scorched black.

The Shadow Clone dispelled, and the experience and realization of failure returned to the original body instantly. Ling Xuan's original body merely frowned, immediately analyzing the cause of the failure.

[Water-Lightning fusion experiment failed. Reason: Lightning-attribute chakra injection speed was too fast, failing to form effective resonance with the water molecule structure. Optimization plan: Attempt pulse-style injection at a specific frequency and alter the chakra density gradient within the water sphere.]

Shadow Clone No. 3 (Fuinjutsu Practice): He was drawing complex runes on a blank scroll using specialized chakra ink; he was crafting a small storage seal.

Unlike the common storage scrolls on the market, the seal array he was drawing had a more compact structure and higher spatial efficiency.

Through his preliminary analysis of the Uzumaki Clan's sealing arts, he had optimized the energy circuits, allowing a scroll of the same size to store 30% more items while consuming less chakra for sealing and unsealing.

"Done." Ling Xuan placed a kunai in the center of the scroll and performed the seal to store it. The scroll rolled up smoothly, with no energy leakage whatsoever.

Shadow Clone No. 4 (Medical Ninjutsu): On the table before him lay an injured fish caught from the river. A soft green light glowed from his fingertips, carefully covering the fish's wound.

[Chakra control precision training. Objective: Repair damaged muscle tissue and promote cell regeneration. Current control precision: millimeter level. Feedback: Chakra output slightly unstable, leading to over-activation of some healthy cells... Further improvement in mental focus required.]

This was not just about learning medical ninjutsu; it was a refinement of the most delicate and precise chakra control.

Shadow Clone No. 5 (Taijutsu Sparring): He was not practicing any ninjutsu, but was instead engaged in high-intensity taijutsu sparring with Ling Xuan's original body. He was mimicking the exact movements and combat rhythm Hatake Kakashi had displayed during the survival exercise.

Every exchange of blows between the original body and the Shadow Clone was an act of data collection and verification.

[Combat simulation: Sparring against Hatake Kakashi (7.3% data model). Result: In pure taijutsu combat, the original body can find flaws in the model and execute effective counters. Conclusion: This data model has numerous defects but already possesses basic value as a sparring partner.]

As the central hub of all this, Ling Xuan's original body practiced taijutsu while simultaneously processing the massive amount of information sent back by the five Shadow Clones.

His brain was like a six-core supercomputer, elevating himself in every aspect with terrifying efficiency.

Time passed in this cycle of day-to-day D-rank missions and late-night arduous training.

Team 7's coordination also progressed through fits and starts. Naruto and Sasuke still argued, but when facing Ling Xuan, they both shared an unspoken sense of conviction.

Finally, after completing dozens of boring D-rank missions, Naruto could no longer stand it.

That day, in the Hokage's office, he erupted in front of Hiruzen Sarutobi.

"I've had enough! Weeding! Finding cats! Babysitting! These aren't jobs for a ninja! I want to take on real missions! I want to get stronger!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi looked at the furious Naruto with a smile in his eyes. He took a puff from his pipe, slowly exhaling a smoke ring, while his gaze fell upon Ling Xuan, who stood to the side in silence.

It is time, he thought.

"Very well," Hiruzen Sarutobi said. "Since you insist, I will give you a C-rank mission."

"A C-rank mission?" Naruto's eyes lit up.

"That's right." The Third Hokage pulled a request form from a stack of scrolls. "The mission is to escort a client safely back to his country."

He looked toward the door, where a middle-aged man wearing a conical hat, reeking of alcohol and looking utterly dejected, stumbled in.

"What? These snot-nosed brats are supposed to protect me?" The man let out a drunken hiccup, scanned the four members of Team 7 with bleary eyes, and finally said with disdain, "Especially that shortest idiot; he doesn't look reliable at all."

"Who are you calling an idiot? I think you're the biggest idiot, old man!" Naruto was instantly provoked.

"Naruto, calm down," Hatake Kakashi said, holding him back.

Ling Xuan's Eye of Truth had already fully analyzed the man the moment he appeared.

[Target: Tazuna. Occupation: Bridge builder. Nationality: Land of Waves. Physical state: Long-term fatigue and high alcohol content; large amounts of hidden, minute scars in the muscles, marks left by years of using tools.]

[Psychological state: Appears dejected on the surface, but hides immense pressure and an indomitable will within. He is lying; this mission is definitely not just a C-rank.]

The journey to the Land of Waves was long and uneventful.

The team left Konoha and stepped onto the dirt road leading to the outside world.

Naruto was filled with curiosity about everything around him, chasing butterflies one moment and loudly asking Tazuna about the Land of Waves the next, even though the latter always brushed him off with slurred, drunken nonsense.