Ling Xuan naturally knew nothing about any of this.
His life remained as regimented as ever. During the day, he "listened" to lectures at the Ninja Academy, actually feeding all the knowledge into the Eye of Truth's analysis database.
In the evening, he received special tutoring from Chunin Toma at Training Ground 7.
After receiving the higher-ups' veiled instruction to "continue observing," Chunin Toma devoted himself even more wholeheartedly to teaching Ling Xuan, and paid even greater attention to testing Ling Xuan's limits.
He began teaching him more complicated chakra-control techniques, such as how to maintain the precision of ninjutsu while moving at high speed, and how to rapidly release different low-level elemental ninjutsu in succession to coordinate them.
Ling Xuan still wore a calm, indifferent expression. No matter how tricky a challenge Toma threw at him, he always completed it in a way that was "beyond expectations, yet perfectly reasonable."
This left Toma both astonished and somewhat helpless. He felt as though he wasn't dealing with a student, but with an unfathomable black hole.
Whatever he brought out was swiftly swallowed up and digested.
But late at night, in the orphanage's shabby little room, was when Ling Xuan truly came alive.
He sat cross-legged, his mind intensely focused.
Under the inward gaze of his Eye of Truth, he began carefully guiding the fire- and wind-natured chakra within him, attempting to bring the two into contact and merge them.
"Fire draws strength from the wind, and wind lends power to fire... The basic theory is sound, but in practice, the two chakra natures naturally repel each other. The key is finding a balance—or some kind of catalyst..."
After several nights of experimentation, he finally caught a spark of inspiration.
Puff!
A small ball of orange-red flame rose from his palm, but unlike before, a layer of pale blue airflow swirled around its edges.
As the flame danced, it gave off a faint whooshing sound. It was also slightly hotter than an ordinary flame, and its shape was more compact, as if bound by an invisible wind.
"A preliminary fusion of chakra natures... The Wind-Flame Prototype?"
Ling Xuan murmured to himself. "It's still rough, and the increase in power is limited, but it's a good start."
Subtle changes were taking place not only in his strength, but also in the relationships around him.
The most obvious example was Hinata Hyuga.
Ever since the "accident" during their last taijutsu class, the shy girl who always hid in a corner had looked at him with something different in her eyes.
She still didn't dare speak to Ling Xuan first, but whenever his gaze happened to pass over her,
she would quickly lower her head like a startled little rabbit, though the tips of her ears would turn red.
After school one day, Ling Xuan was walking back to the orphanage alone, thinking about how to further improve his Wind-Flame Prototype.
"Um... that... L-Ling Xuan-kun!" A faint, distinctly trembling voice came from behind him.
Ling Xuan stopped and turned around. Hinata was standing a few meters away, her little face bright red.
Hinata nervously twisted the hem of her clothes in both hands. Her pale eyes were filled with uncertainty and a faint glimmer of courage.
Shino Aburame and Kiba Inuzuka were standing beside her, with little Akamaru perched on Kiba's head.
They seemed to be Hinata's "support squad."
"Did you need something, Hinata?" Ling Xuan asked in an even tone, as if he were speaking to an ordinary passerby asking for directions.
His clear gaze made Hinata even more nervous. She couldn't say a word, and only managed to bring out a lunchbox wrapped in a handkerchief.
Holding it out in both hands, she bowed slightly.
"Th-this is... th-thank you... for the other day..." Her voice grew fainter and fainter, and her head dipped lower and lower.
Ling Xuan looked at the lunchbox, clearly prepared with care, then at Hinata, whose head was almost buried against her chest.
[Target: Hinata Hyuga's thank-you gift (rice-ball lunchbox). Ingredients: rice, seaweed, pickled plum, a little pork floss... Preparation: a little clumsy, but made with heartfelt care...]
[Emotional analysis: gratitude 70%, shyness 25%, admiration 3%... other 2%...]
The Eye of Truth instantly produced a detailed analysis.
He didn't take it immediately, but simply said, "I didn't do anything worth thanking me for, Hinata. You seized the opportunity yourself that day."
He didn't like getting entangled in things for no reason, and he especially didn't want small matters to cause unnecessary misunderstandings or attention.
At his words, Hinata's body trembled slightly. Her hands holding the lunchbox wavered, and her eyes quickly grew misty. She looked utterly crestfallen.
Kiba Inuzuka couldn't stand watching any longer. "Hey! Ling Xuan! Hinata went out of her way to—"
"Kiba!" Shino Aburame cut him off with a low voice.
Behind Shino's sunglasses, his gaze seemed to linger on Ling Xuan for a moment.
Ling Xuan looked at Hinata, who seemed on the verge of tears. He felt no particular emotion, but he wasn't heartless, either.
He was simply used to dealing with problems in the most direct and efficient way.
After a brief pause, Ling Xuan reached out and accepted the lunchbox.
"Since it's a gift from you, I'll accept it. But strength is something you have to earn for yourself, Hinata. Your potential is far greater than this."
With that, he nodded slightly to the three of them, then turned and left without another unnecessary word.
Hinata stared blankly at Ling Xuan's back until he disappeared around the corner.
She didn't quite understand what he had meant by those last words, but he had accepted the lunchbox. That filled her with an indescribable joy, along with a small pang of disappointment.
"He... he still accepted it..." Hinata murmured to herself, her cheeks still burning.
Kiba grumbled beside her. "What was that? That guy's still as cold as ever!"
Shino pushed up his sunglasses and said quietly, "He... is very different. Hinata, your judgment may... be right."
At the same time, a new notice was posted on the Ninja Academy bulletin board, catching every student's attention.
"First-Year Final Comprehensive Skills Assessment... to be held next Monday..."
The notice listed the assessment events in detail: Three Body Technique application, Shuriken throwing, an obstacle course while carrying weights, and a simulated two-person combat exercise.
The first-year students throughout the Ninja Academy grew excited or nervous over the announcement.
An assessment that would test what they had learned—and might also determine how resources were allocated in the future—was just around the corner.
Ling Xuan returned to the orphanage and opened the lunchbox Hinata had given him.
The rice balls were shaped a little crookedly, but they tasted surprisingly good.
As he ate, he thought about the upcoming assessment.
"A comprehensive skills assessment... This is a good opportunity to test the results of my recent training, and also to... reveal a little more of my strength in a reasonable way and attract more attention and resources."
Perhaps it was time to change his long-standing strategy of keeping a low profile, if only a little.
At the same time, he could sense that lately, someone seemed to be watching him from the shadows, their gaze barely perceptible.
It was extremely subtle, but the Eye of Truth was far more sensitive than ordinary people to this kind of observation.
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