"Big brother Yi Xiang, why did you bring that guy along to train?"
"What? Do you hate Sasuke? If so, we can train somewhere else."
Walking about half a step ahead of Naruto, Yi Xiang suddenly turned around, looking as though he was about to head for another training ground.
"Huh?!"
Naruto cried out in surprise, then hurriedly sped up to stop in front of Yi Xiang. He scratched his head and gave an awkward laugh.
"Big brother Yi Xiang, I... didn't mean it like that. I'm worried he'll go too far and won't know when to stop."
Seeing how decisively Yi Xiang had stood up for him, Naruto's reluctance suddenly turned to happiness. He thought to himself,
That guy seems to have always been alone, just like me. But I'm luckier than he is, because I met Big Brother Yi Xiang.
Look at him, still pretending to be difficult with me. Yi Xiang felt rather pleased with himself, but kept his expression neutral as he said,
"Don't worry. I'm the man who easily beat Sasuke and took him on as my underling."
The sun blazed down on the earth, and dazzling light reflected off the ground. The two of them felt as if they were inside an oven.
So, along the way, Yi Xiang and Naruto tried to stick to the shade as much as possible.
When they could finally see their destination in the distance, they were both surprised to spot Sasuke already standing on a branch of a brown tree beside the training ground.
When they got closer, Yi Xiang smiled at Sasuke and spoke first.
"Not bad, Sasuke. Naruto and I were supposed to get here ten minutes early, right? But we're still at least three minutes behind you."
Sasuke jumped down and landed steadily in front of them.
"That's because you two walk too slowly. I'm only a little faster than ordinary people."
Yi Xiang didn't deny that he might have been taking it easy. He started walking in one direction.
"Heh... Good. I like your enthusiasm. Then follow me."
Before long, for some reason, Yi Xiang started moving so fast that Naruto could only see Sasuke far ahead. If Naruto hadn't known the route so well, he would have been left far behind.
Sasuke also began to sense that something was wrong. He could still see Yi Xiang, but the distance between them was gradually growing. Gritting his teeth, he could only rely on his determination and keep speeding up.
Beside a small stream on the outskirts of Konoha, Yi Xiang arrived far ahead of the others. He braced his hands against his thighs and panted hard, sweat pouring from his face like raindrops.
"To... put on a show... I sprinted the whole way... like it was a hundred-meter dash. My lungs... are about to dry up and start smoking."
Yi Xiang poked fun at himself between gasps, but he didn't regret doing it.
Can't a big brother save a little face? Otherwise, how can he expect anyone to respect him?
Nearly a minute later, the sound of footsteps came from the woods.
Yi Xiang, who had been sitting down to rest, immediately stood up. He quickly wiped the remaining sweat from his face with the back of his hand, then looked at his reflection in the stream as he straightened his clothes.
After doggedly chasing them the whole way, Sasuke finally made it through the lush green woods. When he caught sight of Yi Xiang, a hint of surprise flashed in his eyes. He had just started to relax when his legs suddenly gave out, and he dropped onto the ground.
Standing on the surface of the stream and doing chest stretches, Yi Xiang acted as if he had only just noticed Sasuke's arrival. He turned to look at him.
"Not bad. You caught up to me pretty quickly."
Sasuke had wanted to answer, but wisely decided to keep quiet.
After taking a while to recover, Sasuke stood up and looked around in confusion. "Did you come here to practice walking on water?"
"Sasuke, don't forget you're supposed to call me Big Brother. As for why we're here, you're only half right."
Seeing that Sasuke had no patience for him to keep teasing him with hints, Yi Xiang immediately elaborated.
"You're the ones who'll be training. You'll practice tree climbing, and Naruto will practice Water Walking."
"This kind of training helps ninjas improve the efficiency of their chakra extraction. It teaches them to gather the chakra they need in the right places and maintain the necessary amount."
"It's also extremely important for improving a ninja's ability to adapt to complex environments."
Yi Xiang immediately demonstrated tree climbing for Sasuke, just as he had when teaching Naruto.
Once he felt he had recovered enough chakra, Sasuke quickly took out a kunai and began to try.
Just as Yi Xiang had expected, Sasuke managed to take only four quick steps up the tree before turning around and landing on the ground. A small patch of brown bark had broken off.
Footsteps sounded in the woods again. A moment later, Naruto burst out at a run, bringing up the rear.
Looking at Naruto, who had arrived quite a while late, Yi Xiang saw him panting heavily and looking exhausted. He couldn't help saying,
"Naruto, still putting on an act? You knew I was heading this way, so the destination was obvious. You've gone fishing here so many times, after all. You must have started sprinting when you were about fifty or sixty meters away."
Seeing that he couldn't fool Yi Xiang, Naruto stopped pretending. He immediately perked up and gave Yi Xiang a sheepish grin.
"Good, you're just in time. You should have tree climbing completely mastered by now. Show me."
Noticing that Sasuke had only just started practicing nearby, Naruto wasn't about to pass up this rare chance to show off. He immediately went over to a large tree.
Whether by accident or on purpose, it was the tree closest to the one Sasuke was practicing on. Sasuke kept trying, but he secretly glanced at Naruto out of the corner of his eye.
Naruto didn't disappoint Yi Xiang. In fact, Yi Xiang was a little surprised. Naruto walked steadily all the way to the top of the tree upside down, then hung firmly from the trunk.
Seeing this, Sasuke looked surprised too. His expression soon turned focused. If even that dead last can do it, then I can definitely do it too. I just need a little more time.
When Naruto didn't see Sasuke looking especially surprised, he couldn't resist showing off a few more times.
Yi Xiang found the sight amusing and called out, "Naruto, that's enough. I know you've got it down. Now we'll move on to the next stage of training."
Yi Xiang turned and stepped onto the surface of the stream. After demonstrating, he explained, "Water Walking works by using chakra to create repulsion, allowing a ninja to stand on the surface of the water."
"And because the surface of the water is unstable and constantly moving, Water Walking is more challenging than tree climbing."
"So, Naruto, you'll need to spend more time and energy practicing Water Walking. I'm sure you'll get the hang of it soon. I'll come back later to check on you."
With that, Yi Xiang headed into the woods without any intention of staying to train with them.
"Hey, dead last, um... is he always like that? Can he get stronger without training?"
After Yi Xiang entered the woods, Sasuke asked curiously, still puzzled.
"Bastard, call me dead last again and see if I don't knock you flat!"
Naruto glared angrily at Sasuke, then added, "I hardly ever see Big Brother Yi Xiang train, but he's really strong. I get beaten by his Fire Release Ninjutsu every time."
Meanwhile, Yi Xiang continued at an easy pace until he finally found the source of the sound he'd heard on the way here. That familiar voice grew clearer as he drew closer.
Before you continue