The Art of Seduction

"Not bad, it wasn't in vain that I emphasized it to you so many times." Yi Xiang nodded with satisfaction.

Listening to the two of them talk, Sasuke didn't know how to describe it for a moment. Although what was said didn't seem wrong, wasn't it a bit too sleazy and cautious?

If one were to become a renowned powerhouse in the future, shouldn't one care about the pride of being a strong individual?

If I were to encounter an enemy several times stronger than me, I would rather die in battle than ever think of surrendering... Thinking of this, a sense of inexplicable superiority welled up in Sasuke's heart, and his chin lifted almost imperceptibly.

"By the way, Naruto, have you been developing a new ninjutsu recently?"

Yi Xiang asked, feigning curiosity, while also finding Sasuke's change a bit strange, as he seemed to have an expression suggesting he was the smartest person here.

Does he think what I told Naruto is wrong? So he feels proud because he has more backbone?!

Yi Xiang shook his head, suddenly thinking of a famous figure in Konoha whose end was very regrettable—Hatake Sakumo.

This was Kakashi's father, the renowned White Fang of Konoha, who, in a mission, abandoned an important objective to save his comrades, leading to a decade-long tug-of-war between Konoha and the Cloud Ninja.

Although his actions were motivated by the protection of his comrades, this behavior caused strong dissatisfaction and condemnation from the villagers and ninjas of Konoha, especially the comrades he had saved, who also expressed their dissatisfaction. This caused the worldview of the White Fang of Konoha to collapse, ultimately leading him to commit suicide.

Yi Xiang believed that the White Fang of Konoha was indeed wrong in this mission; some sacrifices are made to avoid greater sacrifices, but everyone makes mistakes, so his greater mistake was not trying to make amends for his error or leaving Konoha directly.

Therefore, in Yi Xiang's view, character and mindset are very important. If there is a ninja who is both strong and sufficiently shameless, it means this ninja has almost no weaknesses in any aspect.

Unless one relies on overwhelming strength or wins through schemes, there is simply no way to deal with them.

"Big Brother Yi Xiang, how... how did you know?"

Strange, I don't think I told Big Brother Yi Xiang, and I only recently went to the bookstore to find inspiration... Naruto replied with some surprise.

It really is... he's not learning good things at such a young age, but for the sake of the system mission, I choose to endure it with you silently.

Sigh, enduring the pain that shouldn't belong to this age, I am also very helpless.

Having found a reasonable excuse for himself, Yi Xiang was suddenly full of motivation and couldn't wait to go, immediately saying:

"Of course, I saw that you stayed in the bookstore for a long time. I wouldn't think you were seriously reading books in the bookstore. Are those magazines good, Naruto?"

"This... originally I was just curious why the uncles who went to the bookstore were laughing sneakily while reading. After reading them, I wanted to create a ninjutsu to bewilder them..."

"Hmm, this idea is not bad. You can already do basic water walking, so why don't we go and see together, and try to see if we can develop this new ninjutsu."

Naruto, who had thought Yi Xiang would not agree to go again, was stunned, because bookstore owners generally do not allow teenagers to look at those magazines, and he could only see them by sneaking around, clearly understanding that this stuff might not be suitable for teenagers to see.

After agreeing to meet at the same time tomorrow, under Sasuke's disapproving gaze, Yi Xiang hurried toward the bookstore with Naruto.

[Ding! Mission Two and Mission Three have been accepted.]

Inside the largest Shueisha Hall in Konoha.

Two figures, one tall and one short, stared intently at the books in their hands. The tall one was naturally Yi Xiang, who had used the Transformation Technique to become the size of an adult with the appearance of a random passerby.

As for Naruto, because he was not proficient enough, he only became a few inches taller than before, and his appearance changed to a face that was seventy or eighty percent similar to Sasuke's.

No wonder that guy Kakashi has to carry a copy of Icha Icha Paradise wherever he goes. The content inside is still explosive even to someone like me who has experienced the information explosion era.

The author of this book really worked hard; this material wasn't found in vain.

Based on the fact that some of the scenes inside were too realistic, Yi Xiang had reason to suspect that Jiraiya was peeking while writing. Just thinking about it makes one admire him.

He is truly the 'Yellow' among the three evils of Konoha—Yellow, Gambling, and Drugs. No one else has this kind of willpower.

The sky gradually darkened, and today's sky was covered by layers of fiery clouds, possessing an indescribable, bewitching brilliance.

Reluctantly closing the first volume of the Icha Icha Paradise series, Yi Xiang seemed to notice the passage of time only then.

At this moment, a series of 'gurgling' sounds suddenly came from Yi Xiang's stomach. Looking at Naruto, who was still browsing intently and gesturing, he immediately spoke up to interrupt:

"Hey, hey, Naruto, it's dinner time now. What about dinner for today?"

"Nani?! Is it already this late? Big Brother Yi Xiang, I'll go back and make it right now."

Naruto wasn't too obsessed; he quickly put down the magazine in his hand, looked around, and hurried toward the direction of Yi Xiang's residence.

Fortunately, this body I'm in is still young. If I were older and didn't have enough willpower, I'd only be able to run to the bathroom to read.

The next afternoon, in the training field.

"Transform!"

A woman with a stout figure, wearing a red dress, but only the size of a child and with a plain appearance, appeared from Naruto's transformation.

"What's going on? It shouldn't be like this! No, let me try again."

"Transform!" "Transform!" "Transform!..."

Naruto, who had transformed several times in a row, looked like a deflated balloon with a distressed expression. There was no need to guess how miserable it was to look at.

"Naruto, haste makes waste. Look at how you are too anxious, causing your chakra to be unstable. The person you transformed into has one shoulder bigger than the other."

Seeing Naruto's miserable state, Yi Xiang hurriedly stepped forward to advise him.

Actually, Naruto was still a bit surprised in his heart, because he discovered that his control over chakra had risen by more than one level.

If it were in the past, he could usually only use the basic Transformation Technique three or four times before his chakra would be exhausted on the spot, and he would be extremely exhausted.

"Tch, boring ninjutsu." Sasuke, who was already able to hang steadily upside down from a tree trunk, couldn't help but sneer.

Hearing that annoying tone, Naruto immediately retorted, "Hey, Sasuke! If you're so capable, why don't you try transforming into one and show me?"

"I wouldn't do something so meaningless. You can transform by yourself; I'm not keeping you company."

Off to the side, Yi Xiang sat in the shade beneath the tree, quietly watching the two of them bicker as they did every day, mostly because his feet were feeling strangely sore today.

Besides, this was only the third day, and he had already grown accustomed to it, as these two perfectly embodied the definition of rivals, always making a fuss over trivial matters and eager to compete for superiority.

After the commotion died down, Sasuke stopped paying attention to Naruto and instead walked over to Yi Xiang, saying:

"I've already mastered tree climbing, so I'm preparing to practice walking on water. As for you, only training for half an hour or an hour a day, your taijutsu and chakra will soon fall behind mine. It won't be long before I challenge you again."

Listening to Sasuke's confident words, Yi Xiang just smiled and said:

"There's no need to push yourself so hard. Looking at your condition... you didn't sleep at all last night, did you? You spent the whole time practicing tree climbing?"

Sasuke didn't confirm or deny it, simply nodding before preparing to leave.

"The best training is to progress step by step; being overly eager for success will only harm yourself. Go back and rest for now, and come to my place at eight tonight for dinner."