Class

It was still uncertain whether Qiancao could become the Shinobi World's savior, but for now, he was indeed the savior of the three girls.

With little chakra left, Senju Arashi had forced herself to perform a large-scale Earth Release technique.

Thanks to the Senju Clan's formidable physical constitution, Senju Arashi hadn't died on the spot from exhausting her chakra. But every bit of energy in her cells had been pushed to its limit. She could barely move anything except her mouth.

The Neurotoxin in Uchiha Hiri's system was even more potent. She had thrown up most of it when she first woke, but a little remained in her body, leaving her too weak to move. She would have to wait for a ninja from the Aburame Clan to bring an antidote before she could recover completely.

The terrible wounds on Wuming's body had healed, but the dizziness brought on by her heavy blood loss wouldn't go away. There was nothing in the deep ravine that could quickly replenish her blood, so she could only wait for her body to recover on its own.

That left Qiancao, the only one who could walk, with the responsibility of looking after the three girls.

Ninjas often slept rough and ate whatever they could find, so in theory they shouldn't have been too fussy about such things.

But Senju Arashi was the young lady of the Senju Clan, while Uchiha Hiri was a researcher who rarely went to the front lines. This was the first time either of them had found herself unable to care for herself.

The two could only reassure themselves that Qiancao was still just a child, then accept his help.

Qiancao's body might currently be that of a child, but his soul belonged to a mature college student. He hadn't missed out on the education he was supposed to receive.

When Senju Arashi and Hiri noticed his reaction, they grew bolder instead. Their teasing looks made Qiancao flee in embarrassment.

Watching him run off, Hiri laughed and said to Senju Arashi, "He really is just a child." Perhaps she was only saying that to hide her own embarrassment.

Senju Arashi was in high spirits, too. She had once imagined that if she fell into the hands of some wicked Uchiha brat, she might as well take her own life. But when the day finally came, she had instead met someone who understood her.

In the past, when she shared her ideas about peace with friends, relatives, and the elders of her clan, they all laughed and agreed with her. But Senju Arashi could tell they didn't take her ideas seriously.

She hadn't expected this naive boy to agree with her so sincerely, as if he had actually seen an era of peace with his own eyes.

On top of that, the boy was quite handsome and just her type. He had awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan at such a young age, too, so he was likely to become powerful.

It's not as if I couldn't give him a little reward, Senju Arashi thought boldly as she joined in Hiri's laughter. I could even bring him back to the Senju Clan and raise him to be my husband.

Of the four, Wuming was the only one who had no clear awareness of the differences between men and women. Having been locked away since childhood, she had no idea what Arashi and Hiri were laughing about.

After fleeing from the two women, Qiancao carried Wuming to another secluded spot and said, "You should take care of your business too. Don't hold it in and make yourself sick."

Wuming's clothes had been torn open, so she had changed into Qiancao's.

Wuming tried to manage on her own while sitting on the grass. Just as she was about to stand, a wave of dizziness hit her.

After trying several times and failing to get up, she turned to Qiancao and pleaded, "I can't do it by myself. Come help me."

At first, Qiancao wanted to refuse. Wuming didn't understand the differences between men and women yet, and helping her like this would make him feel as though he were taking advantage of someone who didn't know any better.

But then he thought that desperate times called for desperate measures. He had no choice. It was all for Wuming—what did it matter if she misunderstood him?

So Qiancao helped Wuming and supported her through the whole process.

He didn't see anything, but the two of them were close, and this time Qiancao didn't force himself to suppress his reactions as he had before.

When they were done, Qiancao bent down to straighten Wuming's clothes. Just as he was about to discreetly hide his own reaction, Wuming quickly turned around.

"W-why are you looking at me?" Qiancao asked, uncomfortable beneath her clear, curious gaze.

"Why aren't you the same as me?" Wuming asked.

He thought it over. They couldn't keep putting this off, so he carried Wuming to an even more secluded place and gave her a lesson in human biology. He explained the differences between men and women, what it meant to take advantage of someone, and how people came together to create new life.

After listening to his lesson, the first thing the formerly clueless Wuming asked was, "Let me see your body."

Qiancao awkwardly refused. "There's no need for that."

Wuming looked annoyed. "You saw me in the cell. I want to see you too!"

Qiancao hurriedly waved his hands and explained, "I've always behaved myself. I never took advantage of you."

"I don't believe you." Wuming insisted on seeing, even struggling to lunge at him despite her dizziness.

Seeing her sway, Qiancao worried she might fall and quickly went to steady her. Half giving in, he said, "All right, all right. I'll show you."

Trembling, Qiancao adjusted his clothes.

After everything that had happened, Qiancao was exhausted, and sweat had begun to bead on his forehead.

Simply looking wasn't enough for Wuming. Half reclining in Qiancao's arms, she wiped the sweat from his brow.

Seeing Qiancao relax made Wuming feel content, too. Before this, she hadn't understood how men and women were supposed to get along. But watching Qiancao flirt with Senju Arashi and Hiri had made her feel a little uncomfortable.

She wanted Qiancao to be physically close to her more often. She didn't understand where the urge came from, but now that she and Qiancao were close friends again, the little jealousy in her heart faded away, and she couldn't help feeling happy.

When the two returned to the campsite, the other two women had already resumed their training, as if they knew nothing about what had happened.