Chapter 41

Those unique eyes seemed to inherently involve the mind, perhaps even the soul.

She had seen it in both Uchiha Chisato and Uchiha Mikoto.

Yet Xunjing didn't seem to have awakened that trait.

Dr. Kureha figured he probably wasn't old enough.

With Xunjing's talent, awakening it someday was a sure thing.

"Maybe."

Xunjing paused briefly at that, then nodded casually.

"All right, since you've got it sorted out, stop fussing around with this training. You're making so much noise I can't read in peace!"

After grumbling that, Dr. Kureha turned and went back inside.

Xunjing and Mikoto exchanged a glance, then laughed together.

Xunjing said, "Shall we call it a day?"

"Yeah! I need to go back and think things over too, and try out exactly how Observation Haki works. See you!"

Mikoto answered, then vanished in a flash, returning to the Ninja World.

Xunjing didn't linger either and teleported back right after her.

"You're back? Dinner's ready. Go wash your hands first!"

The moment he walked in, he saw Uchiha Chisato carrying dishes to the table.

Mikoto had already slipped into the kitchen.

"Sure."

Xunjing went back to his room, changed into something more comfortable, and washed his hands before returning to the table to sit down and eat.

"Mikoto told me you both awakened Observation Haki?"

Uchiha Chisato couldn't resist asking.

"Yeah." Xunjing nodded indistinctly around a mouthful of meat.

"Lucky you, getting it at the same time." Jiri smiled. "With Observation Haki, you'll have a much better chance of staying alive."

She paused, then continued, "Keep practicing your Observation Haki. It won't just improve your perception and evasion; it'll benefit your mental strength too."

"Two benefits for the price of one. For now, it seems more practical than our Uchiha Family's Meditation Method."

"But that doesn't mean you should abandon the Meditation Method."

"The Meditation Method and Observation Haki reinforce each other. You can't neglect either one. Understood?"

"Understood!"

Xunjing and Mikoto answered in unison.

This was what Jiri had learned from studying Observation Haki lately.

The Uchiha Pharmacy was due to open the next day.

"You'll need to make more medicine over the next few days. Thanks for putting in the work." Remembering this, Uchiha Chisato added a reminder.

"I know. I've got it covered." Xunjing nodded, then suddenly remembered something. "Oh, right. The Ninja Eagle we captured likes me enough now, so I've already formed a contract with it."

"I left it in the Space-Time Gate Space. If you need it, you can summon it through the space whenever you want."

"It'd be best to add a Summoning Contract too. That'll make it easier to use and less likely to arouse suspicion."

As he spoke, Xunjing granted Jiri and Mikoto the relevant permissions with a thought.

He had captured the Ninja Eagle several days ago.

By feeding it every day to build its affection, Xunjing had finally managed to form a contract.

With its wings fully spread, the Ninja Eagle had a wingspan of fifteen meters. It looked like a small plane.

It had a Jonin-level chakra volume, knew Wind Release, and was incredibly fast.

At full speed, it could break the sound barrier, covering over four hundred meters a second.

It was frightening.

Of course, it couldn't carry too many people if they wanted to ride it at that speed.

Its riders also had to withstand the force and the wind.

They still had a blank Summoning Scroll at home. They could bind it to the Ninja Eagle first, then have everyone sign their names on it later.

Uchiha Chisato nodded. "With this Ninja Eagle, scouting will be much easier."

"From now on, I'll make time to explore every day. Xunjing, just stay home and wait."

"Once I've mapped things out, I'll bring you along."

She simply couldn't rest easy letting Xunjing head out to sea alone.

Warmth filled Xunjing's heart, and he naturally wouldn't reject her kindness. "Okay."

After dinner, Uchiha Chisato immediately dug out a blank Summoning Scroll and took Xunjing and Mikoto into the Space-Time Gate Space. They returned home only after signing the contract with the Ninja Eagle.

Over at the Senju Clan Grounds, Kushina told Uzumaki Mito her idea as soon as she returned: she wanted to send a Shadow Clone to school and study Sealing Arts under the old lady alongside Xunjing.

Uzumaki Mito raised an eyebrow, sounding slightly surprised. "Oh? It looks like our Kushina is getting closer and closer to Xunjing."

"You even want to take lessons together. Don't tell me you've fallen for him?"

At those words, Nawaki, who had slipped home earlier, and Tsunade, who had just walked through the door, both turned to stare at Kushina, their faces brimming with curiosity.

Kushina's cheeks burned, but she stubbornly denied it. "Grandma! It's nothing like that!"

Yet she couldn't help wondering, Is that really what's happening?

She had never thought about it that way before.

At first, she had gotten close to Xunjing because of Mikoto and Uzumaki Mito's instructions.

But somehow, they had grown more and more comfortable with each other.

Whenever she was with Xunjing, she felt completely at ease and relaxed.

Everything that boy said and did always struck just the right chord with her.

Before she knew it, things had become like this.

If Uzumaki Mito hadn't pointed it out, she might have taken a while longer to realize that her feelings for Xunjing had already changed.

It was just that the change had come rather suddenly.

In the end, feelings weren't something anyone could control or predict.

"Really?"

Kushina was still too inexperienced. Even Tsunade could see something was off with her expression, let alone Uzumaki Mito. The old lady smiled and pressed her again.

"No! No!"

Kushina shook her head furiously.

She wouldn't admit it no matter what.

Want to pry into my love life?

Not a chance!

"All right, all right. If you say so."

Seeing that Kushina's red hair was practically about to stand on end, Uzumaki Mito stopped teasing her and replied casually, "Since that's what you want, let him come along."

"Giving him those methods for practicing Sealing Arts is just a way of building goodwill."

"That boy's extraordinary medical talent is worth it."

Over the past few days, Tsunade had praised Xunjing in front of Kushina time and again, talking about his talent and quick understanding.

"Great! I'll tell him the good news tomorrow! Hehe!"

Kushina was so happy she almost jumped.

Tsunade smiled, her eyes curving. "So you're planning to send Shadow Clones to class in your place?"

"Perfect! That means I'll have more time every day to talk medicine with Xunjing! Haha!"

"Why not have him send a Shadow Clone straight to me to study?"

"Yes! That's what we'll do!"

"Why didn't I think of that sooner? I've wasted several whole days!"

The more she thought about it, the more she felt she'd lost out. She simply had to make up for that time.

Uzumaki Mito said nothing.

She was eager for Tsunade to learn more from Xunjing anyway.

That would only make Tsunade's medical skills better and better.

If she ever encountered another case like Mito's, or someone in the clan developed a difficult illness, she would be able to handle it herself without asking an outsider for help.

Early the next morning.

"Xunjing, I asked Grandma, and she agreed!"

"Should we start today or tomorrow?"

As soon as Kushina arrived at school, she excitedly told Xunjing about it.

"Today."

Xunjing answered without a second thought.

He didn't want to spend another second in this lousy school.

"Perfect timing. Minato's learned the Shadow Clone technique too. Let's find somewhere first and settle on a training location."

"We can actually send Shadow Clones to study Sealing Arts too."

"As for our real bodies, I think practicing Taijutsu and conditioning ourselves would be more practical."

"That's something Shadow Clones can't do for us, right?"

"But since today's our first day, we should go see Lady Mito in person and explain things face-to-face, so we don't seem rude."

Xunjing continued with his suggestions.

Having his real body spend huge amounts of time learning Sealing Arts simply wasn't worth it.

Every day was precious to him now.

Every minute and every second could be used to improve himself.

He couldn't waste any of it.

Besides, he had noticed something yesterday evening.

Kushina's affection for him had risen again.

It had shot straight up to 81 points.