"Why are you standing there staring? Look at me."
Cangyue swept his gaze over the frozen crowd, turned his wrist, and planted the Flame Sword in the Riverbank.
The blade sank into the ground.
He leaned back against it, folded his arms across his chest, and rested his shoulder against the hilt, a faint smile tugging at his lips.
Rain soaked his black hair, white mist rose around the Flame Sword, and arcs of electricity danced across the Thunder Sword.
At that moment, Cangyue truly looked imposing.
Unfortunately, it lasted less than three breaths.
As his weight pressed against it, the Flame Sword suddenly sank deeper into the wet mud.
Cangyue dropped a little along with it.
Without changing his expression, he quietly straightened his back and propped himself up again.
The awe in everyone's eyes instantly collapsed.
Ino raised a hand to cover her face.
For a moment, she had actually fallen under the illusion that this guy might be a peerless swordsman.
Now it seemed he was still the same old Cangyue after all.
"Can't you look cool for more than three seconds?"
Kiba burst out laughing.
Akamaru, perched on his head, barked twice at Cangyue too.
The corner of Sakura's mouth twitched.
"You looked so imposing when you weren't doing anything. Why did you have to strike that pose?"
Shikamaru couldn't even be bothered to comment.
This guy had a strange talent.
He could create an utterly unbelievable spectacle, then single-handedly shatter the mood with one move.
Sasuke folded his arms and snorted.
The gravity he had briefly felt had faded considerably thanks to Cangyue's little lean.
Only Naruto reacted completely differently.
He stared at Cangyue with shining eyes, as though he hadn't even noticed the sword sinking into the ground.
Falling asleep in the rain.
Waking up with vastly improved swordsmanship.
Swinging a sword to part a torrential downpour.
Then folding his arms and leaning against his sword.
Every move perfectly matched Naruto's image of a powerful warrior.
"So cool!"
Naruto rushed up to Cangyue in two strides, nearly stepping into the white mist rising from the Flame Sword.
"Cangyue, what was that move called?"
"Did you really master sword intent in a dream?"
"Can I learn it?"
Naruto fired off three questions in one breath.
The smile on Cangyue's face didn't change in the slightest.
Inside, however, he was already falling apart.
Oh, boy...
How am I supposed to teach this?
The whole idea of training in dreams was something he had made up on the spot.
His improved swordsmanship had come from the system.
Was he supposed to tell Naruto to lie down somewhere and wait for a system to upgrade him in his sleep?
Cangyue looked at Naruto's expectant face and fell briefly silent.
Refusing outright would certainly be the easiest option.
But he had just announced to everyone that he trained in his dreams. Turning around and telling Naruto that this method couldn't be passed on would look far too contrived.
Besides, the Nine-Tails was hidden inside Naruto.
That huge haul of valor points had already proven the Nine-Tails' value as a spectator.
If he could use teaching Naruto as an opportunity to provoke the Nine-Tails a few more times...
The hesitation in Cangyue's eyes quickly vanished.
If he didn't have a teaching method, he could figure one out back home.
If he didn't have a suitable ninjutsu, he could look for one in the system.
For now, he just needed to keep Naruto on the hook.
Cangyue straightened up from the Flame Sword and resumed his inscrutable expression.
Rather than answering immediately, he placed a hand on Naruto's shoulder and pushed him half a step back.
Naruto immediately quieted down.
"When training in dreams, your state of mind matters most."
Cangyue swept his hand past Naruto's forehead, then lightly tapped the space between his brows with two fingers.
"Come see me at midnight tonight."
"When the time comes, I will teach you."
Naruto's eyes flew wide open.
"Really?"
Cangyue nodded slowly.
"This opportunity comes only once."
Naruto immediately stood straight, his expression more serious than ever.
"I'll be there on time!"
Kiba watched the wildly excited Naruto with a complicated expression.
"He actually believes him?"
Sakura folded her arms and sighed.
"Only Naruto would."
Shikamaru glanced at Cangyue.
Of course he didn't believe sleeping could make someone stronger.
Yet he couldn't explain the change Cangyue had just undergone.
By the end of their spar, Cangyue's swordsmanship had already been impressive, but he had relied more on the special powers of the Flame and Thunder Swords themselves.
After getting up from the rain, however, his movements had clearly changed.
Those clean, decisive sword movements and the keen aura that parted the curtain of rain were not something a simple performance could fake.
But to say all of that had really come from sleeping...
It was absurd.
A more reasonable explanation was that Cangyue had already touched upon some new realm of swordsmanship, and lying in the rain had merely allowed him to sort through what he had learned from the fight.
This so-called dream training was just something he had deliberately said to fool people.
Sasuke had evidently reached a similar conclusion.
"All smoke and mirrors."
He left them with those words and turned toward the tent.
Getting stronger by sleeping?
That was impossible.
Cangyue must have achieved a breakthrough during their fight. He simply didn't want to reveal his real training method, so he was using these supposed dreams as a cover.
Even so, Sasuke's hands quietly tightened.
Because Cangyue really had grown stronger through their fight.
They had taken part in the same spar, yet while he was still reflecting on why he had lost, his opponent had already used it to achieve a breakthrough.
That gap stung more than simply losing a match.
"Midnight tonight..."
Might Guy rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
Beside him, a fire rekindled in Rock Lee's eyes.
"Guy-sensei, can we really put our sleeping hours to use too?"
"Lee, never dismiss any form of training lightly!"
Might Guy clenched his fist.
"We all saw Cangyue's transformation with our own eyes."
"Although there must be principles behind it that we have yet to understand, youth means having the courage to challenge the unknown!"
Rock Lee nodded firmly.
"Yes!"
"Starting tonight, I'll try throwing a thousand punches in my dreams too!"
"No, Lee!"
Might Guy raised a hand and pressed it against his shoulder.
"If you attempt it recklessly without mastering the proper method, it will only turn into ordinary sleep!"
Rock Lee went pale.
"That was close!"
Master and student exchanged a glance, then looked at Naruto together.
Naruto suddenly felt a chill down his back.
He wrapped his arms around himself warily.
"What do you want?"
"Naruto!"
Might Guy gave him a thumbs-up.
"Tomorrow morning, please be sure to tell us what training in your dreams felt like!"
"No problem!"
Naruto agreed without hesitation.
"Once I learn it, I'm going to become Konoha's number one dream cultivator!"
[Valor points +12]
The notification flashed before his eyes.
The inscrutable look on Cangyue's face became even steadier.
Good.
I haven't even worked out the method yet, and Naruto has already come up with a title for himself.
The remaining question was what, exactly, he should teach tonight.
"Enough!"
Iruka's exasperated voice came from beside them.
He held the packed picnic supplies, a vein faintly throbbing on his forehead.
"How much longer are you planning to stand out in the rain?"
"Everyone, hurry home!"
"If anyone catches a cold tomorrow, I'll make him run fifty laps around the Ninja Academy!"
Only then did everyone come back to their senses.
The rain parted by Cangyue's sword intent had long since begun falling again.
Their clothes hadn't dried in the first place. If they stayed out much longer, they really might all get sick.
Kiba tucked Akamaru inside his clothes and hoisted the bundled picnic blanket onto his shoulder.
Choji protected the leftover grilled meat, moving faster than anyone else.
Sakura and Ino worked together to pack up the tableware, while Sasuke picked up his soaked jacket and headed toward the woods first.
Might Guy and Rock Lee volunteered to carry the wooden tent poles.
Everyone soon finished packing and scattered in different directions.
Naruto walked a few steps, then suddenly doubled back.
"Cangyue!"
He stood in the rain and waved hard.
"I'll definitely be there at midnight tonight!"
"You'd better not fall asleep first!"
Cangyue pulled out the Flame Sword and shook the muddy water off its blade.
"I'll wait for you."
Only after hearing his answer did Naruto grin and turn to catch up with Iruka.
Cangyue stayed where he was, watching that orange figure disappear into the woods.
Only when his surroundings had fallen completely silent did the composure on his face gradually fade.
I got careless.
He had been so focused on pocketing valor points that he had forgotten every bold claim would eventually come at a price.
There were still a few hours until midnight.
He had to use that time to turn "training in dreams" from a load of nonsense into a teaching method that at least looked plausible.
Cangyue sheathed his twin swords, turned, and headed home.
Back at his place, he opened the system panel immediately, without even changing out of his wet clothes.
After upgrading his swordsmanship, he had few Valor Points left to spend.
[Total Valor Points earned: 696] [Currently available Valor Points: 241]
Naruto had learned ordinary chakra refinement at school.
Taijutsu and ninja tool throwing were no good for passing off as training in dreams, either.
As for swordsmanship...
Cangyue pictured Naruto waving a Kunai around in his sleep and promptly abandoned the idea.
That wasn't training.
That was murdering whoever slept beside him.
He quickly scrolled through the shop list.
Perception, genjutsu, mental abilities, chakra control...
A host of abilities flashed before his eyes.
Suddenly, Cangyue stopped scrolling.
An ability he had never paid attention to appeared in the middle of the list.
It had no offensive power and couldn't directly increase his strength.
But it could guide another person's consciousness deep into their inner world, allowing them to sense the flow of their own chakra.
If the target had an independent mental space within them, there was even a chance of establishing a brief connection.
Cangyue stared at the ability for several moments, then thought of the Nine-Tails hidden inside Naruto.
The corners of his mouth slowly lifted.
Who said training in dreams had to mean practicing swordsmanship in a dream?
As long as Naruto really saw something he couldn't normally see after falling asleep...
Then this boast wouldn't fall apart.
Before you continue