Tenten blushed at the sight and instinctively tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear, hiding her flustered feelings.
Then she cautiously reached out, her fingertips brushing Lei Dou's palm before darting away as though she had been shocked.
When Lei Dou walked out of the ninja tool shop, he was toying with several unusually shaped shuriken.
Tenten had practically forced them on him before he left.
She called them "a gift to celebrate our first meeting," but their craftsmanship clearly marked them as some of the shop's finest pieces.
She was being so generous that he felt a little embarrassed.
Looks like I'll have to find a chance to give her something in return. Gifts should go both ways.
After putting the special ninja tools into his pouch, Lei Dou quickened his pace and raced toward Ino Yamanaka's home.
He had promised her he would arrive early, but choosing a blade had taken quite a while. He needed to hurry.
What he didn't know was that Tenten had poked her head around an inconspicuous corner of the shop and was gazing dreamily at his receding figure.
"He's monstrously strong, so handsome, and best of all, he's younger than me and hasn't even graduated yet..."
"I really found a hidden gem this time!"
After racing all the way there, Lei Dou finally stood before the Yamanaka Clan's residence.
Inoichi Yamanaka stood at the entrance with his hands behind his back, his appraising gaze settling on the gift bag Lei Dou carried.
His normally stern face froze for a moment. Were kids at the Ninja Academy already this socially savvy?
They even knew to bring gifts when visiting someone's home?
That was actually thanks to an offhand remark Tenten had made earlier. Lei Dou had decided on the spur of the moment to buy some fruit and snacks. After all, it was his first visit, and a little extra courtesy never hurt.
At the sight, Inoichi's tense expression visibly softened.
Although this boy was probably a "pig" looking to steal his precious daughter away, at least he was a polite, well-mannered "pig."
"Lei Dou! You're finally here! Come in, come in!"
Like a cheerful little skylark, Ino darted straight out from behind Inoichi.
She hooked her arm through Lei Dou's, her eyes fixed solely on the boy she liked, leaving her own father completely ignored.
Before going inside, she even turned back to make a face at Inoichi, her eyes full of warning: don't you dare scare my Lei Dou with that sour expression!
Inoichi stood there utterly dismayed, jealousy gnawing at him. She wasn't even married yet, and she was already siding with someone else this completely?
Still, in all fairness, he had to admit that Lei Dou was a fine-looking young man.
With looks that handsome, it was no wonder he had his beauty-obsessed daughter utterly smitten.
"Lei Dou, don't just stand around in the living room. Let's review in my room! Graduation exams are almost here, and theory is a top priority. I need to tutor you properly!"
Using "reviewing" as her excuse, Ino dragged Lei Dou upstairs into her bedroom.
Downstairs, Inoichi's eyelids twitched wildly, and his blood pressure soared.
Straight into her bedroom already?
A boy and a girl alone together, both at an age when hormones ran wild-what if sparks started flying?
Several times, he raised his hand to knock. But when he pressed his ear against the door, he really did hear them discussing the ninja code and chakra theory.
They sounded perfectly serious, as though they truly were studying.
If he barged in and the two children really were working hard, wouldn't that leave him terribly embarrassed as her father?
Inoichi paced back and forth along the hallway with his hands behind his back, then finally stopped at the door, brow furrowed.
Sensory Ninjutsu, activate!
He slowly closed his eyes, his mental energy instantly spreading throughout the room as he tried to detect the chakra flowing inside.
He had only intended to monitor whether the two were crossing any boundaries, but a moment later, his eyes flew open in shock.
What... what on earth is this?
That amount of chakra... is he even human?
You've got to be kidding! There's no way a Ninja Academy student who hasn't even graduated should have chakra fluctuations like these!
Within Inoichi's sensory perception, if an ordinary ninja's chakra was a gently flowing stream, then the chakra inside Lei Dou was a raging, roaring river!
That suffocatingly vast energy flowed endlessly, never running dry. By comparison, his precious daughter's chakra was little more than a droplet beside an immense river.
A once-in-a-generation genius?
As far as he knew, the Shimozuki was only a small clan skilled in swordsmanship, with no inherited secret technique capable of drastically boosting chakra.
The clan had barely a handful of members, and at best, they were only Chunin or Genin.
Only that boy named Shimozuki Hayate stood out a little, having managed to become a Special Jōnin.
But there were exceptions to everything. Had the Shimozuki's ancestors blessed them with a prodigy who had awakened some ancestral gift?
With such terrifying chakra reserves at his age, as long as this boy doesn't die young, he'll become an Elite Jōnin at the very least. He might even reach Kage Level!
At that thought, every trace of his fatherly concern instantly vanished.
It was replaced by satisfaction. Apparently, his daughter had much better taste in men than her mother did.
With a sly smile, Inoichi decided not to be an unwelcome third wheel. Humming a tune, he turned and headed outside for a stroll.
As for what those two youngsters might do in the room...
They're young and hot-blooded. It's only natural to get carried away. If they really end up making a baby, the Yamanaka Clan can simply make them get married!
Inside the room, Lei Dou, unaware that his future father-in-law had already "inspected the goods," was idly flipping through a textbook.
"Lei Dou, are you confident about the upcoming graduation exams?"
Ino rested her chin on her hand and watched him anxiously.
Lei Dou casually closed the book and smiled confidently. "Of course. Piece of cake."
Ino couldn't feel optimistic at all. As she remembered it, Lei Dou's grades had always hovered around the passing mark. Calling him a bottom-of-the-class student wouldn't have been unfair.
Yet that confident expression didn't look like he was merely putting on a brave face.
She bit her lower lip as though making a decision, then clenched her small fists. "Lei Dou, don't be scared. Even... even if you don't become a ninja, that's okay. I'll protect you from now on!"
Protect me?
Lei Dou paused, then looked up straight into Ino's large, watery eyes. They were so close that they could clearly hear each other breathing.
The atmosphere instantly grew intimate.
Lei Dou chuckled and reached out to pat her head. "Silly girl. Don't worry. I'm a completely different person now. Graduating will be easy."
"Really?"
"As real as it gets."
"Then that's good... I definitely won't hold Lei Dou back either."
As she spoke, Ino felt warmth on the back of her hand. At some point, Lei Dou's large hand had covered her delicate one.
She trembled slightly but didn't pull away. Instead, she turned her hand to clasp his.
I've got a chance!
Lei Dou secretly rejoiced, and his courage grew.
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"Then let's keep studying. Oh, didn't you say last time that you had a little dog that could spin a hula hoop? Weren't you going to show me?"
As he spoke, Lei Dou slid his arm along the back of her chair and wrapped it around Ino's slender waist with effortless ease.
With a gentle pull, he drew her soft, warm body to his side.
Ino felt her face burning. Fanning herself with one hand to cool down, she stammered out an excuse. "Th-that dog... wasn't in a good mood today... so it ran away from home... and hasn't come back yet. Next time... next time, I'll let you watch as much as you want!"
"Oh? I see. What a shame."
Though he voiced his disappointment, Lei Dou was delighted inside.
With such a perfect chance to be alone together, who wanted to watch a dog?
Isn't looking at me much more interesting than looking at a dog?
"Oh, Ino, stamina is important for a future ninja. Remember to drink more milk from now on."
Ino blinked in confusion. "Why milk specifically?"
"Because you nourish like with like. What you drink is what you develop."
"Huh?"
The afternoon flew by in that atmosphere of half studying, half flirting. For Lei Dou, it was a rare chance to relax both body and mind.
Even when Lei Dou said goodbye and left, Ino was still standing at the door trying to figure out the milk joke.
"What exactly did Lei Dou mean? What does milk help develop?"
Lei Dou gave a mischievous grin and said mysteriously, "Try reversing the words in 'cow's milk.'"
Without waiting for the innocent girl to catch on, he waved and sauntered away.
Ino stood frozen for a few seconds, muttering, "Milk... cow...?"
Boom!
The instant she understood, her face turned so red it looked ready to bleed.
Flustered and indignant, she looked down at her still somewhat flat chest and muttered, "I'm still growing... They'll definitely get bigger!"
After slamming the door shut, Ino found herself walking to the refrigerator and silently taking out a large carton of whole milk...
After leaving that tender haven, Lei Dou quickly settled his thoughts and returned his focus to growing stronger.
The Great Sage system in his mind seemed to be approaching a critical point in its analysis and optimization of the Water Breathing sword forms.
Back home, Lei Dou took a cold shower to wash away the heat lingering in his body.
He didn't plan to do any intense physical training that night. He still needed to show his face at school tomorrow, so keeping his energy up mattered.
When the clock struck midnight, the long-awaited notification finally sounded.
[Great Sage: Analysis and reconstruction of the Water Breathing Sword Forms complete.] [Skill module updated.]
Lei Dou closed his eyes, and a vast stream of information instantly flooded his mind: entirely new sword moves refined through countless precise calculations.
He pressed two fingers together like a sword and traced a few movements through the air.
This time, it felt exactly right!
From the sixth form to the tenth, they were no longer merely flashy effects. Every move carried genuine killing power.
The sluggish feeling of spending enormous amounts of chakra for little result had completely disappeared.
Yet Lei Dou's brow remained slightly furrowed. He still felt something was missing.
Swordsmanship demanded relentless forward momentum and fierce killing intent. Although the moves were now perfect, they lacked a "soul."
[Great Sage notification: The original Water Breathing was created to slay demons. The enemies the host will face are human ninja. There is a fundamental difference in combat logic.]
Those words snapped him out of his confusion.
Right. Killing demons and killing people were entirely different things.
[Great Sage: Pure theoretical analysis has reached its limit in converting this swordsmanship into killing techniques suited to the Shinobi World.]
"So, if I want to perfect it, I can't just keep working in isolation?"
[Great Sage: Correct.] [Recommendation for the host: Enter actual combat immediately. Use data from real battles to correct deviations. This will significantly shorten analysis time.]
Actual combat experience?
Lei Dou felt a little stumped. It was the middle of the night, and they were living in peacetime. Where could he find a life-or-death battle?
He hadn't even received a forehead protector yet. Taking missions outside the village was nothing but a pipe dream.
[Great Sage: Actual combat need not be a fight to the death. High-intensity sparring can also provide valid data.]
Sparring?
Lei Dou's eyes lit up. Wasn't that telling him to go challenge people?
If he wanted to hone Water Breathing into the strongest swordsmanship in the Shinobi World, he needed a whetstone tough enough for the job.
"In that case, looks like I'll have to make some big headlines tomorrow!"
The next day, after classes ended at the Ninja Academy.
Lei Dou brushed Ino off with a few casual words, then headed alone toward Konoha's Public Training Ground.
"I wonder where my current strength actually falls in this world's power rankings. I should be able to dominate the Genin crowd, right?"
Having trained single-mindedly without any point of comparison, he had only a vague sense of his own standing.
But that did nothing to undermine his confidence.
Today was the perfect opportunity to test the results.
Entering the noisy training ground, Lei Dou swept his sharp gaze quickly over his surroundings.
The place was spacious. At a glance, there had to be at least a hundred people there.
Most were Genin wearing forehead protectors, though he occasionally spotted a few Chunin practicing advanced ninjutsu in the corners.
Just as he was looking for suitable "prey," a rude shout interrupted his thoughts.
"Hey! You, the brat without a forehead protector! This isn't a playground. Get lost!"
"Yeah, are you blind? If our ninjutsu blows you away, don't go crying home to your mommy!"
Lei Dou looked toward the voices and saw several thuggish Genin gathering around him with ill intentions. Clearly, they had mistaken him for an ordinary civilian who had wandered into a restricted area.
Just what he needed, right when he needed it. Hadn't his targets delivered themselves straight to him?
Lei Dou stopped and said with an innocent expression, "I was just passing by after school. Seeing all you ninja training so enthusiastically made me want to watch."
"Watch? You think you're worthy?" The burly man leading them sneered. "Ninja training is confidential. How could a snot-nosed brat like you be allowed to spy on it? Get lost!"
"Fine, I won't watch." Lei Dou shrugged and sighed in disappointment. "Anyway, after looking around, I feel like all you so-called ninja... are pretty weak."
The moment he said that, the previously noisy training ground fell silent.
Even the air seemed to freeze.
Lei Dou was simply telling the truth. In his eyes, their movements were riddled with openings. They really were pathetically weak.
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