The next day, Itō Yuying was woken by knocking. He climbed out of bed, bleary-eyed, walked to the door, and opened it. Looking up, he found his grandfather, his only relative.
Yiteng Yue came inside, surveyed the messy room, and said, "Yuying! Why don't you come back and live with Grandpa?" Itō Yuying immediately replied, "No need, Grandpa. I'm doing just fine here."
"I'm already five, and I'll be starting school next year. I need to work hard on training my body now so I can become a great ninja and give you a good life." After being fed this dose of hollow inspirational talk, Yiteng Yue said, "Oh, I see."
"All right, then! Remember to come home often. Even if it's just to help Grandpa wash the chopsticks and dishes... Old folks don't ask their children to..." "All right, all right, Grandpa, stop singing. I'll definitely come see you when I have time and wash your chopsticks and dishes." "Hehe... I couldn't bear to make my precious grandson wash dishes for an old man like me."
"Well... um..." Yiteng Yue hemmed and hawed. "You know Grandpa has been single for so long."
"Well... um... I just... wanted to find a companion to talk to. Ahem... you understand..."
Looking at his grandfather's flushed cheeks, which made him look like a boy experiencing his first stirrings of love, Itō Yuying held back his laughter until his face turned red. "S-sure! Which old lady have you taken a liking to?"
Yiteng Yue blushed even harder and covered his face with both hands. "It's... it's Granny Aoi from the Understand Love Music House."
Itō Yuying thought for a moment. "Oh... the one who was a beautiful songstress when she was young? I've heard you mention her often." Yiteng Yue nodded bashfully. "She said she wanted to settle down with an honest man."
Itō Yuying couldn't hold back any longer and burst out laughing. "As long as you're happy. I approve." Seeing his grandson's approval, Yiteng Yue was delighted too. All the love he'd given this grandson hadn't been wasted.
Yiteng Yue added, "Your Granny Aoi said she would only agree to be with me if you approved."
"I approve," Itō Yuying said.
"Good, good, good! My precious grandson, find some time for us to have a meal together so your Granny Aoi can put her mind at ease." Itō Yuying said, "No problem. Let's go tonight." "All right," Yiteng Yue said, then turned and left, saying as he walked, "I'd better hurry and tell your Granny Aoi so she can be happy too." In less than two seconds, he had vanished from Itō Yuying's sight.
Could Grandpa be a ninja too? Judging by those nimble steps, he should have no trouble giving me another great-uncle. Then he shook his head and left the house.
Itō Yuying happily headed toward his training ground. As he neared the edge of the forest, he sensed something was wrong. Why was someone training in the training ground he had cleared? What is this, a rebellion? I've only been away a few days, and someone's already stolen my territory! In broad daylight, no less! Take your hands off that wooden post and let me at it! Itō Yuying quickly ran over.
Seeing him approach, the other person stopped and asked, "Who are you?" Who am I? Itō Yuying nearly ground his teeth to pieces. You took over my territory, touched my wooden post, pulled my rocks, and now you're asking who I am? That wooden post isn't pure anymore! Itō Yuying shouted, "I'm the owner here! You shameless brat, get lost!" The other person didn't get angry. Instead, he bowed and apologized. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to. Three days ago, I saw no one here and thought it didn't belong to anyone, so I came here to train. I'm very sorry. I'll leave right away."
Seeing how readily he admitted his mistake, Itō Yuying's anger subsided considerably, and he no longer cared whether the wooden post was still pure. "What's your name?" he asked. "Might Duy," said the child, who was the same age as him. The reason Itō Yuying had spoken to him so arrogantly was precisely because they were the same age. If it had been someone older, he would have chickened out.
Might Duy? Itō Yuying froze. Isn't he Might Guy's dad? On closer inspection, he really did look quite like Guy. Itō Yuying's eyes shifted, and he smiled. "It's fine. Don't worry about it. How about this? You can train here too. That wooden post and those rocks are yours." "R-really? I'm so touched! Thank you! This is youth!" Tears streaming from his eyes, Might Guy shouted at the top of his lungs about youth.
Speechless, Itō Yuying walked aside and began practicing the Flight Technique. He stood still, focusing his mind and gathering the energy within his body. Might Duy watched him standing motionless with a puzzled expression, then went off to lift the wooden post, occasionally glancing over at Itō Yuying.
By noon, Might Duy had gone home to eat, while Itō Yuying remained rooted to the spot, gathering his body's energy. I've gathered the energy, but how do I fly? Time ticked by.
He was still standing there. He distributed the energy evenly throughout his body, relaxing himself completely, then directed a little of the excess energy toward the soles of his feet, gradually increasing the amount. His body slowly rose off the ground. "I've got it! I've got it!" Itō Yuying shouted excitedly. "Got what?" Might Duy asked in puzzlement. When he turned and saw Itō Yuying floating three meters off the ground, his eyes widened instantly, nearly popping out of their sockets. "Y-Yu-Yuying, how are you flying?"
Might Duy spoke with a look of utter shock. Seeing his shocked gaze, Itō Yuying smugly raised his face toward the sky at a forty-five-degree angle, presenting Might Duy with a handsome profile. "This is a technique I developed myself. It's called the Flight Technique," Itō Yuying said, smoothing his hair in a showy gesture. Catching Might Duy's admiring, excited gaze out of the corner of his eye made him even smugger.
Just as he was about to sing about how lonely it was to be invincible, he lost control and fell out of the sky. He cried out repeatedly in pain. Might Duy rushed over, his eyes sparkling nonstop with stars. He didn't know where to put his hands; he wanted to help Itō Yuying up but didn't dare, leaving him at a loss.
Itō Yuying held out his hand and let Might Duy pull him up. "Duy, can you keep this secret for me?" he asked. Might Duy replied solemnly, "No problem." "Thank you, Duy." Might Duy scratched his head and grinned foolishly, revealing gleaming white teeth. The two chatted for a while before going their separate ways.
Once home, Itō Yuying began summarizing the essential points and experience he had gained with the Flight Technique. First, relax the body and draw out the energy within. Then distribute that energy evenly among every cell in the body, including the hair and eyebrows. When the body's energy began to repel the surrounding air, that proved the energy had been distributed evenly. Next came floating.
First, send the excess energy down toward the feet. This was the crucial moment: increase the amount of energy slowly, bit by bit. Upon feeling the energy and the outside air reach maximum saturation, immediately draw the energy back, then rapidly increase it again. This would allow the body to rise slowly into the air.
Remember not to push past that saturation point. If the energy was too strong and passed the maximum saturation point, it would burst like a balloon, making flight impossible. After that, it was simply a matter of practicing slowly, becoming familiar with the sensation, and developing muscle memory. Then it would be possible to assume all kinds of poses and movements in the air and increase flight speed.
This was ten thousand times better than the Third Tsuchikage's Floating Technique. The Third Tsuchikage's ability to fly was actually just an effect of Earth Release: Ultra-Light-Weight Rock Technique. That technique greatly reduced the weight of other objects or the user, allowing them to float in the air. Its only advantage was that it could let multiple people fly.
But it also consumed a tremendous amount of chakra. With the Flight Technique, I can leap like a fish in the boundless sea and fly like a bird in the vast sky. Haha, now I have a way to save my life. Delighted, he continued practicing to consolidate his progress.
That evening, Itō Yuying went to his grandfather's house to meet his future grandmother and offered them some words of blessing. Both elders were very happy, especially Yiteng Yue, whose smile was so wide his eyes disappeared. After dinner, they chatted a little longer before Itō Yuying tactfully said goodbye, with both elders repeatedly reminding him to visit often.
Then they shoved Itō Yuying out the door. Hearing it slam shut with a bang, he was left utterly disconcerted. As he walked home, he wondered what to name his soon-to-be-born great-uncle. How about Yiteng Erdan? Itō Yuying thought wickedly.
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