Konoha: I Have a Gravity Training Room

She probably had no idea that a certain man was holding her shoulders and treating her like prey.

Afterward, Xia Mu gave Tenten more detailed advice. For example, strengthening her body could increase her physical strength and Chakra reserves; improving Chakra control meant trying to use Chakra for Tree Climbing and Water Walking; and so on. In short, there were many fundamentals Tenten had yet to master, but they were also things every genin needed.

Letting Tenten encounter and train in them early would only benefit her in the future.

In the end, the three agreed to train together on their days off, right here at Tenten's home. The training ground might be small, but it was more than enough for three children to wreck.

As for spending money to post missions and collect powerful ninja tools, Xia Mu advised putting it on hold. Tenten was still too young and weak to be collecting such things. However, she could first commission the gathering of information on various ninja tools, along with intelligence on different Summoning Beasts. She would always have use for it once she became a ninja.

Tenten trusted Xia Mu greatly, so she naturally listened to him.

Seeing that it was getting late, Xia Mu and Shino did not stay any longer and chose to leave.

Tenten's face was full of reluctance. It was probably rare for her to have friends to play with, much less friends who had helped her so much. She truly wanted to spend more time with them.

Ignoring her father's sour expression, she saw the two of them to the door.

Looking at Xia Mu's somewhat handsome face and recalling everything that had happened since meeting him over the past two days, she could not help blushing.

"I'm leaving, then. Once you've tried Genjutsu and Medical Ninjutsu, remember to tell Shino and me. The two of us can help you figure things out," Xia Mu said with a smile, waving goodbye.

"Okay. Be careful on the way home."

Tenten waved back at Xia Mu, but when she looked at Shino, she seemed to remember something and secretly made a hand signal.

Shino froze for a moment, then returned the signal. Xia Mu did not notice. Shino followed Xia Mu away, but after parting with him at the intersection, he turned back.

Tenten was still waiting at the entrance.

"Tenten, what is it that you had to hide from Xia Mu?" Shino asked in confusion.

"Well..."

Blushing, Tenten fidgeted before saying, "Shino, maybe I'm just being narcissistic. Let me ask you something. Does Xia Mu... like me?"

Shino looked surprised. "You actually noticed?"

Tenten pouted. "I'm not stupid. How could I not notice? Xia Mu came to my shop yesterday, supposedly to sell ninja tool design drafts, but the moment he entered, he came straight toward me. The first thing he did was ask my name, then he said I was cute. Today was even more obvious. We've only known each other for two days, yet he was so eager to help me. His eyes were practically glued to me, and sometimes he even got handsy..."

At this point, Tenten's face turned even redder.

Children in the Shinobi World matured early. Itachi Uchiha had gone to war and killed people at the age of four, while girls could be thinking about marrying handsome boys by the age of five.

Tenten was no exception. She had never considered herself cute or pretty, only ordinary. She once dreamed of becoming someone like Tsunade, but she lacked the talent for it. She could not have been more ordinary, and she had never imagined that an outstanding boy would like someone like her.

But today, she could feel Xia Mu's gaze resting on her the entire time.

Moreover, Xia Mu was amazing. He seemed to know so many things, and whenever he gave advice, he spoke with confidence. Everything was practical, making her feel as though the clouds had parted and revealed the path ahead.

How could she not be happy that a boy like that liked her?

Seeing Tenten like this, Shino knew Xia Mu had this in the bag. He said bluntly, "Although Xia Mu should have been the one to tell you, since you figured it out, I won't hide it from you. Xia Mu really does like you. He designed those two ninja tools specifically so he could get to know you."

Tenten covered her face, nearly steaming at the head like Hinata.

But Tenten was not Hinata. She was far more open, and she was also very brave.

Just as she had said in the anime, she hated weak people. Therefore, she herself was not weak. She was strong and brave inside, and she would work desperately hard for what she sought in her heart.

In that regard, the other three village beauties could not compare to her at all!

"So, Tenten," Shino asked, "what do you think of Xia Mu? How will you respond to him?"

Though her face was red, Tenten answered seriously, "Shino, I understand what you mean. I don't want to disappoint Xia Mu's feelings either. I plan to spend some more time getting to know him properly. After all, we're both still young, and we haven't known each other for long. But don't worry. I won't hurt him, and I'll sincerely respond to his sincere feelings!"

Shino was satisfied, nearly shedding tears for his good brother.

Being a matchmaker was not easy. His previous efforts had not been wasted, and Xia Mu and Tenten now owed him a huge favor.

"Thank you, Shino. You've been helping Xia Mu all along, haven't you? I could tell," Tenten thanked him again.

"You're welcome. Xia Mu and I are good friends, and now you're my good friend too. Friends should help each other. I should congratulate you and Xia Mu."

With that, Shino slipped his hands into his pockets, turned around coolly, and vanished completely into the darkening night.

More New Ninja Tools

Half a month later, Tenten sat by a small river with a dejected look on her face.

Shino stood not far away and gave Xia Mu, who had just arrived, a meaningful look. But he was wearing sunglasses, so it was impossible to tell what he meant.

Xia Mu nodded vaguely, then quickly walked over and sat beside Tenten. "Tenten, what's wrong?" he asked softly.

Tenten's voice carried a hint of grievance. "I tried Genjutsu and Medical Ninjutsu, but I really don't seem to have any talent for them. Half a month ago, I asked the teacher about it, and she taught me a D-rank Genjutsu. I still haven't learned it. Then I took the letter of introduction from the teacher to the hospital to learn Medical Ninjutsu. The test was to save a fish, but that fish ended up as sashimi..."

Well, that was...

Though he had expected it, hearing it now left Xia Mu unsure how to comfort her.

Xia Mu turned to look at Shino, only to see his brother standing calmly in the distance, as though keeping watch for this future couple.

But that attitude clearly meant Xia Mu had to handle it himself.

Helpless, Xia Mu organized his words before comforting her. "Tenten, even if you don't have talent in those areas, discovering that early is still a good thing. You won't need to waste time on them in the future. Just focus on ninja tools and Space-Time Ninjutsu. Compared to other children our age who are still lost, you're already ahead of them."

Seeing Xia Mu worry about her made Tenten feel warm inside, and she quickly adjusted her mood.

Then she smiled at him. "It's okay, Xia Mu. I was just a little frustrated. I thought I would at least have some talent in something. But things aren't bad now. Just like you said, at least I've found the direction I need to move in. I don't need to be lost anymore."

Xia Mu stared seriously into Tenten's eyes, making the girl blush.

However, he could tell that Tenten was not forcing a smile. She had truly adjusted her mood and would not let her disappointment affect her. Only then did he finally feel relieved.

Of course, he also knew how to change the subject.

"Oh, right. I've come up with two new ninja tools recently. Take a look." Xia Mu pulled out some documents.

"Ah! You have new ideas again?"

Tenten curiously took the documents and flipped through them. Shino also came over at this point. Clearly, both of them were interested in Xia Mu's newly designed ninja tools. The previous two special Shuriken had already been quite good.

After looking through them, both of them stared at Xia Mu with shocked expressions.

Clearly, they had been stunned by his wild ideas.

Xia Mu felt like his nose had grown longer. Holding his head high with a smug expression, he said, "Hehe, my designs are interesting, right? The Wire Gauntlet has a wire mechanism installed on the back of the glove. During battle, you can activate the mechanism with Chakra at any time, and the wire will shoot out. Just think about it. When you clash Kunai with an enemy, a wire suddenly shoots from the back of your hand. It's basically a point-blank sneak attack. Most people won't be able to dodge it!

"And there's this Gunblade Ninja Tool. It's different from those matchlock guns and flintlock guns. Since it's activated with Chakra, and the bullets are small and light, its firing speed is more than twice as fast as throwing Shuriken, and its range is much greater. Plus, anyone can learn to use it easily with practice, so accuracy won't be a problem.

"The best part is the idea of drawing Space-Time Ninjutsu symbols on the magazine. You can summon bullets at any time, so you won't have to worry about running out. You could even prepare special bullets, such as smoke bombs, poison bullets, Flash Bombs, or bullets stuffed with Explosive Tags. As long as they're prepared beforehand, you can summon whichever ones you need at any time.

"Hehe, Tenten, look..."

Xia Mu spoke animatedly, but as he continued, he noticed that Tenten and Shino were both looking at him strangely. He suddenly lost his words.

He could not help feeling uneasy. His designs should have been pretty good, right? Why were these two not saying anything?

After a long while, Shino finally said, "Xia Mu, I really want to pry open your head and see how it works."

Tenten also spoke with a grin. "Exactly! How can someone be this smart? These two ninja tool designs are amazing!"

"You two, don't scare me like that!"

Xia Mu sighed in relief. So they had been stunned by his brilliance. He had thought there was something wrong with his ninja tool designs.

But Tenten stared at Xia Mu, her large eyes blinking as they filled with emotion.

In her eyes, Xia Mu had specifically designed these new ninja tools for her.

Especially the Gunblade Ninja Tool. It took her lack of physical strength and Chakra into account. Compared with throwing Shuriken, using a gun would clearly be easier, and its range was far greater than a thrown Shuriken's, greatly improving her strength. More importantly, the idea of drawing Space-Time Ninjutsu symbols on the magazine had clearly been designed around her talent.

This guy, why did he have to like her so much?

It was so troubling, okay?

Tenten only felt sweetness fill her heart. She decisively put away the design drafts, unconsciously grabbed Xia Mu's sleeve, and smiled. "So, how much are you going to sell them for?"

Xia Mu scratched his hair. "Uh, you're the professional, so why don't you decide? It's fine if you don't pay me either."

"That won't do!"

Tenten pouted. "I have to pay you. Shino told me that you're living on orphan subsidies right now, and you were worried about money not long ago. Besides, you're still growing. You can't skimp on food. How about this? These two ninja tool designs are much better than the previous ones. I'll give you one hundred thousand ryo in total. If you think that isn't enough, I can add more."

"That's enough! It's more than enough!"

Xia Mu was stunned by this spendthrift girl. If he were her father, he would probably faint from anger.

These two ninja tools were good, but they were not worth that much. She had already paid too much with the previous forty thousand. This time, she was paying even more. Anyone who did not know better would think she was supporting a man.

Shino nodded repeatedly from the side and could not help letting out a quiet burp, as though he had eaten too much dog food.

Still, he was happy for Xia Mu. Not only had Xia Mu's relationship progressed, but his difficult living situation had improved as well. Shino would not need to worry so much anymore.

It seemed Xia Mu really had good taste.

Compared to Sakura's love-struck brain and lack of manners, Hinata's shyness and weakness, and Ino's narcissism and obsession with looks, Tenten's personality was genuinely great.

On top of that, Tenten was a little rich girl, which was another plus. Just as Xia Mu himself had said, there was no shame in relying on a rich girl. Especially when that rich girl was pretty, cute, and thoughtful—who would not like that?

Seeing that Tenten had completely shaken off her disappointment, Xia Mu finally relaxed.

So he pressed his advantage. "Then since I made money today, why don't you two come eat at my house? Tenten can try my cooking while she's at it."

They said men who could cook were handsome, and Xia Mu intended to show off that strength in front of Tenten.

Shino immediately agreed. "Alright! I'll go home and get some vegetables."

With that, he vanished in a flash before Xia Mu could even stop him.

Taking Tenten Home

Tenten found this very strange. "What's wrong with Shino? He looked like he was in a hurry."

Xia Mu smiled. "He's craving my cooking. He rushed home to pick the vegetables he likes. Oh, right. Since the Aburame Clan raises insects, they're also good at growing vegetables. Shino is the clan head's son, and the vegetables at his house grow really well."

Shino was the clan head's son?

Tenten was even more surprised. She had not expected Xia Mu to be friends with the child of the Aburame Clan's head.

Those connections did not seem ordinary at all!

Seeing the girl spacing out, Xia Mu directly took her hand and pulled her forward. "Alright, stop daydreaming. Let's go buy groceries at the market. We especially need to buy some winter melon. Shino loves winter melon."

Tenten looked at her small hand in his, feeling the warmth of Xia Mu's palm. She unconsciously held his hand back.

A smile appeared on her lips without her even realizing it.

The two wandered around the market hand in hand. However, since they needed to buy quite a few vegetables, they had no choice but to let go. The instant their hands separated, both felt reluctant. When they instinctively looked at each other, they could not help blushing.

The uncles and aunties selling vegetables nearby all wore knowing smiles.

Ah, young love!

Xia Mu seemed immersed in the moment and did not notice that Ino Yamanaka, who was delivering flowers for her family's shop, was watching from behind with eyes full of gossip.

"Is that Xia Mu? This guy actually has a girlfriend?"

Xia Mu was not especially handsome, nor had his performance in class been particularly outstanding. But because he had fought Sasuke before, the students in the class all remembered him well.

Ino cared about looks and liked Sasuke. Naturally, she was curious about Xia Mu, who had beaten Sasuke up.

Now that she had seen Xia Mu holding hands with a cute girl, there was no way she would not gossip about it.

"This is huge news! I have to share it with my friends!"

And so, without Xia Mu knowing, news that he had a girlfriend spread through the girls' circle in class.

Meanwhile, Xia Mu and Tenten carried the vegetables they had just bought back home. As soon as they arrived, they saw Shino waiting at the courtyard gate with two baskets of fresh vegetables. Even through his sunglasses, his eager expression was obvious.

Xia Mu was speechless. "Shino, are you setting up a vegetable stall at my house again?"

Shino looked completely justified. "There are too many vegetables at home to finish. My dad told me to bring more over."

"Yes, yes. Thank your dad for me."

Xia Mu opened the courtyard gate and led the two inside, then began assigning tasks without ceremony. "Tenten, help wash the vegetables. Shino, go peel the winter melon. I'll make Winter Melon Pork Rib Soup for you today. After that, come help kill the chicken. I'll start cooking the rice."

The moment Shino heard Winter Melon Pork Rib Soup, he immediately got to work. He had never tasted it before, but he knew it would be delicious.

As for Tenten, she fetched water to wash the vegetables while curiously looking around the courtyard.

"So this is Xia Mu's home? It's a little quiet around here, but it's not bad. Especially this courtyard—it feels full of life. I wonder if Xia Mu gets lonely living by himself." Tenten did not realize that she was actively trying to understand Xia Mu's life.