Konoha: I Have a Gravity Training Room

Next came Water Walking.

Tenten gathered Chakra beneath her feet and carefully stepped onto the water's surface. The water immediately rose over her ankles.

Xia Mu instructed, "The current is unstable, so it's different from Tree Climbing. It demands greater Chakra control. You need to concentrate fully and keep both feet steadily on the water's surface. Then just practice for a long time until it becomes second nature."

"Mm, I'll work hard."

Tenten struggled to keep her balance, but the next second, a lapse in concentration sent her straight into the water.

Fortunately, she was not the pampered type. Without a word, she got back up and continued training hard.

Xia Mu, meanwhile, created a Shadow Clone to spar with Shino in taijutsu. The main goal was to help Shino become proficient with One-Handed Seals and Paper Ninjutsu in actual combat.

Of course, to ensure they were not being watched or spied on by anyone with ulterior motives, Shino had insects stationed around the area.

As for Xia Mu himself, he took out a sheet of paper, placed it in his palm, and began trying to comprehend the water Nature Transformation of Chakra.

He had tried it in the Gravity Training Room before, but the room changed according to his will. If he wanted the paper to get wet, it would get wet, so it could not serve the purpose of comprehension at all.

So he could only train out here in the real world.

Fortunately, he had his future girlfriend and good friend with him, so he did not feel bored or lonely.

Noon came quickly. Xia Mu specifically sent a Shadow Clone home to prepare nutritious food and bring it over. Grilling fish by the river after training might have been more fun, but training was exhausting. Grilled fish alone would not cut it.

Tenten had been training without pause, and by now, she was drenched in sweat.

Xia Mu felt sorry for her, but he did not try to stop her.

Tenten wanted to become stronger, so she had to endure the hardships of training. If she could not even handle this much, then there was no point talking about dreams. She might as well obediently become a quiet little girl.

This was Tenten's choice. Not only could Xia Mu not stop her, he should encourage her.

"Xia Mu, this sour and spicy beef is amazing!" Tenten praised as she stuffed herself.

The exhaustion from training could dull one's appetite, but sour and spicy food stimulated the taste buds, while beef replenished protein more effectively. That was why Tenten found it so delicious.

Shino kept his head down and ate, with no time to speak at all.

After the meal, everyone felt satisfied.

Leaning against a tree trunk, Tenten stared blankly at the rippling river. "Water Walking really is pretty difficult, but I've found the feeling for it. I should be able to master it completely in the next couple of days."

Shino immediately raised the difficulty. "Tenten, simply being able to walk on water does not count as mastering it completely. Look, the water here is calm, which makes Water Walking very easy. To truly master it, you need to be able to run across turbulent water."

"Huh? Run across turbulent water?"

Tenten was dumbfounded. She was already having trouble learning Water Walking, let alone something that difficult.

Xia Mu quickly said, "Don't be afraid. I'll train with you."

Tenten's face reddened slightly at his words, and she gave Xia Mu a sweet smile. Perhaps she really was exhausted. Leaning against the tree trunk, she closed her eyes, then tilted her head onto Xia Mu's shoulder.

Xia Mu had not expected such a bonus, and he was delighted inside.

Just then, Shino made a hand signal.

Xia Mu immediately turned to look and saw a cute little blonde girl walking over, a gossiping smile on her face.

It was Ino!

Seeing that Ino was about to speak, Xia Mu immediately made a shushing gesture.

Ino looked over and noticed that the girl with twin buns was asleep against Xia Mu's shoulder. She immediately covered her mouth and giggled. She did not speak to disturb them, but neither did she leave. Instead, she came over and sat down.

"Xia Mu, is this your girlfriend? She's pretty cute."

Ino teased softly, her eyes full of amused curiosity.

Xia Mu glanced down at the sleeping Tenten, then responded, "Not yet, but soon. Ino, you really do love gossip. You saw me and Tenten shopping for groceries together once, and you spread it all over the class. You have way too much free time."

Ino scratched her cheek with one finger. "What's there to be embarrassed about? I even saw you holding hands, and both your faces were red. Now she's sleeping against you, and you still say she isn't your girlfriend? Her name is Tenten, right? That twin-bun hairstyle suits her perfectly."

You and Sasuke Have No Chance

Xia Mu accepted Ino's praise without hesitation.

After all, Tenten really was adorable.

But...

"Ino, why are you here? Shouldn't you be helping out at the flower shop on your day off?" Xia Mu asked in confusion.

"Hehe, I came specifically to see your girlfriend."

Ino looked smug. "I knew this morning that you guys had come here, but I was busy and couldn't come over then. Earlier, I saw you carrying a food box, so I followed you. I'm very interested in your love story. Tell me how you won Tenten over, okay? I can use it as a reference when I pursue Sasuke later."

No wonder she was so enthusiastic. Aside from gossiping, she wanted to learn from him!

Xia Mu truly had nothing to say about Ino, who cared so much about looks.

Perhaps even she did not understand that she did not like Sasuke specifically—she liked handsome guys. Otherwise, when Sasuke left, why had Sakura been devastated while Ino barely reacted?

Because she liked Sasuke's face, not because she wanted his heart!

Many transmigrators liked pursuing Ino. She was indeed beautiful, and when she grew up, her figure was incredible too. But the key was that a transmigrator had to be very handsome, or Ino would not give him the time of day.

Xia Mu was not handsome enough, anyway.

Xia Mu did not particularly want to talk about it. Besides, he and Tenten had not actually confirmed their relationship yet.

Fortunately, Shino came to his rescue in time. "Ino, although I should not meddle in other people's affairs, as a classmate, I still have to advise you..."

Ino froze. "Oh, Shino, you were here too?"

That was harsh!

Did she not know that what Shino could not stand most was people ignoring his existence? This girl really went for a critical hit!

Shino could not help muttering to himself, but Ino quickly apologized. "Sorry, sorry. I was too focused on Xia Mu's girlfriend just now, so I didn't notice you. Go on, what did you want to advise me about?"

Fortunately, Shino was not the type to dwell on it. He continued, "Ino, you are the daughter of the Yamanaka Clan head and will probably inherit the position in the future. Your family will likely bring in a husband to marry into the clan. Sasuke, however, is the son of the Uchiha Clan head. Even if he is only the younger son, they would never allow him to marry into another clan. So you and Sasuke are almost impossible."

Ino was stunned, utterly dumbfounded.

She was probably too young to have thought much about it before, but now that she considered it, that really did seem to be the case.

Then what had her obsession with Sasuke been? Why had she fallen out with her best friend Sakura? Did that not mean she had failed at both love and friendship?

For a moment, Ino seemed deeply shaken, her whole person wilting.

Seeing this, Xia Mu could not help but advise her as well. "Ino, as a classmate, I have something to say too. Honestly, I don't think you actually like Sasuke. You like handsome guys. Your feelings for Sasuke aren't as deep as you think. Think about it carefully. Isn't that true?"

Ino felt like her mind was a complete mess.

She had clearly come to gossip about Xia Mu's love story and learn from him. How had things turned out like this?

Shino said she and Sasuke had no chance, while Xia Mu said she did not even truly like Sasuke. What was going on?

Xia Mu pressed on. "Think carefully. If one day you met an incredibly handsome guy who was much better-looking than Sasuke and far more outstanding than him, would you give up on Sasuke and start liking that handsome guy instead?"

An incredibly handsome guy?

Ino instinctively began fantasizing, not even noticing the drool at the corner of her mouth.

That actually did sound about right. So she merely liked handsome guys, and Sasuke was not irreplaceable after all. Then why had she fought so fiercely with Sakura?

Still, Ino Yamanaka had her pride. If she admitted it just like that, would people not think she was shallow?

So she forced herself to say, "Ahem! I-it's not like you said. I'm still... pretty devoted. Even if I met a handsome guy better-looking than Sasuke, I-I'd only look at him a couple more times..."

Her voice grew quieter and quieter. Even she could not convince herself.

Xia Mu and Shino exchanged a glance. It was obvious that this little girl was saying one thing and meaning another.

Unless she truly encountered a handsome guy. Just like in the original story, after Sasuke left, Ino met Sai. Sai called Sakura ugly but praised Ino as beautiful, and he was genuinely handsome too. Naturally, Ino transferred her affections. Besides, there had never really been anything between her and Sasuke to begin with.

There was no use trying to talk sense into this girl!

Xia Mu scolded her with a smile, "Once you've thought it through, go make up with Sakura. You don't want to lose a precious friendship too, do you?"

Ino was somewhat moved, but she still stubbornly retorted, "Hmph! None of your business! Who wants to make up with that forehead girl?"

Fine! Handle it yourself, then!

At that moment, Tenten let out a soft murmur and woke up groggily.

Ino quickly apologized. "Sorry, I was too loud and woke you up. Do you want to sleep a little longer?"

Tenten shook her head. "It's fine, I've slept enough. You are...?"

Ino gave her a friendly smile. "I'm Ino Yamanaka, Xia Mu and Shino's classmate. I saw Xia Mu bringing food over here earlier, so I followed him to take a look. And while I was at it, I got to see Xia Mu's girlfriend. Your name is Tenten, right?"

Tenten froze and immediately realized that Ino had mistaken her for Xia Mu's girlfriend. She had apparently been sleeping against Xia Mu's shoulder just now too, and this girl had been watching the whole time. She was instantly embarrassed beyond words.

Fortunately, Tenten had an outgoing and generous personality. She would not faint from embarrassment like Hinata.

Still, she did not explain herself, as though tacitly accepting the identity of his girlfriend.

"Hello, Yamanaka. My name is Tenten."

"Just call me Ino!"

Ino was happy to make friends. "Last time, I saw you and Xia Mu holding hands while buying groceries. I was wondering where Xia Mu had found such a cute girlfriend."

Blushing, Tenten remembered Ino as well. "You're the daughter of the Yamanaka Flower Shop, right? I think I've seen you when I bought flowers."

"Yes, yes, the Yamanaka Flower Shop is my family's. So we'd already met before..."

"My family runs a Ninja Tool Shop..."

The two girls actually began chatting. Both were fairly outgoing by nature—one loved gossip, while the other was good at banter—and soon they were chatting animatedly.

And just like that, they became friends.

Xia Mu and Shino could only stare in surprise, silently marveling at how mysterious girls were.

"Ah! So, Tenten, you're training? And you've already started learning Water Walking?" Ino asked in surprise.

"Mm. I didn't know how at first. Xia Mu taught me everything, and Shino gave me a lot of help too, so now I have to work hard." Tenten's face was full of determination.

"But you're still so young. Girls our age should spend more time learning how to dress up. Look, your hands have become so rough."

"It's okay, Ino. My dream is to become a strong woman like Lady Tsunade and make a name for myself in the Shinobi World. Since I have a dream, I should work hard for it. Besides, Xia Mu and Shino have helped me so much. I can't let them down. Xia Mu is very strong. In the future, I want to stand by his side, and I can't do that if I'm not strong enough!"

"..."

Ino looked at Tenten's utterly serious face and found herself speechless.

Ino's Resolve and Inner Conflict

Although Ino had said during her introduction that she wanted to become the most popular girl around, that was not actually true.

Every little girl in Konoha basically viewed Tsunade as her goal, and Ino was no exception.

It was just that many of the girls she knew only talked big, constantly declaring that they wanted to become a second Tsunade, but very few of them actually trained hard. Ino included.

Now, for the first time, she had met a girl like Tenten, who genuinely worked hard for her dream. It made Ino seem like a clown by comparison.

That was right. Since she had a dream, she should work hard for it.

And Ino could tell that Tenten truly liked Xia Mu. Unlike her own obsession with Sasuke's handsome face, Tenten wanted to become stronger and gain the right to stand beside Xia Mu.

Perhaps that was what true affection looked like!

"Tenten, I really envy you," Ino could not help saying.

"Uh, actually, I envy you too. You have a great background, powerful clan ninjutsu, and children from ninja clans must have better talent than me as well. So I do envy you, but I'll work hard to catch up. I'll prove that I'm not weak either!"

Tenten's confident expression left Ino staring blankly for a long while.

Even after she left, Ino remained lost in thought. She stayed that way all the way home.

Seeing Ino's absent-minded state, Tenten could not help worrying. "Xia Mu, Shino, is Ino okay? Why did she suddenly become so spaced out?"

Shino understood. "She probably became like that because of what you said, Tenten."

Tenten was confused. "What I said? I don't think I said anything bad."

Shino looked up at the sky. "You said you envied Ino's background, clan inheritance, and talent, but that you would work hard to catch up. But what you don't know, Tenten, is that Ino is like the other girls. Her conditions are all excellent, but she simply does not work hard. Your firm determination to strive scared her. She's just reflecting on herself."

Was that so?

Tenten did not really understand. If someone had such good conditions, why would they not work hard and instead waste their time for nothing?