Konoha: I Have a Gravity Training Room

Chapter 3: Training

Swish! Swish! Swish!

Xia Mu formed hand seals with a serious expression.

"Clone Technique!" Poof! Success!

"Transformation Jutsu!" Poof! Success!

"Substitution Technique!" Poof! Success!

Xia Mu was a little stunned. This was truly his first time using the Three Basic Jutsu, yet he had succeeded on the first try.

It seemed the Senju Bloodline enhancement had not only increased his Chakra reserves, but also elevated his talent for training. Who else could compare?

Still, Xia Mu did not become arrogant.

They were just the Three Basic Jutsu. What genius did not learn them after a single try?

Weasel had also learned the Fire Style: Great Fireball Jutsu on his first attempt. Compared to that, Xia Mu's little bit of talent was nothing special.

"I've learned the Three Basic Jutsu, so technically I already meet the graduation requirements. But I still have to attend the Ninja Academy."

The Ninja Academy did not merely teach Chakra Extraction and the Three Basic Jutsu. It taught plenty of other things as well.

For example, the history and geography of the Shinobi World, Konoha's historical development, mathematics, physics, chemistry, biology, and most importantly, specialized subjects. These included tracking, clue analysis, concealment, trap setting, rope escape, and more. They were all highly useful foundational skills. If one could not master these basics, they were better off not becoming a ninja.

Oh, Naruto was an idiot, so he was an exception.

After all, Naruto was the protagonist and a Jinchuriki. Naturally, he would not die.

Try replacing him with someone else. A random nobody who could not even see through an ordinary trap would definitely die the moment they graduated. Even Tsunade's younger brother had been killed by traps, let alone anyone else.

Xia Mu did not think too highly of himself. He still placed great importance on the knowledge taught at the Ninja Academy.

Even after finishing what the school taught, he could still bury himself in the library. There was plenty more to learn. In any case, graduating early was out of the question.

More importantly, Konoha was dangerous, especially during this period. Before the Uchiha Clan's massacre, it was the time when Danzo and Root were at their most rampant.

Do not think that Danzo was too busy dealing with the Uchiha Clan to pay attention to anyone else. That would be a grave mistake.

Root's Wood Release Experiment had never stopped, and Danzo had a considerable demand for test subjects. If he learned that a genius with a highly pure Senju Bloodline had appeared in the village, he would definitely make a move. Even the Third Hokage would not be able to protect Xia Mu.

So if he did not want to die, he needed to lie low and not get carried away.

Pretending to be mediocre? Who could not do that?

As long as he waited until graduation was near, when Root lost its purpose after the Uchiha Clan massacre and was disbanded by the Third Hokage, and Danzo no longer dared act so recklessly, then things would be relatively safe.

Xia Mu shook his head, temporarily casting aside those messy thoughts and focusing on training the Three Basic Jutsu.

Learning them was one thing; becoming proficient was another. That was very important in battle.

If he became skilled enough, he might even be able to use the Three Basic Jutsu without forming seals. That would often catch an opponent off guard in battle, so more training could never hurt.

"Using them without seals is impossible for now, but I can try researching One-Handed Seals. Perfect. In two days, it'll be the first, and the Special Laboratory will open. I'll make One-Handed Seals my first research project. The time is a little tight, but it's worth trying. The first thing I need is precise Chakra control."

At the end of the day, hand seals were used to mobilize Chakra and make it circulate and transform according to predetermined pathways. That was how ninjutsu was cast.

Therefore, the more delicate and precise one's Chakra control was, the less Chakra a technique consumed, and the more hand seals could be simplified.

One could even be like Hashirama Senju—clap his hands together and summon whatever he wanted.

As for how to train Chakra control, was that not an open-book exam? What else could it be besides Tree Climbing and Water Walking?

With a thought from Xia Mu, a towering tree several hundred meters high appeared before him. The environment within this laboratory could change according to his will, so creating a tree was easy.

"Ah, too bad I can't create living creatures. Otherwise, I'd make ten Kamisato Ayakas first!"

He grumbled before gathering Chakra beneath his feet and running up the tree.

Sure enough, he fell soon afterward.

His Chakra reserves were simply too immense, making them genuinely difficult to control. A cup of water could be handled however one pleased, but a cartload of water was much harder to manage.

Fortunately, Xia Mu's talent really did seem to have improved. After a few attempts, he could casually walk along the tree with both hands in his pockets. The feeling was unbelievably wonderful.

With another thought, he created an entire forest, then darted wildly through it like an agile mountain dog.

"Looks like my talent really is quite good. I'm much stronger than Uchiha Sasuke. I learned Tree Climbing with ease. Next, it's time for Water Walking."

Xia Mu created a vast ocean with his thoughts, then jumped onto the surface.

At first, he would accidentally step into the water and soak his shoes, but he quickly grasped the trick. Soon, he could run freely across the surface and even roll around on it.

Still finding it insufficiently exciting, he used his thoughts to make the water turbulent, increasing the difficulty of Water Walking.

He trained like this for an unknown amount of time. Only when hunger gnawed at his stomach did he reluctantly leave the Gravity Training Room and return home to cook.

"I trained for eight hours. Aside from being hungry, I don't even feel tired. And after eight uninterrupted hours of Chakra consumption, I still have some left over. The Senju Bloodline really is powerful. But a new problem has appeared: my appetite has tripled. Ten thousand ryo probably won't even cover a month's expenses!"

Xia Mu stared at the tableful of food he had finished by himself, his eyelids twitching nonstop.

He wanted to put the issue of making money out of his mind for now, but reality would not allow it. Otherwise, he would go hungry!

It was getting late, so Xia Mu hurried into the yard to bring in the cured meat and dried sweet potatoes. Looking at the glossy cured meat, he remembered that the island nation's food culture did not seem to have cured meat. The Naruto world probably did not have it either.

"Maybe I can sell the recipe. The question is, who would I sell it to? And there's no guarantee anyone would want it. Even if I sell it, it'd just be a one-time deal and wouldn't help much."

The more Xia Mu thought about it, the more discouraged he became. After tidying up, he returned to the Gravity Training Room once more.

For now, he would focus on researching One-Handed Seals. Ten thousand ryo could still last a few more days. He could think about making money later.

Two days passed quickly.

Over those two days, Xia Mu barely left the house except to buy vegetables and meat—or rather, he spent nearly all his time inside the Gravity Training Room. After two days, his seal-forming speed had become very fast. At full speed, he could form four seals per second. That could not compare to Itachi Uchiha's six seals per second, but it was more than enough.

Practicing hand seals was meant to familiarize him with the changes in Chakra inside his body while forming them. The purpose was to grasp those changes, not to improve hand speed.

On the night of the first, he would try using One-Handed Seals to achieve the same Chakra changes. In theory, he would then be able to use the Three Basic Jutsu. If that worked, he could consider One-Handed Seals mastered.

Xia Mu did not dare experiment at this time. Chakra was like internal energy; if he messed around carelessly, he could injure himself.

It would be best and safest to experiment while the Special Laboratory State was active.

Chapter 4: Making Friends

This was the day the Ninja Academy began.

After breakfast, Xia Mu headed to the Ninja Academy alone. Along the way, he encountered many children accompanied by their parents, chattering noisily enough to be irritating.

Of course, there were also some orphans walking by themselves.

Xia Mu did not care much. Upon arriving at the school, he found his class on the notice board and also glanced over the names of his classmates.

"Oh? Sasuke Uchiha, Naruto Uzumaki, Hinata Hyuga, Shikamaru Nara, Choji Akimichi, Ino Yamanaka, Sakura, Kiba Inuzuka, Shino Aburame. So I really am in the same class as this generation's rookies? Good. It'll be convenient to make friends with them. After all, Konoha's upper ranks in the future will basically consist of these people, so building relationships early is important.

But I need to be careful about whom I approach at the beginning. Some are worth befriending, while others should be left alone for now. Otherwise, I'll only get myself into trouble."

For example, Sasuke Uchiha.

The Uchiha Clan's relationship with the village was tense right now, and Sasuke's beloved older brother was a lunatic. If Xia Mu became too close to Sasuke, he might get caught up in it.

Then there was Naruto Uzumaki.

He was a Jinchuriki, so Xia Mu could not approach him recklessly. Otherwise, he would easily attract the attention of the Third Hokage and Danzo. Besides, the guy was an idiot and incredibly noisy. Being friends with someone like that might make Xia Mu stupid, and he would be driven crazy by the noise too.

As for the others, Sakura and Ino Yamanaka were boy-crazy, Hinata Hyuga was too shy, and Kiba Inuzuka's dog peed everywhere, so they were all out for now.

That left Shikamaru Nara, Choji Akimichi, and Shino Aburame as the most worthwhile people to befriend.

Among them, Shino Aburame was the most reliable.

In the original story, Shino's strength and intelligence had always been dependable. Whether it was scouting, defense, offense, or guarding, there was practically nothing he could not do. He also valued his bonds with his companions deeply. He was someone Xia Mu could trust with his back.

Who would not want to be friends with someone that reliable?

Thus, Xia Mu silently found a secluded spot, swept his gaze across the crowd, and began looking for Shino Aburame.

But perhaps Shino's presence really was too weak. Xia Mu searched for a long time without finding him. Instead, all the students arrived and were gathered together by several teachers.

Then the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, appeared on an elevated platform, immediately stirring up a wave of chatter.

"Hehe, hello, children. I am the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi. I'm very happy to meet all of you here today. You are the tender sprouts of Konoha, the village's future... blah, blah, blah..."

The Third Hokage spoke with flying spittle and bright eyes, clearly sounding as though he believed every word himself.

The new students below all wore excited expressions as well.

Xia Mu was speechless inside, but he had no choice but to put on an excited look. After all, Konoha's children all admired the Hokage and the Will of Fire. If he acted differently from everyone else, he would become an outcast.

Whether the Will of Fire was right or wrong, it was Konoha's political correctness. Everyone had to follow it.

Otherwise, they could just wait to be invited for tea by the Anbu!

Xia Mu's face was so excited it had become stiff, yet the Third Hokage kept talking endlessly. He was having trouble maintaining the expression and nearly wanted to yawn on the spot.

Damn it, doesn't it all boil down to "where leaves dance, fire burns on" anyway? Did he really need to go on for so long?

Fortunately, the Hokage was busy too, and he finally finished speaking.

Xia Mu inwardly breathed a sigh of relief, discreetly rubbing his stiff cheeks as he followed the new students to find his classroom. The moment he entered, he swept his gaze across the room and finally spotted Shino Aburame.

Logically speaking, the Aburame Clan's outfit of huge hood, dark sunglasses, and full-body covering should have been eye-catching. Yet every one of them had an incredibly weak presence. Sometimes, even when they were right beside someone, they were hard to notice. It was quite bizarre. It was probably related to their clan's insect techniques, though there was no need to investigate why.

In any case, Shino cared greatly about this, so Xia Mu just needed to make sure to acknowledge his presence.

Xia Mu walked over openly and smiled. "Hello, is anyone sitting here? Can I sit here?"

He went straight to the point with no beating around the bush. Making friends required sincerity, not so many schemes. Even if he had his own motives, as long as he was sincere, Shino would not dislike him.

Shino Aburame paused. His eyes could not be seen behind his sunglasses, but he nodded neatly. "No one is sitting here. You can sit."

"Great, then we're desk mates."

Xia Mu sat down decisively and pulled a paper packet of dried sweet potatoes from his clothes, offering it over. "My name is Xia Mu. I made these dried sweet potatoes myself. If you don't mind, let's have some together."

The simplest way to make friends: share food!

It did not need to be anything extravagant. Things made by oneself seemed more sincere, and were better able to move someone like Shino.

Shino Aburame glanced at the dried sweet potatoes, then saw Xia Mu take one and begin eating it himself. He reached out, took one, and put it in his mouth. The faint sweetness seemed to relax his expression somewhat.

"My name is Shino Aburame. Please take care of me."

See? They were friends already.

Xia Mu was in a good mood. After finishing one dried sweet potato, he took another. Then he suddenly felt someone staring at him. Turning around, he saw a large round face and was startled.

It was a fat boy. Each of his chubby cheeks bore a Naruto-like swirl blush, and his small eyes were fixed firmly on the dried sweet potatoes.

Who else could it be but the foodie Choji Akimichi?

Behind Choji, pineapple-headed Shikamaru rested both hands behind his head, wearing a helpless expression as he looked at Choji.

Xia Mu found it amusing. Bringing dried sweet potatoes this morning had been the right choice. He had directly attracted these two as well. Was this not the perfect chance to make friends?

He held out the dried sweet potatoes. "Do you two want some too?"

"Yes, yes! I want some!"

Choji did not stand on ceremony. He immediately grabbed one and stuffed it into his mouth, a satisfied expression instantly appearing on his face.

Dried sweet potatoes were not particularly delicious, but for a foodie, having something tasty to put in his mouth was the greatest happiness. Besides, Choji ate chips all day, so he was happy to try a different flavor.

Seeing that, Shikamaru also took one. "Then I won't be polite."

Xia Mu took the opportunity to introduce himself. "My name is Xia Mu. This is my desk mate, Shino, and also my new friend. Oh, since you've eaten my dried sweet potatoes, we're friends too."

Shino nodded in greeting. "My name is Shino Aburame. Please take care of me."

"Shikamaru Nara."

"Choji Akimichi."

The two also gave their names. There was no need to say much else; they were acquainted now anyway.

After Xia Mu passed the dried sweet potatoes around once more, only one remained in the paper packet. Suddenly, a chubby hand shot toward it, naturally aiming for that final piece.

Xia Mu immediately reached out and grabbed the fat hand, chuckling. "Choji, you can't snatch it!"

Choji narrowed his eyes. "The last serving of snacks must be eaten by me. That is my ninja way!"

Shikamaru rolled his eyes. "Hey, Choji, yesterday when we ate Grilled Meat, you said that food delivered right to your mouth must not be refused—that was your ninja way. Your ninja way changes pretty fast."