Konoha: I Have a Gravity Training Room

In short, so as not to trigger Naruto's gaming addiction, no one played cards anymore.

Seeing Naruto looking like he was holding himself back with great difficulty, Xia Mu decided to find something else for him to do and called him over.

"Xia Mu, what is it? I'm not playing cards, believe it!" Naruto gritted his teeth and did not dare look at Xia Mu.

"Alright, look how miserable you are. I'll give you something else to do and distract you."

As he spoke, Xia Mu began walking directly up the tree trunk. "See that? This can only be done through precise Chakra control. Your Chakra control is far too poor, so you can start by learning Tree Climbing. Once you succeed, learn Water Walking. Your Chakra control will definitely improve by then, and using the Three Basic Jutsu won't be a problem."

As he spoke, he walked all the way to the treetop, even strolling upside down beneath a branch.

Then he leaped down onto the water's surface and walked across it as if taking a leisurely stroll.

Naruto stared blankly. "That's amazing, believe it! Learning Tree Climbing and Water Walking can improve Chakra control? Alright! I'll do it too!"

Without even waiting for Xia Mu to teach him, he imitated him, gathering Chakra beneath his feet and walking toward the tree trunk. Unsurprisingly, he immediately fell.

Refusing to accept it, he tried several more times, with the same result every time.

The other children gathered around, and seeing Naruto in such a sorry state, they could not help laughing.

Kiba Inuzuka even mocked him. "Hahaha! Naruto, your Chakra control is way too terrible, isn't it? You can't even climb a tree!"

Shikamaru and Shino exchanged a glance but said nothing. They were both intelligent and knew more about Naruto's situation. They could probably guess why he was like this, which was why they did not comment.

Choji crunched on his snacks and casually said, "Isn't this basic stuff? My family made me learn it when I was little."

Ino and Hinata both nodded. Coming from ninja clans, they naturally had elders to supervise and teach them Chakra control. It would be truly embarrassing if they graduated from the Ninja Academy without even knowing Tree Climbing or Water Walking.

Sakura blushed a little. "This is basic? I didn't know either."

As she spoke, she tried gathering Chakra beneath her feet and walked toward the trunk of a nearby tree. To her surprise, she easily made it all the way to the treetop.

For a moment, she felt full of confidence.

"It doesn't seem that difficult."

"That shows your Chakra control is very precise, Sakura."

Xia Mu explained, "There's another reason too: you don't have as much Chakra as Naruto. If the human body is a container and Chakra is water, then your Chakra is like a cup of water, while Naruto's is like an entire pond. Naturally, it's easier for you to control your Chakra."

What! It could be explained like that?

Sakura's newly kindled confidence was immediately dealt a blow, but she also felt that Xia Mu made sense.

A cup of water really was easier to control than a pond. She did not have more Chakra than Naruto, so even if her control was better than his, she had no reason to be proud.

After all, the amount of Chakra directly affected future growth. As long as someone had enough Chakra, even if their control was poor now, once they mastered it in the future, they would soar ahead and surpass a whole group of people in an instant.

Hearing this, Naruto grinned foolishly. "So I have that much Chakra. I do have some good points after all."

Ino spoke up for her best friend in annoyance. "What are you grinning about, Naruto? So what if you have a lot of Chakra? You're so dumb that controlling it properly won't be easy. Just keep being the Dead Last!"

Naruto immediately exploded. "Impossible! I'll definitely learn to control it! I'll definitely master Tree Climbing and Water Walking soon, believe it!"

Everyone merely chuckled, clearly not believing him.

Naruto also said he wanted to become Hokage, but so what? Anyone could make grand boasts.

Grilled Meat-Flavored First Kiss (Coming Soon)

However, Xia Mu believed in him.

Naruto was not actually that dumb, especially when it came to training. More importantly, he was persistent, and Naruto was very good at that.

Once Naruto learned Tree Climbing and Water Walking, the Three Basic Jutsu would no longer be a problem. He would certainly graduate smoothly. But then Mizuki would not lure Naruto into stealing the Book of Seals, and Naruto might not get the chance to learn the Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu.

After all, Naruto was still using the Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu when fighting Kaguya Otsutsuki.

If Naruto could not use it, wouldn't that be a disaster?

Still, Xia Mu remained calm. Hiruzen Sarutobi wanted to brainwash Naruto and make him protect Konoha, so he would definitely find a way to have Iruka bind Naruto to him. Even without the plot of stealing the Book of Seals, there would be other arrangements. He would certainly find a way to teach Naruto a move or two, so there was no need to worry too much.

Even if Hiruzen Sarutobi did not arrange anything, Xia Mu could simply wait until Tsunade took office and suggest that she teach Naruto.

There were always more solutions than difficulties. Things did not have to follow the original story exactly. Besides, Naruto being addicted to card games and neglecting his training was much more serious than not knowing the Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu. That had to be corrected first.

Xia Mu bore some responsibility for that as well, so it was necessary to correct Naruto's mistake early.

Besides, this would be interesting.

Once Team 7 was formed, Sasuke would discover that he was the only one who could not climb trees or walk on water. He would definitely take a blow. Uchiha Sasuke probably would not be able to stay so smug then.

However, things often turned out unexpectedly.

As it grew late, everyone went their separate ways, but Naruto remained behind to practice Tree Climbing.

He had already asked Xia Mu about the techniques. Now, all he needed to do was grind. He put everything else out of his mind, even the card game, and focused entirely on learning Tree Climbing.

Wasn't his gaming addiction solved just like that?

Then, for some reason, Sasuke also came here and saw Naruto diligently grinding away at Tree Climbing. The tangled bond between Indra and Asura was truly difficult to evaluate.

Meanwhile, Xia Mu had just arrived at the Ninja Tool Shop when a girl with twin buns crashed into his arms.

"Xia Mu, you're back! I brought you good news!" Tenten beamed, the scent of grilled meat still lingering on her breath.

"You had a great day?" Ignoring the shop owner's glare, Xia Mu wrapped Tenten directly in his arms.

"Mm, I had a wonderful day. My teammates are great, my teacher is even better, and I took care of something for my favorite boyfriend. Guess what it is first?"

"Oh? Then what good thing did my most beloved girlfriend do for me?"

"Guess! Guess first!"

Tenten clearly was very happy. Her little-girl nature was fully on display as she acted spoiled, so Xia Mu could only indulge her. He also could not guess correctly right away, or his adorable girlfriend would have no sense of accomplishment.

"I really can't guess. Did you cook dinner tonight?"

"Hehe! Wrong!"

Tenten flashed her white teeth. "Xia Mu, you don't know this, do you? My squad leader is actually Might Guy, the one you said was the strongest! Though Might Guy's outfit is pretty bizarre, I think he really is strong. He already agreed to teach me the Eight Gates, and he said he wants to check your physical condition too. If you're suited to training in the Eight Gates, he'll teach you as well."

Xia Mu froze, then was overjoyed. "Really? Tenten, this is such a surprise!"

Xia Mu had previously worried whether Tenten would be assigned to Might Guy's Team. He had not expected her to bring back such wonderful news directly.

The Eight Gates—Xia Mu had waited far too long for this!

He truly could not wait to learn it.

Once he learned the Eight Gates, with Xia Mu's current physical strength, opening the Seventh Gate to fight a Shadow-level opponent would not be a problem. By the time he graduated, he would be twelve and could increase the training intensity in the Gravity Training Room. His physical strength would definitely skyrocket. Then, opening the Fifth Gate to fight Shadow-level opponents and the Seventh Gate to kick Otsutsuki around would be a piece of cake.

"So, how is my most, most, most beloved boyfriend going to reward his girlfriend?" Tenten asked shyly.

"Well..."

Xia Mu glanced at his future father-in-law, then directly carried Tenten into the backyard.

Although Xia Mu and Tenten had been dating for years, they were still young, so at most they held hands, hugged, and kissed each other on the cheek. Their first kisses were still untouched. Now that they were older, it was about time to give them away.

Mm, Tenten's first kiss tasted like grilled meat...

Shop Owner Uncle pretended not to see.

After all, he had grown used to seeing his well-behaved daughter being lovey-dovey with Xia Mu over the years.

Since Tenten had set her heart on Xia Mu, he would not reject this son-in-law as her father. He only waited for them both to grow up so he could hold a grandchild.

After quite a while, the two emerged with flushed faces and slightly swollen lips.

Shop Owner Uncle laughed and scolded them, "What are you standing around for? Hurry up and cook! Your old man is still hungry!"

In the days that followed, the Ninja Academy resumed classes. Xia Mu entered his final year before graduation, while Tenten began her official ninja career.

However, the early missions were all D-rank, mostly things like finding cats and dogs, pulling weeds, and planting crops. The pay was low, and the work was troublesome.

Fortunately, Tenten knew the Shadow Clone Jutsu. She had her Shadow Clones do the work while she trained nearby. Seeing this, Neji followed suit, making Rock Lee so envious that tears streamed down his face.

Might Guy did not stop them. D-rank missions were unimportant, as long as they were completed.

As for how they were completed, that did not matter.

There was another purpose to D-rank missions: fostering bonds and teamwork among teammates. That required time to develop and could not be rushed.

At that moment, Neji approached Tenten on his own. "Tenten, fight me once."

Looking at the always aloof heartthrob of the class, Tenten compared him to Xia Mu and still felt that her own boyfriend was better.

She did not refuse. "Alright. Then let Might Guy be the referee."

Might Guy was naturally enthusiastic about it. "Alright! I shall be the referee for this youthful, passionate match. This battle will stop at the right point. You must not injure your companion, and I will intervene if necessary. Alright, begin!"

The moment he finished speaking, Neji charged forward in a ninja dash.

Unafraid, Tenten took out two scrolls and unleashed her self-created Double Rising Dragon. A dense barrage of ninja tools covered Neji from all directions.

Neji's expression turned serious. He immediately activated his Byakugan and assumed a stance. A Bagua Pattern seemed to appear beneath his feet, then the Chakra around his body began to spin. He spun as well, instantly forming a hemispherical protective barrier that knocked away every incoming ninja tool.

"Eight Trigrams Palms Revolving Heaven!"

Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!

Tenten's storm of ninja tools was completely useless, all of them knocked to the ground.

But Tenten was not surprised. After forming several hand seals, she charged forward with a Kunai. Just as Neji finished spinning, he saw her approach and drew a Kunai to meet her.

Yet through his Byakugan, he saw something unexpected.

Something was wrong with Tenten's Chakra pathway. There seemed to be an extra pair of hands behind her!

No More Pretending (Coming Soon)

Might Guy saw it even more clearly. After Tenten formed her hand seals, an extra pair of hands had truly appeared behind her. She had deliberately concealed them from Neji, and even with the Byakugan, he likely would not understand what was happening at first glance.

Sure enough, after their Kunai collided, the hands behind Tenten suddenly pulled out two high-powered flashlights and shone them directly into Neji's eyes.

"Not good..."

Neji instinctively shut his eyes, but immediately realized he was in trouble.

The next second, Tenten threw a punch with her other hand, striking Neji squarely in the shoulder and sending him staggering backward.

"Nicely done!"

Might Guy and the secretly slacking Rock Lee could not help shouting their praise.

Although Tenten had used a small tool for a sneak attack, that was how ninjas fought. Using small tools was perfectly normal, and no one considered it dishonorable.

More importantly, Tenten's move was interesting. The extra pair of hands behind her existed solely to catch the opponent off guard. Even a member of the Hyuga Clan would inevitably fall for it the first time they encountered it.

Might Guy could even imagine that if those hidden hands quietly formed seals, they could suddenly launch Ninjutsu attacks while the opponent was unprepared.

That was far too advantageous!

Tenten pressed her advantage, but Neji had already recovered.

The main reason was that the flashlights were not bright enough. If it had been sunlight, Neji would have been dazzled for quite some time.

Besides, Tenten had not even used Solar Flare yet. As one of her trump cards, she could not use that move carelessly, so she had chosen high-powered flashlights as an inferior version of the attack.

After all, Tenten knew Space-Time Ninjutsu. Carrying a few flashlights was a trivial matter.

"Gentle Fist! Eight Trigrams Thirty-Two Palms!"

Neji hurriedly attacked. His palms were firm yet soft, Chakra coating them as well. They were extremely dangerous; if he landed a hit, it would definitely damage the opponent's internal organs.

Tenten had long since learned information about the Hyuga Clan, so she naturally did not dare meet him head-on.

She stopped in time and swept a Tempest Kick at him. A crescent-shaped water blade two meters wide swept forward, startling Neji into dropping to the ground to evade it.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, Tenten brought out another scroll and summoned a massive boulder to crash down. Neji did not have Might Guy's strength to smash it apart, so he could only dodge.

After several exchanges, Tenten had gained the upper hand, which surprised everyone.

Neji became even more convinced that his instincts had been right. Tenten was definitely a worthy opponent!

"Alright! Stop for now!"

Might Guy hurriedly said, "Ahem! You're both quite skilled. The Hyuga Clan's Gentle Fist truly lives up to its reputation, and Tenten performed brilliantly as well. But if you keep fighting like this, Rock Lee won't do his mission properly, and that isn't good. Let's finish the mission first. You can find time to fight again another day."

Tenten did not mind. "Sure. Neji, we're in the same class. We'll have plenty of chances to spar in the future."

Neji did not insist after hearing that. "Then let's finish the mission first."