Konoha: I Have a Gravity Training Room

Naruto had been holding himself back from playing cards for Xia Mu's Hokage card. Whenever he heard anyone mention cards, he covered his ears, afraid he would not be able to resist. As a result, he had also missed the news about the character card update.

Moreover, his friends had subconsciously kept it secret, partly to help Naruto completely kick his gaming addiction and partly because it was amusing.

That was how today's farce had happened.

How should they put it? Naruto did look rather pitiful right now, but he had brought it on himself. Who told him he could get addicted to playing cards? He needed to be properly cured of it.

"Xia Mu, how could you do this?!"

Naruto walked over with a resentful tone. "Why didn't you tell me the character cards had been updated?"

Xia Mu looked utterly innocent. "I told you a month ago. I said Lord Hokage had allowed me to sell Hokage character cards, and that the updated card characters would be announced after a while. See? Wasn't I clear enough? You were the one who only remembered the Hokage card and didn't pay attention to anything else I said!"

Naruto had no response, but he still felt wronged.

After all, he had been looking forward to this for so long. Today, he had planned to show off his one and only Hokage card and have everyone gather around him, only for it to turn into a joke.

He really wanted to cry!

"Alright, alright. Look on the bright side. At least you didn't spend any money!" Xia Mu could only comfort him that way.

"It's true that this Hokage card was free, but the other character cards were updated too! Everyone uses new cards when they play now, so I can't even bring out my old deck!"

Ninja Kill cards were actually quite expensive. At least, for a poor guy like Naruto, buying them meant gritting his teeth and deciding to go hungry.

Although Shikamaru and Choji definitely had new cards, so it would not be hard for Naruto to play, Naruto preferred taking out his own cards and inviting others to play. It was a matter of pride.

For example, he might ask someone, "Hey, want to play a card game?"

And the classmate would say, "Do you have cards?"

Just that one sentence would make Naruto depressed for half the day. It was the feeling of losing face.

Doraemon Tenten

Xia Mu could do nothing to help Naruto with that.

His family was not running a charity. He had given away cards before to promote them, but now there was no reason to give any away.

Besides, Xia Mu suspected Naruto had not gotten over his card addiction yet. Giving him new cards would only harm him, so he decided to pretend he had seen nothing and let Naruto be depressed on his own.

School was over soon enough.

Xia Mu and Shino went to the Ninja Tool Shop, only for Tenten's shopkeeper father-in-law to inform them that Tenten had left the village on a mission.

"So I guessed right. Good thing I prepared in advance. Tenten won't be caught off guard, and things should be more convenient for her while she's out there."

Just as Xia Mu had expected, it began raining not long after Might Guy's Team left the village.

The mission had a time limit, so they could not delay their journey over a little rain. Still, traveling while soaked was not ideal.

Doraemon Tenten immediately took out four raincoats and distributed them. The rain's impact was instantly reduced to a minimum. Rain still blew into their faces, but as long as it did not soak their bodies, it was not uncomfortable, nor was there any risk of catching a cold.

Fortunately, by evening, Might Guy's Team was not far from their destination.

Doraemon Tenten took out cups of ginger tea for everyone, along with meat buns. After eating and drinking, their fatigue immediately vanished.

Might Guy could not help giving her a thumbs-up. "Summoning Jutsu really is convenient. Having Tenten along on missions is incredibly useful."

Rock Lee, already dressed in his green jumpsuit like Kappa Number Two, agreed. "Indeed, having Tenten with us is so convenient. I never expected we could drink hot ginger tea and eat delicious meat buns without even starting a fire. Going on missions feels like traveling."

Even Neji had to give her a thumbs-up.

Tenten herself was not weak, and now she was like a treasure chest that could provide anything they needed. Having someone like that on the team was unbelievably convenient.

Tenten had already set out four small tents. Hearing them, she could not help complaining, "Convenient? Don't treat me like a tool. Space-Time Ninjutsu is what's convenient, not me. Also, my boyfriend prepared the tents and raincoats. All you single people can do is envy me."

Wait, how had a little teasing turned into a personal attack?

Couldn't they just make a joke properly?

The four did not start a fire, worried that they would alert the enemy. The night was also too dark for a surprise attack, so they simply crawled into the tents to rest and wait for dawn.

In the darkness, Might Guy asked quietly, "Tenten, I heard Xia Mu fainted from pain before. What happened?"

Tenten thought for a moment but did not dare tell the truth. Although she felt Might Guy was trustworthy, she was not as certain about Neji and Rock Lee. Neji especially had the Caged Bird Curse Mark; even his own freedom was not guaranteed, let alone his ability to keep secrets.

It was better not to mention her boyfriend's bug-like training dream.

"What else could it be? He overdid his training. When I got back, I gave him a serious scolding, and he promised it would not happen again. Might Guy, you should scold him too when you have time. He was being far too reckless!"

"So that's what happened! Don't worry, Tenten. Once we return, I'll go scold him. Training must be done steadily and practically. How can one be reckless?"

"..."

Tenten wanted to complain, because she thought Might Guy and Rock Lee were both rather reckless too.

Rock Lee's self-torturing training probably had left plenty of hidden injuries in his body. He might not feel them now while he was young, but they would definitely flare up in the future. Still, that was Rock Lee's own business, and he was striving for his dream. Tenten had no right to interfere.

Her own boyfriend was still better.

He really was a little reckless, but at least he only acted that way in that special training dream, where his life and body were absolutely safe.

Compared to that, Tenten suddenly felt much more relieved.

Early the next morning, Tenten packed away the tents while handing out breakfast. After the four had eaten, they continued onward and soon arrived near a cave.

Neji immediately activated his Byakugan. After investigating, he said sternly, "There are twenty bandits. No ninja, and their guard is lax. But there's a prison inside the cave, and it holds many dead people. Some are women and children."

The others' expressions darkened at once.

Tenten asked coldly, "Might Guy, should we kill them?"

Rock Lee and Neji both instinctively looked at Tenten. They could feel the killing intent in the girl's eyes, though their own killing intent was no weaker.

Might Guy's face was expressionless. "I don't like killing people, but some people deserve to die. Kill them."

Might Guy was truly kind. Although he was already an elite jonin, he never killed casually. That was his reverence for life. But it did not mean he was a saint. When facing vicious criminals, he would still kill.

However, he was ultimately too naive and too kind, which was why he was unsuitable for the Anbu.

When he had once teamed up with the Anbu on missions, the Anbu had killed people who could not resist, something he had found difficult to understand. But that was simply how the Anbu operated.

The Anbu killed people who seemed undeserving of death. Even if those people were not evil, they still had to die.

That was why Hiruzen Sarutobi had refused to let him join the Anbu. Even Shimura Danzō had not wanted him, because he truly was not suited for it.

Of course, when it came to major matters of right and wrong, Might Guy saw things clearly. He knew these bandits would harm the nearby villagers, and that they had already harmed many. They deserved to die. Otherwise, how could he face those villagers? How could he answer to the innocent people who had died?

Therefore, Might Guy would not oppose his students killing.

Besides, ninja needed to see blood. Otherwise, they could not grow.

"This will be your trial, so I'll try not to intervene this time. Make your own arrangements." Might Guy stood to one side with his arms folded.

Tenten, Neji, and Rock Lee were not surprised. They began discussing their plan, with Neji mainly explaining the bandits' positions in detail before they divided up the tasks.

After the discussion, the three nodded to Might Guy and immediately moved into action.

Tenten took out a scroll and summoned a Long Gunblade, then attached a suppressor. She aimed it at one of the bandits guarding the cave entrance.

The next second, she pulled the trigger. There was only a soft puff, and the bandit fell in response. There was barely any commotion; even the bandits inside the cave could not hear it.

Neji and Rock Lee immediately rushed toward the cave, kicked the bandit's corpse aside, and charged directly inside.

Tenten put away the Long Gunblade, took out a pair of Short Gunblades, and quickly moved to wait at the cave entrance.

Screams soon rang out from within. Neji and Rock Lee were attacking without mercy. Even kind-hearted Rock Lee slit bandits' throats without hesitation using kunai, while Neji used Gentle Fist to break their limbs. That was even harsher than killing them outright.

Some bandits desperately fled toward the entrance, only to be greeted by Tenten's specially made peanuts.

Before long, every bandit had been wiped out.

Tenten, Neji, and Rock Lee carried the corpses from the prison outside together, while Might Guy went to a nearby village and called the villagers over to identify the bodies.

It was cruel, but it had to be done.

The four watched the villagers clutching their loved ones' bodies and weeping inconsolably. Their faces were full of sorrow, and they could only turn away rather than look.

The Hatake Clan's Story

That day, Xia Mu returned home after school and saw Tenten standing blankly in the courtyard.

So she had already returned from her mission.

Hearing the door open, Tenten turned to glance at him, then threw herself into Xia Mu's arms. She neither cried nor spoke, simply remaining there quietly.

"What's wrong?" Xia Mu asked, heart aching for her.

"Xia Mu, I feel awful," Tenten said softly.

"What happened? Can you tell me?"

"Mhm. This mission was to eliminate bandits. It was the first time I killed someone."

"What kind of bandits were they?"

"A group of scum. They killed many villagers, including many women and children. They deserved to die. But when I saw the villagers holding their relatives' bodies and crying as if their hearts had been torn apart, I felt terrible."

"I see."

Xia Mu understood, but he did not know how to comfort her. He could only silently hold Tenten and offer warmth through his embrace.

After a long while, Tenten finally recovered somewhat and became livelier. She even took the initiative to kiss Xia Mu. "Don't worry, I'm not that fragile. From the moment I chose to become a ninja, I knew I would experience things like this. It was just the first time I truly felt how fragile life was, while some people actually trampled on life."

Seeing Tenten recover, Xia Mu finally breathed a sigh of relief. He had been afraid she would be traumatized.

Thinking about it, she was only twelve, still a child. Suddenly seeing dead bodies and even killing someone herself would have an enormous impact on anyone's mental health.

Yet Fugaku Uchiha had dared to bring his four-year-old son onto a battlefield. He was practically inhuman.

What nonsense about understanding how to think like a Hokage from childhood. After being subjected to that kind of stimulation, how could he not think?

Xia Mu did not care about anyone else. As long as Tenten was fine, that was enough.

"Oh, right. Might Guy also asked about how you fainted from pain before. I told him you overdid your training, and I even asked him to scold you when he had time. He agreed, so don't let anything slip when you see him tomorrow," Tenten suddenly said.

"...Alright. Thank you, my dearest girlfriend, for covering for me."

Xia Mu felt rather helpless. Secrets really were hard to keep. But then again, "Might Guy wants to see me tomorrow? Is something going on?"

Tenten nodded. "Our class just returned from a mission, so we'll rest for two days. Might Guy said Kakashi has been in the village recently, so he wants to take the chance to introduce you to him. The Hatake Kenjutsu you've been longing for is finally within reach."

Oh? Tomorrow?

Xia Mu's eyes lit up. Might Guy really did keep his promises.

That was good. He had been worrying about how to continue improving, and now Hatake Kenjutsu was calling to him. As for whether Kakashi would be willing to teach him, that was uncertain. He could only try.

"Xia Mu, can you tell me about Hatake Kenjutsu? Or Hatake Sakumo?" Tenten's curiosity had been awakened.

She had wanted to ask for a long time, but they had either been on missions or training. By the time she returned home, she had only felt exhausted, so she never brought it up. Now was the perfect chance.

Xia Mu immediately recalled the story. "Hatake Sakumo's story is quite regrettable, actually. Supposedly, he was once the captain of the Hokage's direct Anbu unit and often carried out dangerous missions. But Sakumo was powerful, and completing S-rank Missions was effortless for him. His kenjutsu in particular made every village tremble in fear, and his enemies affectionately called him Konoha's White Fang."

Affectionately?

Could he possibly make that sound any more absurd?

Tenten suppressed the urge to complain. She felt her boyfriend sometimes liked making things up when telling stories.

"Ahem! Anyway, Hatake Kenjutsu was incredibly powerful. Back then, Konoha's White Fang's fame even overshadowed the Sannin. Some even said that if White Fang had not committed suicide, he might have become the Fourth Hokage!"

"Ah! White Fang committed suicide? He was so powerful, so why...?"

"It's rather complicated. Apparently, during one mission, White Fang chose to abandon the mission to save his comrades. But when he returned to the village, he was criticized. Even the comrade he saved joined in criticizing him. White Fang couldn't bear it, so..."

"How could that happen?!"

Tenten covered her mouth, clearly unable to believe it.

She could not understand how someone so powerful, someone who had survived dangerous battlefields and missions, could die by suicide. It was truly difficult to comprehend. Perhaps that was why Xia Mu said it was complicated. The circumstances back then could not be understood now, and Konoha's White Fang's reasons for suicide might not have been so simple.

Still, Tenten felt indignant.

White Fang had chosen to save his comrades and abandon the mission, so perhaps he deserved criticism. But the person he saved was the one person least qualified to blame him. Wasn't that the behavior of an ungrateful wretch?

Perhaps White Fang had felt betrayed, and that was why he killed himself?

Tenten only felt her head ache. She truly could not understand it.