Konoha: I Have a Gravity Training Room

"Heh! Is that confidence or arrogance? Don't hold back. Come at me!"

The moment Aoba Yamashiro finished speaking, Xia Mu vanished.

Using Soru, he flashed behind Aoba Yamashiro and swept out with a roundhouse kick that tore through the air. However, Aoba Yamashiro was highly skilled in taijutsu and had naturally seen through it long ago. He sidestepped the attack, then took the initiative with a series of punches.

Xia Mu immediately used Iron Body to harden his fists and exchanged several blows with Aoba Yamashiro, leaving Aoba Yamashiro's hands numb.

"Your Iron Body fist technique really is troublesome. I can't clash head-on with you!"

Aoba Yamashiro leaped backward, intending to widen the distance between them. But Xia Mu raised his leg and sent a Tempest Kick flying at him, forcing Aoba Yamashiro to dodge again. Xia Mu had already used Soru once more to catch up.

"Finger Pistol!"

Pff! Pff! Pff!

His sharp fingers seemed ready to pierce the air itself.

Aoba Yamashiro did not dare let his guard down. He decisively pulled out a kunai to block, and a series of clangs rang out. Those Finger Pistols were as dangerous as steel nails.

Fortunately, Aoba Yamashiro's taijutsu was truly formidable. Not only did he block all of Xia Mu's Finger Pistols, but he also found openings to counterattack, forcing Xia Mu to use Kami-e to evade.

"The Six Styles really are extraordinary! Just five styles already provide both offense and defense. I heard the remaining one, Moon Walk, lets you run through the air. I'd like to see it for myself."

With that thought, Aoba Yamashiro suddenly lowered himself and swept his leg out.

Xia Mu decisively jumped up, only to discover that Aoba Yamashiro had launched another rapid assault. Left with no choice, he used Moon Walk to dodge in midair.

Aoba Yamashiro adjusted his sunglasses with a smile. "So this is Moon Walk. It really does let you walk and run freely through the air. Looks like I'll have to shamelessly learn this move from my student. It's genuinely useful."

Half an hour later, Xia Mu's Six Styles had been polished further, but he still failed to gain any advantage against Aoba Yamashiro's taijutsu.

So he took a deep breath. "Eight Gates, Third Gate, Gate of Life, open!"

Boom! A surge of air erupted from his body, making his hair stand on end. Powerful Chakra fluctuations radiated from him. However, he had only opened the Third Gate. This was merely a spar, so there was no need to open the later gates and damage his body.

Whoosh! He vanished again, far faster than his previous Soru.

Aoba Yamashiro did not dare be careless and hurriedly raised his arms to block, only to be swept back by a tremendous force. He staggered back several steps before barely stopping. Xia Mu's figure continued flickering around him, his speed truly astonishing. If not for Aoba Yamashiro's exceptional eyesight and extensive experience, that kick would have defeated him.

"Hehe, Xia Mu, you keep surprising me more and more!"

Aoba Yamashiro smiled brightly and faced him with complete focus.

Xia Mu did not hold back either. Relying on the power and speed of the Eight Gates, he paired them with the Six Styles and continuously launched fierce attacks. For a moment, he actually held a faint advantage.

However, the Eight Gates could not remain open for long. Even with only the Third Gate open, the consumption was considerable.

If the fight continued, Aoba Yamashiro might still win in the end.

Aoba Yamashiro took the initiative to speak. "I'm already familiar with your Six Styles. Even with the speed and power of the Eight Gates, defeating me is impossible. Show me what you can really do. Where is your Hatake Kenjutsu?"

Clang! A short blade was drawn.

Lightning flickered across its blade, and in the next instant, it was before Aoba Yamashiro's face.

Aoba Yamashiro was startled and hurriedly raised his kunai to block. With a sizzling sound, the kunai was cut in half on the spot, while a bloody gash appeared across his shoulder.

"So fast! As expected of the White Fang's swordsmanship!"

In Aoba Yamashiro's view, even if Xia Mu had only learned a tenth of Hatake Kenjutsu, he already possessed Jonin-level strength.

If he had not blocked and dodged in time just now, Xia Mu might truly have failed to stop his blade and slit his teacher's throat. Wouldn't Xia Mu have become a Rogue Ninja then?

He did not dare be careless. He immediately formed hand seals at high speed and summoned crows to fight. "Ninja Art: Thousand Ravens Technique!"

In an instant, a dense Crow Swarm descended upon Xia Mu.

Xia Mu moved swiftly, weaving through the Crow Swarm with the speed of the Eight Gates. The short blade in his hand continuously slashed out bolts of lightning. Crows died in droves wherever he passed, but it was difficult for him to get close to Aoba Yamashiro.

Aoba Yamashiro was wary of the lightning and kept circling outside the Crow Swarm, refusing to let Xia Mu approach.

He had also seen through Xia Mu's weakness: his Hatake Kenjutsu was not yet refined enough. Otherwise, he would not have needed to rely on the speed of the Eight Gates.

Aoba Yamashiro's judgment was indeed sharp.

Xia Mu had studied Hatake Kenjutsu for less than a year. Though he understood the essence of the swordsmanship, mastering it was extremely difficult. At present, he had only learned how to make his blade faster, but his own speed could not keep up. That was why he had to rely on the Eight Gates to boost his speed. Yet the two did not truly mesh, preventing him from displaying his greatest strength.

Xia Mu also guessed that the White Fang's speed came from Lightning Body Flicker, which was why he had been so fast.

However, Lightning Body Flicker was not easy to learn. Xia Mu was still working it out. Once he learned it, he would have to combine it with his swordsmanship and make his lightning blade even faster than Lightning Body Flicker itself. That would be even harder.

For now, he could only fight Aoba Yamashiro to roughly a draw.

Of course, if he opened the Eight Gates to the Fifth Gate or used powerful techniques such as Vortex Boiling Water and Skyward Spin, he would have a chance of winning. But there was no need.

Several hours later, Xia Mu collapsed onto the ground in exhaustion.

Aoba Yamashiro was also in a sorry state. Clearly, Xia Mu had made him suffer quite a bit.

Still, he smiled. "To fight me to this extent, your strength is around the level of an elite Chunin or even a Special Jonin. Among Genin, you should be the strongest. However, your weakness is also obvious. You severely lack combat experience, so you'll need to keep learning in the future."

Xia Mu immediately seized the opportunity. "Then I'll have to trouble Teacher Aoba to be my sparring partner from now on! Thank you, Teacher!"

Aoba Yamashiro was speechless. The kid had already thanked him—how was he supposed to refuse?

Training Teammates

A few days later, Tatsuya Yamashiro and Megumi Kato had completely mastered Tree Climbing and Water Walking.

Even on a relatively turbulent river, the two could run across the surface without issue. Their Chakra control had clearly risen to another level.

The benefits were significant. Learning ninjutsu in the future would be much easier.

The two were also excited by their own growth and wanted to learn even more.

After Xia Mu discussed it with Aoba Yamashiro, they reached a decision.

"Megumi, since you have Water-nature Chakra, I'll teach you some Water Style Ninjutsu. I'll also teach you two of the Six Styles, Moon Walk and Tempest Kick. That should be enough to bring your strength up to Chunin level. In addition, girls tend to be more meticulous, giving them finer Chakra control, so I suggest you study Medical Ninjutsu."

"Medical Ninjutsu?"

Megumi Kato was naturally excited that Xia Mu would teach her Water Style Ninjutsu, but she was puzzled by his suggestion that she learn Medical Ninjutsu.

Although precise Chakra control did make one better suited for Medical Ninjutsu, did she really have to learn it?

Seeing that she did not seem very willing, Xia Mu chose to persuade her. "Actually, having a medical ninja on every team was once Lady Tsunade's proposal. But after Lady Tsunade left the village, it was shelved for a time. In fact, the Shinobi World War proved that teams with medical ninjas often had higher survival rates."

Megumi Kato was immediately moved.

After spending time together these past few days, she had gradually realized that she might not have much of a role in the team in the future.

First, because someone as powerful as Xia Mu was on the team. Second, because Tatsuya Yamashiro was growing faster than she was. Even though she had learned Tree Climbing and Water Walking faster and better than Tatsuya Yamashiro, she could see that he would grow much stronger than her in the future. By then, she would practically be useless on the team. Not dragging them down would already be fortunate.

If learning Medical Ninjutsu could improve the team's survival rate, then she was naturally willing to learn it.

That way, she could truly be of help.

Xia Mu pressed on. "You already went home and asked your parents, right? Senior Shizune Kato should be related to you. Senior Shizune has always followed Lady Tsunade, so her Medical Ninjutsu must be exceptional. I was thinking that you should first build a solid foundation in Medical Ninjutsu. If you meet Senior Shizune in the future, perhaps you can become her apprentice. Then you'd count as Lady Tsunade's grand-disciple..."

"Lady Tsunade's grand-disciple?"

Megumi Kato's eyes lit up. "Then I'll learn it! No, I'm definitely learning Medical Ninjutsu!"

All girls admired Tsunade, and all of them dreamed of becoming like Tsunade. Now that she heard she had a chance to become Tsunade's grand-disciple, she naturally stopped hesitating.

Besides, Xia Mu was not making it up. Since Megumi Kato and Shizune Kato were related, becoming her apprentice in the future certainly would not be a problem.

Aoba Yamashiro asked in surprise, "Xia Mu, you know Shizune too?"

Xia Mu recalled something. "Senior Shizune Kato seems to have been in the same class as Teacher Aoba. I heard a little about her, and since Megumi is related to Senior Shizune, I thought she might be suited to learning Medical Ninjutsu as well."

Aoba Yamashiro nodded slightly, recalling the cute, short-haired girl from their days at the Ninja Academy.

Shizune had been so cute as a child...

"Teacher Aoba, there's something strange about that smile. Did you remember something? Or do you have some special thoughts about Senior Shizune?" Xia Mu stared at Aoba Yamashiro.

"Huh? Ahem! Don't talk nonsense! I merely remembered our days at the Ninja Academy. It's been many years since I last saw Shizune, and I wonder how she's doing. Sometimes, we old classmates worry about her too."

Aoba Yamashiro hurriedly explained, though it somehow sounded like he was trying to cover something up.

Xia Mu did not pursue the matter. When Tsunade returned to become the Fifth Hokage one day, Shizune would naturally return as well. They could see then.

Next came Tatsuya Yamashiro.

"Tatsuya, you have Fire-nature Chakra, but I don't know any Fire Style Ninjutsu. I can only teach you the Four Demon Technique and the Body Flicker Technique, which should be of some help to you. You'll mainly learn from Teacher Aoba. He's your clansman, so he won't have too many reservations about teaching you. Figure out a way to squeeze every bit of skill out of him!"

"Got it, Boss! I'll squeeze every bit of skill out of Brother Aoba!"

Tatsuya Yamashiro gave a salute to show his determination.

Aoba Yamashiro felt a headache coming on. His clansman was a little simple-minded, but he was still his younger clansman. There was nothing wrong with teaching him well. The Yamashiro Clan could grow stronger in the future as well.

Afterward, the four split into two groups.

Xia Mu was responsible for teaching Megumi Kato. In addition to Medical Ninjutsu, he taught her Water Release: Wild Water Wave, Water Release: Magnifying Water Mirror, Water Release: Magnifying Water Lens, and two of the Six Styles, Moon Walk and Tempest Kick. Since they were related to the Water nature, he taught those as well. Just these techniques alone could raise Megumi Kato's strength by several levels.

During occasional breaks, Xia Mu also taught the Four Demon Technique and the Body Flicker Technique to Tatsuya Yamashiro, while Megumi Kato watched from the side whenever she wanted to learn.

After all, once his two teammates became stronger, he could be much more at ease when they went on missions in the future.

As for the village's D-rank missions, they naturally accepted them every day, then handed them all to Shadow Clones. Training and missions did not interfere with each other in the slightest. Their days were quite fulfilling.

And so, a month passed.

On that day, Team 9 was assigned a C-rank mission outside the village: escorting a merchant caravan to the capital of the Land of Fire.

"Hehe, we finally get to leave the village for a mission."

Tatsuya Yamashiro swung his arms excitedly. "After learning from Brother Aoba and the Boss for a month, it's time to put it to the test. I wonder what powerful enemies will be waiting for us on the road."

Megumi Kato poured cold water on his excitement. "At most, C-rank missions involve bandits or robbers blocking the road. What kind of powerful enemies could those trash be?"

Tatsuya Yamashiro wilted. "Megumi, I'm rarely this happy. Could you not rain on my parade?"

"What? You don't agree?"

"I do! Of course I do! Megumi is right!"

Tatsuya Yamashiro scratched his head and grinned foolishly at Megumi Kato, while Megumi Kato crossed her arms with a haughty look.

Watching them, Xia Mu always felt there was something going on between the two, especially over the past month. Megumi Kato enjoyed teasing Tatsuya Yamashiro, and Tatsuya Yamashiro always grinned foolishly and yielded to her.

"What a pair of bickering lovers. Even their names are so fated."

Xia Mu felt like he was being fed dog food, but he refused to eat it because he was not single.

Aoba Yamashiro spoke up at the right time. "All right. You have half an hour to return and prepare. Gather at the gate on time in half an hour. Though it's only a C-rank mission, you must not let your guard down. Sometimes, you may encounter powerful ninjas by accident and still face danger. Dismissed!"

With that, he used Body Flicker and disappeared.

Xia Mu gave the two a meaningful look before disappearing as well.

The two left behind looked at each other, both blushing slightly. Their boss's gaze had seemed strange, as if he had noticed something between them.

Leaving the Village

Tenten had already left the village on a mission earlier, so Xia Mu went to the Ninja Tool Shop to greet his cheap father-in-law. He took the Summoning Scroll he had prepared long ago and headed toward the gate.

On the way, he ran into Team 7, who were searching for a cat.

Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura were chasing after the cat from all sides, but their coordination was lacking. The kitten ran them ragged.

Xia Mu looked up and saw Kakashi reading an adult novel on a rooftop. He promptly greeted him. "Senior Kakashi, you're pretty relaxed."

Kakashi closed his book. "Xia Mu? Judging by your outfit, are you leaving the village for a mission?"

Xia Mu nodded. "Yes. Lord Hokage assigned us a mission to escort a merchant caravan to the Land of Fire. We're leaving soon."

"Oh, then get going. Be careful."

"Bye, Senior."

Xia Mu waved and ran toward the gate.

Naruto had finally caught the kitten, only for it to scratch his face. Looking miserable, he saw Xia Mu run past and seemed to recall hearing him speak with Teacher Kakashi just now.

So he asked curiously, "Teacher Kakashi, do you know Xia Mu?"

Sasuke and Sakura were curious as well. They had also heard Xia Mu greet Kakashi just now.