Konoha: I Have a Gravity Training Room Chapter 4

Chakra Paper

Fortunately, Iruka was a good teacher and could tell Xia Mu was not lying.

So he warned him, "You're still young. Train in moderation, and don't stay up late training again. Pay attention in class from now on. Don't sleep anymore."

"Yes, Sensei. Thank you, Sensei."

Xia Mu hurriedly thanked him, then rubbed his face until he finally felt more awake.

Naturally, he paid close attention for the rest of the lesson and took careful notes. Seeing this, Iruka finally let the matter go with satisfaction.

After class, Xia Mu yawned again.

Shino asked curiously, "Did you really train until very late last night?"

Xia Mu nodded as he yawned. "Yeah. I got excited and couldn't stop. By the time I did, it was almost dawn."

Shino grew even more curious, but out of politeness, he did not ask. He did not know Xia Mu's background, but something that could make him train through the night without sleep was surely some family secret technique. Asking too much would be improper.

But Xia Mu suddenly froze, then looked at Shino as though he had thought of something.

He smiled. "Shino, do you have much spending money?"

Shino was puzzled, but he answered, "Not much. If you need money, I can lend you some."

Xia Mu shook his head. "I'm not borrowing any, because I have no money to pay you back. But after school this afternoon, come to my house with me. I'll show you something you'll definitely be willing to spend money on. Of course, it's fine if you don't buy it. I mainly want to treat you to a meal. You're my first friend."

"Alright."

Shino agreed without hesitation.

He was curious about what Xia Mu wanted to show him, but since Xia Mu did not want to talk about it here, he did not ask.

Besides, Xia Mu had said he was his first friend and even invited him over for a meal. That alone made him very happy. Nothing else was worth worrying about.

Soon, the morning lessons ended.

Xia Mu first went to the Hokage Building to collect this month's orphan subsidy. He happened to see Naruto collecting his money as well, so he nodded at the blond boy in a gesture of friendliness between classmates.

Unexpectedly, Naruto broke into a wide grin and nodded so hard his head bobbed like a pecking chick.

He had been hated by too many people. For someone to show him kindness was as good as a gift from heaven, so naturally, he was overjoyed.

As for Xia Mu, although Naruto was dim-witted, impulsive, prone to bragging, loud, and always causing trouble, he was still a pitiful kid. It was not the right time to become friends with Naruto, but there was no harm in being friendly.

The subsidy was 1,800 ryo, just enough for one bowl of Ichiraku Ramen a day.

It really was just enough to keep an orphan from starving to death.

After collecting the money, Xia Mu headed straight for Ichiraku Ramen. He wanted to see just how delicious it was.

After Naruto collected his money, he found Xia Mu had already disappeared. Still, he was in a good mood, so he decided to reward himself with a bowl of Ichiraku Ramen for lunch.

To his surprise, he saw Xia Mu again at Ichiraku Ramen.

"Uncle Ichiraku, one bowl of ramen!"

Naruto plopped down beside Xia Mu and carefully asked, "Hey, hey, what was your name again? At the Hokage Building just now, you nodded at me, right?"

Xia Mu had just taken a bite of his sixty-ryo ramen. It tasted pretty good. It was not as exaggeratedly delicious as Naruto claimed, and it did not quite suit his tastes, but it was probably among the best food in Konoha. Otherwise, why would so many ninja come here to eat? It could not be because they all had their eyes on Ayame, could it?

Oh, Otsutsuki Ichiraku's daughter, Ayame, really was quite pretty.

Hearing Naruto's question, Xia Mu nodded. "My name is Xia Mu. That was just a friendly nod between classmates."

Naruto grinned. "I'm Naruto Uzumaki, the man who'll become Hokage someday, dattebayo! Xia Mu, do you like Ichiraku Ramen too? Ichiraku Ramen is absolutely the best food ever, dattebayo!"

That's only because you're inexperienced and broke. The grilled meat at Q Meat BBQ is way better than ramen!

But Xia Mu did not dare say it. Uncle Ichiraku was right there. If he dared say Ichiraku Ramen was not tasty, he would definitely get thrown out.

Xia Mu was actually starting to regret nodding to Naruto. He had not expected such a tiny gesture to make Naruto come right over. Just as he had expected, the guy was incredibly noisy.

Dattebayo, dattebayo, urusai!

I can't even eat my ramen properly!

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. Ichiraku Ramen is the best," Xia Mu said perfunctorily.

Uncle Ichiraku happened to bring Naruto his ramen. Hearing that, he smiled with narrowed eyes. Who knew whether there was a Rinnegan beneath those squinting eyes?

Naruto finally stopped making noise and focused on his noodles, slurping them down as if he had been starving for three days and nights. As expected, Naruto really had been going hungry, and one bowl would definitely not fill him up.

Xia Mu did not feel generous enough to treat him. His relationship with Naruto had not reached that point.

He was a poor orphan himself.

"I'm done. I'm leaving first."

Xia Mu finished every last bite, turned around, and left Ichiraku Ramen.

Naruto looked back at Xia Mu's retreating figure and suddenly felt that the ramen no longer tasted good. He asked gloomily, "Uncle Ichiraku, Sister Ayame, does Xia Mu hate me too?"

The blond boy was actually very sensitive. Xia Mu had taken the initiative to greet him earlier, and Naruto had thought they might become friends. But now Xia Mu had finished eating and left in a hurry without waiting for him. Was he bothered by Naruto's fox demon identity too?

Ayame said gently, "How could that be? If he really disliked you, why would he patiently talk to you? He looked exhausted to me. He was probably in a hurry to go home and catch up on sleep."

"Oh, right! I remember Xia Mu falling asleep in class this morning. He said he trained very late last night. He must have gone home to sleep. He doesn't hate me, dattebayo."

After comforting himself, Naruto regained his appetite and continued slurping away.

Xia Mu had no idea what Naruto was thinking. He wandered back toward the academy, stopping at Manten-do Ninja Tool Shop along the way to buy a sheet of Chakra Paper.

He had mastered the Rasengan yesterday. Next, he needed to incorporate his chakra nature into it, so he first had to find out what attributes his chakra possessed.

Holding the newly bought Chakra Paper, he poured his chakra into it.

The next second, part of the paper became damp, part crumbled, and part wrinkled.

"Water, Earth, and Lightning? What would happen if I added Water Release to the Rasengan? Can Earth and Lightning Release be added to it too?"

Xia Mu was troubled, but he clearly could not figure out the answer through imagination alone. He would have to experiment. And the experiment would be rather dangerous, so he would have to wait until the first of next month.

In the original story, Naruto's Wind Style: Rasenshuriken had been very dangerous after he first mastered it. Using it in the early stages even injured him.

Xia Mu did not want to take that risk. Even with Senzu Beans, he could not waste them. A hundred Senzu Beans sounded like a lot, but every one of them had to be saved for critical moments.

"Right, I should prepare a few more research projects too, or I might end up like last night again."

Thinking as he walked, Xia Mu returned to the classroom and immediately collapsed onto his desk to sleep.

Shino Visits

The afternoon brought their first outdoor class.

Iruka first had everyone run three thousand meters, intending to gauge the children's foundations.

Naruto's competitive spirit flared up, and he sprinted madly at the front, determined to leave Sasuke behind. But Sasuke regarded his great older brother as his role model and was determined to rank first in the grade, so naturally, he refused to fall behind.

Especially against Naruto, Sasuke had no intention of losing.

Xia Mu, meanwhile, jogged slowly among the crowd while pretending to look exhausted. In reality, he was leisurely enjoying the show.

By the time the three thousand meters were over, he had barely broken a sweat. Naruto, on the other hand, was sprawled on the ground like a dead dog, and his ranking was not particularly high either.

See? Even an Uzumaki Body and the Nine-Tails' chakra supply were useless when he was so malnourished.

His body was weak beyond belief.

First place naturally went to Sasuke. The cute, handsome boy glanced smugly at Naruto, then coolly stepped aside to accept the girls' screams and praise.

Naruto jumped up in anger. "What's that smug Sasuke acting so proud for, dattebayo?!"

But Xia Mu noticed that the girls had split into several factions: one group led by Ino Yamanaka, Sakura's one-person faction, and a few scattered groups. Though all of them were Sasuke fans, they could hardly stand the sight of one another. They would probably start tearing into each other at the slightest provocation.

Ino and Sakura had clearly been so close before, yet their flimsy friendship had shattered to pieces.

They even traded insults from time to time. What a show.

The key was that Naruto had already transformed into a lovesick fool and gone up to Sakura, showering her with sweet words in an attempt to win her favor. But Sakura only had eyes for Sasuke and found Naruto incredibly annoying.

Oh, right. One cute little girl kept rolling her eyes at Naruto, but unfortunately, he did not notice.

"These girls are such a pain," Shikamaru said irritably.

Choji crunched on potato chips and ignored everything around him.

Xia Mu and Shino exchanged a look and shrugged. It had nothing to do with them, so there was no need to interfere. If it got too noisy, they could just cover their ears.

Next came the Kunai Throwing Lesson.

The students from ninja clans had naturally learned it long ago, and their hit rates were quite high.

Sasuke in particular stood out. Throwing techniques were the Uchiha Clan's specialty, and he hit the bullseye almost every time, triggering another wave of screams from the girls.

Naruto started yelling again at the sight, determined to outperform Sasuke. In the end, none of his kunai hit the target, and one nearly castrated Iruka, earning him a furious scolding.

Xia Mu ignored everyone else. Following Iruka's instructions and combining them with the throwing experience recorded in his family's scrolls, he practiced again and again. At first, he could only barely hit the target, but his accuracy quickly improved. He even hit the bullseye several times, making remarkable progress and earning direct praise from Iruka.

There was no use envying him. They never paid attention in class and insisted on competing and squabbling instead, wasting valuable practice time. Who could they blame but themselves?

After school, Xia Mu took Shino to buy some fresh meat and seasonings before bringing him home.

"This is my house. It's a bit out of the way."

Xia Mu pushed open the courtyard gate and introduced it. "My parents have passed away, so I live alone now. I grow a few vegetables myself. I'll go cook first, Shino. Help me pick some vegetables."

He really did not hesitate to order his guest around, but that was because he did not treat Shino like an outsider.

"These vegetables look great," Shino praised. He silently took a basket and began picking vegetables, becoming unusually talkative. "The Aburame Clan raises insects, so we grow vegetables too. Xia Mu, you grow them much better than I do. Can I take some leaves to feed my insects?"

"Go ahead."

Xia Mu answered casually. The rice was already cooking, the fresh meat was marinating, and he cut off a piece of cured meat before finally freeing up his hands.

Shino had finished picking vegetables too. He took a tender leaf to feed his insects. Though neither of them spoke, the scene was unexpectedly harmonious. Even with Shino wearing sunglasses, Xia Mu could tell he was very happy.

Perhaps it was because he had finally made a friend, and this was his first time visiting a friend's home.

Xia Mu did not beat around the bush. "Shino, I was actually researching One-Handed Seals last night, which is why I stayed up all night. And I succeeded."

"One-Handed Seals?!"

Shino was startled. The look in his eyes behind his sunglasses was as though he were seeing Xia Mu for the first time.

One-Handed Seals were no simple matter. Even many jonin could not use them, or had never even seen them. For example, when Kakashi Hatake saw Haku use One-Handed Seals during the Land of Waves mission, he had been utterly shocked and bluntly said it was his first time seeing them, like some ignorant brat who had never seen the world.

Anyone capable of using One-Handed Seals was naturally a genius.

Especially since Xia Mu was only six years old. He was absolutely a genius among geniuses!

In front of Shino, Xia Mu raised his left hand, formed several seals, and with a puff, transformed into Shino. It was the Transformation Jutsu performed with One-Handed Seals.

Shino had no choice but to believe him. He gave Xia Mu a thumbs-up. "Xia Mu, you're amazing."

Xia Mu smiled. "I invited you here not only to treat you to a meal, but also because I want to teach you One-Handed Seals. Of course, it won't be free. I've realized my appetite has gotten bigger, and the savings at home plus the orphan subsidy are not really enough. Before long, I'll be going hungry. So I've set my sights on you, my friend. Do you want to learn?"

"I do. Tell me how much tuition you think is appropriate."

Shino agreed without hesitation.

He had actually been quite willing to lend Xia Mu money. Xia Mu was his first friend, after all. It would not matter even if Xia Mu could not repay him, because he knew Xia Mu's life was difficult and was genuinely worried for him.

Xia Mu's pride was probably getting in the way. He did not want to borrow money from a friend, and he was even more afraid he would not be able to pay it back, which was why he had chosen this method to ask for money.

As his friend, how could Shino not support him?

Besides, learning One-Handed Seals would greatly benefit him too. He was happy enough as it was, so naturally, he would not refuse. It could be said to be a win-win situation.

But Xia Mu hesitated. "How about you just give me whatever? Enough to get me through two difficult months would be fine. I don't know how much I should charge."

Shino did not know the going rate either, so he said, "I'll ask my dad when I get home tonight. He'll definitely know what price is reasonable. We'll make sure neither of us gets shortchanged."

"Sounds good. But Shino, you and your dad need to keep this secret. I don't really want anyone else to know about it."

"Don't worry. I understand your concerns."

Shino truly did understand.

He knew Konoha was not as glamorous as it appeared on the surface. Especially after his friend Yabusa from the Aburame Clan had taken his place and gone to Danzo's so-called Anbu, he had learned that Konoha had its darkness too.

Konoha's talented people were being watched by certain shadowy figures!

Even as the son of the Aburame Clan's head, he could not resist. If Yabusa had not stepped forward willingly, he, the clan head's son, would have been taken away instead.