Konoha: I Have a Gravity Training Room

"Xia Mu, I just heard Badora's voice. Did something happen?"

As she spoke, Tenten looked Xia Mu over and only breathed a sigh of relief after confirming that her boyfriend was unharmed.

Xia Mu immediately pulled her into the shop. "Don't worry, it was nothing serious. I'll tell you about it slowly later. Oh, right, I went to the Land of Fire's capital this time and brought you some little gifts."

As he spoke, he promptly pulled out a pile of small items, including a little mirror, a little comb, small accessories, and more.

Although Tenten did not usually dress up much, everyone loved beauty. When she had no missions, it was perfectly fine to wear a few accessories and spruce herself up.

"I really like them. Thank you, Xia Mu."

Tenten smiled sweetly and even took the initiative to kiss Xia Mu.

Xia Mu immediately felt delighted, but he soon sensed his future father-in-law's resentful gaze and could only explain, "Ahem! Father-in-law, doesn't our family have businesses in the capital? I figured you must already know the capital well, so you definitely wouldn't care for the junk I bought, right?"

"Hmph! That's right! Who wants your lousy junk!"

He sounded quite unhappy. Did he want a gift too?

Tenten leaned close to Xia Mu's ear and laughed. "Hehe, Xia Mu, can't you tell? Dad's angry. Whether the gift is good or not is one thing; whether you remembered to bring him one is another. It's the thought that counts. Dad's just a tsundere. How could he be happy when his son-in-law forgot about him?"

So that was it!

Xia Mu smacked his forehead. It seemed he still was not perceptive enough when it came to social etiquette!

Fortunately, Tenten was thoughtful. She picked out two of her gifts suitable for men, secretly stuffed them back into Xia Mu's hands, and gave him a meaningful look.

Xia Mu understood at once. Taking the gifts, he moved up to the counter. "Ahem! Father-in-law, I was just teasing you. Here's your gift. They're just a few small things that would look nice as decorations in your room. Please don't dislike them."

The shop owner glanced at them, snorted, and accepted them. "Your taste in gifts isn't much, but I'll reluctantly accept them. Pick something better next time!"

Why was this future father-in-law even harder to please than his girlfriend?

Xia Mu felt like crying, while Tenten mischievously stuck out her tongue behind him.

That night, after dinner, Tenten slipped into Xia Mu's room again while her shopkeeper father was not paying attention. She claimed she wanted Xia Mu to electrocute her, but what she really wanted was to hear about his first mission outside the village.

The mission itself was naturally boring, so he glossed over it.

Xia Mu focused on Tatsuya Yamashiro and Megumi Kato dating, as well as the Otogakure ninja who had been following them.

"Otogakure is a ninja village established in the Land of Sound not long ago. There's no concrete intelligence on it yet, but Aoba-sensei accidentally mentioned 'Orochimaru.' I think Otogakure was probably founded by Orochimaru, one of the Sannin. Orochimaru is a Konoha S-rank Rogue Ninja and extremely dangerous. More importantly, he knows Konoha and even the Land of Fire very well. If he intends to do anything to Konoha, it'll be incredibly dangerous!"

Tenten's brows furrowed deeply after hearing that.

She had always admired Tsunade, one of the Sannin, and wanted to become a legendary female ninja like Tsunade.

Later, she learned that Jiraiya, another of the Sannin, was actually a pervert, and that even Tsunade was a gambling addict. It had shattered some of her illusions, but this was the first time she had heard of Orochimaru.

He was one of the Sannin, yet he was a Rogue Ninja, and he might even be planning to target Konoha now.

What was that supposed to mean?

"Xia Mu, the village will be okay, right?" Tenten was very worried.

"It's hard to say, but I'll protect you and Father-in-law!"

Xia Mu held Tenten in his arms and warned her, "Tenten, if you ever encounter Orochimaru, don't hesitate. Use your trump card immediately, and if you get the chance, summon the giant eagle and fly away. Orochimaru is very powerful. He isn't someone you can handle yet, understand?"

Tenten nodded solemnly. She did not want Xia Mu to worry.

But Xia Mu was still uneasy.

After all, Orochimaru was simply too dangerous. Who knew what he might do in secret? He could not assume everything would be fine just because he knew the original plot. Many things had not been depicted in the original plot, and the plot had already changed now, so he had to be more cautious.

"Kabuto Yakushi passed by when I was buying groceries before. I don't think that was a coincidence. I'm definitely on their list of investigation targets. Or rather, the Rookie Twelve are probably all within their scope of investigation."

With that thought, Xia Mu took out three Senzu Beans and pressed them into Tenten's hand.

The Two Teams Meet

"Xia Mu, these are..." Tenten curiously looked at the beans in her hand.

"These are called Senzu Beans. Just think of them as miraculous medicine bestowed by a sage."

Xia Mu lowered his voice. "Eating one Senzu Bean will keep you from getting hungry for ten days, and it can instantly heal injuries. As long as your soul isn't injured and you haven't stopped breathing, it can bring you back immediately. Keep them safe. Don't use them unless it's absolutely necessary, and don't tell anyone about them—not even Dad."

Upon hearing that they were so precious, Tenten quickly clenched them tightly.

She did not doubt Xia Mu's words. Even if what he said sounded outrageous, Xia Mu had never lied to her.

But then she said, "Xia Mu, these Senzu Beans are so precious. You should keep some for yourself too. One is enough for me."

Xia Mu covered her hand and smiled. "Don't worry, I still have some. I value my life the most. After all, I'm still waiting to marry you someday. I can't die."

Only then did Tenten relax, her face carrying a trace of shyness.

Although they had been dating for years, she could not help feeling embarrassed whenever marriage came up. More than that, though, she felt sweetness.

Over the next few days, Konoha showed no signs of action. Perhaps Hiruzen Sarutobi was sending the Anbu to investigate. In any case, it was not Xia Mu's place as a genin to worry about it.

Team 9 continued taking missions as usual. Following the punishment they had discussed earlier, all three D-rank missions were handed over to Tatsuya Yamashiro and Megumi Kato.

The two were dispirited at first, but soon cheered up because the three missions were weeding a yard, milking cows, and looking after children.

The originally tedious tasks unexpectedly became warm and sweet as the two kept exchanging affectionate glances.

Just watching them made Xia Mu and Aoba Yamashiro feel choked by the sickening stench of love. Now that they had been found out, those two had stopped pretending altogether and were openly flaunting their affection.

Xia Mu did not mind, though, because he was not single. Only Aoba Yamashiro, that old virgin, suffered a critical blow.

After taking D-rank missions for a few more days, Hiruzen Sarutobi assigned Team 9 another C-rank mission outside the village. They simply had to eliminate bandits in a nearby village.

This mission also went very smoothly.

The bandits were merely a group of ordinary people. They had no ability to resist the ninja's extermination.

They were killed only because they had already harmed the village. Not only had they robbed the villagers of their money, but they had also killed quite a few villagers. People like that deserved death and were not worthy of pity.

It was also the first time Xia Mu and the other two had killed someone. Fortunately, they only felt uncomfortable for a while before quickly accepting it.

In a world like this, killing was unavoidable. As long as one did not become a bastard who slaughtered innocents indiscriminately, it was fine. Not everyone was like saintly Naruto, who had never killed a single person from beginning to end and could even shout, "Don't laugh at Tobi's dream!" at the mortal enemy responsible for his parents' deaths.

That was getting off topic.

Team 9 quickly completed the mission and returned to the village at noon the next day.

To reward his three students, Aoba Yamashiro specifically treated them to Ichiraku Ramen. They had just ordered when a commotion came from behind them.

"Xia Mu! You're having ramen too?"

A delighted female voice rang out. The next second, Tenten threw herself onto Xia Mu's back. "You said yesterday that you were going out of the village on a mission. I didn't expect you to be back today. Your team is pretty efficient."

Aoba Yamashiro, Tatsuya Yamashiro, and Megumi Kato all looked at the girl with twin buns and immediately recognized Xia Mu's girlfriend. For a moment, they could not help sizing her up curiously. They could not help it, because Xia Mu often talked about his girlfriend, and some matters even required his girlfriend's approval. The three of them had long wondered what kind of person Xia Mu's girlfriend was.

Now that they saw her, she was quite cute, but she did not seem all that formidable.

"Tenten, show some restraint. Everyone's watching."

Xia Mu reminded her, then introduced them. "The one wearing sunglasses is Team 9's leader, Aoba Yamashiro. These two are my teammates, Tatsuya Yamashiro and Megumi Kato. Everyone, this is my girlfriend, Tenten. Behind her are Tenten's teammates, Neji Hyuga and Rock Lee, along with their leader, Konoha's strongest taijutsu ninja, Might Guy!"

Guy gave a thumbs-up, flashing his gleaming white teeth as he laughed. "Haha! That's a fine introduction, Xia Mu! I am Konoha's proud Blue Beast, Might Guy!"

Rock Lee spoke up as well. "Are you Xia Mu's teammates? Please take care of me!"

Neji nodded in greeting, appearing rather aloof.

Tatsuya Yamashiro and Megumi Kato blankly swept their gazes across the group: two kappa-like figures, one big and one small, and a cold, handsome guy with the Byakugan. By comparison, they realized that Sister-in-law Tenten was the most normal one.

They hurriedly greeted them as well. "H-Hello... Hello, Sister-in-law Tenten!"

Tenten's face reddened slightly. It was the first time anyone had called her Sister-in-law, but she still smiled generously. "Hello. Please take care of my Xia Mu."

The two hurriedly waved their hands. "You're too polite, Sister-in-law Tenten. We're the ones being looked after by the boss."

Seeing that there were quite a few customers, Uncle Ichiraku hurriedly had Ayame add several stools. Might Guy's Team also sat down and ordered ramen.

Guy naturally began chatting with Aoba Yamashiro. "Aoba, your team looks spirited."

Aoba Yamashiro adjusted his sunglasses. "When it comes to spirit, you're still the most energetic, Guy. Your team members look quite strong too. But... compared to Xia Mu from my team, they still fall far short."

There seemed to be a hint of bragging in his tone.

Aoba-sensei, so you were this kind of person?

But Guy laughed. "Hahaha! Of course I know how strong Xia Mu is! Since our two teams happened to meet, how about we have a spar? I also want to see how far Xia Mu has trained the Eight Gates."

Aoba Yamashiro was surprised. He had only wanted to show off the genius in his team, but Guy immediately wanted a challenge.

Still, Might Guy's Team did look sharp and capable. They really would make good opponents.

The annual Chunin Exams were approaching. This was a good chance to let Tatsuya and Megumi fight others and see what level they had reached.

He looked at his three students. "Guy-sensei wants the two teams to spar. What do you think?"

Xia Mu shrugged. "I'm fine with it. I know Might Guy's Team well, after all."

Tatsuya Yamashiro and Megumi Kato exchanged a glance, then both nodded and declared firmly, "Aoba-brother/Sensei, then we'll compete with Might Guy's Team. But we'll definitely win!"

Very good, they had plenty of spirit. The only question was whether they would suffer a blow later!

Rock Lee was already eager to fight. "We're going to battle Xia Mu's team? I'm really looking forward to it!"

Neji, meanwhile, fixed his gaze on Xia Mu. He had trained bitterly for a year and wanted to see how large the gap between himself and Xia Mu was now. He believed Xia Mu was still his formidable rival, and defeating Xia Mu was his greatest goal at present.

Xia Mu and Tenten exchanged a glance, both finding it rather fun.

Aoba's Team vs. Might Guy's Team

After lunch, the two teams strolled leisurely toward a training ground, treating it as a way to digest their food.

By the time they reached the training ground, they had more or less finished digesting and would not be hindered in battle.

As soon as everyone took their places, Rock Lee stepped forward and extended a palm wrapped in bandages. "Then I'll be the first to seek instruction. Which of you will be my opponent?"

Tatsuya Yamashiro decisively stepped out. "I will!"

Everyone else immediately backed away to clear the field. Guy acted as the referee. After the two formed the Seal of Confrontation, he immediately shouted for them to begin.

Rock Lee instantly darted toward Tatsuya Yamashiro with astonishing speed.

"Konoha Whirlwind!" Whoosh! A sweeping kick carrying the wind came flying at him.

"Good!"

Tatsuya Yamashiro also grew excited. He raised his hand to block Rock Lee's kick and felt the immense force behind it, his arm even going numb from the impact. He immediately gained a rough understanding of Rock Lee's strength.

When Rock Lee swept out another kick, Tatsuya Yamashiro no longer tried to block it and chose to evade instead.

With a stomp, he unleashed the Body Flicker Technique and instantly appeared behind Rock Lee, his fist shooting toward the back of Rock Lee's neck.

Yet Rock Lee was extremely sharp. He merely tilted his neck and avoided it, then struck backward with one palm and one fist. His attacks grew faster and faster, forcing Tatsuya Yamashiro back step by step.

Megumi Kato watched with a tense expression. She wanted to cheer him on, but she was afraid of distracting him.

Tenten smiled and patted her head. "Don't worry. Rock Lee might be reckless, but he knows his limits when sparring. He won't hurt your boyfriend."

Megumi Kato blushed a little and stubbornly replied, "H-He's not my boyfriend yet..."

Not yet meant he would be soon, right? They were only missing a confession.

Tenten merely smiled without saying anything.

Meanwhile, Aoba Yamashiro's expression did not look very good. "That Tatsuya... his taijutsu is still far too lacking. How does he usually train?"

Clearly, Aoba Yamashiro had high expectations for his clansman. He was usually strict with him and had taught him everything he knew. Seeing that Tatsuya Yamashiro's taijutsu was lacking, he immediately became angry.

Xia Mu could only console him. "Don't be angry, Aoba-sensei. It's not that Tatsuya's taijutsu is poor. Rock Lee's taijutsu simply isn't weak. Guy-sensei is Konoha's greatest taijutsu expert, so it's only natural that his disciple excels at taijutsu."

Aoba Yamashiro naturally understood that, but his own taijutsu was not weak either.

If the clansman he had taught lost too badly in taijutsu, would that not be a slap in his face?

In truth, Aoba Yamashiro's expectations were simply too high. His taijutsu was indeed strong, but Tatsuya Yamashiro had only been studying under him for a short time. Even a genius needed time to grow. By comparison, Rock Lee had trained under Guy for more than a year. It was only natural that he was stronger. If Rock Lee were the one at a disadvantage in taijutsu, would that not mean Rock Lee had wasted more than a year of desperate training?

In the fighting area, Tatsuya Yamashiro saw that he could not overpower his opponent and decisively used the Four Demon Technique, intending to rely on his four arms to hold his own.

"Four Demon Technique? Xia Mu and Tenten have both used it. I know this move well!"

Rock Lee did not panic in the slightest. Instead, he accelerated his attacks, and before long, he smashed apart the two arms on Tatsuya Yamashiro's back.