Konoha: I Have a Gravity Training Room

If he couldn't win, then no amount of talking mattered!

Sasuke stared straight at Xia Mu. "Maybe you're right, but just talking reason is useless. What matters is showing real skill. I lost to you in my last fight before graduation, and now I'm going to win it back—to prove that I'm stronger than you, and that what you said doesn't apply to me!"

Good. That was very Sasuke.

Maybe he couldn't argue reason, but as long as I'm stronger than you, I am reason...

As long as I'm strong enough, whether I take the Land of Waves mission or not is up to me. It isn't anyone else's place to judge.

Xia Mu understood what Sasuke meant and agreed with a smile. "Sure, then let's fight. I happen to have some things I want to ask Kakashi-senpai about, so we can do it together."

Kakashi paused, knowing Xia Mu probably wanted to ask about Hatake Kenjutsu. He did not refuse.

"Fine. I'll be the referee. Let's head to the training ground."

Soon, the group arrived at the training ground. Sasuke and Xia Mu faced each other and formed the Seal of Confrontation, waiting for Kakashi's signal.

"Begin!"

Sasuke moved immediately, flinging several kunai at Xia Mu.

Xia Mu casually sidestepped them, only to see Sasuke throw shuriken next. They collided with the kunai, then all curved toward Xia Mu.

"Nice! Sasuke-kun is amazing!" Sakura could not help praising him.

"..." Tenten did not see what was so amazing about it. Wasn't it just Ninja Tool Throwing?

Xia Mu did not even move from where he stood. His hands suddenly shot out, catching every kunai and shuriken before silently placing them in his Ninja Tool Pouch.

Since he had accepted the challenge, taking a little interest was fine, right?

Still, he said, "Sasuke, I know the Uchiha throwing techniques are impressive, but attacks like that won't do. Show me some real skill. For example, activate your Sharingan." 1.4

Sasuke took a deep breath, and red light appeared in his eyes. He really did activate his Sharingan—one tomoe in one eye and two in the other, unevenly matched.

Still, it had to be said that Sasuke's entire presence changed.

"Then I'll show you the true power of the Sharingan!"

Sasuke got a little carried away again. He rushed Xia Mu, his fist aimed squarely at Xia Mu's head.

But Xia Mu's figure suddenly blurred, and he vanished. The next second, he appeared below and in front of Sasuke, kicking him beneath the chin and sending him flying into the air.

Sasuke was shocked. "Why?! I clearly saw your movement!"

Xia Mu kindly explained, "The Sharingan is indeed powerful. It can see my movements. But your body can't keep up—you're too slow!"

As he spoke, he launched two more kicks, sending Sasuke flying as though recreating the scene from back at the Academy.

Sasuke's Defeat

Naruto and Sakura were both stunned as they watched Xia Mu send Sasuke flying so cleanly and decisively.

Xia Mu had beaten Sasuke once before graduation, but back then, he had used quite a few tricks, including One-Handed Seals and Water Style Ninjutsu, to make Sasuke suffer.

But Sasuke had also grown considerably since then. Logically, he should not have been defeated so easily.

Had Xia Mu become far too powerful?!

"The Xia Mu you know isn't the real Xia Mu."

Kakashi rarely spoke up. "Back at the Academy, he deliberately hid his strength. Even when he defeated Sasuke, he wasn't going all out. He didn't like playing childish games at school. Instead, he had started fighting ninja outside long ago. While you were still playing around at the Academy, he had already defeated the Hyuga Clan's genius and shamelessly sought out jonin like us to learn from."

"S-so Xia Mu knew Teacher Kakashi because he asked Teacher Kakashi to teach him? That's why he's so strong?"

Naruto and Sakura thought they understood, but they still did not.

Kakashi nodded, then shook his head. Xia Mu had indeed sought guidance from him and Might Guy, but he had not been taught everything. Most of it had been self-taught. Moreover, he desperately wanted to become stronger and never trained less diligently than anyone else. That was where Xia Mu's strength came from. The current Sasuke was simply no match for him!

Tenten looked at the naive Naruto and Sakura with even more pity. The three members of Team 7 simply did not understand how hard Xia Mu had worked to become stronger.

A person who had forced himself to pass out from pain in a bugged environment just to learn the Eight Gates; a person who had day and night pondered and developed new ninjutsu and techniques despite having no ninjutsu inheritance at all; a person who had shamelessly gone everywhere seeking instruction just to become stronger—how could someone like that possibly be weak?

Even she, his girlfriend, had been encouraged and guided by him, and had grown stronger as well.

If she had never met Xia Mu, she would probably be as innocent and adorable as those naive fools from Team 7.

"Cough, cough! The gap... is pretty huge."

Sasuke climbed to his feet. "Looks like I underestimated you. You really are strong, and you really do have the right to judge me. But I won't admit defeat so easily!"

As he spoke, he rapidly formed hand seals and opened his mouth to unleash a Great Fireball.

But Xia Mu suddenly vanished. Then Sasuke felt his neck tighten as Xia Mu directly grabbed the back of his neck.

"You lost." Xia Mu stated the cruel fact.

"...I lost."

Sasuke spoke with difficulty. He had clearly activated his Sharingan, yet he had not seen Xia Mu's movements at all. He did not even know when Xia Mu had gotten behind him.

The gap was too great. There was no comparison. Continuing would only humiliate himself further.

Xia Mu released him and silently formed the Seal of Reconciliation, leaving Sasuke standing there in a daze.

Naruto and Sakura had not even reacted before it was already over. Neither could accept the outcome. Sasuke was so powerful in their eyes—how could he have lost so easily?

But that was simply the truth!

At this point, Team 7 could not distinguish strength from weakness at all, and Naruto was especially naive.

For example, during the Chunin Exams, Team 7 encountered Orochimaru. Sasuke saw the difference in strength between them and tried to flee first, but Naruto thought Sasuke was clearly so strong. Why run? Why not fight bravely?

How could he know that just one look from Orochimaru had scared Sasuke shitless? If they did not run, were they supposed to stay and die?

Sasuke might not fear death, but he would not stand by and watch Naruto and Sakura die. That was why he chose to run. Naruto did not understand a damn thing, yet he encouraged Sasuke to keep fighting. In the end, did that not get Sasuke bitten by a snake?

Though Orochimaru would definitely have bitten Sasuke in the end anyway, the circumstances would have been different.

At the very least, they would not have blindly marched to their deaths out of ignorance and fearlessness!

That was getting off topic. Back to the matter at hand.

Seeing how badly his student had been shaken, Kakashi developed a headache. "Xia Mu, that was a bit too much of a blow for them."

Xia Mu awkwardly argued, "Don't worry, Kakashi-senpai. Sasuke is mentally strong. Only a major blow can ignite his ambition to grow stronger. I'm doing this for his own good!"

Kakashi was speechless. This guy was lying through his teeth.

Still, though the explanation was forced, it was not entirely without reason.

Sasuke was often dealt blows before working even harder to become stronger. Perhaps that was not a bad thing.

He did not dwell on it any further and asked, "What did you want to ask me? Something about swordsmanship?"

Xia Mu took two short swords from a scroll and tossed one to Kakashi. "It is about swordsmanship. I can't use Lightning Body Flicker smoothly, much less combine it with swordsmanship. I can only barely make my swordsmanship stronger by opening the Eight Gates to increase my speed. Please guide me in Lightning Body Flicker, Kakashi-senpai."

"Lightning Body Flicker? You really know how to give me difficult problems."

Kakashi was helpless, but he could only agree. He did know a little about Lightning Body Flicker. After all, his Chidori was also extremely fast, and it was used alongside the Body Flicker Technique. Otherwise, he would never be able to stab anyone with it.

Since he had once promised to answer Xia Mu's questions, it would not be right to refuse now.

"Alright, come at me."

"Thank you, senpai!"

Xia Mu did not hold back. Lightning wrapped around his short sword as he charged forward.

In an instant, blade light flashed everywhere. Both men moved at incredible speed, their figures impossible to see. Only flickering arcs of lightning remained, a terrifying sight.

Sasuke, who had been devastated moments ago, was now dumbfounded. Even with his Sharingan operating at full power, he could only see afterimages. He could not even clearly watch a battle of this level.

Naruto and Sakura were equally bewildered. "Xia Mu is already strong enough to fight Teacher Kakashi?"

They knew how strong Kakashi was.

Leaving aside the bell test, during the Land of Waves mission, Kakashi had fought Zabuza Momochi alone. To them, his combat strength had been absurdly overwhelming. Yet now they discovered that Kakashi also possessed swordsmanship so fast it could not even be seen—and their classmate could actually exchange blows with him.

That blow was even harsher than the last one!

Sasuke's entire body trembled. "So he was just playing with me when he fought me? Impossible! The gap can't be that huge!"

Then the three noticed Tenten beside them. Her eyes were moving rapidly, and though they held a trace of anxiety, there was not much confusion in them. It was as if she could see clearly.

Sakura could not help asking, "Tenten, can you see them?"

Tenten froze for a moment, then nodded. "I can. Pretty clearly."

The three were even more shocked. "Huh? How?"

"Well, maybe I'm used to it. Xia Mu is often that fast. When I fight him, I have no choice but to adapt to his speed. Once you get used to it, it's fine. And as long as you become strong enough, it isn't hard to see their movements clearly."

Become strong enough?

In other words, they were too weak right now to even see the shadows of the two fighters?!

Sasuke pressed on, "Why is Xia Mu asking Kakashi about swordsmanship?"

Tenten did not hide anything. "Because Xia Mu learned the Hatake Clan's swordsmanship!"

The Chunin Exams Are Near

After an intense, satisfying battle, Xia Mu vaguely felt that he had grasped something.

Whether in speed or swordsmanship, Kakashi was still above Xia Mu. Especially in terms of speed, it truly felt like Lightning Body Flicker.

It seemed he would have to go back and study it carefully.

After thanking Kakashi, Xia Mu left with Tenten.

Team 7 remained silent for a long time. It was not until Kakashi took out Icha Icha Paradise and began reading that Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura finally came back to their senses.

Naruto was the first to ask, "Teacher Kakashi, you actually passed your family's swordsmanship down to Xia Mu?"

Kakashi blinked. "Is there a problem with that?"

Uh, apparently not.

The swordsmanship belonged to him. He could teach it to whoever he wanted. Was it any of their business?

Sakura asked something else. "Teacher Kakashi, is Xia Mu's girlfriend, Tenten, also very strong?"

Kakashi looked as though it were only natural. "Of course. Tenten is very strong. And her fighting style is unique. She even has hidden trump cards that I don't know about. In any case, she's very strong. The three of you aren't a match for Tenten right now."

Sasuke's pupils contracted. So not only could he not beat Xia Mu, he could not even beat Xia Mu's girlfriend?

How could this be?!

After a long silence, Sasuke suddenly said, "Kakashi, teach me your ultimate technique!"

Kakashi raised his gaze from his book. "My ultimate technique?"

Sasuke nodded. "The swordsmanship you taught Xia Mu!"

If he learned that powerful swordsmanship too, could he become as strong as Xia Mu? Could he possibly defeat Itachi Uchiha?

Kakashi shook his head. "That isn't my ultimate technique. It's my father's swordsmanship, and I barely taught Xia Mu anything. He learned it himself from a scroll."

"I don't care! I want to learn that swordsmanship, and I want to learn your ultimate technique too!"

"You've got quite an appetite."

Kakashi was not surprised. Instead, he smiled. "Learning my ultimate technique is very difficult, and my father's swordsmanship is even harder to master. Xia Mu studied it for a year and only reached that level. Do you really have the confidence and perseverance for it?"

Sasuke answered without hesitation, "Bring it on! I'm only afraid you won't teach me. There's nothing I can't learn!"

Naruto hurriedly added, "Teacher Kakashi! Teacher Kakashi! I want to become stronger too! Teach me something as well!"

Sakura raised her hand, but ultimately lowered it. She planned to speak with Kakashi privately. She knew clearly that she was useless. Xia Mu had questioned her harshly before, and she naturally felt bad about it. She wanted to become stronger too.

"Fine! Since you've made up your minds, I won't hold back!"

Kakashi was in a good mood, as if he had found joy in teaching his students.

Meanwhile, after Xia Mu escorted Tenten back to the Ninja Tool Shop, he returned home himself.

Tenten did not stop him. She knew Xia Mu had gained some insight and urgently needed to seize that feeling. Originally, she had not even wanted Xia Mu to walk her home, but he insisted, so she did not refuse.

She hoped her boyfriend would become stronger and stronger. Only then could she feel at ease.

After returning home, Xia Mu went straight into the Gravity Training Room.

He was gradually adapting to ten times gravity, but the growth of his physical strength was very slow. It was not because his talent was lacking, but because of this world's limitations. This was not like the Dragon Ball world, where training in a Gravity Training Room for a certain period would definitely make someone stronger. Nor was it like the One Piece World, where working two hundred times harder than others could turn someone into an admiral in two years.