Konoha: I Have a Gravity Training Room

So useless!

She had clearly asked Teacher Kakashi too, asking him to increase her training!

Yet she was still improving so slowly, so slowly. She was completely useless!

Sakura bit down unwillingly, but she had no idea what to do.

Only Naruto watched with his usual carefree attitude. Though he was surprised that Megumi Kato had gone to Teacher Kakashi with such a request, he did not think much of it. That was just how single-minded he was.

Pakkun

Kakashi was always gentle toward children who sincerely wanted to improve.

After hearing Megumi Kato's request, even his one visible eye curved into a smile. He quickly finished his ramen, then took out a contract scroll.

"Come on, sign the contract scroll first."

"Th-Thank you, Teacher Kakashi!"

Megumi Kato had not expected Kakashi to agree so readily. She thought her sincerity had moved him, and she was instantly overjoyed. In truth, her sincerity had indeed touched Kakashi.

If Xia Mu had been the one asking for help, Kakashi might have still given him that dead-fish stare.

Megumi Kato opened the contract scroll and saw that the last two names were Hatake Sakumo and Kakashi Hatake. She did not ask any questions. Instead, she hurriedly bit her finger and wrote her name in blood.

After Kakashi put away the scroll, he began forming hand seals. "Watch carefully. The hand seals go like this."

Megumi Kato copied the seals, then slapped a hand onto the ground. "Summoning Jutsu!"

Poof! A small dog appeared. It looked a little ugly, yet somehow rather cute.

It was the ninja hound with the most screen time—Pakkun!

"Kakashi, why did you summon me? Another mission?" Pakkun gave Kakashi the same dead-fish stare.

"Pakkun, I didn't summon you. This young lady did." Kakashi pointed at Megumi Kato.

"Hello, Pakkun. My name is Megumi Kato. I'm the one who summoned you 477. Teacher Kakashi had me sign the contract scroll. I heard your tracking abilities are amazing, so please take care of me from now on!" Megumi Kato beamed. She had not expected her first attempt at the Summoning Jutsu to succeed.

Aoba Yamashiro gave her a thumbs-up. "Megumi has great talent. She got it in one try."

Tatsuya Yamashiro immediately puffed up with pride. "Of course she did! Look whose girlfriend she is!"

Everyone rolled their eyes at him. What did Megumi Kato's talent have to do with whose girlfriend she was? What the hell was he so smug about?

Pakkun was not surprised. Seeing Megumi Kato's sincere, delighted smile, it took a liking to her as well. It was not averse to kind young girls like her.

"Then I'll call you Megumi too. Megumi, please take care of me from now on!" Pakkun was easygoing.

"Mm! Pakkun, is there anything you like to eat? I'll buy it for you." Megumi Kato was clearly enthusiastic. She planned to build a good relationship with Pakkun first, so it would be easier to ask it for help later.

"Oh, then buy me some premium dog food. I know which shop in Konoha has the best dog food. You're very sensible, Megumi. I'll even let you squeeze my paw pads."

"Wow! Your paw pads are so soft and springy, they're adorable!"

"Hehe, right? Right?"

The girl and dog chatted away happily and seemed to be getting along wonderfully. Kakashi scratched his head as he watched. He had never spoiled Pakkun like this before, but this seemed pretty good too. Maybe Pakkun would stop complaining in the future.

Seeing this, Sakura could not help clenching her fists again.

She felt that Megumi Kato had completely surpassed her. She understood that this was no longer like their days at the Academy. If she did not improve, she would only become more useless in the future!

At that moment, Pakkun suddenly fixed its gaze on her. "I seem to have suddenly smelled a familiar scent. Pink-haired girl, you have good taste. You actually use the same shampoo as me, though my fur is still smoother."

Sakura froze on the spot.

Her taste was actually the same as a dog's!

It was a devastating blow!

And Xia Mu just had to add another devastating blow. "Not just the shampoo. You even wear your forehead protectors in the same place—on top of your heads."

Pakkun suddenly understood. "Indeed, indeed. The little girl has excellent taste."

I don't want the same taste as a dog!

Sakura was roaring inside, nearly driven mad with anger. But she did not actually go mad, because from everyone else's perspective, her taste really did seem to be the same as Pakkun's.

Oh no, she was tainted. Would Sasuke-kun be disgusted by her?

In reality, Sasuke had never cared about her in the first place.

"Thank you, Teacher Kakashi!"

Megumi Kato hugged Pakkun and thanked him with a joyful expression. "I don't even know how to repay you! How about I treat you to this meal?"

Kakashi waved a hand. "It's fine, it's fine. As teachers, we like students like you who are eager to improve. Keep that little money of yours to buy Pakkun dog food. It's always complaining that the dog food I buy tastes bad."

Pakkun chimed in as well. "Exactly, Megumi. Kakashi is a bachelor, so there's no need to save him money. You'd be better off buying me more premium dog food."

Kakashi's face immediately darkened. It felt like Pakkun had found itself a new owner and now dared to say whatever it wanted.

Megumi Kato felt a little embarrassed, but she thanked him again before calling Team 9 away. Their destination was the marketplace—they were apparently heading straight to the dog food shop.

Kakashi watched Team 9 leave, then suddenly turned to Sakura.

Clearly, he had noticed something was wrong with her.

"Sakura, it must feel awful seeing a classmate who used to be inferior to you suddenly improve so much and work so hard, right?"

"..."

Sakura nearly dug her nails into her palms. "Teacher Kakashi, I understand exactly how Megumi Kato feels. I don't want to be useless either. I want to help Sasuke-kun and Naruto too. What should I do?"

Kakashi was rather gratified. "Recognizing your shortcomings, worrying about them, and striving to overcome them—that is the process of growing. I have a suggestion. Your Chakra control is excellent, so why not learn Medical Ninjutsu, just like Megumi Kato? At the very least, when Sasuke and Naruto get hurt, you'll be able to treat them."

Sakura nodded. "Okay! I'll learn it!"

Sasuke merely snorted inwardly, which counted as approval. At the very least, Sakura was not too stupid or too delicate.

If Sakura remained useless forever, Sasuke Uchiha definitely would not want a teammate like that. Companions were important, but no one liked a companion who was always dragging them down!

Naruto praised her loudly instead. "Sakura's so smart, she'll definitely learn Medical Ninjutsu quickly! She'll definitely be even stronger than Megumi Kato, dattebayo!"

But Sakura paid Naruto no attention at all. She had never taken him seriously in the first place.

Over on Team 9's side, Megumi Kato bought Pakkun plenty of premium dog food, making it incredibly happy. It even agreed to train with Megumi Kato, mainly by letting her witness its tracking abilities.

After a round of training, Megumi Kato discovered that Pakkun was not only excellent at tracking, but also very intelligent.

It understood how to think better than many people. It could weigh pros and cons, analyze situations, and even devise tactics.

Megumi Kato was delighted.

"Pakkun, Pakkun, since you're the leader of the Eight Ninja Hounds, does that mean you can command the other seven ninja hounds?" Megumi Kato hugged Pakkun, unable to put it down.

"Of course! Although the other ninja hounds have strong senses of smell too, they're not as good as me. And I'm the smartest, so naturally they all listen to me! Don't worry, Megumi. Whenever you need tracking, just come to me." Pakkun declared confidently.

"Mm! Our Pakkun is the best!"

Neji's Inner Thoughts

Megumi Kato chatted with Pakkun while Tatsuya Yamashiro stood to the side, grinning foolishly at his girlfriend.

Xia Mu took the opportunity to call Aoba Yamashiro aside.

"Teacher Aoba, could you introduce me to your two teammates?"

"My teammates? You mean Namiashi Raidō and Genma Shiranui? Why do you suddenly want to meet them?" Aoba Yamashiro asked in confusion.

"Hehe, I heard they used to be the Fourth Hokage's guards."

Xia Mu lowered his voice. "I've looked into the Fourth Hokage's achievements. The Flying Thunder God Technique was incomparably fast and invincible. Your two teammates must have learned it, so I want to ask them to teach me."

Aoba Yamashiro looked at Xia Mu in a new light again. "You know quite a lot, and you have exceptionally good judgment!"

That was not an offhand compliment. It fit Xia Mu's current situation perfectly.

Xia Mu truly knew quite a lot. Whether it was about Might Duy, Hatake Sakumo, or matters related to the Fourth Hokage, he seemed to know something about all of them. And his judgment was indeed excellent. Everything he chose to learn was powerful, including the Eight Gates, Hatake Kenjutsu, and now even the Flying Thunder God Technique.

Ordinary people could not know such things. Even those who had heard of them often had no idea where to learn them.

But Xia Mu knew. It was quite remarkable.

Xia Mu smiled sheepishly. "My judgment really is good. Otherwise, how could my girlfriend be so cute and beautiful?"

Aoba Yamashiro could not help rolling his eyes behind his sunglasses. This guy was pretending to misunderstand on purpose. He clearly knew that was not what Aoba meant, yet he was still playing dumb.

Fortunately, Aoba did not actually dislike Xia Mu's behavior.

As a ninja, one naturally had to find every possible way to grow stronger as quickly as possible. As long as it did not involve hurting others or committing evil, being a little thick-skinned was no big deal.

As his teacher, Aoba was naturally willing to help with this.

After all, there was not much he could teach Xia Mu now. Since Xia Mu could learn the Eight Gates and Hatake Kenjutsu, there was no reason he could not try learning the Flying Thunder God Technique too. Perhaps this student of his might even surpass the Hokage in strength one day.

"Raidō and Genma did indeed learn the Flying Thunder God Technique, but their talent was insufficient. In the end, they only developed the Flying Thunder Array Technique, which feels like a waste. Your talent is good, and you learned the Summoning Jutsu early on, which shows that your aptitude for Space-Time Ninjutsu isn't bad either. Maybe you really can master the Flying Thunder God Technique. I'll talk to them first and see whether they're willing to teach you. But passing down ninjutsu isn't something done casually. They may test you, so be prepared."

"Don't worry, Teacher Aoba. I've always been prepared. Bring on any test you want!"

Xia Mu smiled happily. Since Aoba Yamashiro was willing to help, he was one step closer to obtaining the Flying Thunder God Technique. He was truly looking forward to it.

That night, Xia Mu once again slipped quietly into Tenten's room under the pretext of sharing good news. He was already very familiar with doing this, but since they were in puberty, sleeping together sometimes kept them awake. They always wanted to get closer to each other, yet had to restrain themselves.

It was rather torturous.

The next day, Tatsuya Yamashiro underwent special training from Aoba Yamashiro again, while Megumi Kato went to help at the hospital. Apparently, a senior there was willing to teach her the Chakra Scalpel.

As for Xia Mu, he was currently being left to his own devices.

Aoba Yamashiro did not have much left to teach Xia Mu. He had even specifically taught Xia Mu the Mind Reading Technique before, only for Xia Mu to learn it in no time. It left Aoba Yamashiro feeling both pain and joy.

Having an outstanding student was a wonderful thing, but having a student who was too outstanding was troublesome too.

So Aoba Yamashiro told Xia Mu to do as he pleased and only come find him when he needed a sparring partner.

Xia Mu did not bother Aoba Yamashiro. Instead, he shamelessly followed Tenten to Might Guy's Team, where he accepted challenges from Rock Lee and Neji. After defeating them, he went on to challenge Might Guy.

Might Guy's Team had an even stronger training atmosphere, perhaps because Might Guy himself had fostered it.

Might Guy was a training fanatic. Aside from training, all he did was train. He barely thought about anything else, and his life was not so complicated. Being with Might Guy's Team made one feel fulfilled.

Moreover, Rock Lee and Neji both loved fighting. Sparring with them more often allowed Xia Mu to continuously accumulate combat experience.

Most importantly, his adorable girlfriend Tenten was by his side. Nothing could make him happier than that.

At that moment, it was Tenten's turn to fight Rock Lee. To test her taijutsu, Tenten had not used her ninja tools, so she and Rock Lee were evenly matched for the time being.

Meanwhile, Might Guy acted as referee, constantly striking poses and cheering from the sidelines. It was incredibly lively.

Xia Mu drank the water Tenten had given him and watched her fight to her heart's content. Her valiant, graceful figure was exceptionally captivating.

At that moment, Neji suddenly spoke. "Xia Mu, can we talk?"

Xia Mu was surprised, but he nodded. "Sure. What do you want to talk about?"

"It's nothing much. There are just some things I don't want to keep buried in my heart. I want someone to talk to."

Neji's expression was somewhat gloomy. "I have lost to you many times, and among the younger generation of genin, I have only lost to you. Especially after seeing you fight a powerful man like Orochimaru, I truly admired you. After thinking it over, I felt that only by confiding these matters to someone strong like you might I receive some advice. I hope you don't mind."

The matters in his heart?

Wait, is he going to tell me about the Caged Bird Seal?

Isn't he planning to expose the ugliness of the Hyuga Main Family during the Chunin Exams?

Xia Mu was even more surprised, but Neji had already said this much despite his aloof personality. Xia Mu really could not refuse, so he nodded.

Neji untied his forehead protector, revealing the mark on his forehead. "Since ancient times, the Hyuga Clan has been divided into the Main Family and the Branch Family. To prevent anyone from stealing the Byakugan, members of the Branch Family must be branded with the Caged Bird Curse Mark. From then on, they must obey the Main Family's commands and give everything to protect the Main Family and the Hyuga Clan's Byakugan."

Xia Mu nodded and continued listening attentively.

"Members of the Branch Family branded with the Caged Bird Seal need not worry about their eyes being stolen, because the Caged Bird Curse Mark can destroy their eyes. Thus, members of the Main Family only need to remain within the clan and enjoy the Branch Family's protection, while the Branch Family must not only protect the Main Family but also fight external battles. From ancient times until now, the Caged Bird Seal has indeed protected the Byakugan, and incidents of Byakugan being stolen have been exceedingly rare.

It could be said that the Caged Bird Curse Mark was originally an excellent method for protecting the Byakugan.

However, over the years, the Main Family became corrupt. Because they could control the curse mark and hold the lives of Branch Family members in their hands, they treated them like servants, ordering them about as they pleased. At the slightest dissatisfaction, they would activate the curse mark as punishment. It was even common for them to make Branch Family members take the blame.

My father was the younger twin brother of the Hyuga Clan head. Just because he was born a little later than the clan head, he was designated as a Branch Family member and branded with the Caged Bird Seal. Later, he was even forced to become a scapegoat..."