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*****
Alright, Hinata's reason for coming didn't really need much guessing.
Naruto followed Sakura and Sasuke, and Hinata followed Naruto.
It was clear that students at the ninja academy still had too much free time after school. Ximen Zhen suggested the academy increase the number of classes.
When Hinata noticed Ximen Zhen looking at her, she immediately froze.
Just moments ago, she had seemed quite confident, but now she was shrinking back again, lowering her head and not daring to meet Ximen Zhen's eyes.
If Ximen Zhen didn't say something, she might have just turned around and left.
"Is there something you need?"
Ximen Zhen's voice caught the attention of Ino and Sakura. They tilted their heads toward the sound and immediately noticed Hinata standing nearby.
"Hinata, why are you here?" Ino was the first to speak.
Sakura smiled teasingly and said, "Why else? She's clearly here for Naruto."
"Maybe she thinks Naruto's being bullied and wants to stand up for him?"
Sakura's speculation was reasonable, but Ximen Zhen didn't think it fit Hinata's personality.
Right now, Hinata didn't have the courage to openly protect Naruto. That courage wouldn't come until the day she carried rice up the stairs during the Pain arc.
Ino stepped forward and pulled Hinata over.
Hinata panicked, glancing around as if looking for an escape, but in the end, she didn't dare to break free from Ino's grip. Resigned, she let herself be brought in front of Ximen Zhen.
"Hello, and you are…?"
Ximen Zhen asked, feigning ignorance.
Hinata lowered her head even further and said softly, "Hinata… Hyūga Hinata."
"The Hyūga clan's eldest daughter?"
Hinata nodded timidly. Her nervous demeanor made Ximen Zhen lose interest in what he was about to say.
There was no doubt—Hinata was a highly valuable target for simulation.
Her Byakugan had been officially acknowledged as having the highest level of ocular power. If one wanted to pursue the Tenseigan route in the future, a talent like Hinata's was almost essential.
But beyond that, her overall aptitude was fairly average—only at the level of a Chūnin.
Of course, that might be because she became a housewife after marriage and stopped training entirely.
So if Ximen Zhen were to simulate her, it would solely be for her Byakugan.
The problem, though, was that there was no way he could suddenly explain why he had awakened the Byakugan out of nowhere. And besides, the Byakugan wouldn't offer him a significant combat boost right now.
His sensory abilities were currently inferior to the Byakugan, but with just one more upgrade, they would be on par with the average Hyūga's Byakugan in terms of reconnaissance.
So even if he were to simulate Hinata, it wouldn't be now—at least not until after the Chūnin Exams.
With that in mind, Ximen Zhen calmly said, "I'm Ximen Zhen. For now, you can think of me as a writer and a friend of Sakura and Ino."
"Did you need something? If not, we're about to start ninjutsu training."
Sakura and Ino kept polite smiles on their faces. They weren't actually close with Hinata—at most, they had chatted a few times because they were all girls.
But Hinata was far too shy and introverted, and often stared secretly at Naruto, which made even someone as outgoing as Ino not really know her well.
"I…"
Hinata bit her lip and hesitated for a few seconds. When Ximen Zhen began to frown impatiently, she quickly blurted out, "I want to train with you!"
"Huh?"
Ximen Zhen looked at her in surprise. That was the last reason he had expected.
Sakura and Ino were equally baffled. Sakura even said bluntly, "Hinata, don't you Hyūga have your own training methods? You should have no problem finding someone to teach you, right?"
"But… but!"
Hinata grew anxious and wanted to explain but couldn't find a convincing reason.
She couldn't very well admit that she had lost to her younger sister and had essentially been abandoned by the Hyūga clan, making her almost certainly ineligible to inherit the family name.
Since that day, her father had never trained her again, and Hinata had been trying to grow on her own ever since.
"Could it be because…"
Sakura was about to mention Naruto when Ximen Zhen pinched her cheek.
Sakura pretended it hurt and playfully pounded his back in annoyance, though deep down she was secretly pleased. She really enjoyed these small, unintentional moments of closeness with Ximen Zhen.
Hinata watched with envy but became even more unwilling to reveal the truth.
Right now, she just wanted to be closer to Naruto.
Besides Naruto, there was no one else who truly understood her.
"Well, if you want to join, then come along. After all, Hinata is your classmate, isn't she?"
Ximen Zhen made the decision.
Even if he wasn't planning to simulate Hinata now, he could still use this time to collect her pheromone data.
"But first, I need to know—what level of training have you reached? Have you practiced tree climbing and water walking?"
Hinata nodded, then hesitated and shook her head.
Seeing the confusion on Ximen Zhen's face, she explained, "Father did teach me tree climbing and water walking techniques, but I wasn't allowed to leave the Hyūga compound to train."
"So I could only practice climbing walls and did my water walking training in a bathtub. That's why I'm not sure how good I really am."
"I see…"
Ximen Zhen glanced at Sakura and Ino. "Take her to try tree climbing."
Soon after, under Ximen Zhen's watchful eye, Hinata easily climbed to the top of a tree trunk.
Next came the water-walking test. But this time, not only Hinata—both Ino and Sakura showed nervous expressions. Clearly, they were all worried about falling into the cold water.
Seeing this, Ximen Zhen shook his head and pulled out a handkerchief to blindfold himself.
Just as the three girls watched him in confusion, wondering what he was doing, Ximen Zhen quickly formed hand seals and spat out a stream of water from his mouth.
Water Release: Wild Water Wave!
Though it was just a basic Water Release technique, the moment the water hit the ground, it surged into half-meter-high waves and surged toward the three girls.
Caught completely off guard, they screamed and tried to dodge. But they forgot—they were standing on water. The next second, all three lost their balance and fell into the river one after another.
The freezing water soaked through their clothes, leaving their faces pale as they struggled to climb back out.
But Ximen Zhen said, "Whoever can walk out of the waves today will be considered successful in their training."
"Of course, you're free to quit right now. I won't stop you. But if you do, don't use training as an excuse to come with me to the training grounds again."
The reason Ximen Zhen did this was because he genuinely wanted to help them improve.
While he could enhance their talents, their strength still had to come from their own hard work.
They were graduating from the ninja academy soon, and this year they would be participating in the Chūnin Exams.
Ximen Zhen didn't want to see Sakura and Ino pulling each other's hair or Hinata getting beaten half to death by Neji again.
Still, he wouldn't force them. If they truly couldn't handle this type of training, he would simply exclude them from any future combat scenarios.
This wouldn't change how he treated them in daily life.
But to his surprise, after a brief moment of shock, all three girls gritted their teeth and chose to endure.
(End of Chapter)