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*****
"Naruto-kun!"
Hinata was the first to stand up and move toward Naruto in concern, but Sakura and Ino quickly held her back.
"Wait a second, Hinata. Don't interrupt Ximen-kun!"
"Yeah, yeah, just leave it to Shin."
"But Naruto-kun, he…"
Ximen Zhen ignored Hinata's anxiety and also paid no attention to Sasuke's tsundere remark just now.
This guy only shows kindness to people once he starts to recognize them.
At this point, Naruto was still very weak. If it weren't for his sheer determination to knock himself out from the fall, Sasuke wouldn't have even spared him a glance.
Ximen Zhen placed his hand on Naruto's wrist. Perhaps due to the cultural influence from his past life, he preferred diagnosing patients this way.
The moment his chakra entered Naruto's body, Ximen Zhen immediately sensed an overwhelmingly powerful and evil chakra—like a predator locking onto its prey, it charged straight toward him.
Naturally, Ximen Zhen had no intention of provoking the Nine-Tails within Naruto. His chakra quickly retreated from Naruto's body as he said, "He's fine. His physical strength is off the charts."
"You can take a closer look at his injuries—they're already starting to heal."
Sasuke took a careful look and was genuinely surprised to see it was true.
He asked in confusion, "Isn't this guy supposed to be the dead last? Why does he have such strange power in his body?"
"Maybe he became the dead last precisely because he has a strange power he doesn't know how to use—just like you."
Sasuke immediately flared up, glaring angrily at Ximen Zhen and about to say something, but before he could speak, Ximen Zhen's fingers flashed like lightning and tapped Sasuke on the forehead.
In an instant, a surge of yin-natured chakra flowed into Sasuke's meridians.
Sasuke froze, then felt a cold energy burst from his head and flow into his eyes. Faint tomoe began to surface within his irises.
Ecstatic, Sasuke realized he was about to awaken the Sharingan.
But just then, Ximen Zhen suddenly stopped, causing Sasuke to glare at him in frustration and shout, "Don't stop! Keep going!"
"Yowch!"
The next second, Ximen Zhen knocked Sasuke flat on the ground. Behind him, the girls burst into laughter.
Sakura and Ino found it amusing to see Sasuke getting lectured by Ximen Zhen—completely forgetting how they had idolized him just moments ago.
Hinata also checked Naruto's condition. After confirming he was safe, she finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Sasuke stood up and was about to say something again, but Ximen Zhen grabbed him by the back of the neck and pulled him aside.
"I've done all I can. After all, I'm not from the Uchiha clan. Awakening that power is still something you'll have to figure out on your own."
If Sasuke hadn't already awakened his Sharingan and merely forgotten how to use it, Ximen Zhen wouldn't have even been able to stimulate his eyes.
"Also, if you tell anyone about this, I'll be in trouble. Got it?"
Sasuke blinked. A moment ago, he'd been completely absorbed in the thrill of gaining power and hadn't thought about Ximen Zhen's situation at all.
Now, tilting his head, he looked at Ximen Zhen and, for some reason, felt like Shin's face was gradually overlapping with someone else's.
No, Ximen Zhen is nothing like that bastard Itachi Uchiha!
"Hmph. Don't worry. When a man from the Uchiha clan says something, he means it. I'll keep it a secret."
"Good."
Ximen Zhen patted Sasuke on the shoulder and was about to leave when Sasuke called out to him in a low voice that only the two of them could hear. "I want to know why."
"Why I helped you?"
Sasuke nodded.
"Let's just say I've heard too many stories about the Uchiha clan. I feel it's a pity your family disappeared."
With a casual wave, Ximen Zhen walked away, leaving Sasuke clenching his fists in the dark.
But it wasn't long before he returned to normal. He walked over, picked Naruto up again, and said calmly, "I'll take him home."
"Oh? I thought you were going to dump this on me," Ximen Zhen said in surprise.
Sasuke curled his lip and replied, "You'd better focus on taking care of those three princesses."
"Sasuke! Sakura and I are not princesses!"
"Yeah, exactly! We don't need anyone taking care of us! If anything, with how caring you are, you're the one who acts like a princess!"
Ino and Sakura burst into giggles, making it hard for Hinata—who had wanted to volunteer to take care of Naruto—to even get a word in.
Once Sasuke disappeared with Naruto on his back, Hinata turned her attention back to the food in front of her and began grilling fish for Ximen Zhen.
"Hinata, did you know your body is in poor condition?"
Startled, Hinata looked at Ximen Zhen smiling in the firelight and quickly shook her head.
It was unclear if she meant she didn't know, or if she was denying that her body was weak.
Ximen Zhen went on talking to himself. "All of us ninja have at least some yang-natured chakra in our bodies. It supports our life force and even determines the amount of chakra we can use."
"Sakura and Ino both have it—and pretty good quality, too."
"As for you… unfortunately, you may not be any stronger than an average person."
Hinata stared at Ximen Zhen in shock. Earlier, she had only wanted to brush off his concern. But now, she wanted to hear more.
"You mean… the reason I'm weak right now is because of an issue with my yang chakra?"
Ximen Zhen nodded. "That's just my theory, though."
"Then… is there a way to fix it?"
A spark of hope lit up in Hinata's eyes.
She didn't resent her position being taken by her younger sister. Even if she were to receive the Caged Bird Seal someday, she could accept that.
But still, she wanted to become stronger. At the very least, she wanted the power to protect others and become a ninja her comrades could rely on.
"I don't know. I'm not even a ninja myself."
The light in Hinata's eyes began to fade, but Ximen Zhen reignited her hope with a single line:
"But I can give it a try."
He raised his hand, gathering chakra into a ball in his palm.
Unlike the usual blue hue, Ximen Zhen's chakra began to emit a faint white glow—though it faded after just a few seconds.
Of course, that was just for show. He could maintain yang-natured chakra indefinitely, but doing so would've seemed far too extraordinary.
"As you all saw, I used this chakra to remove the cold energy from your bodies earlier."
"If you're willing, Hinata, I'll try using yang-natured chakra to nourish your body. I don't know how effective it'll be, though."
Hinata looked quietly at Ximen Zhen. She knew this would be an enormous undertaking.
Even Sakura and Ino had gone silent, curiously watching the two of them. They couldn't understand why Ximen Zhen was willing to go to such lengths for Hinata.
"I…"
Hinata bit her lip. Given her personality, she wouldn't normally trouble others—especially not to the extent of owing someone such a huge favor.
But her desire to grow stronger and change herself made it hard to pass up this chance.
Just as Hinata looked like she might break down from the inner conflict, Ximen Zhen said, "Let's do this instead, Hinata—be my ninjutsu test subject. If anything goes wrong, I won't take responsibility. Can you agree to that?"
Hinata looked up sharply. So that's what Ximen Zhen had in mind?
But when she met his gaze, she felt like he was deliberately giving her this opportunity.
In the end, Hinata nodded firmly. "Ximen-kun, I'm willing to be your test subject. I'll take full responsibility for whatever happens."
"I… what should I do?"
Ximen Zhen pulled her gently by the wrist and said, "Relax. For now, just focus on eating."
(End of Chapter)