"You always drink the outermost one first, don't you?" Xia Li asked.
"Isn't that natural?"
"But if you don't drink it, the stuff inside will go bad," Xia Li said.
"Ah?!" Naruto walked over, looked at the milk in Xia Li's hand, glanced at the date, scratched his head, and said, "I didn't even notice this… so should I drink the inside first? The outer ones are expired… what do I do?"
"You always drink the inside first. Once that's gone, the outer ones become the inside. If you keep replenishing it, you'll never get to the inside ones, and they'll expire," Xia Li said, exasperated. "Don't you get it yet?"
"Exactly!" Naruto clapped his hands, suddenly realizing, "Xia Li… you're really smart!"
Xia Li sighed helplessly. Even though Naruto complimented her, she couldn't feel proud. What was there to be proud of? The person in front of her was just too dumb. He had no idea whose technique this was, whether it came from the Fourth Hokage or someone else. Clearly, the Lady wouldn't have taught him that, right?
"As long as you know what to do, just read the book, right? Anything else unclear?" Xia Li asked.
"Uh…" Naruto scratched his head.
"You can't do anything at all, can you?" Xia Li couldn't help but stare at him with deadpan eyes.
"Hehe~" Naruto giggled.
As for Xia Li, she had never been so speechless. In her memory, Naruto's theoretical knowledge had always been poor, but his current performance still exceeded expectations.
How was Xia Li feeling now? Well, like a parent tutoring a child with homework—at any moment, she could be infuriated!
Why did I think tutoring him in theory would work? Can we go back in time? This time, he definitely won't cause trouble again!
Chapter 30: The Fat Kid Defeats Naruto
Xia Li stared blankly at the paper in front of him. What crime had he committed in his past life to deserve such punishment?
Obviously, this had been explained many times before, and Xia Li thought he had made it very clear, but the messy handwriting on the paper proved the other person didn't understand at all.
In the previous life, Xia Li never had the chance to tutor a child. She never imagined she would experience this so quickly with Naruto in this life.
After grading Naruto's test, Xia Li's eyes went blank, and the corners of her mouth twitched slightly.
Actually, she knew Naruto's theoretical knowledge was poor in the original story, but she didn't expect it to be this bad.
Xia Li sighed deeply. To be Naruto's teacher for six years and train him as a ninja—Iruka really was incredible.
Therefore, Naruto's future learning would rely on Shadow Clone techniques. Though it was also a natural talent, it was not feasible at this time.
First, the Third Hokage certainly cared about Naruto, so Xia Li wouldn't easily hand over the Shadow Clone technique. Secondly, even if he ignored the Third Hokage and gave Naruto the technique, Naruto might not be able to use it now.
Naruto's chakra was certainly sufficient, but the presence of the Nine-Tails within him caused trouble, making chakra control difficult.
Under the current circumstances, teaching Naruto ninjutsu was basically useless. Even specialized Shadow Clone techniques or multiple clones might not be learned successfully.
On the other hand, the fact that Naruto could potentially learn multiple clones in a short period was, in Xia Li's view, incredible. He could only describe him as an unexpectedly talented ninja.
Seeing Xia Li's condition, Naruto scratched his head awkwardly, feeling guilty toward her.
Xia Li put down the test paper, completely at a loss about how to continue teaching theoretical knowledge. Since Naruto excelled only in memorization, the current teaching method was ineffective—she had no solutions.
"Where do you usually train?" Xia Li asked Naruto.
"Train? Hmm, probably outside…" Naruto scratched his head. He didn't have a specific training area.
"Oh, then come with me," Xia Li thought. This place was indeed remote and suitable for training.
"Oh," Naruto nodded and followed Xia Li.
In a somewhat open area in the forest, Xia Li and Naruto stood facing each other.
"Xia Li… do you really want to do this?" Naruto hesitated, unsure whether to attack her.
"Naruto, don't you want to become Hokage? To be Hokage, you must first be a ninja, and being a ninja is not easy. Every ninja must undergo long training," Xia Li said firmly. Although her body hadn't fully recovered, it was enough to handle Naruto at the moment.
"But…"
"No buts. If you can't even defeat me, how do you expect to become Hokage? Don't you want to be recognized? Then fight me! Don't worry—I won't get hurt. Don't forget, I ranked first in the school exams for this!" Xia Li glared at the still hesitant Naruto.
"If you can't even do this, don't be a ninja. I don't want to be friends with someone who can't even become a ninja."
At her words, Naruto froze. He didn't understand many things, but he clearly understood this. If he didn't fight back, he would lose his current friends and return to a lonely life, remembering times he had cried alone in the corner of his bed. He had cried all his tears and had enough.
He didn't want to go back to that life!
"No, absolutely not!" Naruto gritted his teeth, blue eyes filled with determination, and in the next moment, he charged at Xia Li.
"Huh?" Xia Li watched Naruto's movements. Though a bit messy, his speed was impressive.
To first test Naruto's current physical condition, Xia Li considered defending passively rather than attacking.
Not wanting to lose his friend, Naruto launched an attack without hesitation. Although he had no precise plan, his stamina and striking power were remarkable.
At least Xia Li was somewhat surprised. His speed, endurance, and strength exceeded expectations, even surpassing what he had shown in school tests.
Had he been provoked by what she said? Xia Li thought. Though only a small amount of Nine-Tails chakra broke through the seal, he could still exhibit far greater strength.
Xia Li covered her mouth, feeling a bit jealous.
But if that were the case, Xia Li wouldn't hold back either. Although Naruto's current power burst was far stronger than usual, to her, he was still just a kid playing games.
Compared to Xia Li, he lacked the organization, strength, and speed!
Finally, when Naruto became exhausted, Xia Li also launched attacks. Apart from a few critical areas, nearly every part of Naruto's body became a target.
Xia Li controlled her strength slightly, unable to fully suppress him. If she let go completely, she could truly kill Naruto.
Even so, Naruto endured immense pain, almost to the point of tears. Yet he did not fall, because he didn't want to lose his only friend.
Although Naruto had thoughts of becoming Hokage, he wanted to be recognized by others, didn't he?
If you lose your first friend, what kind of Hokage would you be?
Thus, he couldn't fall—he had to persist. This physical pain was nothing compared to cold gazes and loneliness of the past.
Xia Li was puzzled, noticing Naruto's resilience even at his limit.
In her astonishment, Naruto moved forward, slowly raising his hand and gently touching her.
As Xia Li expected, there was no force or harm, so she didn't dodge, letting the touch land. Naruto had reached his limit and could only keep going.
A light flickered in Xia Li's eyes. She sighed, looking at Naruto and said softly, "It's okay, Naruto."
"So… are we still friends?" Naruto gasped.
"Of course," Xia Li nodded, smiling. "I just wanted to awaken your fighting spirit. Actually, you're stronger than I imagined, Naruto."
"Of course, I… I'm the one who wants to become Hokage!" Before he could finish, Naruto could no longer support himself and fell forward.
He fell with a smile on his face. He had successfully protected his friend.
Xia Li caught the collapsing Naruto, smiling faintly. She felt his willpower was even stronger than her own. She hadn't intended to attack at full strength, but seeing his recovery ability, she no longer feared. She worried for her own feet, yet Naruto endured far longer than expected.
Thus, Naruto had become what he was now. Only a few parts of his body were truly healthy, but his foundation remained intact. This was Xia Li's intent.
In this way, the passive nature of the Nine-Tails chakra became apparent, and through repeated recovery, Naruto's body was strengthened.
It was similar to Xia Li's thunderous massage, but gentler. You didn't have to act—just endure a serious beating. The more you think about it, the more enviable it seems.
Under these circumstances, Naruto should be stronger than in the original story. If he didn't need the Six Paths Sage power, all the better.
Xia Li looked at the unconscious Naruto, stroking his chin, as if testing him.
Chapter 31: Apologies and Guidance
When Naruto woke again, night had fallen. He looked at the familiar bed, confused. Why was he here?
"Awake?"
A familiar voice reached him. Naruto's eyes widened. He turned to see Xia Li.
Naruto finally remembered what had happened. He seemed to have been knocked out by Xia Li, but he recalled he was supposed to maintain their friendship successfully.
Seeing Naruto's expression, Xia Li understood he was recalling past events and felt a touch of helplessness. Naruto considered her a friend, yet she always felt like his senior.
Moreover, Xia Li, with decades of consciousness, found it hard to truly treat a child as a peer. But since Naruto was fine with it, so be it.
"Xia Li… you're still here?" Naruto effortlessly got out of bed.
Seeing this, Xia Li clicked her tongue. After that beating, recovery would be tough. Though she had controlled the strength and avoided vital points, the pain was considerable. It would take days to fully recover.
Comparisons can make people angry, but that's why Xia Li was so harsh.
"Not gone yet. After all, I was the one who knocked you out. If you didn't wake up, I wouldn't feel at ease."
"Oh, I see." Naruto nodded, suddenly understanding.
"Do you know why I did this?" Xia Li asked, thinking it necessary to explain, though Naruto probably wouldn't mind.
"Hmm, you seem to think I'm not worthy of being your friend if I don't become a ninja, but I feel that's not true," Naruto said, scratching his head.
"Of course it's not true. But since you feel that way, why fight so hard?" Xia Li rolled her eyes at Naruto, then stared at him, asking another question.
Naruto hesitated, unable to answer clearly, finally saying, "I don't know… I just feel I must try, even if there's only a tiny hope, I can't give up!!"
Were you afraid it might be true? Xia Li looked at Naruto deeply and sighed. He was even more sensitive than she imagined.
Xia Li thought for a moment and could roughly guess how Naruto felt upon hearing those words…
"I'm sorry. This time it's my fault. I shouldn't have said that, even if it wasn't true," Xia Li said seriously. This was truly her fault. Naruto was too innocent, yet he had been pressured by an old person's words.
Xia Li didn't want to make excuses, realizing that for such a pure Naruto, saying "I did this for your own good" was completely inappropriate.
How is this different from the constant praise from parents in a past life? Oh, it seems Xia Li and Naruto aren't really connected in that way.
In any case, if you're wrong, you must apologize.
"Huh? Xia Li didn't do anything wrong, why apologize?" Naruto scratched his head, confused.
"…If you don't understand, then don't," Xia Li said after a moment of silence.
"Okay."
Xia Li began explaining why she acted that way and why she had to defeat Naruto.
"So, Xia Li did it for my own good." Naruto scratched his head, feeling a warmth that was hard to describe—a sense of being cared for, though in a somewhat strange way.
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