Early the next morning.
At Ye Manor.
Dew still glistened on the grass, and the morning sky was painted with soft pink hues.
"Is Lord Ye Liang home?" Hyuga Huomen arrived at Ye Liang's residence, escorting Hinata Hyuga.
"Who is it?"
Ye Liang's voice came from inside the house.
Footsteps grew closer.
Click!
The door latch was pulled back.
"Oh my God!"
Ye Liang suddenly looked stunned. His tired eyes widened in shock! Standing outside wasn't just Hyuga Water Gate, but also Hinata Hyuga, who had come to study under him!
"Lord Ye Liang, I've brought the young lady here on orders from our clan leader. The Chunin Exams will begin next month, so I hope you'll train her well." Huomen gave Ye Liang a respectful bow.
"Don't worry, since I've already agreed to teach properly, I certainly won't break my word."
Ye Liang nodded.
Yesterday he'd made himself perfectly clear to Hiashi Hyuga—if they insisted on learning his System-based Gentle Fist, they must send one representative.
He just didn't have the stamina to train everyone.
"In that case, I'll thank you on behalf of our clan leader first."
After a few polite words, Huomen took his leave, leaving Hinata alone with Ye Liang.
Now there were only two people alone together—a lonely young man and a shy young woman.
"Y-Ye Liang, sir..."
Hinata called out nervously, struggling to continue after those few words.
"Don't be shy, come inside," Ye Liang said warmly, guiding Hinata into his room. Since he'd promised Hiashi to teach his daughter, he naturally needed to take good care of her.
Besides...
Hehe!
"Little Hinata, don't be shy, come in and sit down!"
"No need to sit! Let's just practice in the courtyard."
"Oh come on, practicing outdoors might give you a cold—it's chilly this early in the morning."
"That's alright, Lord Ye Liang. The Hyuga are always very strong physically."
"Really? Truly strong?"
After some small talk, Ye Liang finally gave in to Hinata's insistence and began training right there in the courtyard.
Honestly speaking, the Hyuga's Gentle Fist technique was indeed quite powerful—especially when combined with Byakugan to seal an opponent's chakra. Even against a formidable foe, without chakra, nothing could be accomplished.
Unfortunately, the Hyuga clan lacked truly outstanding experts capable of standing at the top tier. That's why they remained relatively weak.
Ye Liang mused that if the Hyuga family could develop even one Kage-level ninja, their rise wouldn't be just a fantasy.
After teaching Hinata several foundational techniques from the modified Gentle Fist system, Ye Liang lazily reclined onto a rocking chair, beginning to plot and plan his next steps.
Actually, today wasn't just about Hinata. Team 7 would also arrive soon for training. Ye Liang intended to gather them all for outdoor exercises, aiming to boost the overall strength of this world.
After all, Ye Liang eventually planned to leave—but the Naruto universe, filled with his cherished memories, shouldn't just be left behind. Because many vibrant lives ended tragically in later events, which was deeply regrettable.
Before long,
Naruto wearing a cat mask arrived, knocking on the door alongside the other two members of Team 7.
"Uncle Ye Liang, good morning!"
Besides his fake identity as a descendant of the Hyuga, Ye Liang now also held the role of Naruto's uncle. However, neither family knew about this connection, so it could remain hidden for now.
"Since you're all here, let's begin training."
"Training? Together?" Naruto looked at Hinata already practicing in the courtyard. He hadn't expected someone else to join them today.
"Huh. This is Hinata Hyuga. Hiashi asked me to look after her, so I brought her along with you guys."
"Wow! She's the little princess from the Hyuga Clan!" Sakura suddenly exclaimed.
The Hyuga Clan was a prestigious family in Konoha, so her reaction was understandable.
"I'm Hinata. It's really nice to meet all of you," Hinata greeted Team 7 but added especially, "And nice to meet you too, Naruto-kun." Naruto hardly acknowledged her in return.
"Uncle Ye Liang, I've been really looking forward to that place you mentioned. Let's go quickly." Naruto tugged on Ye Liang's clothes, almost urging him.
"Hn, then let's go quickly."
Suddenly, Ye Liang solemnly had everyone gather around him. Then he stretched his body and surprisingly started performing hand seals right on the spot!
You see, only clumsy people normally use hand seals. For someone like Ye Liang to do it—well, that's just unheard of.
"Alright, close your eyes! We're about to depart!"
After saying this, a sudden puff of smoke enveloped Ye Liang's house. After quite some time, when the smoke cleared, everyone in the courtyard had vanished without a trace!
"Ahh! Where are we? Why are we falling straight down!"
Naruto suddenly shouted. At the moment Ye Liang cast his jutsu, everyone abruptly found themselves in a vertical falling space. There was absolutely nothing around—just continuous falling.
Naruto was terrified. Anyone suddenly appearing in another space would feel scared.
Sasuke and the others were fine, though not entirely at ease either. But they trusted Ye Liang completely. Especially Sasuke—who had become even more smug since resolving his inner conflict.
"Naruto, stop talking! You're messing up my concentration!"
"Yeah, Naruto! With the teacher here, what are you afraid of?" Sakura also chimed in.
At this moment, Ye Liang noticed the slightly trembling Hinata beside him, and immediately pulled her into his arms.
"Don't be afraid. Open your eyes! Look how beautiful the scenery around you is."
"The scenery?" Hearing Ye Liang's words, Hinata slowly opened her eyes. She wasn't part of Team 7, so she couldn't remain as calm as Sasuke and the others, but Ye Liang's voice carried great magnetism, so she instinctively trusted him.
Before her eyes:
Besides continuously shifting colors, there was an endless expanse of fields, sky, ocean—various beautiful sceneries constantly switching around them.
Also, while they kept falling, there was no actual danger.
"Wow, how beautiful! Huh, there's a little lamb over there." Realizing there was truly no danger, Hinata gradually grew bolder.
Naruto nearby merely smirked.
"What a coward!"
...
Seeing that everyone had calmed down, Ye Liang resumed his explanation: "This is the Summoning Realm. The valley we're falling toward is our destination this time—the Summoning Realm."
"The Summoning Realm? What does it have to do with summoned beasts?" Sasuke asked first.
"The Summoning Realm (the realm of summoning arts) is indeed the world of summoned beasts!" Ye Liang said. Seeing that Sasuke seemed to have more questions, he continued, "You all have a solid understanding of ninjutsu. Tell me, besides intelligence, what else is relatively important when learning ninjutsu?"
"Physical strength!" Naruto answered quickly.
"Not quite," Ye Liang said, shaking his head. "Physical strength definitely plays a role—but that's more for taijutsu. Ninjutsu just isn't that focused on physical strength."
"It must be Chakra," Sasuke said thoughtfully after a short pause.
Ye Liang gave a slight nod.
Sasuke really was a genius; his ability to grasp the essence was truly extraordinary.
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