Two months later.
Ketsuna, who had initially adapted to Ninja Academy life, was staring blankly out the window, bored, when a sweet voice suddenly sounded beside him.
"Ketsuna, I see you haven't eaten. This is an extra bento I brought from home. If you don't mind, please take it..."
Hua Jingfeng gave Ketsuna a cute and shy smile. Her pointed little canine teeth and deep dimples were very eye-catching, making her unforgettable at first sight.
"Thank you."
Ketsuna was surprised for a moment before saying thank you. He then took the bento from Hua Jingfeng's hand, but he didn't open it to eat. Instead, he asked her very seriously, "Do you want to become stronger?"
Hua Jingfeng had not expected Ketsuna to suddenly ask her such a question.
Become stronger?
Isn't that a given?
Hua Jingfeng thought.
"If you want to become stronger, come find me at this place half an hour after school..."
Ketsuna didn't pay attention to Hua Jingfeng's reaction. Instead, he spoke to himself while handing her a note with a detailed location written on it. She subconsciously took it. Just as she was about to say something, a cold voice suddenly came from behind, scaring her into standing up immediately and secretly hiding the note in her hand.
"Hua Jingfeng! Who told you to sit in my seat?"
Uchiha Mingxi's black eyes coldly stared at Hua Jingfeng, causing the latter to instinctively move out of the seat.
Seeing Hua Jingfeng's quick understanding, Uchiha Mingxi snorted unhappily, then sat down and whispered to Ketsuna beside her, "I'm bullying your 'little girlfriend' like this, why are you still holding back your anger?"
"Childish."
"Boring."
Ketsuna glanced at Uchiha Mingxi, only saying two words, which immediately made her furious. Her black eyes were filled with bloodshot veins, making Ketsuna instinctively think she was about to activate her Sharingan.
"Damn it!"
"How dare he look down on me!"
"Take this!"
Uchiha Mingxi clenched her fist and quickly threw a punch towards Ketsuna's face. This scene made Hua Jingfeng, who was beside them, nervous and worried. She hadn't expected Mingxi to suddenly attack Ketsuna.
But the next moment, Ketsuna's hand easily grabbed Mingxi's wrist, stopping her irrational behavior.
"If you want to make a fool of yourself here, I don't mind letting you taste the flavor of defeat..."
Seeing the anger in Mingxi's eyes intensify, Ketsuna could only say this.
After feeling the strength on her wrist and noticing that her classmates were gradually entering the classroom, she just said arrogantly, "Let go of me!"
Upon hearing this, Ketsuna immediately let go.
Mingxi, now free, immediately pretended as if nothing had happened, but secretly said to Ketsuna, "Midnight, I'll be waiting for you in the Death Forest. It'll be one-on-one..."
"...Okay."
Ketsuna was silent for a moment, then agreed to Mingxi's challenge. After all, if he didn't teach her a lesson, future days would inevitably be very troublesome.
Moreover, it was just teaching Mingxi a lesson; it wouldn't waste much time.
Hua Jingfeng, who was sitting next to Uchiha Mingxi, saw how easily Ketsuna stopped Uchiha Mingxi and even made this arrogant Uchiha suppress her anger. Thus, she became even more interested in what Ketsuna had just said to her...
Becoming stronger... Can Ketsuna really help me achieve that?
Can an ordinary civilian ninja with my aptitude also become a powerful and respected ninja?
Hua Jingfeng thought to herself.
...
※
Hua Jingfeng's parents were in business outside all year round, so she was the only one at home. Therefore, after school, she only tidied up briefly before heading directly to the address written on the note in her hand.
"Hyuga Clan's outer training ground..."
The address Ketsuna gave Hua Jingfeng was a training ground located on the outskirts of the Hyuga Clan territory. It was a training ground exclusively for Hyuga Clan members, and outsiders could not enter.
Of course, with the permission of Ketsuna, the son of the clan elder, Hua Jingfeng could naturally enter and exit this outer training ground freely.
Soon, Hua Jingfeng arrived at her destination. At the entrance of the training ground, there was a Hyuga Chunin guarding it.
"Hello, Senior, I am Hua Jingfeng..."
Hua Jingfeng came before the Hyuga Chunin and spoke cautiously.
"You're Hua Jingfeng, right? Lord Ketsuna is waiting for you at Training Ground Three. Go straight inside and turn right at the third intersection."
The Hyuga Chunin said gently to Hua Jingfeng.
"Thank you, Senior."
Hua Jingfeng thanked sweetly, then walked into the training ground.
Soon, Hua Jingfeng arrived at the agreed-upon Training Ground Three, where Ketsuna was standing with his back to her.
"Ketsuna..."
Hua Jingfeng spoke to Ketsuna. He turned around, a wicked smile on his face. The next second, he instantly appeared before Hua Jingfeng, startling her.
"Ketsuna, this is... Body Flicker Technique?!"
"It's just a very common ninjutsu. If you are willing to become stronger, you can easily master this technique as well..."
Ketsuna spoke, his voice seeming to contain a captivating and tempting magic, immediately filling Hua Jingfeng's face with longing. But the next moment, she showed a hesitant and conflicted expression.
"Ketsuna, then what do you want me to pay?"
Even though Hua Jingfeng was only a six-year-old girl, she knew that there was no such thing as a 'free lunch' in the world. So, in her hesitation and conflict, she asked Ketsuna directly.
To gain something, one must pay a corresponding price...
"I want you to..."
Ketsuna smiled, then his gaze fell on Hua Jingfeng's shy and adorable face. His pure white eyes emitted a sharp glint, making Hua Jingfeng dare not meet his gaze. At the same time, under the moonlight, Hua Jingfeng's face was inexplicably tinged with an alluring blush.
Ketsuna looked at Hua Jingfeng's appearance and immediately understood that she had misunderstood something. However, he had no intention of explaining anything. Instead, he slowly continued to speak the rest of his words.
"I want you to... be my subordinate, a subordinate loyal only to me!"
"..."
Hua Jingfeng froze after hearing this, immediately realizing that she had overthought things. Her small face instantly turned as red as a ripe apple, and white steam seemed to be rising from her head, whether from embarrassment or not, she didn't know.
"Um... haha..."
Hua Jingfeng felt awkward under Ketsuna's gaze. She then stammered, "Ketsuna, you... you're j-joking, r-right?"
"I never joke."
Ketsuna shook his head, and the Byakugan in his eyes immediately activated. Hideous veins appeared around his eye corners, and a sapphire blue light flashed instantly from the depths of his eyes.
"You have no idea how much potential you have!"
Upon hearing Ketsuna's words, Hua Jingfeng immediately gathered her courage and met his gaze, but she was subdued by the pressure of Ketsuna's Byakugan. Her body went limp, and she directly collapsed to the ground, only able to look up at Ketsuna.
At this moment, Ketsuna's power and mystery instantly filled Hua Jingfeng's heart...