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After breakfast, Summer Star told Chen Xing that the Third Star Shadow wanted to see him. The two of them then headed toward the Star Shadow's Office.
Hoshigakure was not large—after all, it was only a small ninja village. Unlike Konohagakure, it lacked large-scale training facilities such as the Third Training Ground or the Forest of Death. Still, despite its size, the village had the essentials: a modest but functional ninja academy, a few medical rooms, and equipment sufficient for basic treatment. However, the difference in resources compared to the Five Great Nations was obvious. All the buildings here were simple wooden houses—there wasn't a single cement structure in sight.
Before long, Chen Xing arrived at the Star Shadow's Office.
The "office" was actually just a spacious wooden house with a large work desk in the middle. Aside from that, there was nothing special about it—at first glance, it looked just like any other home in the village. This wasn't Chen Xing's first visit; the first time he came here, he had been surprised to find a two-story wooden house with the kanji for "Star" hanging on the door, thinking he might have come to the wrong place.
He bowed politely to the Third Star Shadow, then looked up at the kindly old man. Though the man bore the title of "Shadow" like the leaders of the Five Great Nations, his temperament was far gentler, and Chen Xing couldn't help but feel a certain warmth toward him.
"Grandpa, did you need something from me?" Chen Xing asked respectfully. Though he had recently disobeyed the Star Shadow's earlier order to stay away from the meteorite known as the "Star," the old man had yet to scold him. Even so, Chen Xing felt a twinge of guilt.
"Chen Xing, do you feel… different lately?" The Third Star Shadow crouched down, resting a hand on Chen Xing's head, his voice gentle.
Chen Xing blinked, then shook his head. "No, Grandpa. I feel great—full of energy! This time, I absorbed a lot of chakra from the 'Star'!" he said in a small but excited voice.
Normally, the Third Star Shadow would have scolded him. After all, training with the meteorite was dangerous; in the manga, prolonged exposure had caused illness and even death to many Hoshigakure shinobi. But recently, the "Star" had been rendered harmless—its chakra no longer poisonous—so the matter was less urgent. Otherwise, Chen Xing would likely be facing a stern lecture.
"That's good," the old man said with a more serious tone. "Chen Xing, Grandpa has a question for you, and I want you to answer honestly, all right?"
Chen Xing nodded.
"Do you love this village?" The Third Star Shadow's eyes narrowed slightly, studying Chen Xing's reaction.
Chen Xing was momentarily stunned. In many Konoha stories he'd read in his past life, there was always a scene where the Hokage asked the protagonist: Do you love the village? And now here it was, except it was Star Shadow instead of Hokage.
He swallowed his sarcasm and answered seriously. Truthfully, aside from the original body's irresponsible father, Chen Xing found the villagers here friendly and united. Despite its poverty, Hoshigakure had the warmth of a true community.
"Yes," he said firmly.
The Star Shadow's expression softened. "Then, if you become a strong ninja one day, would you be willing to protect Hoshigakure?"
"Of course!" Chen Xing replied without hesitation. Deep down, he did feel a sense of responsibility toward the village that had raised him.
"Good… that's good." The Third Star Shadow straightened up and turned to Summer Star. "Summer Star, I'll leave Chen Xing's training to you. I won't worry as long as he's with you."
"I'll do my best, Star Shadow-sama," Summer Star replied with a small bow. Teaching Chen Xing meant she could also spend more time with him.
"Oh, and remember to test Chen Xing's chakra nature," the Star Shadow added. "See if he can use Peacock Magic." In the manga, Peacock Magic (Kujaku Myōhō) was a unique technique of Hoshigakure, allowing the user to shape chakra into solid forms—often purple wings—for flight and combat. If Chen Xing could use it without suffering the meteorite's poisonous side effects, that would be a rare blessing.
After saying goodbye, Chen Xing and Summer Star left the office.
Outside, Summer Star spread her purple chakra wings, holding Chen Xing in her arms as they rose into the sky. The wind roared past them, but Chen Xing's heart was only filled with excitement. He could feel his chakra circulating strongly through his body, and he couldn't wait to start training to test his current limits.
"Summer Star-nee," he asked, "other than Peacock Magic, does our village have any other unique jutsu?"
"Of course," she smiled. "We may be small compared to the great nations, but we still have our own techniques and secret arts." She explained that some jutsu had been brought back by the First Star Shadow during his travels, while others had been developed locally. Unfortunately, the village lacked a large number of high-level ninjutsu users—especially those with Lightning Release.
Chen Xing nodded thoughtfully. In the ninja world, lightning users were rare outside of Kumogakure, and for a small village like Hoshigakure, the odds of producing a genius were even smaller.
Before long, they arrived at the Star Training Grounds. At the center was a massive crater, barren of all life—proof of the meteorite's intense chakra radiation. Though not as destructive as a tailed beast's power, the "Star" had still left its mark on the land.
"Chen Xing, you'll be staying here to train with the 'Star.' Even if its dangerous radiation is gone, it's still the pride of our village," Summer Star said softly.
She then pulled out a small strip of paper from her pouch. "This is chakra nature paper. When you send chakra into it, it will reveal your elemental affinity: it will get wet for Water, burn for Fire, crumble to dust for Earth, tear for Wind, and wrinkle for Lightning. I hope you have Lightning Release."
Chen Xing took the paper, unimpressed by its appearance, but followed her instructions. He focused and sent chakra into it.
The paper first wrinkled—Lightning—then caught fire—Fire—and finally tore in half—Wind.
Summer Star's eyes widened in shock. "Three… three natures? Lightning, Fire, and Wind? That's incredible!"
Chen Xing grinned. All three were offensive elements, and Lightning in particular meant he could inherit the village's strongest jutsu. In the manga, a ninja with even two chakra natures was rare; three was exceptional.
"Chen Xing," Summer Star said, her voice filled with excitement, "with this talent, the Star Shadow-sama will surely allow you to study the jutsu scrolls left by the First Star Shadow himself. Don't waste this gift."
Chen Xing nodded eagerly. The First Star Shadow had been a Kage-level shinobi, far stronger than the average elite jōnin. Learning from his notes would be invaluable.
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