At this moment, Xia Li was absentminded. He was still thinking about his own issue—the problem stemming from that earlier killing incident.
Honestly, it felt a little ironic. When Xia Li thought he was mostly fine, those around him—people with sharper instincts—felt that he had already sunk into the path of killing.
Now, Xia Li could clearly sense that he was still in the final stage of recovery. What gave him a headache was that this stage seemed completely unaffected by time. A long time had passed, yet there had been no progress at all…
And yet, everyone around him insisted that he had fully recovered. Xia Li could only sigh. He didn't blame them. After all, his perception—especially of his own internal state—was astonishingly precise. No one could match him in that regard.
After learning genjutsu from Kurenai, Xia Li had gone to seek help from the Third Hokage. The Third was well-informed, after all. But what the old man said left Xia Li puzzled.
When Xia Li explained his condition, the Third simply smiled and said that his current state was not something time could erase.
It was like a person who had killed someone—no matter how much time passed, they could never return to a state where they had never killed.
If Xia Li wanted to free himself from this state, he had to examine his own heart, not rely on anything external.
After saying that, the Third just smiled and changed the topic.
It gave Xia Li a headache. Couldn't he have explained it more clearly?
Still, Xia Li understood that the rest was up to him.
Before he realized it, he had already arrived beside Asuma.
"Hey, Xia Li, here to pick up Ino again?" Asuma laughed when he saw him.
"Mm. I just came from my sister-in-law's place," Xia Li admitted calmly.
"Sister-in-law? I haven't decided yet—" Asuma instantly understood who Xia Li meant. The tall man's face flushed red, and he forced a laugh to cover his embarrassment.
Xia Li turned his gaze toward Ino, who was still training without any sign of slowing down.
"They're working really hard—better than I expected. Seems like they were really inspired by you. Especially Ino. She exceeds my expectations almost every session," Asuma said as he stepped closer.
"Mm." Xia Li's gaze softened as he watched Ino train.
Asuma was about to call Ino over, but Xia Li stopped him. "It's not finished yet. I'll wait."
"As you wish." Asuma glanced between Xia Li and Ino, then chuckled to himself.
Xia Li found a seat and continued watching Ino. He had long noticed her efforts—she seemed determined to catch up to him. Unfortunately, his own progress was far beyond what she could realistically match.
With Xia Li's level, Ino's improvement was still far from enough. Catching up to him was nearly impossible.
He had even been worrying that she might feel pressured or discouraged. He had been thinking about how to comfort her.
But unexpectedly, Ino brought it up first. She didn't feel pressured by Xia Li's strength. On the contrary, she was proud of it.
Even so, she wouldn't give up. She knew she might never catch up—but she would still follow in his footsteps.
Because of that, Xia Li's prepared words of comfort remained unspoken.
Watching Ino train so earnestly, his smile grew gentler. He was truly satisfied with his little girlfriend—more and more so.
After a while, the training session ended. Shikamaru was the first to notice Xia Li. He saw that Xia Li's attention had been fixed on Ino the entire time. Shikamaru greeted him and then looked at Ino.
For the already exhausted Shikamaru, this felt like another psychological blow. Every day he was fed affection by these two like a stray dog, and occasionally even by Asuma-sensei…
Honestly, if this continued, Shikamaru felt he might develop some strange thoughts. Women were troublesome existences. Just imagining himself being controlled by a girl like his mother controlled his father made him shudder.
"Ino, your family's here to pick you up," Shikamaru sighed.
"Hm?" Ino, panting with her hands on her knees, turned around. When she saw the familiar figure waving at her, her eyes lit up.
Fatigue seemed to vanish from her body as she ran straight toward Xia Li. She had long grown used to Shikamaru's teasing and didn't feel embarrassed.
Shikamaru considered following but felt his legs ache terribly. Ino had trained even more than him—was this… the power of love?
He hesitated again. Maybe it did have some use?
Looking at Choji still lying on the ground, Shikamaru said, "Choji, get up. If you don't, you'll miss dinner."
"Food!" Choji sprang up instantly.
Shikamaru sighed. "Just the two of us left single…"
"Xia Li, when did you come? Why didn't you call me?" Ino puffed her cheeks and asked.
"I just arrived. Of course I didn't call you—I couldn't interrupt my Ino's training," Xia Li teased, reaching out to tidy her slightly messy hair.
"Who's 'your' Ino? It's not time yet…" Ino's face turned red, though she didn't resist as he wiped the sweat from her face.
"Haha, sooner or later," Xia Li said.
Her blush deepened. Their parents had already met and gotten along well.
In fact, both families had practically reached an agreement. The only reason they weren't officially together was their age.
Thinking of that made Ino's face even redder.
Xia Li couldn't help but pinch her cheek again. It still felt as nice as ever.
He recalled that during discussions, the Yamanaka family had proposed one condition: that one of Xia Li's future children carry the Yamanaka surname, since Ino was their only daughter.
Xia Li hadn't responded immediately. Before he could speak, Ino had shut the topic down, worried he might feel pressured or embarrassed.
But in truth, Xia Li hadn't planned to refuse. Did a surname really matter? He didn't even care much about his own. Even if he did, "Xia" felt more natural to him.
Still, he hadn't intended to give away his bottom line so easily.
Yet Ino had stood up first, and her parents, doting on her, had let the matter drop.
Xia Li had been both surprised and pleased. When they truly had children one day, he planned to give his future father-in-law a surprise.
Looking at Ino's flushed face before him, Xia Li felt even more certain.
This was the person who would accompany him for a lifetime.
"Ino… I like you."
He finally said it aloud.
Ino froze. She hadn't expected Xia Li to be so direct. Tears welled in her eyes as she replied,
"I like you too. The most!"
Chapter 127: The Chunin Exams
Asuma sighed from a distance. Even though he had a girlfriend himself, he still felt like he was being force-fed affection.
"Hey, you two, that's enough. There are other people here," Shikamaru said with his hands in his pockets.
"If you're jealous, find someone. Otherwise, you and Choji could try," Xia Li said shamelessly.
"I refuse!" Choji widened his eyes in horror.
Shikamaru looked speechless. "You know he's joking, right?"
After resting for a bit, Asuma dismissed them.
Xia Li carefully massaged Ino, his hands faintly glowing with electric arcs to stimulate recovery. Asuma's eye twitched.
No wonder Ino's physical growth had been so fast.
Soon, Ino had nearly fully recovered. She and Xia Li said goodbye to Asuma and left.
Ino's voice echoed directly in Xia Li's mind.
"You came today because you knew I'd be training here?"
Xia Li was no longer surprised. Ino had already mastered the Body Flicker Technique, which required excellent chakra control. He had also begun teaching her basic medical ninjutsu while keeping her focused on the Yamanaka clan's secret techniques.
"Yes," he replied mentally.
She didn't say more, but he could feel her happiness.
After a moment, she spoke again through telepathy.
"Asuma-sensei said we're going to participate in the Chunin Exams."
"The Chunin Exams?" Xia Li was startled. He hadn't heard about this.
"Do you think it's too soon?" Ino asked hesitantly.
"You're already qualified to become a chunin," Xia Li said after thinking. "Maybe not top-tier, but qualified."
Ino sighed in relief.
As for Xia Li, he suddenly realized how much time had passed.
That meant… Orochimaru should already be making moves.
He looked toward the Hokage Rock, particularly the position of the Third Hokage, and a faint smile appeared on his lips.
He hadn't existed in the original storyline.
So perhaps… he could try something different this time.
Taking out a strange black rod with a button, he handed it to Ino.
"Press this if you're in danger."
"What is it?" she asked curiously.
"A notification device. If you press it, I'll know—and I'll come protect you."
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