This was something Xia Li would neither change nor want to change, unless the person he was asked to help was Xina…
However, Xia Li didn't expect the unexpected to happen.
When Xia Li said he had given her a "massage," Xiao Li also expressed her gratitude. Although Xia Li mentioned it was Master Mackay's request, Xiao Li still thanked him.
"Xiao Li, you have to remember—this massage isn't a game. Lightning chakra is extremely powerful. If it hurts during the massage, stop immediately. Otherwise, it won't help you at all—it could even harm your body," Xia Li said seriously.
"I understand!" Hearing this, Xiao Li nodded solemnly.
Once Xiao Li was ready, Xia Li began the massage. But after a while, before Xia Li's technique could reach its full depth, Xiao Li stopped due to the pain.
Was the session too short this time? So short that Xia Li hadn't even expected it. Could this type of massage really be effective?
It could, but based on Xia Li's previous experience, the effects would be minimal!
Xia Li frowned, looking at Xiao Li. What was going on? He felt this wasn't because Xiao Li lacked physical strength!
Chapter 24: The Reason and Xiao Li's Decision
Xia Li frowned, watching Xiao Li cry in pain as he tried to think of the cause.
To give Xiao Li a proper massage, the lightning chakra needed to be released outward, which greatly reduced his control over it.
However, considering that the Kongming state had slightly improved before, the situation wouldn't be too bad. Given his own strength, Xiao Li's impact shouldn't be superficial either.
So, what's the difference between my body and Xiao Li's?
Xiao Li's physical strength was undeniably much greater than his own. Then the issue must lie with the chakra. Since it was his own chakra, it couldn't help Xiao Li.
No—this shouldn't be the case. His lightning chakra hadn't even fully entered Xiao Li's body, yet he was already screaming in pain.
What exactly is happening? Xia Li thought. His understanding was clearly too shallow to comprehend this.
Beyond that, what differences existed between him and Xiao Li? Of course, their bloodlines were different, but they were both ordinary humans; neither would look down on the other.
Yet another point was that Xiao Li couldn't use chakra, which shouldn't matter. The massage didn't require the recipient to use chakra at all.
Xia Li thought for a moment, feeling the electrical arcs on his body begin to jump again. This sensation was almost imperceptible to him. He wanted to try again to understand the cause, but seeing the scene, Xia Li instinctively stepped back—dodging the lightning as a reflex.
Seeing Xiao Li's reaction, Xia Li suddenly stopped, then brightened and said, "Xiao Li, come touch me and tell me how it feels."
Seeing the electrical arcs on Xia Li's body, Xiao Li felt some numbness but trusted that he wouldn't be harmed, so he reached out cautiously.
Then, Xiao Li quickly withdrew his hand.
"How does it feel?" Xia Li asked.
"A little painful," Xiao Li replied.
Xia Li realized that this had to do with the opponent's chakra attributes.
Xia Li's lightning chakra was innate; even the first time, he felt numb, even slightly pleasurable. But Xiao Li's constitution was stronger. Even just touching the arcs caused pain. This was likely because Xiao Li had no affinity or resistance to lightning. In this way, Xia Li compared himself to Xiao Li.
"This must be the reason," Xia Li thought. Although he couldn't be certain, it seemed highly probable.
"It's okay. This must be why I can't use chakra—it's not your fault," Xiao Li said, a little disappointed. Seeing Xia Li deep in thought, he assumed Xia Li was blaming himself, so he spoke up.
"No, it's still my fault," Xia Li said with a deep breath.
"What does Xia Li have to do with it? It's clearly my problem…" Xiao Li wanted to say more.
"It's my issue. My chakra control isn't precise enough," Xia Li explained. If he had better control, he could have used more refined lightning chakra to assist Xiao Li.
Although the result wouldn't be as effective as when applied to himself, it would definitely be better than the current outcome.
In the end, the problem was that he couldn't fully control the released chakra.
Xia Li thought for a moment and said, "Alright then. From now on, I'll help you every day. It may not be very effective, but it still works—and I can use this to practice my chakra control too."
Hearing this, Xiao Li stared blankly at Xia Li. Finally, he hugged him tightly with tears in his eyes, endlessly thanking him.
"No need to be so grateful. Didn't I say I can also use this to train myself?" Xia Li said helplessly. He realized he might even be able to test his own chakra control, which could be very valuable. He wanted to pull away but couldn't. Being so strong, yet unable to resist, left Xia Li even more helpless.
Unfortunately, Xiao Li didn't believe Xia Li's words. Even if he could train, he wouldn't necessarily need Xia Li, and he didn't know how to repay his help.
Seeing Xiao Li like this, Xia Li understood that he probably hadn't really listened and felt no psychological pressure. Even if he had only helped a little, it still counted.
Yet Xia Li was surprised because he realized he still had some chakra left. He had originally thought it wasn't enough for a lightning massage on Xiao Li, but it hadn't all been used—today's early return had been a wise decision.
"Xiao Li, I'll go home first. You should go back soon too," Xia Li said.
"Okay, I'll train a bit more before returning," Xiao Li replied seriously.
Xia Li knew that, despite what he said, Xiao Li still needed a lot of practice, but there was nothing more he could say, so he left.
After a while, Xiao Li was finishing up his own training when Mackay happened to come by and met him.
"Hey, finished training for today?" Mackay looked up at the sky, satisfied with Xiao Li's effort.
"Yes, Master Mackay," Xiao Li's eyes lit up immediately. From him, Mackay realized this was the person who would eventually become his future target—someone rising through sheer physical skill.
"Hmm, maybe I should try Xia Li's massage too. Is it useful?" Mackay asked expectantly.
Hearing this, Xiao Li's face darkened. He was too weak to withstand even the assistance of Master Mackay and Xia Li.
Xiao Li whispered what had happened to Mackay.
"I see," Mackay understood. Thinking carefully, it wasn't strange. If it were that simple, the lightning-shield ninja wouldn't be using this method.
"Since the shortcut doesn't work, work harder! Since the easy way fails, we'll use our youth and effort to make up the difference! I believe you can do it!" Mackay said, showing his bright, shining teeth.
"Yes, Master Mackay!" Xiao Li's eyes ignited with determination, and Mackay saw that same fire within him.
"Master Mackay, I have something to ask you!" Xiao Li said loudly.
"Speak!" Mackay replied, his voice strong. The conversation seemed ordinary but felt unusually intense. If Xia Li had been present, he would have been utterly shocked.
"I want to help Xia Li, but I don't know how. I want to ask you, Master Mackay, what should I do?"
Mackay fell silent for a moment, thinking of Xia Li. Though not overly concerned with these things, he understood Xia Li's fear.
In his eyes, Xia Li's talent rivaled Kakashi's, and he was even more hardworking. Surpassing him would be nearly impossible.
Yet, for the young, nothing is impossible!
"Are you ready?" Mackay asked, taking a deep breath.
"Yes, I'm ready!"
"Even so, will it harm my body?" Mackay continued.
"Even if it does!"
"Then let's continue training!" Mackay said, looking at Xiao Li as if he saw a reflection of himself. To catch up to the geniuses physically, he had to push his body to its limit. Only then could he catch up—or even surpass them! This was Xiao Li's only path and opportunity.
"Oh!!" Xiao Li shouted, as if a surge of power had flowed through him.
Of course, Xia Li, already at home, knew nothing of this.
Chapter 25: Midterm Assessment
"Mom, I'm back." Xia Li opened the door and called out.
"I'm back. You must be exhausted and sweaty. Let's wash up first—Mom has some questions for you," Xina said, already holding a set of clothes for Xia Li. She noticed the sweat on his body.
Xina was used to Xia Li returning at this time every day, always drenched in sweat.
"Oh, alright." Xia Li took the clean clothes and headed to the bathroom.
Soon, Xia Li came out and brushed his damp hair with a dry towel.
Xina looked at her son and smiled. Though he usually seemed ordinary, that was just due to his clothes. After seeing him freshly washed, she knew he would grow up handsome—at least far more so than his father.
"What's wrong?" Xia Li asked, noticing his mother standing there silently.
Xina smiled and said, "We had a midterm assessment, right? Mom wants to know how you did."
"My grades should be pretty good," Xia Li replied, realizing that parents always care about their child's results—even in the world of ninjas.
However, first-year midterms were nothing major, focusing mainly on basic knowledge and fundamental physical skills. Xia Li expected he could score full marks.
"Pretty good, huh? That's good." Xina responded, not expecting Xia Li's "pretty good" to actually mean a perfect score.
The next day, when Iruka announced the results, Xia Li unsurprisingly scored full marks.
Furthermore, because Xia Li set a high standard for physical assessment, others' sports scores were relatively poor in comparison.
"Congratulations, Xia Li. Keep it up." Iruka handed him the paper and said to everyone, "You should all learn from Xia Li."
"Learn from him by sitting and sleeping?"
The people downstairs began murmuring. Many were unhappy with Xia Li's performance because he was so transparent in class, known mostly for sleeping while seated…
Uchiha Sasuke glared at Xia Li, teeth gritted. He didn't hate Xia Li's talent; he just blamed himself for being left so far behind. How could he ever catch up to his older brother? More importantly, he thought… Damn, I don't even get my brother's praise!
Not only had the seated kid slept through class, but the cherry-haired, pale-skinned kid next to him even outperformed him. As a distinguished Uchiha and the clan leader's son with an excellent older brother, could he really be that bad?
Sasuke continued to grit his teeth.
In fact, the main reason Sakura's total score surpassed Sasuke's was Xia Li. He had set the physical assessment standard unusually high. As a result, although Sasuke's sports score was much higher than Sakura's, his total score still fell short. Conversely, Sakura's strong theoretical knowledge drew Sasuke's attention, leading to this scene.
Yamanaka Ino looked curiously at Xia Li, surprised that someone so unobtrusive and quiet could be so excellent. She had never sought him out, and he had rarely noticed her—yet this evaluation left her somewhat astonished.
Although Xia Li was still not as handsome as Sasuke in most girls' eyes, he seemed to be quietly closing the gap.
"Haha, Xia Li, you're amazing!" Naruto shouted. He saw Xia Li walking back and called out directly.
"Hey! It's class time—don't shout! And Xia Li is far better than you. Your theoretical knowledge is at the bottom!" Iruka yelled. Hadn't he seen everyone else whispering? Shouting like that was completely disrespectful!
Naruto scratched his head, glancing at his score, feeling a little dejected.
Xia Li looked at Naruto's results. Naruto was still strong in physical skills, so he wasn't at the bottom. If ninjutsu were later added and weighted heavily, Naruto could still potentially excel.
"Keep going, Naruto. I believe you can do it," Xia Li encouraged.
"Hehe, I think I can. After all, I'm going to be Hokage!" Naruto said happily.
"What a pain." Shikamaru, lying next to him, groaned at Naruto's voice, feeling a headache coming on, and complained at him.
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