When she said she'd treat them to a feast, she really did!
At BBQ Q, Xia Mu, Shino, and Tenten, three little kids, were grilling meat.
Shino was very considerate, taking a seat by himself on one side, letting Xia Mu and Tenten sit together.
As for the bill, it was naturally paid by Tenten; her family wasn't short on money.
Tenten diligently put the grilled meat onto Xia Mu's plate, eagerly awaiting good suggestions from Xia Mu.
Xia Mu couldn't let Tenten go hungry, so he put some back on her plate.
Meeting Tenten's expectant gaze, he organized his words and said:
"Tenten, we've only known each other for two days, so I'm not clear on your specific situation, but based on what you've said about your performance at school, I can probably identify two of your strengths."
"Two strengths?
Which two?"
Tenten pressed.
"Ninja Tool control talent and being rich!"
"...Rich?"
Tenten was a bit dumbfounded, "Ninja Tool control talent is understandable, but is being rich also considered a strength?"
Xia Mu affirmed: "Of course it is, and it's a very big strength.
Don't worry yet, let me explain slowly.
Let's start with your weaknesses.
First, your Chakra level is very low.
Second, from the fact that you were relatively slow in learning the Three Body Technique, it can be concluded that your Ninjutsu talent isn't great, and your control over Chakra also needs improvement.
Third, in terms of Taijutsu, your physical stamina and strength are insufficient; this needs urgent strengthening."
Tenten nodded.
These were facts, and she couldn't deny them.
Thinking about her low Chakra and low Ninjutsu talent, she suddenly felt that her dream of becoming a strong female Ninja like Tsunade was very distant.
Was she, perhaps, not suited to be a Ninja?
Fortunately, Xia Mu continued: "Next are your strengths.
Your Ninja Tool control talent is very high, which means that no matter what kind of Ninja Tool, there's a high probability you can master it when it's in your hands.
So you can completely seek out powerful Ninja Tools and let powerful Ninja Tools become your strength.
Won't your strength then increase?"
Tenten pouted: "Xia Mu, it's not like I haven't thought of that, but powerful Ninja Tools should all be in the hands of strong people, right?
Can I get them?"
Xia Mu saw the girl's cute appearance and couldn't help but poke her cheek with his index finger: "So that brings us to your second strength: your family is very rich.
You can post missions, asking powerful Ninja to help you find clues about powerful Ninja Tools, or even help you bring powerful Ninja Tools back.
As long as you offer enough money, many Ninja will be willing to help."
Spend money to post missions?
You can do that?
Not only was Tenten a bit stunned, but even Shino was confused.
Actually, they were stuck in a thinking rut, simply because they all thought they would be Ninja in the future and Ninja earn money by taking missions, but they hadn't thought that they could also post missions themselves.
Another point was that they were still young and hadn't thought of it.
Having money really is a great strength; it can easily help one achieve many ideas, including acquiring powerful Ninja Tools.
Xia Mu looked at Tenten's silly expression and smiled: "So, do you think being rich is a strength?
Even if you wanted to know the whereabouts of the Six Paths Tools, as long as you can produce enough money, no matter how difficult it is, someone will do it for you!
Do you believe it?"
"I, I, I believe it."
Tenten felt she could believe it, because it sounded so logical.
Now that she thought about it carefully, perhaps she had lived too comfortably and had forgotten the inherent power of money.
Ninja earn money by taking missions, and since her family had money, wasn't it natural to post missions?
Even if the mission might be difficult, she just had to spend more money, wasn't that right?
In an instant, Tenten's mind seemed to open up, her excited little face flushed.
She quickly put more grilled meat on Xia Mu's plate, her sweet voice praising him: "Xia Mu, you're so smart!"
Xia Mu happily devoured the grilled meat.
After eating for a while, he continued: "Furthermore, Tenten, there are many unknown aspects about you, such as Genjutsu, Medical Ninjutsu, and Space-Time Ninjutsu.
If you have Genjutsu talent, you must grasp it well; at that time, Genjutsu combined with your superb Ninja Tool throwing will make fighting enemies very easy.
As for Medical Ninjutsu, Tsunade-sama is the best Medical Ninja; if you have talent, you should study it even harder, and if you get the chance in the future, seek Tsunade-sama as your master."
Tenten nodded repeatedly, remembering all of this.
Xia Mu's suggestions were very practical, and she naturally trusted them.
"But how do I know if I have talent in these areas?"
Tenten asked quickly.
"You can ask your sensei/teacher Jiraiya and see how to test it.
Otherwise, you can spend money to buy some simple Genjutsu from the village's Ninja, and Medical Ninjutsu requires studying at Konoha Hospital."
"Okay, okay, and what about this Space-Time Ninjutsu?"
"Space-Time Ninjutsu, simply understood, is the Summoning Technique; you can summon Ninja Tools and Summoning Animals.
Tsunade-sama's Summoning Animal is the Katsuyu Sage from Shikkotsu Forest, one of the Three Great Sage Regions.
Lord Jiraiya's Summoning Animals are the various Toads from Mount Myōboku, one of the Three Great Sage Regions.
They can be said to be famous throughout the Ninja World and are also a powerful aspect of theirs.
If you have talent in this area, and contract a powerful Summoning Animal in the future, your combat power will also greatly increase."
"Okay, okay, okay, so how do I test if I have talent?"
"Well, if only we had a Summoning Scroll..."
"I have one."
Shino suddenly spoke and took out a scroll.
Xia Mu and Tenten were both stunned for a moment, looking at Shino.
They had been so engrossed in their back-and-forth that they almost forgot Shino was there, and they hadn't expected Shino to just pull out a scroll.
This friend, truly reliable!
Tenten hesitated a little: "Shino, Summoning Scrolls are very precious, aren't they?
Would it be okay to use yours?"
Shino directly threw the scroll to Xia Mu: "It's fine.
This kind of scroll isn't as expensive as you think; it only contains some Ninja Tools, and it's just for you to test with."
Tenten breathed a sigh of relief and sincerely thanked him: "Thank you, Shino.
Xia Mu was right after all, you are a strong and trustworthy partner!"
Shino nodded expressionlessly, but his sunglasses reflected a little light, seemingly a bit smug.
Moreover, the light from the sunglasses shone directly on Xia Mu, as if saying: Brother, I've done a lot to help you get the girl, don't forget this favor.
Xia Mu cast a grateful look and quickly said, "Then let's hurry up and eat well, and then go try it."
Next, Xia Mu and Tenten actively helped Shino grill and serve meat.
This guy had helped them a lot, so they had to treat him well.
After finishing the BBQ, Tenten calmly handed over a thick stack of bills to pay, her actions swift and cool.
Indeed, having money is truly enviable!
The three returned together to the small training ground at Tenten's house.
Tenten nervously unrolled the Summoning Scroll, revealing the circular pattern on the scroll.
In the center of the circular pattern was the character "edge" (Blade).
"Tenten, the hand signs are like this."
Shino demonstrated the hand signs for the Summoning Technique, then motioned for Tenten to begin the test.