Starting with Naruto, I'll become stronger through my own efforts.

Xia Zuo chose a mudflat submerged by flowing water.

He mobilized the Wood Release chakra within his body and clapped his hands together to activate the ninjutsu.

[Wood Release: Sprouting]

This is not Hashirama Senju's Wood Release ninjutsu, but rather a Wood Release ninjutsu that Xia Zuo just conceived today.

This ninjutsu was so crude that even the hand seals weren't properly designed; it relied entirely on his control over chakra to activate the ninjutsu's effect.

A gentle wave of chakra swept across the barren riverbank, where tender shoots burst through the soil.

The tender bud struggled to grow, and large leaves emerged at a height of one centimeter.

The shape of the leaves proves that these are the tender buds of an elm tree.

Xia Zuo was extremely satisfied with the result.

On the flooded riverbank where there were no seeds, he used only Wood Release chakra to sprout the elm buds he desired.

He clapped repeatedly, using Wood Release ninjutsu to constantly sense the flow of Wood Release chakra and adjust the rhythm and technique of the ninjutsu.

The newly formed Wood Release bloodline limit was still very weak, and a few hours later, the Wood Release chakra was completely exhausted.

But the lush elm trees on the riverbank proved that Xia Zuo's cultivation results were satisfactory.

Xia Zuo used Water Release to knock down all the elm trees, cleaned up all traces on the riverbank, and then went home.

Time to sleep.

Although it is unlikely, what if the interval between his return to the dream is one day? Wouldn't he miss the reunion with the Heavenly Demon Xia Zuo?

But nothing happened that night.

The next day, Xia Zuo woke up from his dream in pain, convulsing.

His legs cramped, and both legs cramped at the same time.

Anyone who frequently experiences muscle cramps knows how painful they can be.

Xia Zuo's big toe curled downwards uncontrollably, and the muscles in his calves were stretched to the limit, causing the bones in his foot to make a cracking sound.

It looked as if it was about to be forcibly torn apart.

Ignoring the pain, Xia Zuo desperately used his hands to pull his toes upwards with all his might.

I held on for a good ten minutes before the cramps in my calves finally subsided and the muscles in my calves relaxed.

Xia Zuo felt uncomfortable because he was covered in sweat, so he decided to take a shower.

But as soon as he got out of bed, he realized that he had a problem with his balance. It wasn't because of muscle soreness caused by cramps, but because he had grown taller.

Overnight, Xia Zuo grew from 170 cm to 175 cm, a sudden increase of 5 cm.

No wonder he got leg cramps, and his skin and muscles felt tight.

Xia Zuo immediately thought of the tall and mighty Xia Zuo from the One Piece world, and then shivered. Could it be that he would share his 250cm height?

In the world of One Piece, that's a normal height, still 50cm short of the Admiral's height, but in the world of Naruto, 250cm is just too much.

Ignoring the soreness in his muscles, Xia Zuo took a quick shower and then rushed to the Hokage Building, where he purchased all the ninjutsu, sealing techniques, forbidden techniques, and knowledge of bloodline limits that he could find in the administration department.

Before today, he didn't care about ninjutsu other than Earth Release and Water Release, and never bought any related materials.

He then went to the market and bought ten days' worth of food, filling half a truck with rice, flour, chicken, and pork, leaving the food merchants speechless.

The reason I bought so much food was because I was worried that my height would continue to grow rapidly, and I might have to temporarily cut off my social connections to avoid causing a sensation in Konoha Village.

For the next two days, Xia Zuo stayed at home.

He was awakened in the morning by severe cramps.

In the morning, he would read materials on ninjutsu and sealing techniques, and try his best to memorize them.

In the afternoon, he trained his body in the house and practiced hand seals and ninjutsu, trying to recover his hand seal level as soon as possible.

At night, he would take advantage of the darkness to practice Wood Release ninjutsu by the stream in the northeast corner of the village, exploring and developing Wood Release ninjutsu.

If Hashirama Senju could develop it, so could he.

However, Xia Zuo quickly proved that his talent in Wood Release was indeed not comparable to that of the First Hokage, who was probably a god.

Considering that Hashirama Senju was a goofball, he might have sacrificed his intelligence in exchange for his Wood Release talent.

But Xia Zuo was not discouraged; he was certain he could develop a Wood Release technique no less powerful than Hashirama Senju's.

He is now very confident in himself.

On the morning of the fourth day, Xia Zuo did not experience cramps, and his rapid growth in height stopped.

Overjoyed, he cried tears of joy. He had grown 18 centimeters in three days, but his muscles and skin couldn't keep up with the growth rate of his bones. His skin was torn, just like that of a fat monk.

If it weren't for the surge in self-healing power brought about by the Wood Release Kekkei Genkai, Xia Zuo's body would have been covered with dense horizontal cracks.

Just then, the courtyard gate was pushed open.

Uchiha Izumi walked in carrying a large bag of rice balls. Upon seeing Xia Zuo, she was so frightened that she dropped the rice balls in her hand.

She pointed at her brother, who had grown a head taller in just three days, and couldn't utter a single word, only able to stammer "Ahhhhh".

Xia Zuo sighed, picked up the rice ball that had rolled on the ground, and pulled his sister inside.

Uchiha Izumi finally recovered. Her beautiful eyes widened as she asked, "Brother, how did you do that? You suddenly grew so tall?"

Xia Zuo sighed, "It was an accident, and it's a rather complicated story."

Quan narrowed his eyes: "Then tell me slowly."

Xia Zuo: "..."

"I have made great progress through my own efforts, and my height is the price I have to pay."

(Exasperated)

Uchiha Izumi: "Hmph, you brat! Fine, don't talk about it if you don't want to."

"If the price of improving my skills is growing taller, I want both."

Xia Zuo laughed and said, "Why do girls need to be so tall? 140 centimeters is enough for a 13-year-old."

"Hmph! You mean brother!" Uchiha Izumi complained angrily, "I'm already considered one of the younger ones among my peers, why won't you help me?"

Xia Zuo had already cleaned up the rice ball that had fallen on the ground, then put it in his mouth, chewed it, and swallowed it.

Seeing his younger sister's resentment about her height, he smiled and promised, "How about this, if you're not 160 centimeters tall by the time you're 16, I'll personally help you grow taller, okay?"

Uchiha Izumi's eyes immediately lit up: "It's a deal, brother, you can't lie to me."

Xia Zuo ruffled her hair: "When have I ever lied to you?"

"Since I made a promise, I will definitely keep it."

Quan's mood immediately improved, and she ran out of the yard, brought in a small jar from outside, and placed it on Xia Zuo's table.

"Hehe, these are pickled vegetables that Mom made, they're so delicious!"

Xia Zuo chuckled and said, "You little rascal, what's the meaning of hiding the pickled vegetables outside the door? Are you going to take them home?"

Uchiha Izumi said with a grin, "Of course not, I'll wait until you finish your rice ball before I give it to you."

"When you're full, pickled vegetables won't taste good on their own. That's your sister's punishment for your brother!"

Xia Zuo laughed heartily.

Quan also chuckled.

This is a punishment game they played when they were kids; it really brings back fond memories.