Chapter 13: Meeting Again
The Third slowly exhaled a ring of smoke, his mind conjuring the image of Uchiha Satsuki—Fugaku's second daughter.
He remembered clearly that before Satsuki's birth, Fugaku had harbored hopes that this child would grow into a powerful ninja, even planning to name her "Sasuke" after his own father. When two daughters were born in succession, he'd simply modified the name slightly to fit.
The first time he'd met little Satsuki, the Third had to admit he'd felt a twinge of jealousy. Why could Fugaku have such an adorable daughter? That three-year-old girl already showed the delicate features that would bloom into stunning beauty.
If only she weren't an Uchiha child...
Hiruzen had even briefly entertained the absurd notion of arranging a betrothal between Satsuki and his own newborn grandson. Of course, this ridiculous idea was quickly dismissed by reality. A marriage alliance between the Uchiha and the Hokage lineage? He'd have no face to meet the Second Hokage in the afterlife.
With these thoughts, the Third turned his attention back to Naruto, who was still munching his apple. While it was good for this lonely child to form bonds, the fact that it was with the Uchiha clan head's daughter made the situation incredibly delicate.
"Naruto," the Third tried to make his voice sound casually curious, "have you made any friends recently?"
Naruto's chewing slowed slightly. Though the Third appeared to be making casual conversation, Naruto knew better—this was a probe about yesterday's meeting with Satsuki.
"Yeah!" Naruto swallowed his apple bite and broke into a brilliant smile. "I met someone really cool yesterday! They helped me practice shuriken throwing for ages! Though..."
"Though what?"
"That person has a weird personality. How should I put it... deliberately proud?" Naruto pursed his lips. "Like, 'Your throwing technique is passable,' while she was hiding behind a tree earlier saying 'amazing.'" He paused. "Though I was in the wrong first—I used her training ground without permission."
The Third nodded thoughtfully. "I see. But... aren't there public training grounds within Konoha? Why train so far away?"
"Because the people there don't like me. I don't know why, but the way they look at me... it's really uncomfortable. To avoid causing trouble for everyone, I figured I'd go somewhere more distant."
The Third's grip on his pipe tightened slightly. "...I see, Naruto." He deliberately slowed his speech. "Did your new friend... agree to meet you again?"
A knowing smile tugged at Naruto's lips. He understood the Third's probing perfectly—this was to confirm whether Satsuki had deliberately tried to lure him to Uchiha territory.
"Yeah! She said if there's a chance... we could train together in the forests around Konoha's outskirts next time. After training, we could sit by the scenic riverside, eat lunch and enjoy the view!"
The Third relaxed almost imperceptibly. Within ANBU surveillance range... he could now basically rule out deliberate Uchiha manipulation. The children's meeting had likely been pure coincidence.
"Naruto..." The Third shifted to a more casual posture, making the topic sound like an elder's natural concern. "About this friend—what do you think of her?"
Naruto gripped the apple core tighter, understanding that his next words would determine whether the Third would allow this friendship to continue.
"That person..." Naruto deliberately put on an exasperated expression, "has a super weird personality, always acting all superior..." His voice gradually softened. "But..."
The Third raised an eyebrow with interest, watching Naruto's rare display of bashfulness.
"But..." Naruto scratched his head, "she's actually pretty good-looking!"
The Third nearly choked on his smoke. He hadn't expected such a purely childlike response. Seeing Naruto show age-appropriate shyness for once, complex emotions flickered in the old man's eyes.
So that was it... a child's instinctive preference for "pretty things."
I should call Fugaku in for a chat later.p
---
After tidying up his apartment, Naruto efficiently strapped his ninja tool pouch to his waist, double-checked that his lunch box was properly packed, and stepped out into the sunlight.
Everything that needed to be said had been said clearly enough...
Naruto gazed toward the Hokage Monument. If that old man still planned to interfere with his friendship with Sasuke... well, he couldn't blame Naruto for being petty in response.
The small figure leaped nimbly across rooftops, golden hair streaming in the wind. This method of travel, dangerous to civilians, was routine for ninja—even three-year-old ones.
After some time, the familiar training ground came into view. Naruto slowed his pace, expectantly scanning the area...
No sign of Satsuki. Hadn't she come today?
Just as Naruto thought he'd made the trip for nothing, a soft "poof" sound came from the riverside, like a match being lit. Curious, he followed the noise.
Satsuki's small figure stood by the water's edge, clumsily forming hand seals. Her brow was furrowed in concentration, lips pressed into a thin line—the picture of adorable determination.
"Katon: Gokakyu no Jutsu!"
Following her childish battle cry, a fireball roughly the size of a soccer ball shot from her mouth, tracing an orange arc through the air before...
Fizzle.
It was here! The legendary Fire Style: Lighter Technique from the original series
Satsuki stood by the riverside, small fists clenched white. Her father's disappointed sigh echoed repeatedly in her mind. "I still can't do it like Sister Itachi could..."
Is the gap between my sister and me really that vast?
She bit her lower lip hard, stubbornly shaking her head to force down the dejection. If talent wasn't enough, she'd make up for it with effort! Satsuki resumed her seal formation stance.
I will surpass my sister... and become a ninja the clan can be proud of!
"Yo! There you are! I kept my promise and came to find you!"
The sudden voice startled Satsuki so badly she nearly lost her footing. She spun around to find Naruto's brilliant smile right in front of her.
"It's you..." Satsuki turned away, feigning composure.
Naruto completely missed her embarrassment, excitedly bouncing closer. "Hey, hey! That fireball just now—were you practicing ninjutsu?"
Satsuki's body went rigid, realizing her pathetic excuse for Gokakyu no Jutsu had been witnessed. Shame flooded through her—she'd boasted about the Uchiha being the strongest, yet couldn't even perform basic fire techniques properly...
"That was incredible!"
Against all expectations, Naruto's eyes lit up with genuine amazement. Satsuki turned back in surprise, meeting those sparkling blue eyes.
"You're not even in the ninja academy yet, but you're already practicing real ninjutsu like a proper ninja! You're absolutely amazing!"
The sincere admiration in his voice caught Satsuki completely off guard, her carefully constructed facade cracking just slightly in the face of such unexpected praise.
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