CMON GUYS WERE ALMOST AT 400 POWER STONES!! LET'S GOOOOOOO
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Chapter 44: Bluffing
Naruto stumbled through his front door in a daze, forgetting to even turn on the lights as he fumbled his way to the bed and collapsed onto its edge.
So... did I really, without even realizing it...
He fell backward onto the mattress, his mind replaying Satsuki's retreating figure over and over, along with those words that had slipped out: "I'd never get tired of it for a lifetime."
If I set aside the whole "demon fox" thing...
Naruto buried his burning face into his pillow. Honestly speaking, having a girl like Satsuki as a girlfriend would be an incredible blessing.
Delicate features hiding a gentle heart, the daughter of the Uchiha clan who was willing to train alongside him—the "demon fox everyone despises." Outwardly tsundere but actually more emotionally invested than anyone...
This setup would absolutely be the female lead in a light novel.
Something's definitely wrong with me!
Naruto bolted upright as a terrifying thought suddenly emerged. He'd originally just wanted to farm Satsuki's favorability to earn system points, but now... it seemed like that girl had somehow conquered him instead?
System... what exactly does Satsuki feel toward me right now?
[Ding!]
The moment the question formed in his mind, the system immediately responded.
[Satsuki Bond Level 6: The target views you as someone to spend her entire life with. Success rate 100%. You hold an irreplaceable special position that cannot be taken by anyone else.]
[Current Relationship: Absolute trust + deep emotional dependence, with moderate possessiveness.]
"..."
Naruto stared blankly for a full ten seconds before flopping back onto the bed. His body trembled slightly, whether from shock or some other emotion.
Great... I really can steal away the Uchiha clan's princess?
Naruto rubbed his forehead, deciding to push those complicated thoughts aside for now. There were more important matters to handle—the system lottery.
Speaking of which... in the original story, Uchiha Itachi was quite the brother complex... in this timeline... She wouldn't become a sister complex, would she?
Just thinking about being targeted by that twisted filial son made Naruto shiver. He forced himself to focus.
With a thought, the system interface materialized before his eyes. On the screen, the number "2900" glowed with tempting light.
Two ten-pulls... just 100 points short of three pulls.
What a shame, but oh well, can't be too greedy.
His finger tapped the "Ten-Pull" button. Familiar light exploded before his eyes as ten cards spread out like a fan.
"Chakra... explosive tags... a few Hiraishin kunai..."
Naruto tallied his rewards. When he spotted "500 grams of chakra metal," his eyes lit up and his previous dismissive attitude completely vanished.
This I'll definitely keep...
But as the cards flipped one by one, Naruto's expression gradually fell. Most were ordinary items, until the final card.
"Basic Taijutsu Enhancement... just one rare-grade reward..."
He scratched his head. Tonight's luck wasn't very good, it seemed.
Naruto clicked the second ten-pull button with a blank expression, watching the card-flipping animation flash by. The first few cards were still ordinary tools.
"Fuinjutsu talent enhancement... ten food pills... chakra..."
Nothing special.
Just as Naruto had mentally prepared for a complete loss, the final card suddenly burst with dazzling purple light!
"Epic!!"
Naruto shot up from the bed, all drowsiness swept away. Excellent! It seemed Lady Luck hadn't completely abandoned him!
He eagerly looked at the card emanating that enticing purple glow, watching as the text gradually became clear.
[Congratulations! You have obtained: Supreme Intimidation]
[Item Description: When actively released, emits extreme killing intent and mental suppression. In full burst mode, can make targets experience "death approaching" hallucinations on a sensory level. Some sensitive individuals may experience brief physiological incontinence.]
Naruto stared at the purple card on the system interface, initially stunned, then his eyes gradually brightened.
Wait... this skill... At first, Naruto thought he'd drawn something flashy but useless, but thinking it over carefully...
The reason the "Menma" persona could cause such an uproar in the shinobi world was precisely because of that terrifying intimidation that could crush Kage-level powerhouses, wasn't it? However, that power ultimately came from the experience card—it wasn't his real strength.
To grow into someone who could truly face the entire shinobi world single-handedly still required a long journey...
Even though he'd mastered Hiraishin...
But someone claiming to "become war itself" couldn't rely on space-time ninjutsu to deal with every small fry, right? If the Five Great Nations figured out that "Menma" was just a paper tiger putting on airs...
This intimidation skill... was like timely assistance in a snowstorm!
He looked at the system interface again, finger gently tracing over that purple card. While it couldn't directly boost his hard power, it was exactly the "presence packaging" he needed most.
This seemingly "bluffing" skill might be more valuable than rewards that directly enhanced strength. Because "looking strong" really could save a lot of trouble.
---
The next afternoon, Naruto arrived punctually at his agreed meeting place with Satsuki. After last night's accidental misunderstanding, he found that he had no desire to explain anything at all, and their relationship seemed to have undergone a subtle change because of it.
Afterward, the entire afternoon passed quietly in training, with nothing happening at all!
Naruto could feel that his mindset was no longer the same as before, but it was still too early to say anything now. Moreover, Satsuki was the Uchiha clan's daughter after all—even if her favorability was nearly maxed out, asking her to bring up such embarrassing matters would be too difficult. So despite the indescribable subtle atmosphere in the air, everything proceeded as usual.
In the following days, both tacitly avoided mentioning that night's misunderstanding. The small emotions Satsuki had developed from Naruto ignoring the incident gradually dissipated with time.
Because her mother had gently told her that they were both still too young, and some feelings needed time to slowly develop.
And so, time passed day by day, flowing as peacefully and naturally as a stream. The flowers by the training ground bloomed and withered, their ninjutsu skills improved daily, and that unspoken misunderstanding lay quietly in the corner of memory.
When their gazes occasionally met, Satsuki would immediately look away and adjust her perfectly neat collar, while Naruto would suddenly develop an abnormal interest in the clouds in the sky.
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