On the wooden dock, Satsuki took a deep breath and began to form hand seals. She closed her eyes and, drawing on the experience from the afternoon's training, slowly guided the chakra from her dantian to her chest, then gradually gathered it in her throat. Every step was done with exceptional care.
As the final Tiger seal was completed, Satsuki's eyes snapped open. "Fire Style: Great Fireball Jutsu!"
BOOM—!
A massive fireball, easily ten meters in diameter, erupted from her mouth. The scorching flames illuminated the entire lake surface, casting the surrounding trees in an orange-red glow. A wave of heat washed over them, and steam rose from the lake.
After the jutsu ended, Satsuki stared at the scene before her, a look of incredulous joy slowly spreading across her face. I... I can do this too!
Her heart raced. With this... I might finally get Dad's approval!
"Whoa, that's amazing," came Naruto's voice of admiration from behind her. "Looks like the training method really worked."
Satsuki turned around. Seeing Naruto's sincere smile, the shyness from before was replaced by an indescribable sense of gratitude.
Naruto had helped her so unreservedly, and it made her feel both touched and at a loss. How can I ever repay him...
What she didn't know was that Naruto had already received the reward he wanted most. In his mind, a crisp system notification had sounded.
[Ding!]
[Congratulations, Host: You have established a bond (Level 2) with the original character "Sasuke Uchiha"!]
[Points Awarded: 500!]
Naruto suppressed the joy that was about to overflow. Gacha time is something to be savored at home!
As expected of the original story's second male lead... no, second female lead now. Just one level up gets me 500 points!
Naruto decided to strike while the iron was hot and farm some more favorability. He took out the carefully prepared bento box from his backpack and said in a casual tone, "You must be exhausted after training all afternoon. I made something good, let's have some."
Hearing this, Satsuki's face flushed again. It was just like last time; she had eaten his food but had been unable to repay him... But seeing that Naruto had already skillfully taken out two pairs of chopsticks, it was clear he had been prepared for her to freeload all along.
"I made a really delicious tomato dish this time~" Naruto said, opening the bento box. "And there are three types of rice balls. Which one do you want? There's nori, pickled plum..." He deliberately drew out his words, "...and bonito flake."
Satsuki's ears perked up. A tomato dish?! And bonito flake rice balls?! In her mind, the only thing that could compete with her beloved tomatoes was bonito flake rice balls. Naruto had made both at the same time?!
Little Satsuki had no idea that Naruto had prepared this specifically for her. Instead, she naively thought, His taste in food... is so similar to mine!
The words of refusal Satsuki had been about to say turned into a whisper. "Um... I'll have the bonito flake one..."
She kept her head down, looking incredibly cute as she tried to feign composure out of shyness despite clearly being ravenous.
The two sat side-by-side on the wooden dock. Naruto took out a plump bonito flake rice ball from the bento and handed it to Satsuki. She took it with a blush and took a careful bite.
The rich flavor of bonito instantly filled her mouth, the sweetness of the rice perfectly complementing the savory fish flakes. Satsuki unconsciously narrowed her eyes, a happy smile gracing her lips.
"Food tastes especially good after a hard training session, right?" Naruto said, his words muffled by the rice ball in his own mouth. "You're really something else. I'm lucky to be able to train with a genius from the Uchiha clan."
Satsuki turned her head at his words, the setting sun illuminating her delicate profile. The joy of being praised had just surfaced when it was quickly replaced by a hint of sadness.
At home... there's an even bigger genius... She thought of the admiring look her father gave her sister, and a pang of bitterness welled up inside her.
I keep calling myself a genius in front of Naruto, but what if one day he sees Itachi's terrifying talent? Will he be disappointed in me, just like Dad?
"Do you..." Satsuki's voice suddenly became very soft. "Do you really think I'm a genius?"
The question took Naruto by surprise. Doesn't she usually call herself a genius? He glanced at Satsuki's lowered lashes and noticed that her usually bright black eyes were a little downcast.
Naruto put down his rice ball and thought seriously. His voice was firm when he replied, "Of course. Among kids our age, we're probably the first ones to start working hard to become excellent ninja."
Naruto pointed at the lake. "That jutsu you just did, some Genin probably couldn't even pull that off."
The twilight began to fade. After a moment of silence, Satsuki finally spoke again. Her voice was filled with a clear sense of frustration, yet also admiration.
"...Actually, in the Uchiha clan, there's someone who's way more amazing than me." Her long black hair fell, obscuring half her face.
"When she was my age, she could perfectly perform a Fire Style jutsu on her very first try. Now, she's only a few years older than me, but she's already helping the family with so many things... I want to surpass her, but... can I really do it?"
Self-doubt? Why are kids in the ninja world so psychologically complex...
Naruto sighed inwardly but maintained a gentle expression. He looked earnestly at Satsuki's downcast profile.
"Are you afraid you can't catch up to her? Satsuki, the fact that you feel frustrated right now proves that you care a lot about that person, right?"
Satsuki paused for a moment, then slowly nodded.
Naruto continued, "You said that person could perfectly perform a Fire Style jutsu on her first try? But there's a big misunderstanding here."
"That person is a few years older than you, which means you were never on the same starting line. No matter how hard you try, that person will always have a few more years of training than you—so why are you so quick to conclude that your talent is inferior to hers?"
Satsuki quickly interjected, "But I just told you! My sister could perfectly perform Fire Style on her first try when she was my age!"
In her agitation, Satsuki didn't notice she had let slip the person's identity.
Naruto shook his head. "If you're going to deny your own worth based on that alone, it's far too early."
"A ninja's path is not defined by a single type of jutsu. The paths of shinobi are broader than you can imagine—ninjutsu, genjutsu, taijutsu, sealing jutsu, summoning jutsu, puppet jutsu, and even medical ninjutsu are all stages where a genius can showcase their talent."
He paused, letting Satsuki absorb his words, then gave an example.
"Like one of the legendary Sannin, Lady Tsunade. She became a world-renowned powerhouse with just medical ninjutsu and taijutsu. Would you say her talent is inferior to others just because she isn't good at Fire Style?"
Satsuki's eyes widened slightly. Seeing that he had struck a chord, Naruto went deeper.
"To conclude that your talent is inferior just because your Fire Style isn't as good as that person's, isn't that a bit one-sided?"
Seeing Satsuki lost in thought, Naruto posed the most crucial question.
"Satsuki, you need to think clearly—what is it you truly want to surpass? Is it that person's current strength, or your future self?"
The night breeze blew gently, rustling their hair. Naruto's voice was exceptionally clear in the twilight.
"Everyone in this world has their own unique talents. There's a saying: a king has a king's talents, and a chef has a chef's talents."
"If you make a king and a chef compete in cooking, the king will undoubtedly lose. By the same token, if you only stare at that person's back, you might miss the path that's meant for you."
"Think of a ninja with incredible taijutsu skills. If they get hung up on something and force themselves to practice genjutsu, which they're not good at, that would be a real waste of talent. You are undoubtedly a genius. Why rush to doubt yourself before your own talent has fully blossomed?"
Naruto looked at Satsuki's profile and suddenly flashed a sly smile, deliberately lightening the mood.
"Satsuki, do you believe me? Following that logic, there might be a ninja in this world who can defeat the Hokage using only taijutsu."
This half-joking remark successfully broke the serious atmosphere. Satsuki was stunned for a moment, then couldn't help but laugh. "Idiot, how could that be possible..."
Only Naruto knew it wasn't a joke—and that very ninja was right here in Konoha. Seeing Satsuki's smile return, Naruto felt a sense of relief.
"Alright, alright, I get it!" Satsuki stood up, her long black hair flowing in the evening wind, her face once again radiant with confidence. "You're right, I'm a genius of the Uchiha! I'll definitely find my own path!"
Naruto looked up at the revitalized little girl, his gaze gentle. "Mhm! Let's do our best together then. Maybe we're the same type of people—to surpass those exceptional talents, we have to become 'hard-working geniuses'!"
Hearing this, Satsuki looked down at Naruto, a complex light shining in her eyes. After a moment's hesitation, she finally spoke in a small voice. "I... I'm really grateful for you telling me all this... and for helping me train... but..."
Her fingers unconsciously twisted the hem of her clothes. "...How should I thank you?" As if realizing how direct that sounded, she immediately turned her face away. "Just so you know! I just don't want to be indebted to you!"
Naruto looked at the little girl trying to hide her shyness with tsundere antics. "You... you're really cute."
The words were like a stone dropped into a calm lake. Satsuki's face instantly turned red all the way to her ears. She stumbled back half a step. "Wh-What are you suddenly saying?!"
Naruto stood up, his blue eyes looking directly into Satsuki's. "Did you forget? We're friends. You know, you're my very first friend."
"I help you, not just because I don't want to train alone, but because I genuinely want to see you become stronger."
In the twilight, blue eyes and black eyes met, reflecting each other's image.
Naruto continued, "And the passion someone has when they're focused on something is really cool." He pointed at Satsuki's eyes. "The look in your eyes just now when you said you 'want to surpass that person' was incredibly bright."
Ripples spread across the lake, the moonlight shattering into countless silver specks on the water's surface. Satsuki stared at Naruto, a warmth she had never felt before spreading through her chest. She opened her mouth but couldn't say anything, just let out a soft "mhm," a genuine smile unconsciously forming on her lips.
Deep within Naruto's mind, that pleasant sound appeared once again.
[Ding!]
[Congratulations, Host: You have established a bond (Level 4) with the original character "Sasuke Uchiha"!]
[Points Awarded: 1000!]
-------
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