Naruto's life gradually settled into a steady rhythm. Every morning, his figure could be seen running through the streets of Konoha, training his taijutsu. The goal was clear.
"I'll definitely run into the master of youth... Guy-sensei today."
Naruto would look forward to it every day. He imagined the man with thick eyebrows in a green jumpsuit suddenly jumping out from a corner, enthusiastically shouting, "This is the power of youth!"
However, after several days, he hadn't even seen Guy, let alone heard his signature shouts.
He must be on a mission... Naruto concluded with some disappointment.
In the afternoons, Naruto would always show up on time at the clearing on the outskirts of the Konoha forest. This had become his and Satsuki's designated training spot.
To his surprise, he had thought that as the young lady of the Uchiha clan, Satsuki would be lucky to sneak out two or three times a week. But in reality—out of a full seven days, she was there at least five.
Looks like I successfully convinced the old man Hokage.
Satsuki had a similar confusion. The day she went home after parting with Naruto, her usually stern father, Fugaku Uchiha, had uncharacteristically summoned her to his study.
"Satsuki, you've made a good friend," Fugaku's voice was much softer than usual. "You can train with him more often in the future."
Just as Satsuki was feeling happy about her father's approval, Fugaku added a strange condition. "But remember, don't mention this to any other clan members." He particularly emphasized, "Including your sister, Itachi."
Satsuki's face was filled with confusion. She had been planning to find a chance to introduce her sister to Naruto. But seeing her father's solemn expression, she obediently nodded.
This was the first time her stern father had ever instructed her so clearly about something. Although she didn't understand the reason, she decided to abide by the promise.
But... her sister was appearing at home less and less. The sister who used to practice shuriken with her and occasionally take her for three-colored dango could now only be seen for a fleeting moment in the early morning.
Sometimes, Satsuki would deliberately wake up early just to catch a brief breakfast with her sister. "Have you been busy lately, sister?" Satsuki asked one morning, watching Itachi tie on her forehead protector.
Itachi turned, crouched down, and gently poked her sister's forehead as usual. "Sorry, Satsuki. I've had a lot of missions lately." Her voice was still gentle, but her eyes held a complex emotion that Satsuki couldn't understand. "Once things calm down, I'll practice with you again, okay?"
Satsuki nodded obediently, not realizing that her sister—the seven-year-old Itachi Uchiha—had already become a Chunin and was starting to undertake real ninja missions. Those figures leaving in a hurry in the early morning were all heading to mission assembly points.
Strangely, though, Satsuki didn't feel as sad as she used to. Because every afternoon, when she arrived at the clearing in the forest, she would always see the figure of the blond boy. Naruto seemed to always be there, either practicing hand seals or studying new ninjutsu techniques.
"Yo, you're earlier than yesterday!" Naruto would always greet her with such energy.
In her days with Naruto, Satsuki discovered an unprecedented sense of comfort. Within the Uchiha clan, the children her age either hadn't started formal training yet or had mediocre talent.
And those clan children who had started training were either arrogantly showing off their talent or putting on a serious face to act mature.
It's so tiring being around them...
Satsuki had thought this more than once. But it was completely different with Naruto—he would listen to her seriously, be genuinely happy for her progress, and most importantly, never look at her with the expectation that "an Uchiha should be like this or that."
If Naruto knew what Satsuki was thinking, he would surely complain. Putting two tsunderes together was not a good idea.
It was precisely this combination of extraordinary talent and caring nature that made Satsuki enjoy her time with him more and more.
After their afternoon training session was over, they would put away their ninja tools and sit by the lake, sharing the bento Naruto had prepared. Satsuki loved this time the most—the exhaustion from training would gradually fade, replaced by the satisfaction brought by good food.
"Hey, Satsuki, what's your dream?" Naruto asked casually one day while chewing on a rice ball.
Satsuki answered without a second thought, "To surpass my sister, of course, and become a ninja the Uchiha clan can be proud of!" This was the belief that had been instilled in her since she was a child, and it was the motivation for her daily hard training.
Naruto nodded thoughtfully and continued, "And then? What will you do after you surpass your sister?"
Satsuki was stumped. She had never thought about that question. In her simple worldview, getting stronger was the end goal, it was everything.
"Your turn," she said, hastily changing the subject. "What's your dream?"
Naruto looked at the sparkling lake. "Me... I guess it's to be able to protect the things I want to protect when danger comes in the future."
This answer confused Satsuki. In her mind, a dream should be concrete and clear, like "becoming Hokage."
But when she turned to look at Naruto, she saw that his profile was exceptionally serious in the sunset, his blue eyes reflecting her own image.
For some reason, Satsuki felt her cheeks suddenly heat up. She didn't understand where this strange feeling came from, only that whenever she was alone with Naruto, her heartbeat would unconsciously speed up.
Naruto was completely unaware that he had unintentionally stirred the little girl's heart. For him, spending time with Satsuki was initially just to get system points. But gradually, this tsundere Uchiha girl, with her simplicity and cuteness, had made their time together enjoyable.
Until one evening, as they were parting, that familiar system notification suddenly sounded in Naruto's mind.
[Congratulations, Host: You have established a bond (Level 5) with the original character "Sasuke Uchiha"!]
[Points Awarded: 500!]
Naruto was taken aback for a moment. He hadn't expected to be able to slowly win Satsuki over just by spending time with her. According to the original plot, he and Sasuke wouldn't establish such a bond until after graduating from the Ninja Academy. But now, they had already formed a relationship as close as childhood friends.
As for the other one, every night, Naruto would sit on his bed, close his eyes, and let his consciousness sink into the sealed space. The damp, cold air would wash over him, but Naruto was already used to it.
"Kurama, I'm here!" Naruto would say with a grin as he walked towards the giant iron bars.
Kurama would lazily lift an eyelid, its nine tails swaying idly. "What boring story did you bring today?" Although its tone was cold, its beastly eyes couldn't help but glance at the papers in Naruto's hand.
"Today's part is exciting!" Naruto would hold up the latest handwritten chapter like a treasure. "Xiao Huo-Huo is finally going to attack the Yunlan Sect!"
And so, every night, Naruto would come on time to chat with Kurama. Sometimes he would talk about the interesting things that happened during the day, and sometimes he would continue writing his handwritten version of "Battle Through the Heavens."
Until one night, Naruto was so exhausted from studying a newly acquired Water Style ninjutsu that he forgot to go to the sealed space. The next evening, when he appeared as usual, he was met with Kurama's cold back.
"Kurama?" Naruto called out tentatively.
The big fox didn't move an inch, only the tip of its tail twitched impatiently.
"That jutsu yesterday was too complicated, I practiced until late..." Naruto explained, scratching his head.
"Hmph, I don't care if you come or not," Kurama finally spoke, its voice clearly sulking. "It was nice and quiet."
Just as Naruto was about to continue coaxing the tsundere beast, the system's notification sound rang in his mind.
[Congratulations, Host: You have established a bond (Level 3) with the original character "Kurama"!]
[Points Awarded: 400!]
Naruto almost laughed out loud. So the big fox wasn't really angry, just throwing a tantrum. He wisely chose not to point it out and instead sat down as usual, starting to narrate the new chapter of the story.
Just like that, Naruto's points increased by another 1600. He eagerly did a ten-pull. Although he didn't get the coveted purple or gold rewards, the haul was still substantial.
Earth-Style Chakra Affinity and Mastery of Nature Transformation—bringing his number of mastered chakra natures to four.
Chakra equivalent to half of Kakashi's—an astonishing "half-Kakashi" of chakra.
And a 20% increase in sealing jutsu talent, along with a large sum of Naruto world currency.
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