Naruto sized up the little girl in front of him.
She wore a simple, neatly tailored short outfit—not luxurious fabric, but cut to fit perfectly, clearly designed for ease of movement. A small ninja pouch hung at her waist—definitely not something an ordinary child would carry.
Not the daughter of some rich house, but not a regular villager's kid either…
After a brief silence, Naruto spoke first.
"Um…may I ask who you are?"
His tone was polite. She was so cute that his instinct was to get closer, but if she gave him that same disgusted look the other villagers did…he'd turn on his heel and leave immediately.
Still—if he was going to walk away, he'd at least pinch her cheek hard once, just to teach her not to look down on people so casually!
The black-haired little girl stayed where she was, her small hands worrying the hem of her clothes. After hesitating for a moment, she finally lifted her chin slightly and tried to put on an air of haughty pride.
"…Hmph. That trick of yours wasn't bad."
She deliberately made her voice sound cold, but the trailing note was tinged with unmistakable childishness.
"But before asking someone who they are, shouldn't you introduce yourself first?"
After saying that, she added, "Besides, this is where my sister and I usually train. But you…why are you practicing here?"
…Tsundere?
Naruto almost laughed. She hadn't sounded like this when she'd blurted out "Amazing!" from behind the bushes earlier.
Her comment that "this is my sister's and my training ground" made Naruto realize why she was here.
This patch of woods on Konoha's edge wasn't a public training field—it was just a clearing he'd stumbled on. The makeshift targets nailed to the trees looked weathered and old.
Crap. He'd accidentally taken someone else's territory…
Konoha had proper training grounds, of course, but Naruto preferred to go further out. He really didn't want to practice shuriken out in public, enduring the villagers' disapproving stares.
The girl's attitude was subtle—not outright cold or distant, but a deliberate sort of contempt and pride. Her small chin was raised high while those obsidian eyes of hers sparkled; from time to time she stole quick glances at the kunai stuck in the target.
That awkward, proud air—paired with her striking looks and this location—
Uchiha clan.
A vague guess formed in Naruto's head.
"Ah? Oh…thank you for the compliment." Naruto offered a friendly smile. "I'm Naruto. Is this your and your sister's training ground? I'm sorry for using it without asking."
He deliberately slowed his words, watching her reaction.
"If you don't want me to use it, I can leave right now."
The little girl's brows twitched almost imperceptibly. She'd expected the blond boy to explain how he'd done his trick, but instead he'd brought the conversation around to the right to use the training area.
A few seconds of silence passed, and then she couldn't hold it in any longer—her face flushing slightly as she blurted out, "If you insist on using it… I don't exactly object!"
The instant the words left her mouth she regretted them—didn't that make her sound too easy to talk to? She quickly straightened her expression and added sternly:
"But! How did you practice your throwing technique?"
As if that was too blunt, she flailed her hands in a panic. "Don't get me wrong! I'm just asking! You should know! The Uchiha clan's throwing techniques are the best! Your level…is nothing!"
Her voice grew smaller and smaller as she spoke, and the tips of her ears began to redden.
Watching the little girl—so obviously bothered yet desperately pretending not to care—Naruto couldn't help the faint smile tugging at his lips.
A textbook Uchiha tsundere, all right…
He deliberately and slowly pulled a kunai from his pouch and twirled it nimbly between his fingers.
"I've got my own training method—it's something I came up with myself."
Before he could finish the sentence, he flicked his wrist and the kunai vanished from his fingers like a trick. The little girl's eyes widened instantly; surprise filled those black pupils. Before she could react, Naruto's hand flipped again.
Swish!
Three kunai were suddenly clamped between his fingertips, gleaming cold and metallic in the sunset.
Amazing! How did you do that?!
The little girl's lips parted; she nearly cried out. Her obsidian eyes stared unblinkingly at Naruto's fingers, brimming with desire and curiosity. The next second, as if realizing her lapse, she hurriedly turned her face away.
Naruto watched her, and he already had a pretty good idea how to handle this kind of tsundere.
"Alright…sorry for taking your and your sister's training ground without permission," he softened his voice on purpose. "But I also know the Uchiha's throwing techniques are top-class in Konoha."
Noticing the tiny perking of her ears, Naruto continued to coax.
"How about this—want to practice together? Two people training always improves faster than one."
He shook the kunai in his hand and flashed a sly grin. "I can teach you that trick from a moment ago. Think of it as the cost of borrowing your training ground. How about it?"