111: Chapter 111 Guardianship! Resonance of Will"Hmm," the beautiful woman nodded with a smile, her voice soft and melodious, "I was worried you'd get sick if you slept here."
She was carrying a delicate bamboo basket, which seemed to contain some fresh green leaves.
"By the way," Naruto's shadow clone suppressed his secret joy and shyness and asked curiously, "Sister, what are you doing in this forest all alone so early?"
"I'm here to pick herbs," the woman said casually, pointing to her basket.
"Picking medicinal herbs?"
"Yes," she nodded, her gaze gently sweeping over the surrounding vegetation, "Gather some herbs to heal wounds or cure illnesses.There are many treasures in the forest."
"Herbal medicine."
Naruto's shadow clone nodded as if he understood, then his eyes lit up and he volunteered, "Then I'll help you pick them!Many hands make light work!"
"Then I'll trouble you, little one." The woman smiled gently and did not refuse.
The two then began searching through the woods.The woman was clearly familiar with the plants, occasionally pointing them out softly: "Look, this is plantain, it can clear heat and detoxify.That's dandelion, its roots and stems are also good for making tea."
Although Naruto's shadow clones were completely confused, they still enthusiastically helped with the picking, trying their best to impress the beautiful woman.
After picking herbs for a while, Naruto's shadow clone got bored and simply sat down on the ground.Looking at the woman who was still diligently searching for herbs, he couldn't help but ask:
"Sister, you've been working so hard this early in the morning?Did you come all this way just to gather herbs?"
The woman paused, turned her head, and still had a gentle smile on her face: "You too, what are you doing alone in a place like this so early in the morning?"
"Well..."
Naruto's shadow clone was speechless for a moment, his mind racing: 'I can't exactly say I was sent by the real Naruto to pick wild vegetables, can I?That would be too embarrassing!I'm a ninja, for goodness' sake!
A sudden idea struck him.He puffed out his chest and said mysteriously, "Me?I'm here to cultivate!"
"Cultivation?"
The woman seemed somewhat surprised, her gaze falling on the clearly visible Konoha headband on Naruto's shadow clone's forehead."You.you wouldn't happen to be a ninja, would you?"
"hey-hey!"
Naruto's shadow clone immediately became smug, all his previous fatigue vanishing.He excitedly gave himself a thumbs-up, "How about that?Looks alike, right!That's right!I am a ninja!Don't let my current appearance fool you."
He tried his best to strike what he thought was a cool pose, saying, "I'm really awesome!"
"You're so awesome!" the woman praised, squinting her eyes.
"Hehe, of course!" Hearing the beautiful woman's praise, Naruto's shadow clone became smug and scratched his head shyly, his tail practically wagging in the air.
However, the beautiful young woman in front of me lowered her head slightly, her long eyelashes casting a faint shadow on her fair cheeks, and her tone seemed to carry a hint of sadness:
"But.why are you cultivating so diligently?"
"Huh?That goes without saying!"
Naruto's shadow clone immediately gave a thumbs up and shouted matter-of-factly, "Because I want to become stronger!To become super strong!"
"But..."
The young woman looked up, a hint of confusion in her clear eyes, "Didn't you just say you were already very good?"
"No, no!"
The shadow clone shook its head vigorously, its golden hair whipping around."This is far from enough!I need to become even stronger!Strong enough to protect all the people who are important to me!"
Why?
The young lady's voice was as gentle as a breeze, yet it possessed a penetrating power.
"for..."
The shadow clone puffed out his chest, his face radiating pure desire and pride."To become the strongest ninja in our Hidden Leaf Village!I will make everyone in the village acknowledge my strength!And also!"
A fighting spirit ignited in his eyes."I'm going to compete with my buddies now!Let's see who achieves their dream first!Those two are keeping a close eye on me!"
He could almost see himself becoming Hokage, standing atop the Hokage Rock looking down at Konoha, with Luffy and Ichigo below looking resentful.He couldn't help but grin.
"I see."
The young woman nodded thoughtfully, then posed a question that instantly stunned the shadow clone: "So, are you pursuing your dream.for your companions?Or for yourself?"
".Huh?"
The smile on Naruto's shadow clone's face froze, and his blue eyes were filled with great confusion and bewilderment.
This is a question.I don't think I've ever thought about it carefully before?
Becoming Hokage, gaining everyone's recognition—isn't that for the village.and for yourself?Comrades.comrades are important too, of course.but.
His brain was a little overwhelmed by the complex relationship, and he was momentarily speechless.
Seeing the shadow clone's confused yet adorable expression, the young lady suddenly covered her mouth with her hand and burst out laughing, her eyebrows curving like the first melting of snow.
"What.what's so funny!" The shadow clone blushed with embarrassment and anger.
The young woman stopped laughing, her gaze becoming softer and deeper, like an undercurrent surging beneath a tranquil lake.
She asked softly, "Little ninja.is there anyone 'important' in your heart?"
"An important person?"
The shadow clone repeated the word, his brows furrowing even more."Sister.what exactly are you trying to say?" He felt that the questions this gentle and beautiful sister was asking were getting stranger and stranger.
The woman stared blankly ahead, as if she had returned to that moment when the snow was falling heavily.
Seeing the silent young lady, seemingly lost in some kind of memory, the shadow clone was even more puzzled: "Sister?What's wrong?Why did you suddenly stop talking?"
The young woman snapped out of her reverie, her eyes regaining their previous gentleness, but beneath that gentleness lay something else.A hint of indescribable complexity and.pity.
She sighed softly, as if lamenting, or perhaps whispering to herself: "People.when they want to protect what's most important.can really become very strong.strong enough to.surpass their own limits."
These words, like a pebble thrown into a calm lake, instantly stirred up a strong resonance in the mind of Naruto's shadow clone!
The scene where Iruka-sensei is injured by the evil Mizuki while protecting himself, covered in blood and rushed to the ICU!(Naruto's internally confirmed version)
Kakashi-sensei stood in front of the students, his calm back reflecting as he faced the eyebrowless man!
To protect the hope of the Land of Waves, Keisha knew that resisting Gato was a dead end, yet he still stepped forward and was eventually executed!
These images flashed by vividly!He knew all too well the power and sacrifice that came with the determination to protect those he cared about!
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