Naruto said goodbye to Sasuke, Choji, and Shikamaru at the school gate.
"Give me a few more days, Naruto. I'm almost there with the Shadow Clone Jutsu," Sasuke said, a hint of excitement breaking through his usual cool demeanor. "Once I've mastered it, we can train together again."
He'd spent the last ten days focused entirely on learning the technique, which meant no sparring sessions with Naruto. He was clearly eager to get back to their routine.
"Keep at it, Sasuke. You've got this," Naruto encouraged.
Shikamaru stretched lazily. "Naruto, Choji and I won't be coming to your farm today. I'm going home with him to smooth things over with his dad. Maybe if I'm there, Mr. Choza will forgive his 'devoted son' a bit quicker."
Choji pouted and munched on his chips, saying nothing.
"Alright then. See you guys later." Naruto raised his hand to wave, then paused as something occurred to him. "Oh, wait. Sasuke, Choji, Shikamaru—the first batch of pigs at my farm will be ready for slaughter soon. Could you three help me sell the pork when the time comes?"
Sasuke's family ran the Police Force. Shikamaru and Choji came from the famous Ino-Shika-Cho clan alliance. They had connections that could actually help.
If Naruto tried to sell it himself, he'd probably just get hostile glares and slammed doors.
The System had taught him an important lesson: sometimes using your connections is the smart move. Without them, success might require a long, difficult journey. With them, you could reach your goal much faster.
For the three of them, helping him sell pork would be simple. For Naruto, it would save him considerable trouble.
"Yeah, leave it to us," all three chorused.
Naruto watched them head off, then shouldered his backpack and started humming as he walked toward his farm.
After a few minutes, he stopped and looked back.
Sure enough, Hinata was following him again. The moment Naruto turned, she froze in place like a startled deer. Her face turned bright red, hands twisting together uncertainly.
What's going on? We're not even friends. Why does she keep following me?
A sudden thought struck him. Wait. Maybe she's trying to scout out my farm. Gathering intelligence!
His expression grew wary.
Sensing his suspicion, Hinata became even more flustered. Her hands wrung the hem of her jacket as she tried to understand why Naruto suddenly looked so guarded.
I'm not dangerous! I don't bite!
"Hinata, why are you following me again?" Despite his wariness, Naruto maintained basic politeness. "Are you lost?"
"Um... I... I didn't tell you my name properly yesterday..." Her voice came out barely above a whisper.
"Huh? But I already know your name is Hinata Hyūga. And you know I'm Uzumaki Naruto. Do we really need to say it again?" Naruto's logic circuits felt scrambled.
"It's... it's different..."
"How is it different?"
"Not... not formal enough..." Hinata lifted her face, looking surprisingly serious.
Looking at her earnest expression, Naruto understood. He and Nine-Tails had done something similar—a solemn exchange of names to mark their bond.
He straightened, adopting a more ceremonial tone. "My name is Uzumaki Naruto. What's yours?"
"My name is Hinata Hyūga!" She spoke firmly, as though performing some sacred ritual.
After a brief pause, she gathered her courage. "Um, Naruto-kun... can I visit your farm?"
Looking at her hopeful face, Naruto nodded. "Of course!"
Perfect. I forgot to make her my friend yesterday. I can do it today.
"Thank you, Naruto-kun!"
They walked along the mountain path, one behind the other. Small wildflowers lined the trail, releasing gentle fragrances into the air.
Hinata kept sneaking glances at Naruto's tall, strong back. Each time she looked, heat flooded her face, spreading to her ears and neck. She'd quickly drop her gaze back to her feet, too flustered to keep watching.
Before long, they reached the farm. Nine-Tails bounded out of the wooden cabin, spotted Hinata beside Naruto, and gave a soft snort before leaping into Naruto's arms. He let Naruto pet his head gently.
Hinata's eyes brightened at the sight. After petting him yesterday, she'd fallen completely in love with the soft fox. Seeing him again made her fingers itch.
"Naruto-kun, can I pet the little fox?" She looked up hopefully.
"Oh, he's pretty shy around strangers. After you petted him yesterday, he couldn't eat or sleep properly." As Naruto delivered this blatant lie, Nine-Tails—who was supposed to play along—suddenly trembled in his arms.
Seeing the fox actually shake, Hinata accepted the explanation without question. Disappointment flickered across her face. "Oh... I see."
Naruto deliberately ignored that disappointed look. Instead, he noticed how Hinata kept craning her neck to look up at him. "Hey, why don't we sit down to talk? Your neck must be getting sore from looking up all the time."
Now that Naruto mentioned it, Hinata realized her neck did ache a bit. "Mm-hmm!"
They settled onto a log together and chatted about nothing in particular.
After a while, Naruto heard familiar footsteps approaching from behind. He didn't need to look to know it was Sasuke.
Wait, isn't Sasuke supposed to be learning Shadow Clone Jutsu from his brother? What's he doing here?
Naruto turned curiously. Sasuke walked toward them with his typical cold expression, but instead of coming over to talk, he just snorted and headed off to the side to continue his fire jutsu practice and charcoal production.
"What happened to Sasuke-kun?" Hinata asked curiously.
"Sasuke's very dedicated. He's practicing his Fire Style techniques," Naruto explained.
"Oh, that makes sense. No wonder Sasuke-kun gets such good grades." Hinata glanced at Sasuke, who was furiously unleashing fire jutsu on helpless logs, then turned back to continue her quiet conversation with Naruto.
Hearing Naruto's explanation, Sasuke internally vomited blood. I finally got time off from training with my brother. I come here, and you're sitting that close to some girl, chatting away?
Hmph. I'm not going to be a third wheel.
Fueled by indignation, Sasuke's charcoal production rate increased dramatically.
"By the way, Naruto-kun... are we friends now?" Hinata gathered her courage and asked carefully.
"Friends?" Naruto looked genuinely confused. "When did we become friends? I don't remember that happening."
"Just now... we introduced ourselves so formally. Doesn't that make us friends?" Hinata's face fell, looking wounded.
"That doesn't count, Hinata." Naruto's tone was completely serious.
"Why doesn't it count? Is there something else we need to do?" She tilted her head, puzzled.
"Yeah." Naruto stood up suddenly and dropped into a fighting stance. His expression turned solemn. "Hinata, we need to spar first. Once I've beaten you, then we can be friends."
"Actually, that's not really necessary—"
"Naruto-kun, I give up. Let's be friends."
Hinata's voice came out weak and startled.
Hearing her immediate surrender, Naruto straightened and dropped his stance. His shoulders sagged with visible disappointment. He let out a quiet sigh.
"Hinata, you're not being sincere."
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