Naruto: Naruto's Uchiha girlfriend is too tsundere

"Uncle...this is..." Naruto's eyes widened, his chopsticks hovering over the mountain of char siu, unsure where to start eating.

Uncle Ichiraku wiped his hands on his apron, his face beaming with a kind smile. "I heard today's the first day of the Ninja Academy, right?"

"Consider it a congratulatory gift. The ramen is on me today, so please eat plenty."

"Oh! Really?" Naruto perked up immediately. "That's so cool, right? Hey, could you give me some more fish cakes and dried bamboo shoots?"

"Alright, alright!" Uncle Yile laughed heartily as he turned around. "The fish cakes and dried bamboo shoots will be here soon!"

The two enjoyed their meal in silence, maintaining a tacit silence during the meal—except for the time long ago when Naruto was giving Satsuki some advice, they never had the habit of chatting while eating.

Satsuki sipped the rich broth, savoring this novel culinary experience. As the daughter of the Uchiha clan, her daily meals were always meticulously prepared by her mother, featuring exquisite presentation and balanced nutrition.

Almost all of Naruto's experiences of sitting in a noisy street-side shop and eating local delicacies were brought to her by Naruto.

Memories involuntarily drifted back to the past. Back then, her older sister would occasionally take her to eat three-colored dumplings. Although Zuo Yue could never understand why her sister was so fascinated by those sweet glutinous rice balls, she would silently swallow her complaint of "too sweet" every time she saw her sister's satisfied smile.

But I don't know when it started, my sister became increasingly busy, coming home less and less often, sometimes not even showing up for days at a time. What on earth is she busy with?

In the past, Zuo Yue would have been secretly heartbroken by her sister's estrangement. But now, when she looked up and saw the blond boy wolfing down his food across from her, the familiar sense of loss in her heart miraculously faded away.

From the day they met, Naruto shone into her life like a ray of sunshine, appearing at their agreed-upon spot almost every day. Before she knew it, this boy, always with a bright smile, had become a part of her life.

Satsuki gazed at Naruto's profile, enveloped in steam. Through the rising white mist, Naruto's eyelashes fluttered gently as he devoured his noodles. Broth clung to the corners of his mouth, but he remained oblivious, still immersed in the joy of his meal.

Seeing such a pure expression of happiness, Satsuki's heart softened unconsciously, as if it had been soaked in warm water, and her gaze gradually became focused and gentle.

"Um... what's wrong, Satsuki?" Naruto noticed the gaze, suddenly turned his head, and saw Satsuki's unusually gentle expression.

Why are you looking at me like that? Is there something on my face?

"...Maybe it's because I like you..."

These words seemed to come out of his mouth as if they had a mind of their own. The next second, Zuo Yue noticed that Naruto had frozen completely, his chopsticks fell to the table with a "clatter," and his bright blue eyes were wide open, filled with disbelief.

...?

Wait, wait, wait! What did I just say?!

Satsuki's mind went on alert instantly; she finally realized that she seemed to have unconsciously said something terrible.

Her fair cheeks flushed crimson at a visible speed. She waved her hands frantically, stammering an explanation. "That...no! I mean! That..."

We must... we must find a way!

Her mind raced, and suddenly a brilliant idea struck her.

"...Right! I meant skiing!"

Her voice suddenly rose, "I'm wondering if I could use skiing to practice chakra control!"

(Note: In Japanese, "like" and "skiing" are pronounced the same.)

Naruto paused for a few seconds, then his expression changed to one of sudden realization. "...Oh, I see." He scratched his head and picked up his chopsticks again.

"It might work. Let's try it when it snows."

Satsuki secretly breathed a sigh of relief, but her heart was still pounding wildly. She hurriedly looked away, only to meet Ayame's gaze as she cleared the dishes. Ayame returned a kind smile, finally easing Satsuki's tense nerves.

...Great...looks like I've gotten away with it...

What she didn't notice was that when Ayame turned around, the professional smile on her face instantly turned into a radiant smile as if she had discovered a treasure, and she unconsciously cupped her cheeks with her hands.

Oh my god...so cute...! Ayame screamed inwardly, what was this? Was it an unintentional outpouring of genuine emotion? Ahhh, youth is so beautiful...!

Chapter 56 Plan

The steam from the ramen shop hadn't even dissipated when Satsuki hurriedly put down her chopsticks. Her fair cheeks were still flushed, and even the tips of her ears were tinged with a faint pink.

After experiencing that heart-pounding accident, she simply couldn't face Naruto with a straight face.

"I...I'm leaving now..." Zuo Yue said quickly, head down, pressing a few banknotes to the bottom of her bowl before hurriedly getting up. The curtain was lifted and then fell back down in her haste, leaving only a gentle breeze blowing across the empty seat.

Uncle Ichiraku came over to clear the dishes, and shook his head and sighed as he looked at the extra money on the table. "Really... I clearly said it was my treat today..."

"This child is too shy."

Naruto slowly finished his second bowl of ramen. This time, instead of paying, he sincerely thanked Uncle Ichiraku. "Thank you for the meal! Uncle's celebratory ramen was the best, wasn't it!"

Stepping out of the ramen shop, dusk had already enveloped Konoha. Naruto didn't head straight home, but instead turned towards the Hokage Building. His steps were unhurried, but his thoughts were growing deeper.

Skiing? He knew, of course, that was just a lame excuse. He wasn't so oblivious as to miss the girl's feelings.

To be honest, Naruto didn't reject Sasuke's budding feelings. In fact, seeing those little boys fawning over Sasuke today made him feel a strange sense of unease—even though he was 100% certain that Sasuke would reject them.

So why pretend to believe that flawed explanation?

The answer is simple: now is not the time.

Naruto looked up at the streetlights that were gradually coming on. Although children in the ninja world were generally precocious and many started talking about marriage at a young age, he always felt that some feelings should be taken slowly before they truly grew up.

Naruto quickly arrived at the Hokage Building after crossing the street. Pushing open the office door, he saw the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, who was still at get off work.

So, why did Naruto specifically come to see the Third Hokage? The answer is simple—he came to "ask for a gift."

That's right! Today is the first day of school. In terms of lineage, the third generation was the teacher of his father, Jiraiya, so strictly speaking, he should call him "Grandmaster".

Now that you've become someone's grand-disciple, shouldn't your grandmaster show some appreciation for such an important occasion as the start of the school year?

After spending these past few years together, Naruto had long since become convinced that the conspiracy theories about the Third Hokage were pure overreactions. Throughout these years, he had never suffered the slightest hardship in terms of food, clothing, or shelter.

In the morning, Might Guy accompanied him as he enjoyed his youth, and in the afternoon, Satsuki trained with him. The loneliness in the original work disappeared with the company of these two people.

It's worth mentioning that, according to regulations, everyone a Jinchuriki comes into contact with must undergo rigorous vetting. However, when the Anbu reported that Might Guy was frequently in contact with Naruto, the Third Hokage's first reaction wasn't to question the rare beast's identity, but rather to worry that Naruto might be influenced—what if one day Naruto also wore a green bodysuit and constantly talked about "youth"...

Perhaps it's because Guy-sensei is so special that even Danzo didn't make a fuss about it.

Anyway, Naruto made up his mind that if Orochimaru were to launch any more "Konoha Crush Plans" in the future, he would definitely find a way to save the Third Hokage.

After a while, once the ninja who delivered the ninjutsu scrolls had left, the Third Hokage's congratulatory gift was unexpectedly generous. Those high-level ninjutsu scrolls, which ordinary ninjas needed to complete numerous missions to obtain, were now neatly arranged in Naruto's bag.

Shuriken Shadow Clone Technique, Earth Release: Earth Flow Wall, Fire Release: Great Dragon Fire Technique, Lightning Release: Thunderclap, Earth Release: Earth Dragon Bullet, Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet... It's simply too luxurious to be true.

It makes sense. After witnessing Naruto and Sasuke's battle today, which was far beyond the level of their peers, the Third Hokage must have felt that it was a real pity that such talent didn't learn more powerful ninjutsu.

A night breeze blew by, and Naruto looked up at the starry sky, his thoughts gradually becoming clearer. Now, most of the characters in the story had appeared, and his plan was also very clear.

First, he needs to establish good relationships with the "Nine Young Masters" and Iruka that he can currently contact, earn more system points, and at the same time, he needs to quickly train these newly acquired powerful ninjutsu to improve his strength... because he clearly knows that there is a major event that must be changed no matter what in a few years.

The Uchiha clan massacre.

Chapter 57 Danger Signal

The next day, early in the morning, in the school classroom, Naruto rested his chin on his hand, listlessly flipping through the book on sealing techniques on his desk. Small groups of classmates chatted idly around him, the air filled with the relaxed atmosphere of the new school term.

Just then, the classroom door was gently pushed open, and a familiar figure walked in—it was Satsuki.

As always, her long, black hair fell smoothly down her back, and a hint of indifference graced her fair face. She walked straight to the seat next to Naruto and sat down, saying indifferently, "Good morning."

It seems she really thought she could fool everyone with the excuse of "skiing"...

Naruto couldn't help but mentally complain, but outwardly he responded nonchalantly, "Good morning, Satsuki."

Satsuki nodded slightly, then opened her textbook, appearing focused on preparing for class. However, Naruto keenly noticed that the tips of her ears seemed a little red, indicating that her "mistake" last night hadn't been entirely without consequence.

However, after a night of rest, her shyness seemed to have been forcibly suppressed...

Naruto secretly breathed a sigh of relief. If Satsuki had really become awkward because of that remark, it would have left him unsure how to handle the situation. As things stood, at least they could maintain their usual way of getting along.

However, just when Naruto thought the morning had passed peacefully, an unexpected voice suddenly came from the side.

"Um... your name is Naruto, right? Are you free right now?"

Naruto turned his head and saw a little blonde girl standing in front of him with a slightly nervous smile on her face.

Yamanaka Ino?

Of course he recognized her. She was the Ino from the Ino-Shika-Cho trio of the original series. She liked Sasuke, but now… Sasuke has become Sasuke Tsuki. Will Ino still be as interested in her as she was in the original series?

"Yes, I'm Naruto." He gave a friendly smile. "You must be Yamanaka Ino? What can I do for you?"

Ino seemed surprised that Naruto remembered her name; her eyes widened slightly. "You know me? That's great!"

She leaned a little closer and asked in a low voice.

"Um... are you and Satsuki close? I wanted to ask her what her hobbies are...?!"

This question left Naruto a bit bewildered. In the original work, Ino's feelings for Sasuke were understandable—after all, it's a little girl liking a handsome guy—but Sasuke is a girl! Could it be that even with the gender changed, Sasuke's charm is still just as strong?

Ino's words suddenly caught in her throat.

Her once vibrant voice seemed to be cut off by some invisible force, the smile on her lips froze on her face, and her pupils contracted slightly.

...Okay, that's scary.

Her gaze involuntarily drifted to Naruto's side—where Satsuki was quietly watching her.

No, it's less about "seeing" and more about "gazing".

Deep within those dark eyes, something cold was churning, like a bottomless icy pool.

Ino's back instantly broke out in a cold sweat... What kind of look is that?!

Yesterday, Zuo Yue was aloof and elegant in class, but now, her eyes are filled with undisguised hostility.

"Huh? What's wrong, Ino?" Naruto asked, puzzled, looking at Ino's suddenly frozen expression, and even the faint fear that was revealed.

"Um... I'm fine now!... I'm so sorry!"

Ino took a step back abruptly, quickly bowed her head in apology, then turned and ran away without even looking back.

"...Huh?"

Naruto stared blankly at Ino's retreating figure, completely bewildered by what had happened.

He turned his head in confusion to look at Zuo Yue beside him. However, Zuo Yue's expression had returned to its usual indifference, as if the terrifying look in her eyes just a moment ago was just an illusion.

“…Satsuki?” Naruto asked tentatively.

"Hmm?" Zuo Yue tilted her head slightly, her tone carrying a hint of innocence.

"Just now, Ino... "

"I don't know." Satsuki interrupted him curtly, then casually flipped open her textbook. "Maybe she suddenly remembered something."

On the other side, Ino fled back to her seat in a panic, her face deathly pale and her chest heaving violently.

"So, did you get the information?"

Beside them, a pink-haired little girl immediately came over, her eyes sparkling with anticipation, "Zuoyue...does she have any hobbies?"

Ino Yamanaka, who was initially amused by her friend's sudden interest in someone of the same sex, suddenly grabbed Sakura's shoulder.

She took a deep breath and spoke in a serious tone.

"I think you'd better stay away from that person, Sakura."

"Huh? Why?" Sakura was completely baffled by her friend's sudden warning. She had been eagerly anticipating Ino's ability to find out information about the aloof Uchiha heiress.

Ino's expression turned unusually serious. "Listen carefully! This path is very dangerous! I was almost killed just now!"

"Killed? I don't understand what you're saying..."

"Just listen to me!"

------

Completely unaware that an accident had almost occurred, Naruto began his lesson. Iruka's lesson today was about teamwork and survival skills for ninjas on missions.

For example, techniques for identifying toxins, water purification, and tracking and counter-tracking.

Naruto felt it was quite useful; learning wilderness survival skills at school was a novel experience.

After the morning classes ended, the aroma of lunch gradually filled the classroom. As usual, Satsuki took out her carefully prepared bento box.

She was about to invite Naruto to have lunch with her when she noticed that Naruto was looking thoughtfully toward the back of the classroom.

"What's wrong, Naruto? Didn't you make lunch? You can have mine."

Naruto shook his head. He had made bento boxes today, even a lot of them. His goal... was naturally to make new friends, build bonds, and earn system points.

"Zuoyue, do you know? We used to train together because we didn't have any peers to get to know. But now..." His gaze swept over the students gathered in twos and threes in the classroom.

"Now that I'm in ninja school, I should definitely make some friends."