Smile More Often

"Ah, now that you mention it, my knees really do hurt a little."

The Nine-Tails moved its knee joints, then continued kneeling and writing. "I'm doing all this so you can eat. If I don't finish writing this properly, you won't have anything to eat."

Naruto was deeply moved. He walked over, picked up the Nine-Tails, and placed it on his lap. Then he brought over a tall stool and set it in front of them. "Kurama, sit on my lap while you write."

"I..."

The Nine-Tails had just been about to refuse. What was this? It did not need Naruto's goodwill. But before the words could leave its mouth, Naruto's hand landed on its head and gently stroked it.

The Nine-Tails immediately let out a pleased purr. It no longer resisted, instead happily picking up its pen and writing in the notebook.

Naruto held Postpartum Care of Sows in one hand while the other stroked through Kurama's fur.

Before long, after resting enough, Naruto went outside to begin training.

He had practiced seventy-two of the Eighty-One Introductory Forms of the Indestructible Body. With just nine more forms, he would reach the introductory stage, and his skin would become as hard as gold and iron.

His control over his body had also reached a very high level. At a thought, his muscles and tendons could move according to his will.

So in close combat, using his tendons to strike enemies was no longer a fantasy.

Body is Weapon also explained how to use different kinds of force. Naruto was currently learning the first kind—Vibration Force.

What was vibration? It was high-frequency oscillation. As long as he touched his opponent, he could shatter their internal organs.

Naruto extended one hand, pressing his thumb against his index finger and little finger while keeping his middle and ring fingers straight.

"Bzzzz..."

Suddenly, like a bee in flight, Naruto's middle and ring fingers produced a high-frequency hum. Yet to the eye, his fingers did not seem to be moving at all.

Naruto jabbed toward a tree in front of him. Fine wood chips immediately scattered as his Vibration Force blasted a hole two fingers wide into the trunk.

"Whew..."

Retracting his fingers, Naruto shook his hand. His middle and ring fingers had gone numb. The intense vibrations were almost more than his fingers could bear.

Looking at the hole in the tree trunk, then at his completely uninjured fingers, Naruto was delighted.

With vibrations like these,

who could withstand them?

Once this move came out, who would dare refuse to submit?

Speaking of refusing to submit, Naruto thought of Sasuke again. He had to admit, Sasuke's willpower was truly firm—on par with his own. Only someone like that was qualified to be his friend.

Naruto could not help but sigh.

After practicing for two hours, Naruto returned to school for his afternoon classes.

When he arrived, Sasuke was nowhere to be seen. Later, Iruka-sensei said that Sasuke had taken three days off and asked everyone not to miss him too much.

Without Sasuke on the walk home after school, Naruto felt a little empty inside.

After school, Naruto decided that since Sasuke was taking three days off, he would return to school three days later as well. He could use this time to intensify his training.

Over those three days, Naruto stayed on the Back Mountain nearly all the time aside from going home to sleep at night.

During those three days, Naruto was strict with himself. The Indestructible Body was only three forms away from the introductory stage, and his progress was very gratifying.

Nor had Naruto neglected managing the cattle and sheep. Three new members had joined the herd again, to the point that the few bulls looked at Naruto with nothing but resentment.

But Naruto had no idea why they resented him. Looking at the emaciated bulls, he muttered in confusion, "What's wrong with these bulls? There's so much grass, and they haven't gone hungry. How did they get this thin after just a few days?"

Naruto's mind was full of questions, but then his eyes lit up. "Could they be sick and have lost their appetites? I wonder if they can still be saved... Kurama, Kurama, come out quick! Some cows are sick again..."

The resting bulls heard this, and each of them immediately bolted in panic. Before long, they had vanished from sight.

"Why are they running?"

Naruto stared in bewilderment, unable to understand why the bulls had suddenly gone mad. But then he thought, "If they can run that fast, it means there's nothing wrong with them. Then they can keep making great contributions to the herd's reproduction."

Naruto's face lit up with delight.

He was happy that the bulls were healthy.

"Why are you calling me? My recipe is at a critical stage," the Nine-Tails said unhappily as it emerged from the wooden cabin. It looked around. "Didn't you say some cows were sick? Where are they?"

As it spoke, the Nine-Tails waved the knife in its hand.

"They aren't sick anymore." Naruto spread his hands.

"Then stop disturbing me." The Nine-Tails looked displeased as it turned and returned to the cabin, continuing its research on recipes.

"Okay, I'm heading to school first, Kurama." Naruto looked embarrassed, then packed his schoolbag and left for school.

Sasuke would be coming to school today too, right?

Yeah, he was really looking forward to having another friendly spar with Sasuke.

When Naruto arrived at school, he ran into Sasuke right at the gates. The two stopped and stared at each other from a distance, as though electric currents crackled through the air.

"Hmph..." Sasuke snorted coldly, turned away, and entered the school gates first with his schoolbag on his back.

Naruto naturally did not mind Sasuke's coldness. He knew that was simply Sasuke's personality. Friends had to be understanding.

Still,

Naruto walked over and kept pace beside Sasuke, continuously examining his face.

Sasuke felt extremely uncomfortable under Naruto's strange gaze. He turned his head away so Naruto could not look at him and said, "What are you looking at?"

"Your face, of course," Naruto said. "By the way, Sasuke, does your family have some miracle medicine? Your face was swollen like a pig's head back then, but after not seeing you for a few days, it's already healed."

"You..." Hearing Naruto's exclamation, Sasuke felt like he was about to cough up blood. He gave a cool snort and stopped paying attention to him.

As he walked, Sasuke lifted his head and looked at the sky. It was clear, without a trace of rain. On such a fine day, Sasuke felt that it was time to give Naruto a thorough beating.

Beat him into a pig's head.

At that thought, a faint smile appeared on Sasuke's face.

"Hey, Sasuke, so you can smile. I always thought you had a deadpan face," that annoying voice sounded beside him again. "Still, Sasuke, you look pretty good when you smile. Smile more when you can. Doesn't it get tiring, always keeping a straight face?"

"You..."

Sasuke was left speechless by Naruto again. He simply quickened his pace, thinking to himself, Who needs your praise?

Hmph!

Watching Sasuke speed up, Naruto stood there blankly for a moment, his mind a complete mess. What was wrong with Sasuke? He was unhappy even after being complimented. If Sasuke complimented him, he would definitely be happy.

With that confusion, Naruto entered the classroom.

Sasuke truly was the most popular student in the class.

He had been absent for three days, and the other students seemed to have been lovesick the entire time. Upon his return, the moment he entered the classroom, his classmates surrounded Sasuke three layers deep, all eager to ease their longing.

They had even nearly started fighting just to get a spot closer to Sasuke.

In the end, though, wide-foreheaded Sakura Haruno and Ino Yamanaka stood to Sasuke's left and right, chattering away like two little birds as they told him everything that had happened over the past three days.