After saying that, Naruto moved the kunai away, leaving Rock Lee still somewhat dazed.
Neji and Tenten walked over, each showing a different reaction to Naruto.
If Tenten's gaze held only curiosity mixed with a tiny bit of admiration, then Neji's was filled with solemnity, along with a thick fighting spirit.
He had seen the entire battle just now. As for Naruto's performance, he had made no unnecessary movements from beginning to end. Every exertion of strength had been perfectly measured, and he had remained calm throughout, without the slightest trace of panic.
Most importantly, he seemed to regard the fight as entertainment. Just now, he had even gone along with Rock Lee's words and encouraged him to fight... Only the strong can have that kind of mentality.
In the original story, geniuses like Neji and Sasuke had all hoped that more and more people would challenge them.
Of course, judging from the original story, only the Pillar who was practically invincible in the later stages had managed to successfully challenge the five percent who remained stronger than him, only to get beaten black and blue by all kinds of people...
But that aside, Neji had developed a strong interest in Naruto.
"Hey, what's your name?" Neji strode forward and stared down Naruto.
Naruto thought, Oops, I stole Sasuke's scene. I'm really sorry about that, but outwardly, he remained unfazed.
He answered a question with a question. "Byakugan? Are you from the branch family or the main family?"
Neji froze, and his expression instantly darkened. Is this another person who discriminates against the branch family?
"Is that important to you?" Neji asked through clenched teeth.
"Not really. I just wanted to know whether you're from the main family. If you are, I'm going to start ranting," Naruto said with a grin. "What a damn system. It should have been abolished ages ago."
Neji was stunned. He had never expected an outsider to question the Hyuga clan's system, which had existed for so many years. His feelings immediately became complicated.
"I forgot to introduce myself. My name is Naruto Uzumaki. You don't need to tell me your name. I'm only interested in the strong."
With that, he pointed at Sasuke beside him and said with a grin, "For example, this guy."
This guy?
Neji turned to look at the somewhat battered Sasuke, then glanced at Haku beneath him.
He did not ask Sasuke's name. He merely gave Naruto a deep look.
Naruto Uzumaki? I'll remember you.
Tenten also noticed Sasuke nearby and thought, He's so cute! But just like Neji, she was also deeply impressed by Naruto.
Rock Lee's eyes burned as he looked at Naruto. He had not even noticed Sakura beside him at first.
Might Guy jabbed Kakashi beside him with his elbow and lowered his voice. "Kakashi, is that the Nine-Tailed child? Lord Hokage asked me to ask you whether he's shown any abnormalities recently."
Kakashi spread his hands. "His biggest abnormality is that he's gotten smarter. Also, he seems to be able to control a small portion of the Nine-Tails' power."
"Understood." Might Guy reined in his curiosity and cheerfully introduced the Taijutsu Squad to the three-man team.
After a while.
"...That's the situation." Kakashi briefly finished explaining what had happened.
"I see." Might Guy stroked his chin and immediately made a decision. "Lee and I will escort Zabuza and Haku back to Konoha. Neji has the Byakugan, so he and Tenten can work with you to capture Gato. How about it?"
"Agreed." Naruto was the first to speak up. At the same time, he glanced at Tenten and wondered whether he should immediately launch his own great harem plan.
After all, Tenten was diligent and hardworking... Ahem, more importantly, her family sold ninja tools. For Naruto, who lacked sufficient resources in the early stages, that would be an effective boost. And if someone ran a ninja-tool shop, wouldn't that make them a rich second generation no matter how one looked at it?
What an enthralling plan! Just look at Naruto in Boruto. After becoming Lord Hokage, he worked harder than an ox or a horse, to the point that even corporate drones would have wanted to pass him a cigarette. What was there to look forward to in such a life?
Thinking about it this way, the Jonin Position might not be reliable either. Who knew whether the Otsutsuki clan would treat him like a wild monster to farm during the Boruto era...
A Rich Woman was still better!
No one objected, so Tazuna's bridge-building plan proceeded in an orderly fashion according to schedule. The overall situation was favorable. Everyone carefully controlled the quality of the pursuit, ensuring that no good friend was wronged and that bad friends were precisely struck down. They upheld a strong sense of responsibility and professionalism, strictly putting the Will of Fire into practice.
During this period, Naruto began slowly getting closer to Tenten.
First, he "accidentally" exchanged a few words with Tenten while pursuing Gato. Then, using ninja tools as the topic, he opened up a conversation with her, discussing the practical value and weaknesses of various ninja tools.
And to be fair, although Naruto's intentions were impure, he truly learned a great deal of useful knowledge from Tenten, and his understanding of ninja tools rose to another level.
Of course, their later conversations naturally began to stray further and further off course. Naruto first casually brought up how many people in the Ninja Academy class were infatuated with Sasuke and looked down on him. Then he invented all kinds of melodramatic stories, determined to portray the girls in the class as green teas who cared only about looks and not strength.
This move gave Tenten a platform to complain along with him and brought them closer.
Once Tenten also began complaining about her teammates, Naruto started taking her side without reservation. He launched into a vicious critique of Emperor Guy and Lee's clothing and their extraordinary ways of thinking, then concluded with a final statement: "Tenten, you deserve better teammates!"
Of course, Naruto had no intention of sowing discord. He was merely providing Tenten with emotional value again and again.
Simple-minded Tenten naturally did not understand the hidden meaning behind Naruto's words. She only felt that this boy was incredibly strong, spoke pleasantly, and was simply a genius!
Later on, the two occasionally touched on topics between men and women. Naruto immediately declared, "Tenten, a ninja like you is exactly my ideal type!"
Tenten's pretty face flushed bright red.
"But Tenten, you're truly a wonderful person. I'm still nowhere near good enough for you. Oh, right, don't feel pressured. I'm only saying that I've really enjoyed talking with you lately. In the past, everyone only ostracized and looked down on me because a monster lived inside my body..."
Naruto smoothly segued into his tragic past and began telling Tenten about it in detail. He went out of his way to emphasize how miserable he had been and how desperately he longed for a warm harbor of his own.
Tenten's saintly compassion overflowed. At one point, Naruto even moved her to the verge of tears.
And then... Sakura finally discovered Naruto's scheme. By threatening to beat him up, she brought his evil womanizing plan to a complete end.
Well, at least she ended it on the surface.
Still, Tenten had indeed been deeply impressed by Naruto, and he had already left an impact on her.
[Everything stated above was made up by the author. Readers who want to pursue girls, please do not imitate it!]
"If I see you starting a harem again, I'll personally make sure you can't be a man anymore!" Sakura said indignantly.
"Tenten is Neji's Official Pairing!"
"Good grief! That's all unofficial speculation. Besides, we've already transmigrated into the shinobi world, so let me enjoy myself a little... Fine, fine, let's both calm down. Put your fist down first!"
After another moment of silence, Naruto suddenly said, "How about you and I give it a try?"
Sakura viciously punched Naruto, making him yelp in pain, then turned her face away.
Kakashi walked over and said helplessly, "Stop fooling around. Neji has the latest information."
Before you continue