Separate Paths

On the wooden dock, Satsuki took a deep breath and began forming hand seals. She closed her eyes and, following the experience from her afternoon training, slowly guided Chakra from her dantian to her chest, then gradually gathered it in her throat. She performed every step with exceptional care.

As she completed the final Tiger seal, Satsuki abruptly opened her eyes. "Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique!"

"Boom—!"

A massive fireball dozens of meters in diameter surged from her mouth. Blazing flames illuminated the entire lake, dyeing the surrounding trees orange-red. A wave of heat rushed toward them, and plumes of steam rose from the lake's surface.

When the ninjutsu ended, Satsuki stared blankly at the sight before her. Disbelieving joy gradually appeared on her little face. I... can do something like this too!

Her heart raced. Then... then I might be able to earn Dad's approval!

"Oh, that was amazing," Naruto praised from behind her. "Looks like the training method really works."

Satsuki turned around and saw Naruto's sincere smile. Along with the embarrassment from earlier, an indescribable gratitude filled her heart.

Naruto was helping her so wholeheartedly, leaving her both touched and at a loss. How should I repay him...?

What she did not know was that Naruto had already received the reward he wanted most. A crisp system notification rang out in his heart.

Ding!

Congratulations, Host: You have formed a bond with an original character, "Uchiha Sasuke" (Level 2)!

Points obtained: 500!

Naruto forcefully suppressed the joy that was practically overflowing. Naturally, he had to go home and savor a gacha moment like this slowly!

As expected of the original second male lead... no, she was the second female lead now. One level up, and he had earned 500 points!

Naruto decided to strike while the iron was hot and raise her favorability some more. He pulled out the carefully prepared lunchbox from his backpack and deliberately said in a casual tone, "You trained all afternoon, so you must be exhausted, right? I made something tasty. Let's eat together."

Satsuki's little face reddened a little more at his words. It had been the same last time—she had eaten his lunch but failed to repay him... Yet Naruto had already skillfully taken out two pairs of chopsticks, clearly having prepared to let her freeload from the start.

"I made some really delicious tomato dishes this time~" Naruto introduced as he opened the lunchbox. "And there are three kinds of rice balls. Which one do you want? Seaweed rice balls, pickled plum rice balls..." He deliberately drew out the last part. "And bonito flake rice balls."

Satsuki's ears perked up. Tomato dishes?! And bonito flake rice balls?! In her heart, the only thing that could rival her beloved tomatoes was bonito flake rice balls. Naruto had actually made both of those foods?!

Little Satsuki had not realized at all that Naruto had specifically prepared them according to her tastes. Instead, she innocently thought, This person's taste in food... is actually so similar to mine!

The words of refusal Satsuki had intended to say eventually turned into a voice as soft as a mosquito's buzz. "Um... I'll have the bonito flake rice ball..."

She lowered her head. She was clearly craving it terribly, yet her attempt to act calm out of shyness was unbearably adorable.

The two sat side by side on the wooden dock. Naruto took a round bonito flake rice ball from the lunchbox and held it out to Satsuki. Blushing, Satsuki accepted it and cautiously took a bite.

The savory fragrance of bonito instantly spread through her mouth. The sweetness of the rice blended perfectly with the salty freshness of the bonito flakes. Satsuki unconsciously narrowed her eyes, the corners of her lips lifting as a blissful expression appeared on her face.

"Food always tastes especially good after hard training, right?" Naruto said indistinctly through a bite of his own rice ball. "You're really impressive. I'm so lucky to be able to train with a genius from the Uchiha Clan."

Satsuki turned toward him. The afterglow of the setting sun shone on her delicate profile. The joy from his praise had just surfaced before it was quickly replaced by a trace of disappointment.

At home... there's an even greater genius... She recalled the approving look in her father's eyes whenever he looked at her older sister, and a sour feeling welled up in her heart.

She had always called herself a genius in front of Naruto, but if Naruto one day saw Itachi's terrifying talent, would he be disappointed in her like her father was?

"You..." Satsuki's voice suddenly became very soft. "Do you... really think I'm a genius?"

The question caught Naruto off guard. Doesn't this girl usually call herself a genius all the time? He glanced at Satsuki's lowered lashes and noticed that those lively black eyes were now somewhat downcast.

Naruto put down his rice ball and thought seriously for a moment. Then he answered firmly, "Of course. Among people our age, we're probably the first to start working hard to become outstanding ninja."

Naruto pointed at the lake. "That ninjutsu from earlier—some genin probably couldn't even use it, right?"

As the sunset's afterglow gradually dimmed, Satsuki fell silent for a while before finally speaking again. Her voice carried obvious unwillingness, mixed with longing.

"...Actually, in the Uchiha Clan, there's someone far more amazing than me." Her long black hair fell down, covering half her face.

"When she was my age, she could perform Fire Style ninjutsu perfectly the first time she used it. She's only a few years older than me now, but she can already help the family handle so many things... I want to surpass her, but... can I really do it?"

Self-doubt? Why are kids in the Ninja World so psychologically complicated...?

Naruto sighed helplessly inwardly, but kept a gentle expression on his face. He seriously looked at Satsuki's lowered profile.

"Are you afraid you won't be able to catch up to that person? Satsuki, doesn't this unwillingness you're feeling right now show that you care very deeply about her?"

Satsuki froze for a moment. After hesitating, she slowly nodded in the end.

Naruto continued, "You said that person could perfectly perform Fire Style ninjutsu the first time she used it? But there's a very important misunderstanding here."

"She's a few years older than you, which means you were never standing at the same starting line. No matter how hard you work, she has always trained several more years than you—so why are you so certain that your talent is inferior to hers?"

Satsuki hurriedly said, "Didn't I just say so?! When my sister was my age, she could perfectly perform Fire Style ninjutsu the first time she used it!"

Satsuki did not notice that in her excitement, she had let slip that person's identity.

Naruto shook his head. "If you're dismissing yourself based on that alone, it's still far too early."

"Ninja have never been people who fight using only one type of release. A ninja's path is broader than you can imagine—ninjutsu, genjutsu, taijutsu, sealing techniques, summoning techniques, puppet techniques, and even medical ninjutsu are all stages where geniuses can display their talent."

He paused for a moment to let Satsuki process his words, then gave an example.

"Take Lady Tsunade, one of the legendary Three Ninja. She became a renowned powerhouse in the Ninja World through medical ninjutsu and taijutsu alone. Would you say her talent is inferior to others just because she isn't skilled in Fire Style?"

Satsuki's eyes widened slightly. Seeing that his words had moved her, Naruto continued.

"Isn't it too narrow-minded to conclude that your talent is inferior to hers simply because you're not as good at Fire Style as that person?"

Seeing Satsuki's thoughtful expression, Naruto posed the most crucial question.

"Satsuki, you need to think this through—what you truly want to surpass, is it that person's current strength, or your future self?"

The night breeze gently stirred the ends of their hair. Naruto's voice sounded especially clear in the dusk.

"Everyone in this world has their own talents. There's a saying: a king has a king's talents, and a cook has a cook's talents."

"If a king and a cook competed in cooking, the king would undoubtedly lose. By the same logic, if you only keep staring at that person's back, you might miss the path that belongs to you."

"Take a ninja with exceptional taijutsu. If they insist on training genjutsu they aren't good at because they're fixated on certain things, that would be the real waste of talent. You are unquestionably a genius, so why rush to doubt yourself before your own talents have fully revealed themselves?"

Naruto looked at Satsuki's profile, then suddenly smiled slyly and deliberately said in a relaxed tone, "Satsuki, do you believe that? According to that logic, perhaps there are ninja in this world who can defeat the Hokage with taijutsu alone."

That half-joking remark successfully broke the serious atmosphere. Satsuki was stunned at first, then could not help laughing. "Idiot, how could something like that possibly exist..."

Only Naruto knew that it was not a joke—and that the ninja from his example was in Konoha. Seeing Satsuki's smile bloom again, Naruto felt lighter as well.

"All right, all right, I get it!" Satsuki stood up, her long black hair fluttering in the evening breeze. Confidence once again shone from her little face. "You're right, I'm a genius of the Uchiha Clan! I'll definitely find the path that belongs to me!"

Naruto looked up at the little girl who had pulled herself together again, warmth in his gaze. "Yeah! Then let's work hard together. Maybe we're the same kind of people—if we want to surpass those prodigies, then we have to become hardworking geniuses!"

At that, Satsuki looked down at Naruto, her eyes shining with complicated emotions. After hesitating for a while, she finally spoke softly. "I... really am grateful that you told me all this... and helped me train... but..."

Her fingers unconsciously twisted the corner of her clothes. "...How should I thank you?" Seemingly realizing that was too direct, she immediately turned her face away. "Just so we're clear! I just don't want to owe you a favor!"

Naruto looked at the little girl using tsundere behavior to hide her shyness. "You... really are cute."

Those words were like a stone dropped into a calm lake. Satsuki's face instantly flushed to the tips of her ears, and she panicked as she took half a step back. "W-What are you suddenly saying?!"

Naruto stood up, his blue eyes looking directly into Satsuki's. "Did you forget? We're friends. You know, you're my first friend."

"Other than not wanting to train alone because it's so lonely, I helped you simply because I genuinely want to see you become stronger."

In the twilight, blue eyes and black eyes silently met, reflecting each other's figures.

Naruto continued, "Also, the passion someone has when they're focused on something is really cool." He pointed at Satsuki's eyes. "The look in your eyes when you said you wanted to surpass that person was truly dazzling."

Ripples spread across the lake, and moonlight shattered into countless points of silver upon the water. Satsuki stared blankly at Naruto, a warmth unlike anything she had ever felt surging in her chest. Her lips parted, but no words came out. She merely gave a soft "Mm," while a sincere smile unconsciously curved her lips.

In Naruto's heart, that pleasant voice sounded once more.

Ding!

Congratulations, Host: You have formed a bond with an original character, "Uchiha Sasuke" (Level 4)!

Points obtained: 1000!