Gekko Hayate looked at Naruto who appeared behind Satsuki at an unknown time, and felt confused. This distance... is enough to complete a fatal blow in actual combat. Was it the moment Satsuki activated Lightning Flash Bullet that replaced the main body with a clone?
He glanced at Satsuki, who was panting slightly in the field, and saw that she had exhausted all the chakra to maintain Sharingan. Her scarlet eyes had faded to black, and she admitted her defeat in person, and the outcome was clear.
Naruto looked at the man in front of him, who was panting slightly. Although there was no external injury, his chakra was exhausted and his face was slightly pale. His hair was stuck to his forehead with sweat, and his cheeks were still stained with some dust. Satsuki. Her pursed lips and eyes couldn't hide the unwillingness, and she knew she had to comfort her...
He immediately took out a clean handkerchief from his ninja bag, stretched out his hand, and wiped the sweat and dust from her forehead and cheeks. This slightly intimate gesture immediately made the eyes of Fugaku Uchiha on the examiner's desk twitch slightly.
Satsuki was stunned by the sudden intimacy, but did not resist at all. Instead, he subconsciously raised his face slightly and cooperated with his movements. Rather... if anyone dared to stop her at this moment, she would be really angry.
"Then... ahem... I declare,"
Gekko Hayate broke the brief silence at the right time, with his usual weak voice, "The first winner is...Uzumaki Naruto."
Upon hearing the announcement, Naruto just finished wiping and put away the handkerchief. He immediately took Satsuki's hand and said softly. "Let's go to the stands." He led her towards the spectator seats.
Is this... the end? The warmth of his palm came from the back of his hand, Satsuki The unwillingness caused by this defeat quickly melted away. However, another emotion quietly emerged - it was a kind of loss that was still unfinished and a little annoyed, like a cat that was carelessly petted twice and then thrown away, feeling a little unspeakably depressed.
As the two came to the spectator seats, Naruto turned his head and spoke softly again, "Satsuki was really awesome just now."
Satsuki cast a puzzled look, as if he didn't understand why he was being praised even though he clearly lost.
"When Taijutsu realized that he was not taking advantage during the confrontation, he immediately integrated Hand Seals into Taijutsu's movements to prepare for Great Fireball Technique. His adaptability and tactical thinking were really outstanding." Naruto analyzed it carefully.
Naruto Is he... comforting me? Satsuki noticed the intention behind his words. Although it was a compliment, she knew that it was Naruto's way of soothing her possible disappointment.
To be honest, is Satsuki really annoyed? Are you really that unwilling?
Maybe just a little bit. That bit of unwillingness was more like a subconscious emotional reaction after the winner was decided. And when she raised her head again and saw Naruto's gentle blue eyes, her little bit of unwillingness evaporated in an instant. After all, she had originally planned to admit defeat.
Even... if Naruto's action of wiping her cheek just now was not interrupted by the examiner and could have lasted longer... I'm afraid she would not be disappointed, but would have some "earned" emotions.
"Also, after you were caught by Adamantine Sealing Chains last time, you specifically studied the method of cracking it, right?" Naruto continued, "The thought of using Lightning Release Chakra to interfere with the precise structure of the physical chakra is really amazing."
He continued to praise her, confirming her every tactical choice in detail.
"The last wave of offensive was really exciting. Before using Lightning Flash Bullet to create a strong light, I had already used Sharingan to hit me with Genjutsu. If I hadn't had some special resistance to Genjutsu, I might have been in danger."
Although saying this is a bit exaggerated...Naruto knows in his heart that if he really uses all his strength, he can't really turn on the tail mode. Then use [Great Spiraling Ring] to fight Chunin Ninja Exams, right?
"However, when we practice in the future, we can focus on practicing..." Naruto tried to lead the topic to the future of practicing together.
"No."
Satsuki suddenly spoke up and interrupted him. With Naruto's puzzled expression, she stared at Naruto very seriously with her dark eyes and repeated clearly.
"I don't want to fight Naruto."
"..."
Being stared at by her unabashed, frank and firm eyes, Naruto felt that his cheeks were slightly hot, and for a moment he didn't know how to respond.
He looked away slightly, coughed slightly, and proposed again. "... Well, in this case. How about we practice together? For example, we specialize in studying how to interfere with the chakra structure more effectively, Lightning Release application, and also carry out chakra refining and physical endurance training."
"Yes." Upon hearing this, Satsuki immediately had a bright smile on his face and nodded vigorously, "Then we have an agreement."
Her tone became brighter. "I'm actually not very sad about losing to you. But..." She raised her chin slightly, with a hint of familiar arrogance and determination, "Next time, I will definitely succeed! And, Naruto, you must be Chunin."
Seeing that Satsuki was not angry at all, but sincerely felt sorry for herself, Naruto felt a warm current in her heart, but because of this too pure trust and expectation, some did not dare to look her in the eyes.
In the distance, Fugaku Uchiha had a panoramic view of the interaction between his daughter and Naruto. Seeing that his daughter Feiyi, who had just experienced a defeat, was not depressed at all, but looked so happy after talking to Naruto, his eyes were complicated, and in the end he just let out an almost inaudible sigh and said nothing.
Kakashi quietly observed the interaction between the two disciples and did not come forward to disturb them. He just leaned his back against the wall, his exposed eye curved in a gentle arc, and while listening to the conversation between Naruto and Sasuke, the corners of his mouth could not help but slightly raise under the mask.
It seems... I am simply worrying too much, so that's fine.
At this moment, in the center of the venue, the huge electronic screen began to flash again, and a mechanical sound signaled the start of the lottery for the next duel. Everyone's eyes were instantly attracted.
When the name on the screen was finally fixed and clearly displayed, a person in the venue suddenly turned pale, and cold sweat seeped out from his forehead almost instantly, sliding down his face that was covered in oil paint.
He felt that his blood was frozen instantly, and even breathing became difficult.
What a joke...! He froze on the ground, as if he had fallen into an ice cave.
[Gaara VS Kankuro]