Naka River (3)

Chapter 26: Naka River ()

"That's it?"

"Hahahaha..."

"My stomach hurts from laughing."

"So a ghost is just a ghost..."

"Ow!"

On the north bank of the Naka River, Uchiha Shin stood with his hands on his hips, laughing. He wasn't sure if he'd laughed so hard he was out of breath, or what.

On the south bank, Senju Hashirama saw his opponent laughing so hard that he crouched down and clutched his stomach.

"Damn it!"

"Hey, is it really polite to laugh at someone to their face like that?"

Four-year-old Senju Hashirama suddenly felt his face grow hot...

Even if he hadn't thrown it well, that didn't mean the other guy had to laugh at him like that. The fellow across the river was just too obnoxious.

Four-year-old Senju Hashirama tried his best to look angry with his adorable little face.

"Hey, you ghost across the river! I, the great me, have undergone rigorous laugh-suppression training. No matter how funny something is, I won't laugh—unless I can't help it..."

"Haha..."

Uchiha Shin watched Senju Hashirama's expression from across the river while continuing to play the part of someone who was deliberately provoking him.

As the saying went, when a man succeeded in catching a woman's attention, it also meant that she was about to fall for him.

If four-year-old Senju Hashirama had a narrator at that moment...

Four-year-old Senju Hashirama might have said, "That guy across the river... All right, you've successfully caught my attention!"

Hahaha.

"So, what do you say? Want me to teach you the secrets of skipping stones?"

Uchiha Shin finally straightened up and stopped laughing.

Then, having already made up his mind, Uchiha Shin naturally gave Senju Hashirama an exceptionally warm smile.

Though Uchiha Shin kept using phrases like "the great me," his voice was full of warmth and sincerity, like a kind older brother from next door.

Looking at Uchiha Shin's exceptionally warm, sincere, sunny smile...

Deep down, a tender part of Senju Hashirama, who had just lost his cousin, seemed to be touched by Uchiha Shin's sincere, sunny smile.

For a moment, four-year-old Senju Hashirama hesitated.

Heh heh, looks like he took the bait.

Watching Senju Hashirama's expression closely, Uchiha Shin was secretly delighted.

But he still needed to turn up the heat a little...

"Hey, ghost, wait there. The great me will be right over."

Uchiha Shin stayed alert as he continued to spread his sensory abilities in every direction, just in case a Senju Clan ninja appeared.

Then, Water Walking beneath his feet, he bounded across the river in a few leaps and landed in front of Senju Hashirama, looking at him with a broad smile.

"Are you a ninja?"

Watching Uchiha Shin cross the river by walking on the water, Senju Hashirama tensed and asked nervously.

"So what if I am?"

"In a rotten world like this, it's hard to survive if you're not a ninja!"

Uchiha Shin's face once again broke into an exceptionally warm, sunny, sincere smile. Then he spoke as if hinting at something.

"That's true, in a rotten world like this..."

Thinking of his cousin's death, Senju Hashirama looked up at Uchiha Shin and sighed softly.

He looked at the warm, sunny, sincere smile on Uchiha Shin's face. Four-year-old Senju Hashirama believed that someone with a smile like that couldn't be an enemy.

So Senju Hashirama slowly let down his guard around Uchiha Shin.

Noticing how quickly Senju Hashirama had relaxed, Uchiha Shin thought, Heh, even a four-year-old kid can't fool me. In my past life, I read The Actor's Self-Cultivation, after all.

"Hey, ghost, why are you sighing?"

"You still have a long road ahead of you."

"You shouldn't go around looking so gloomy."

Uchiha Shin smiled gently at Senju Hashirama.

Then he pulled another round, flat pebble out of his pocket and handed it to Senju Hashirama.

"Here, give it another try. I'll watch."

"...All right. I'll try."

Senju Hashirama hesitated for a moment as he looked at the pebble Uchiha Shin offered him, then took it.

But Senju Hashirama really did have a talent for skipping stones.

"Pa!"

"Pa!"

"Pa!"

"Pa!"

This time, the pebble Senju Hashirama threw skipped four times across the surface of the Naka River.

Unfortunately, it still didn't make it all the way to the other bank. In the end, it plunged into the riverbed.

"Ghost, looks like you've got a knack for this!"

"You've improved a lot!"

Uchiha Shin laughed as he patted Senju Hashirama on the shoulder, praising him warmly.

Being praised like this made four-year-old Senju Hashirama feel a little embarrassed. As far as he could remember, his father, Senju Butsuma, had never praised him.

A little shy, Senju Hashirama scratched his head bashfully, then gave a goofy grin.

"Next time, when you throw, lift your arm just a little as you release the stone."

"That's the secret to skipping stones."

Uchiha Shin smiled and patted Senju Hashirama on the shoulder again, offering him a pointer.

Then he took out another round, flat pebble and handed it to Senju Hashirama.

"Got it..."

"This time, I'll definitely do it."

Senju Hashirama took the pebble Uchiha Shin handed him, thinking about the technique the older boy had just described.

"Pa!"

"Pa!"

"Pa!"

"Pa!"

"Pa!"

This time, the pebble Senju Hashirama threw skipped five times across the surface of the Naka River. It was clearly much better than the last try.

Unfortunately, even after skipping five times, the pebble still didn't make it to the opposite bank of the Naka River.

A hint of disappointment inevitably appeared on four-year-old Senju Hashirama's face.

"Not bad. You've improved a lot since last time."

"Keep trying, and you'll get it eventually."

"Isn't failure how people improve?"

Uchiha Shin noticed the disappointment on Senju Hashirama's face.

So he promptly transformed himself into a thoughtful big brother, continuing to feed Senju Hashirama encouragement and inspirational platitudes.

Then Uchiha Shin took all the pebbles out of his pocket and handed them to Senju Hashirama.

"Mm-hmm, I understand."

"I'll practice hard."

Senju Hashirama nodded with a smile, took all the pebbles Uchiha Shin had handed him, and began practicing on his own.

Uchiha Shin took the opportunity to sit cross-legged on a large rock two meters away from Senju Hashirama.

Then he propped his chin on one hand and watched Senju Hashirama practice skipping stones with a smile.

First try: failure...

Second try: failure...

Tenth try...

"Haha, I did it..."

"Big brother, I did it! Haha!"

On his thirteenth try, Senju Hashirama finally sent the pebble skimming perfectly across the surface of the Naka River, where it bounced eight times before making it all the way to the opposite bank.

Having succeeded at skipping stones, Senju Hashirama quickly ran over to the large rock where Uchiha Shin sat and happily told him, "Big brother, I did it!"

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