I've Already Received the Best Reward... / A Simple Training Session with Rock Lee! Please Vote for This Month's Bonus Chapter!!!

The room grew brighter.

Outside the window, cicadas began to chirp, and sparrows joined in.

Summer had arrived.

Chapter 13: I've Already Received the Best Thank-You...

There was no need to say much about Naruto's academic foundations.

He was starting from absolutely nothing, with an empty slate.

His only real asset was limitless potential.

So even with extra tutoring, this was still an impossible task.

Fortunately, Hinata's patience seemed just as limitless.

Sometimes Naruto thought he was hopelessly stupid. Why could he never understand? But Hinata kept her gentle, bashful smile and continued doing her best to explain things to him.

"Sorry, Hinata. Am I being too stupid?"

Hinata shook her head.

"No, Naruto-kun. I've never thought that..."

"Really?"

"Mm... I—I've actually always admired you, Naruto-kun..."

"Admired me? For what?"

Hinata thought for a moment, her little face flushing red, then spoke softly.

" Naruto-kun is always so optimistic and cheerful, so full of energy. No matter what other people think of you or say about you, you never get discouraged. Even when everyone laughs at you, you don't care. And even when you're up against a genius like Sasuke, you never give up."

Naruto gazed at Hinata's face. He opened his mouth, but then hesitated.

"Hinata, I'm not as great as you say. It's not that I don't care what people think, it's just..."

"I can't really explain it. I just want to prove myself and show all those people who look down on me."

Hinata smiled gently. "That's what makes you so amazing, Naruto-kun..."

Looking at the girl's smile, Naruto felt a faint stir in his heart.

"Hinata, I think that's the first time you've ever said so much..."

Hinata's face grew even redder, and she lowered her head.

"Because... those are the things I've always wanted to tell you, Naruto-kun."

"You might not remember, but when I was being bullied by a group of nasty kids, you were the one who stood up and saved me..."

Naruto rubbed his chin and tried to remember.

"Hmm... Did that happen?"

Hinata smiled. "Of course it did. Ever since... ever since then, I've always paid attention to you, Naruto-kun. Your strength, your optimism, your hard work, your refusal to give up—they've all inspired me..."

To someone more sensitive, Hinata's words would have sounded just like a confession.

But Naruto wasn't moved in the slightest. Instead, he folded his arms and puffed up with pride.

"Really? Heh, looks like I really am pretty amazing!"

Hinata nodded softly. "Mm, of course..."

Naruto's confidence soared. Suddenly, an idea struck him.

"Ah!"

"I almost forgot about that!"

He suddenly remembered that yesterday, he'd acquired his first trait ability...

[Knowledge Absorption].

As long as he entered a state of complete concentration, his comprehension and mastery of knowledge would improve dramatically!

Hinata tilted her head.

"What?"

Naruto confidently thumped his chest.

"Hinata, I'm about to go all out!"

"Don't let me scare you!"

Hinata didn't understand what he meant, but she still nodded.

"Mm... okay."

Sure enough.

Once Naruto entered a state of complete concentration, the effect of [Knowledge Absorption] kicked in, and his understanding of Hinata's explanations immediately improved by several levels.

The material no longer seemed so obscure. He could even apply what he learned to related ideas.

Hinata was both surprised and delighted.

The morning passed quietly as the two of them studied together.

Hinata glanced out the window.

The sun was high in the sky.

She grew flustered. "Naruto-kun, I... I only asked for half a day off. I should be heading back."

"Asked for time off? Isn't it the weekend?"

Hinata looked a little helpless. "I-I asked my father for permission..."

"Because..."

"Anyway, I have a lot of training to do this afternoon. I'm afraid I can't keep tutoring you, Naruto-kun."

"I'll let you know in advance next time I get the chance."

Even someone as oblivious as Naruto could understand.

He scratched his head and gave an awkward laugh. "Y-yeah, of course. I can't just think about myself. You need to work hard at your training too, Hinata!"

"But... you're leaving just like that?"

"I haven't even had a chance to thank you!"

Hinata stood and walked to the door. With her little face flushed, she looked back over her shoulder, smiled, and waved to Naruto.

"N-no need, Naruto-kun."

"I've already received the best thank-you I could ask for."

She said goodbye, then turned and hurried away with her face red. Before long, Naruto heard her rushing down the stairs. She seemed so embarrassed, like a little rabbit running away.

Naruto watched from the window as the girl sprinted off, one hand holding down her sun hat. He was left completely puzzled.

"Hinata..."

"She's a strange one, but..."

"Besides Iruka-sensei, she's the second person who's ever been so nice to me..."

Naruto might have been dense, but he knew perfectly well who treated him well.

"Yeah, I'll make sure to thank Hinata properly when I see her at school!"

[Congratulations, host. After a morning of tutoring, your proficiency in every subject has improved to some degree!]

Naruto grinned.

He didn't need the system to tell him. He could feel that he'd learned a lot of new things.

Hinata's patient explanations, the [Knowledge Absorption] trait helping him while he concentrated, and, of course, his own hard work...

That one morning of tutoring was practically worth half a year of studying!

Of course, before this, he hadn't learned much in half a year anyway.

Current Cultural Subject Proficiency

Cultural Subjects:

Physics (48/100)

Chemistry (39/100)

Mathematics (40/100)

Language Arts (52/100)

History (46/100)

English (58/100)

Biology (52/100)

Moral Education (44/100)

Ninja Insights (52/100)

Naruto checked his current attributes. Compared with the twenty-odd points he'd had in every subject at the very beginning, he'd undergone a complete transformation and made astounding progress!

Nearly every subject had gone up by ten to twenty points!

Honestly, even if the exams started right now, Naruto still wouldn't make the top ten. But at the very least, he'd be somewhere in the lower middle of the class.

He was nothing like the dead-last loser he'd been before.

Naruto stretched luxuriously.

At least System Brother was being reasonable. He'd barely caused any trouble during the morning's tutoring, and hadn't even issued a warning about the Baptism of Lightning Release.

Clearly, even he understood how necessary the tutoring was...

Naruto stretched luxuriously.

He hadn't done any actual training, but studying these subjects was even more torturous for him than doing three hundred Clone Techniques.

One wore down the body; the other wore down the mind.

Naruto saw that the sun was directly overhead, and the system immediately reminded him it was time for lunch.

He quickly made himself a sumptuous meal and wolfed it down. As he ate, he thought that next time, he should invite Hinata to eat with him...

[The host studied cultural subjects this morning. This afternoon, please head to the Ninja Training Ground in Konoha immediately and prepare to begin Taijutsu training!]

"Taijutsu?"

Naruto didn't refuse. He obediently nodded, cleaned up, changed into clothes suitable for training, and headed for Konoha's Ninja Training Ground.

He hadn't reached it yet when he suddenly heard a terrifying sound.

Thud, thud, thud—

Thud, thud, thud!

"What's that? An earthquake?!"

Naruto parted the bushes and peeked through. He saw a guy with a bowl cut and thick eyebrows relentlessly attacking a wooden post, punching and kicking it with gritted teeth!

It was as if he were burning up his blood and his very life!

"H-how terrifying!"

"Does he really have to push himself that hard?"

[The host's Taijutsu training is very simple. You just need to work a tiny bit harder than Rock Lee in front of you!]

Naruto: "???"

"So you're asking me to die?!"

Chapter 14: Simple Training with Rock Lee! Please Give Me a Monthly Ticket!!!