Three Ultimate Simps, A Girl's Admiration

Whenever someone encountered something novel, they would be addicted to it for a while.

Ino used to either play cat's cradle or ninja games. She was not yet qualified to learn her family's ninja techniques, and the Ninja Academy mainly taught academic subjects, with very few practical drills.

Neither Ino nor Sakura even knew the Three Body Technique yet.

So for Ino, breaking free of gravity for the first time and walking on a tree was simply too fascinating, too fun.

Unfortunately, she did not have much Chakra yet.

Perhaps because of that, Ino suddenly could no longer find the feeling she had just had and began failing over and over again.

Ryusuke was not surprised by this.

The hardest part of climbing a tree with one's feet was not Chakra Control, but multitasking.

Once one foot successfully stuck to the trunk, one's attention would instinctively shift to the other foot. While gathering Chakra, it was easy either to neglect the first foot or disrupt its balance.

Ryusuke had been stumped by this at first too.

When Ino had run out of Chakra and was panting from exhaustion, Ryusuke suddenly said to Sakura, "Sakura, you should give it a try too."

"Okay."

Sakura nodded vigorously. She had wanted to play for a long time.

Raising her index and middle fingers on both hands, she formed a Boar Sign and walked toward the tree that Ino had covered in little footprints.

Then a sight that left Ino dumbfounded immediately unfolded before her.

The moment Sakura placed one foot on the tree trunk, she lifted her other foot and stepped forward, her body forming a ninety-degree angle in midair.

Keeping her hands in the Boar Sign, Sakura slowly walked upward.

One step, two steps, three, four, five, six, seven...

Only after Sakura had climbed more than three meters above the ground did she finally make a mistake, her petite body falling downward.

"Ah..."

Startled, Sakura cried out and instinctively squeezed her eyes shut.

When her body stopped falling, the pain she had imagined did not come. Instead, a familiar voice reached her ears, like it had back then when it pulled her out of the darkness.

"Don't be afraid. I said I would protect you."

Opening her misty eyes, Sakura looked at Ryusuke holding her and went completely dazed.

Ryusuke set Sakura down and praised her. "I never expected that among the three of us, Sakura, you would have the best Chakra Control."

"Exactly... Sakura, you've been way too low-key all this time." Ino nodded in agreement.

"Not at all... I was just lucky." Sakura lowered her head shyly.

Looking at this girl, who was just as shy as Hinata, Ryusuke could not help sighing at how terrifying love-brained people were.

Who could imagine that this incredibly ladylike girl would awaken a violent second personality and undergo such a drastic change in temperament?

Ryusuke had always liked Sakura, the female lead whose popularity had been surpassed and crushed by the supporting heroines.

The reason so many people had hated her in his previous life was because everyone watched the manga and anime from Naruto's perspective as the protagonist.

But if they put themselves in Sasuke Uchiha's shoes, they would realize that Sakura and Karin, just like Obito Uchiha, were all ultimate simps.

Anyone who had often been a simp knew just how lofty and fearless the person being pursued could be.

Who would not want a simp like that?

Especially after Boruto came out, Sakura's married-woman charm had helped her recover quite a few points in people's impressions.

As for the Cactus Series, Ryusuke had lost count of how many times he had watched it.

Now that the manga and anime had become reality, how could Ryusuke possibly give such an ultimate simp to someone else?

Next, Sakura continued challenging the tree.

Unlike Ino's instability, Sakura climbed to a height of five meters on her second attempt.

In fewer than five tries, she successfully climbed to the top of the tree, easily mastering a technique that the Ninja Academy did not even teach.

"It's so beautiful!"

Standing high up and gazing at the snowy scenery in the distance, Sakura let out a cry of amazement.

Ino, who had been exhausted moments ago, was instantly filled with motivation again at the sight and was about to challenge the tree once more.

However, Ryusuke stopped her and reminded her, "Don't rush. Try again after your Chakra has recovered. This technique tests not only talent, but also emotional stability. You can't master it in a day or two."

"When you're at home, you can lay a mattress on the ground and practice against a wall."

"...Okay."

Ino looked a little unwilling, but she still nodded obediently.

Seeing her like this, she would definitely practice hard when she got home.

After all, Ino was a very proud girl. Within Ryusuke's circle, she was also Sakura's big sister figure.

Being surpassed by the little sister she had been protecting was something Ino could not accept.

That competitive streak was exactly what Ryusuke wanted to see.

Ryusuke had his own little motives for teaching them techniques normally learned by genin while they were still first-years.

The three of them stayed in the woods until lunchtime, and only then did Ino and Sakura reluctantly head home separately.

After parting with the two girls, Ryusuke did not go home immediately. Instead, he planned to buy some ingredients.

Just then, large white snowflakes began falling from the sky again.

As he passed a park, Ryusuke suddenly heard children shouting.

"You white-eyed monster, can't you even apologize?"

"Hurry up and kneel down to apologize to me!"

"..."

Ryusuke had not intended to get involved, but the words made him stop in his tracks.

As though he had remembered something, a strange expression appeared on Ryusuke's face. "It can't be this much of a coincidence, can it?"

Yet reality was sometimes that coincidental.

Following the direction of the voices, Ryusuke soon saw two boys shoving a girl around.

Faced with their bullying, the girl did not fight back. She merely lowered her head, wiped away her tears, and cried silently.

But rather than making the boys restrain themselves, her weak appearance only made them push things further. They were about to press down on her shoulders and force her to kneel.

Smack—

At that moment, two snowballs flew over and struck the boys in the face at the same time.

"Ow, ow... Who was that?"

The snowballs knocked the two boys back, blurring their vision.

"Wah..."

Before they could wipe the snow from their faces, two more snowballs flew over and accurately struck them in the face.

This time, the snowballs flew much faster and hit with much more force, knocking them straight down onto the ground.

With their faces red from the impacts, the two boys began crying without the slightest backbone.

"Why aren't you gone yet? Want a few more?"

The tears melted the snow, allowing the two boys to finally see the person who had ambushed them.

Seeing him casually tossing snowballs between his hands, they did not even think of getting revenge. They hurriedly got up and fled in panic.

After using his Shuriken Throwing skills, which had earned him high marks on a quiz, to drive away the two little brats, Ryusuke walked over to the stunned girl and smiled. "So it really is you. Lost again?"

"R-Ryusuke-kun."

Looking at the boy before her, Hinata's adorable face, red from either crying or the cold, suddenly turned even redder.

The joy rising in her heart instantly washed away the grievance she had felt moments ago.

"Why didn't you fight back?"

Ryusuke asked with feigned curiosity, "If I remember correctly, your Taijutsu practical score was pretty high."

"I... I..."

Hinata instinctively lowered her head and habitually twirled her index fingers together.

Perhaps because she was too nervous, she did not know how to explain herself to Ryusuke.

"Lady Hinata..."

At that moment, a voice reached Ryusuke and Hinata's ears.

A young man in a green vest, wearing a ninja Forehead Protector and possessing a pair of Byakugan, came running over from afar.

He was also carrying a bag in his hand.

Seeing this, Ryusuke immediately understood.

Clearly, Hinata had been targeted by those two children while waiting here for her clansman.

After all, to children, someone with white eyes was as loathsome as the Demon Fox monster their parents talked about.

So Ryusuke smiled and said, "Don't be so kind in the future. When someone bullies you, fight back. Otherwise, if they get a sense of achievement from bullying you, they will not only keep bullying you, but might go on to bully others too."

"Only by beating fear into them will they stop daring to bully people."

"All right, your clansman is here. See you at school."

With that, Ryusuke turned and walked away.

Watching Ryusuke's departing figure, Hinata suddenly recalled what had happened two years ago.

Back then, Ryusuke had been much shorter than he was now.

But even then, he had dared to go out alone at night.

Whether it was the Ryusuke from back then or the Ryusuke of today, he was so amazing!

A feeling of admiration quietly began to grow.