"He definitely wasn't inspired by him. That must've just been Hinata's excuse to give her family."
"Only Hinata knows the real reason. She just doesn't want to say it."
As for the real reason Hinata wanted to get stronger, Takasaki couldn't be bothered to think about it.
What teenage girl didn't have a few secrets?
Takasaki didn't care. He was the one benefiting from it, after all.
Especially when he arrived at his new home with his luggage, slid the key into the lock, opened the security door, and flipped the big switch on the wall. Seeing the bright lights illuminate the apartment's layout put him in an excellent mood.
The Konoha Bay Apartments consisted of four three-story buildings arranged in a square.
That might not have counted as a high-rise in the city of Takasaki's previous life, but in Konoha, it was a relatively tall building.
After all, Konoha had expanded outward from Kage Rock and the various clan compounds. Most of the village consisted of two- or three-story houses built by their owners.
The apartments were expensive not because they were in a particularly good location or near a prestigious school. Konoha only had one school, so there was no such thing as a school district.
The main reason was that the units came fully furnished.
The crystal chandelier in the living room shone so brightly it almost hurt his eyes.
The brand-new solid wood furniture looked expensive even just from the carved details.
The bathtub in the bathroom even had a built-in massage function.
The balcony was spacious enough for flowers, and the floor-to-ceiling windows were big enough to fit a bed in front of them.
After seeing the apartment's layout and furnishings, Takasaki felt like he'd struck gold.
Even if he sold his family's old house for ten times its value, he still couldn't afford this 90-square-meter apartment with two bedrooms, a living room, a kitchen, and a bathroom.
The best part was that the deed had his name on it.
In other words, Neji had given him the apartment for free.
"Just as you'd expect from a young master of the Hyuga Clan. He sure knows how to spend."
After washing up, Takasaki stretched out on the soft, brand-new bed, happier than ever. "I need to work twice as hard and get stronger as soon as possible. That way, my future kids with Hinata can be rich, too."
"No, not just my kids with Hinata. There'll also be my kids with Kurenai Yuhi, my kids with Ino, the young lady of the Yamanaka Clan, my kids with Tenten, the ninja tool collector, my kids with Mei Terumi, the future Mizukage, my kids with Temari, the Kazekage's daughter, and my kids with Tsunade, who was originally supposed to be the next Hokage... I have to work hard so all my kids can grow up rich."
Just imagining the grand future he'd have with his future wives filled Takasaki with motivation.
His chakra had just recovered.
Time to keep grinding those jutsu!
An hour later, his Clone Technique proficiency had increased by 10 points.
His body was exhausted, and he was so sleepy that he couldn't keep going. He lay down on the bed, closed his eyes, and fell asleep.
Before drifting off, he remembered to check his progress for the day.
[Level 3 Clone Technique (120/500)]
In two days, his Clone Technique had gone from Level 1 with 0 points to Level 3 with 120. Takasaki was satisfied with the rate of progress.
If he focused on practicing the Clone Technique, maxing it out within a month wouldn't be a problem.
Late at night, the shops in Konoha gradually closed for business.
A few izakayas stayed brightly lit all night.
Cicadas chirped without pause in the leaves of the camphor trees, while a pond full of frogs croaked at one another all night long.
The next day.
Dawn was just breaking.
Breakfast was at half past six.
Along Konoha's busiest streets, a few steamed bun shops were already open. Employees kneaded dough with rolling pins, while steam rose from bamboo steamers.
Sakura Haruno lay in her soft bed. The first thing she did when she opened her eyes was pull the Diary out of her mental space and check whether anything new had appeared.
After reading it, she returned the Diary to her mental space, feeling both disappointed and relieved.
She was disappointed that Takasaki hadn't written a third entry, so she hadn't received a reward.
But she was relieved that no one else had received one either.
Especially Hinata.
When Sakura learned that the Diary wasn't exclusive to her, and that Hinata had received the most rewards the day before, she'd tossed and turned until well past midnight before finally falling asleep.
If she hadn't set the alarm clock on her bedside table before going to bed, she probably still wouldn't have woken up.
The reason she'd gotten up so early was that she was going to school with Takasaki today!
Takasaki was a dead-last student like Naruto. He couldn't perform a single jutsu, and no matter how good-looking he was, the girls didn't care for him.
If she went to wait outside Takasaki's house and walked to school with him today, he'd surely be thrilled.
For a girl to make a move like that was pretty forward. Takasaki would definitely write about it in his Diary.
Sakura hurried through her morning routine, put on her red qipao, and took special care to fix herself up in the full-length mirror in her room. She brushed her pink hair until it looked perfect, then headed out. "Mom, I'm off to school!"
"You're going to school this early? Aren't you having breakfast?"
"I don't have time! We have the Graduation Exam today."
Sakura hurriedly gave her mother a few excuses and left the house. She arrived early at Takasaki's old home, her pink backpack on her shoulders, and waited quietly without saying a word.
She took a few glances at the outside of Takasaki's home.
It was an old, owner-built house with cracked walls.
Even the windows were old-fashioned wooden ones. Anyone could push them open from outside, and there weren't even any security bars.
"Takasaki's house must be easy to rob. It doesn't even have security bars. But a thief might not bother stealing from his place anyway. They're so poor. His parents are dead, so there's no one to help him. He's dead last at school, and he's a pervert at heart. He's bound to amount to nothing."
Sakura couldn't help muttering, "If I weren't trying to get Takasaki to mention my name more often in his Diary, I'd never have gotten up this early just to wait for him. Only Sasuke is worth waiting for."
At this hour, the fast-food shops along the street had only just opened. She was the only student on her way to school.
Half an hour passed.
It was seven in the morning.
More vendors had arrived at the market, pushing carts loaded with fresh vegetables toward their stalls.
Sleepy students with backpacks had started showing up at breakfast shops, eating freshly cooked rice noodles.
Sakura still hadn't seen Takasaki come out.
She was getting a little impatient, but she knew the wait would be worth it.
She stood at a slight angle to the wind, positioning herself so the morning breeze would lift the tips of her hair without messing up her hairstyle.
She was doing it all so Takasaki would write her name more often in his next Diary entry.
She also wanted to experience receiving extra rewards and watching the others look on with envy and jealousy.
From Takasaki's Diary, Sakura knew that he was a pervert.
So she wanted to look her best and give him a surprise when he came out.
Sakura waited beside the old wooden door of Takasaki's self-built house. "Just wait till you come out—I'll sweep you off your feet!"
PS: I changed the title to something more fitting: Naruto: Diary Exposed, Humiliated but Pursued by Female Ninjas. The new cover is still being made. I hope everyone likes it! From now on, I'll update every day at 10 a.m. and 8 p.m. Also, please vote for the book and keep reading!
Before you continue