Sakura Was Stunned

Naruto's home.

After tidying everything up, Naruto sat cross-legged on his bed and silently checked his Data Panel. Looking at the over two hundred Experience Points, he nodded in satisfaction.

Aside from Sasuke, Sakura, and Hinata, he had absorbed all the Experience Points from the story characters in class. But these two hundred-plus points were enough to raise his strength by another level.

So he chose to exchange them without hesitation.

[Ding! Exchange successful. Obtained 25 drops of Saiyan Blood.]

A warm current flowed through his body. As the explosive power within that current gathered faster, the muscles across his body became more defined, and his originally thin frame grew increasingly sturdier.

But it was not over yet, because more areas of his hair had turned black, becoming tougher and stronger as well.

Closing his eyes silently, Naruto found that his sensory abilities had improved once again. With just a slight extension of his senses, he could detect vast stretches of presences in every direction.

After his Sage Body and Saiyan Blood had fused, he had already gained powerful sensory abilities. Now, as his Saiyan Blood continued to increase, his perception was growing stronger and stronger.

Though it had not reached the level of Mind's Eye of the Kagura, he could clearly sense everything within a one-kilometer radius. Even cats, mice, and insects could be detected distinctly.

If someone was spying on or monitoring him, he would sense them even more clearly. This ability greatly surprised Naruto and made him even more satisfied.

"System, open the Data Panel," Naruto said expectantly.

Ding!

Naruto: Pseudo-Saiyan

Blood: 90 drops of Saiyan Blood

Abilities: Enhanced Clone Technique, Multi-Shadow Clone Technique

Experience Points: 0

...

"Already 90 drops of Saiyan Bloodline... I wonder what will happen after 100 drops?"

Naruto muttered to himself, extremely curious about reaching 100 drops of Saiyan Blood. But it was already nighttime, so it was inconvenient to go out and gain Experience Points. He was feeling a little impatient.

"Right, I'll go take a look at the Sealing Space. I wonder if any new Experience Orbs have appeared around the Nine-Tails."

With that, Naruto closed his eyes and instantly arrived in the Sealing Space.

"Annoying brat, what are you here for again?"

When the Nine-Tails saw Naruto appear, it instinctively became somewhat guarded. Yet it also found that strange, unable to understand why it was on guard. In the end, it concluded that it was afraid Naruto would provoke it again.

So it stared warily at Naruto and angrily tried to drive him away.

"Come on, can't I just come visit you?"

Standing outside the seal, Naruto saw the tiny Experience Orbs that had appeared around the Nine-Tails again and immediately smiled.

"Hmph, visit me? You just want to annoy me. Every time you come here, you irritate me," the Nine-Tails said angrily.

[Experience Points +3]

"Isn't it because I'm worried you'll be lonely? You don't even have a girlfriend."

"Shut up!" the Nine-Tails roared in frustration, feeling as though it was about to be annoyed for another few hours.

[Experience Points +3]

"Let me tell you, little Hinata came to my house for dinner today. She's so adorable and sweet. I really like her."

"Get lost."

The Nine-Tails angrily turned its head away from Naruto. It even curled itself into a ball. If Naruto kept mocking it like this, it was starting to question its whole existence.

[Experience Points +3]

"Fine, fine. I won't tease you today. Get some rest. I'll come see you another day."

Seeing that the Experience Orbs around the Nine-Tails had completely vanished, Naruto waved and left, leaving the Nine-Tails alone in the Sealing Space.

"Has that brat changed? He actually didn't annoy me? I thought he'd irritate me for hours again."

The Nine-Tails let out a sigh of relief. Not being mocked for several hours made it feel slightly unaccustomed.

"Damn it, what am I even thinking? I'd better sleep," the Nine-Tails muttered, then chose to sleep.

The next morning.

Inside the spacious, bright classroom.

Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura sat in the classroom waiting. However, Sasuke and Sakura sat together, far away from Naruto.

"Uchiha Sasuke, I'm not trying to criticize you, but if you're afraid of me, you're afraid of me. What's so hard about admitting it?" Naruto said with a yawn.

"Who is afraid of you? I only lost to you in arm wrestling. Sooner or later, I'll surpass you," Sasuke replied unhappily.

[Experience Points +1]

"Still refusing to admit it? If you're not afraid of me, why are you sitting so far away?"

"I..."

Sasuke was speechless and did not know how to answer. In the end, he said angrily, "I just can't be bothered with you."

[Experience Points +1]

"You can't be bothered with me? Then why are you still talking to me?"

"I!"

Sasuke was left unable to say anything by Naruto's retort. In the end, he turned his head away and ignored Naruto.

"Sasuke, I actually know a method to become stronger. It might make you incredibly powerful in just three years," Naruto suddenly said.

"Hm? What method?" The moment Sasuke heard that he could become stronger, he was instantly interested.

[Experience Points +1]

"The method is simple." Naruto looked at Sasuke.

"You just need to do 100 push-ups, 100 sit-ups, 100 squats, and run ten kilometers every day. Eat some bananas, enjoy the air conditioning, and after three years, you might become super strong."

"What kind of training method is that? The intensity doesn't seem very high." Sasuke was puzzled. His own training was even more intense than this, yet he had not improved much.

"What? You don't believe me? Let me tell you, someone became strong through this method, and he became ridiculously strong," Naruto continued.

"Really?" Sasuke grew interested and was slightly eager to try it.

"Of course. Once you finish the training, if you go bald, then you've succeeded. If you don't go bald, then you've failed."

"Go bald?"

Sasuke froze. The image of himself bald appeared in his mind, and he instantly shuddered.

When he saw Naruto's half-smiling expression, he immediately realized that he had been tricked again.

Angry, Sasuke wanted to say something, but he did not want Naruto to mock him further. In the end, he simply turned his head away and stopped looking at Naruto.

[Experience Points +1]

"Hey, don't stop talking. I'm telling you, it's all true. You can absolutely give it a try."

Naruto continued to egg him on, but Sasuke refused to say anything at all. He had clearly made up his mind to stay silent.

At that moment, Naruto sensed Kakashi arriving at the school gate. He glanced outside, then said calmly, "Team 7's instructor is here."

"Our instructor?"

Sasuke and Sakura were both slightly stunned by this, then looked toward the door. But after waiting for a while, no one came in, and their gazes became somewhat distrustful.

"Naruto, it's wrong for you to deceive people like this. Trust is the most basic element between ninja comrades. If you keep lying, it'll reduce the trust between us," Sakura said angrily, looking very dissatisfied.

"Lying? When did I lie?" Naruto raised his eyebrows as he looked at Sakura.

"First, you said our instructor had arrived, but where is he? There's clearly no one here. Then you tricked Sasuke with that bald training method. That's obviously deceiving people."

Sakura rattled on, then turned to glance at Sasuke.

Though Sasuke did not speak, he nodded as well, wearing an expression of agreement. Clearly, he did not believe Naruto's words either.

But then...

Before Sasuke could even finish nodding, the classroom door was pushed open, and their instructor, Hatake Kakashi, walked in.

Creak!

Sasuke's nod froze halfway. He stared motionlessly ahead, while Sakura beside him was completely stunned, blankly staring at Kakashi.

An eerie silence fell over the room. No one spoke; everyone remained silent. This reaction even left the newly arrived Kakashi confused.

[Experience Points +1]

[Experience Points +1]

[Experience Points +2]