Mystical Palm Technique

Winter days were short. By four or five in the afternoon, the sky had already grown dim. Two small figures walked hand in hand along Konoha's streets, their shadows stretching long beneath the setting sun.

"Aunt Muzi is amazing!" Samu Kokaze exclaimed as he stepped out of the hospital, touching his face, where not even a trace of swelling remained.

"Of course! Aunt Muzi is a Special Jonin of Konoha!" Ino wore a proud expression, looking as though she were the one Samu Kokaze was praising.

"Really? That's incredible!" Samu Kokaze deliberately shouted in surprise while secretly thinking:

A Special Jonin? No wonder she knows the Mystical Palm Technique! But that works out nicely. I got a bargain out of it!

In the Naruto World, whether it was the most basic Transformation Techniques or high-level forbidden techniques, all of them required chakra to activate.

And for Samu Kokaze, who possessed absolute control over his body through the Nano Core...

While Muzi had used medical ninjutsu to heal Samu Kokaze's body, every change her chakra caused within him had been firmly committed to memory. Just like copying and pasting on a computer, he had instantly stolen Muzi's level of control over the technique.

Having secretly learned an advanced ninjutsu, Samu Kokaze felt smug. Although he could not use it yet because all his chakra was being supplied to the Nano Core, obtaining his first ninjutsu still made him incredibly excited.

After all, this was the first ninjutsu he had acquired since coming to this world.

"What are you grinning stupidly about?" Ino stood beside him, displeased that Samu Kokaze had ignored her and kept smiling foolishly as he walked. She placed a hand on his forehead.

Feeling the cool little hand against his forehead, he blanked out for a moment.

"It's nothing. I was just thinking about what birthday gift to get you tomorrow, Ino. Is there anything you particularly want?" Samu Kokaze changed the subject as he looked at Ino, who was pouting with a plainly unhappy expression.

At the mention of a gift, Ino's cheeks turned red. She lowered her head shyly and softly said, "Just figure it out yourself! But..." Forcing down her embarrassment, she looked up and firmly declared, "It has to satisfy me!"

"Ah, ah, Ino really is unreasonable. You won't say what you want, but I still have to satisfy you. You've given me quite the difficult problem." With both hands behind his head, Samu Kokaze looked toward the lingering glow of the sunset, teasing Ino softly from the corner of his eye.

"Hmph! I don't care! Whatever gift you give me has to satisfy me, or else... or else..."

"Or else what?" Samu Kokaze teased with smiling eyes as he watched the blushing Ino struggle for words.

"Hmph..." Ino turned her head aside and huffed. "You only know how to bully me!"

"Haha!" Samu Kokaze laughed a few times at the sight of Ino turning away. "Don't worry! You're my best friend. I've already thought of your gift! You definitely won't be disappointed tomorrow!"

"You sure know how to say nice things. If I'm not satisfied then I'll make you...!" Ino was speaking shyly when she suddenly froze. Pointing toward the entrance of Samu Kokaze's family shop, she said in surprise, "Samu, look ahead!"

"What is it?" Samu Kokaze, who had been entirely focused on Ino's adorable face, shifted his gaze forward.

"Naruto? Why is he sitting there?" Samu Kokaze asked in surprise as he saw the curled-up figure in front of his home.

"Who is he?" Ino asked.

Samu Kokaze paused slightly before he Responded, "Ah, he's the guy I told you about today, the one who got bullied. Let's go take a look."

As his words fell, Samu Kokaze's gaze narrowed at the figure ahead, and he quickly walked forward.

"Hey! Wait for me!" Ino jogged two steps to catch up with Samu Kokaze, calling out unhappily from behind him.

Konoha's Hokage Building, Hokage's office.

Seated at his desk, the Third Hokage looked at the crystal ball before him. The image on its surface showed the scene outside Samu Kokaze's family shop.

"Let me see what kind of person you really are. I hope Naruto can make a child friend who sincerely wants to be his friend."

Smoke filled the Hokage's office. With a pipe in his mouth, the Third Hokage stared blankly at the image and muttered to himself.

By the time Samu Kokaze and Ino reached his home, the sky had already darkened, and the brightest stars could even be seen overhead.

Standing at the entrance, Samu Kokaze's thoughts churned nonstop, but his hands did not stop moving. He gently pushed Naruto, whose mind had become muddled from the cold, and called, "Naruto! Naruto!"

"Huh?" Naruto, dazed and confused, felt movement behind him and jolted awake. He turned around sharply.

"It's Samu. I came to find you at noon because I wanted to treat you to ramen. Ha... ha..." Naruto looked up at the darkened sky and laughed awkwardly twice. He said no more, his frostbitten, purple-blue hand tightly clutching a banknote.

Samu Kokaze lowered his head slightly. Seeing Naruto's hand gripping the money, he froze, and a trace of emotion rose in his heart.

It was obvious from every detail that Naruto's life was usually difficult. Yet even so, Naruto had brought the little money he had to find him. That proved Naruto truly considered him a friend.

And all of this was the result of my calculations. I even had some dark thoughts about Naruto. Ino, standing beside me and trusting me so completely, is no different. Compared to him, I really am scum.

After mocking himself inwardly, Samu Kokaze glanced at the two beside him. Yet he put on an embarrassed expression and said, "I'm really sorry. Since tomorrow is Ino's birthday, I went to the hospital this afternoon to deal with the injury on my face. I made you wait for nothing!" As he spoke, guilt appeared on his face.

"Ah! Achoo! It's fine. Tomorrow works too." Naruto wiped his nose, then glanced at Ino, who was watching him warily beside Samu Kokaze. His expression tightened as he prepared to leave.

Naruto was afraid—terrified that the girl beside him would call him a monster, and even more terrified that his only friend would distance himself because of it. He closed his eyes and ran forward unsteadily.

Smack...

Naruto, who had been running forward with his eyes closed, looked down at the wrist that had been grabbed, then raised his head to look ahead.

With a bright, sincere smile, Samu Kokaze said, "You wanted to treat me to lunch, but I stood you up. So let me treat you tonight! Come taste my cooking and see what you think."

"Samu!" Ino cried out anxiously. She leaned her little head close to Samu Kokaze's ear and whispered in her crisp, pleasant childish voice, "I heard people call him a monster. Dad told me not to get too close to him either. We should be careful!"

Naruto's excited expression gradually darkened as he listened to the faint, intermittent whisper by his ear. He lowered his head and struggled against the hand holding him, wanting to leave.

"Hm?" When he could not pull free and found the hand still tightly gripping his own, Naruto suddenly looked up excitedly at Samu Kokaze, who still wore that sincere smile.