The boring class finally ended, and the students all packed their bags and left.
Chizhao, worried about Naruto, decided to have a good talk with him before going to the cabin.
She reached out and grabbed Naruto's wrist as he was tidying his things, calling his name with a serious expression.
"Naruto."
"What is it...?"
Then she flashed a harmless smile.
"I'm treating you to ice cream today."
........
By the riverbank, two small figures sat side by side, holding ice cream cones.
They leisurely admired the shimmering river in front of them, as if the whole world was immersed in this peaceful and beautiful moment.
Naruto took small, intermittent licks of his cone, but his gaze involuntarily drifted towards the girl beside him.
A strange impulse surged in his heart.
He wanted to pour out all the questions suppressed in his chest in one go.
But when the words reached his lips, they seemed to be blocked by something, unable to escape.
What was wrong with him?
Why did he feel annoyed whenever he thought of Chizhao being close to Sasuke?
"Naruto, can you tell me why you were so angry in class today?"
Her gentle voice pulled Naruto's thoughts back to reality. He stared at her emerald green eyes in front of him, feeling nervous.
"That..."
He wanted to ask all his questions.
His heart pounded against his chest, countless questions and anxieties swirling within him, yet he didn't know where to begin:
Do you think I'm no good?
Do you think Sasuke is better than me?
Will you eventually leave me behind again?
Are you... falling for Sasuke...?
These questions weighed on his heart like giant stones, making it hard for him to breathe.
"The ice cream is melting!"
He snapped back to reality, realizing the soft ice cream had already dripped down the cone onto the back of his hand.
He quickly shoved the ice cream into his mouth, apologizing indistinctly.
"Sorry, I wasn't paying attention and..."
"Why are you apologizing?"
"Hmm?"
If it were the old Naruto, he would have cheerfully finished the ice cream before it melted.
And even if he apologized, it would have been lighthearted; now he looked troubled.
Shikamaru was right, this kid was too naive.
So naive that all his emotions were written on his face.
Chizhao, who had already finished her cone, placed both hands on Naruto's tender cheeks, forcing his face towards her.
"Ouch...."
The cold touch, accompanied by pain, instantly cleared Naruto's confused mind.
His cheeks were squeezed by Chizhao, making them chubby.
His azure eyes widened involuntarily, reflecting the frowning girl in front of him.
Her hair fluttered in the wind, brushing against Naruto's nose, carrying a faint, pleasant scent.
Words of reproach and concern came on the wind.
"You! If you have something on your mind, just tell me!"
"Aren't we friends?"
"Those two handprints are still on the wall!"
If you keep everything bottled up like this, I'll go and wipe them off!"
The girl's expression didn't seem like a joke. His pupils contracted, and he waved his hands frantically.
"No, no, no, I'll tell, I'll tell, I'll just tell you."
After Naruto's stammering explanation, Chizhao finally understood the reason for the boy's anger.
She sighed, glanced at Naruto, who was shyly fiddling with his fingers, and spoke helplessly:
"Sasuke and I are just friends. Maybe he doesn't even consider me a friend."
"And I almost overslept this morning because I trained too late. I really don't know what your little brain thinks about all day."
Naruto, half-believing, confirmed again:
"Really?"
"Really!"
This time, Naruto finally broke into a smile, his legs swinging, the heavy burden in his heart suddenly disappearing, making him feel much better.
He felt as if the river in front of him was much clearer than usual.
"Didn't we make a promise? As long as that handprint is there, we'll always be good friends."
With his knot untied, Naruto finally regained his composure, nodding with a firm gaze.
"Sorry, Chizhao, I won't be like this again."
Seeing little Naruto regain his spirits, Chizhao also smiled with relief.
It turns out even children have worries about gains and losses.
Having had no friends in her previous life, she was indeed a bit slow in this regard.
As the sun gradually set, Chizhao suddenly remembered that Shisui was still in the cabin.
She quickly stood up, thinking of an excuse.
"Sorry, Naruto, I just remembered I have something to take care of, I have to go now."
"Huh? Do you need my help?"
"No, I can do it myself. Ganai!"
Naruto waved at her retreating back, watching her run around the corner ahead.
Then he clenched his fists, looking determined:
"Yosh!"
He would definitely become better than Sasuke, no, better than most people, and stay with Chizhao forever!
The sun gradually set, and the dim yellow light stretched the shadows of passersby.
Chizhao hurried towards the back mountain, passing a taiyaki stall on the way.
Remembering her promise to Shukaku, she pulled out her wallet and bought ten at once.
Facing the surprised look of the owner, Chizhao simply said she had guests at home to brush him off.
When she arrived at the cabin, carrying a large bag of paper bags, the scene before her made her stop in her tracks.
Shisui, with his pant legs rolled up to his knees, holding a short sword, stood bathed in the golden sunset, eyes closed in concentration in the sparkling river water, like a powerful swordsman waiting to draw his blade.
"Now! Three o'clock!"
Following Shukaku's guidance, Shisui moved like lightning, swiftly thrusting in the specified direction.
Instantly, a plump fish leaped out of the water, cleverly flicked by him onto the bank.
"A-He! Catch!"
Shukaku extended his large tail, easily scooping up the fish, wagging his ears happily, and exclaimed excitedly.
"Oh, oh, oh! This one's big enough! It must be delicious!"
Chizhao looked at everything before her, feeling a surge of emotion. She hadn't expected Shukaku and Shisui's relationship to become so harmonious in just one day.
Shisui's keen ears twitched slightly, instantly catching the familiar sound of footsteps.
He turned towards the source of the sound, his tone light.
"You're here, Chizhao. How was school today?"
"It was the same as usual, nothing changed, and I arrived at school on time today, no lateness!"
"Haha, that's good..." Shisui responded with a smile.
He fumbled, preparing to get ashore, but accidentally stepped on moss on a stone, his foot slipped, and his body instantly lost balance.
"Danger!"
Chizhao hastily dropped the paper bag in her arms and rushed over, using her small shoulders to support Shisui's body, thus preventing further incident.
【Good Deed Progress +4】
Feeling the soft body in front of him, Shisui quickly used the leverage to stand up.
"Sorry, Chizhao, I've caused you trouble. I'm still adjusting to life without my eyes, so it's inevitably a bit inconvenient..."
Chizhao heard deep self-reproach in Shisui's tone.
She shook her head, helped Shisui out of the water and onto the bank, comforting him with a gentle voice:
"It's okay, as long as Shisui-ge is fine."
After speaking, she turned her head to look at a certain raccoon dog who was busy with the fish, a hint of dissatisfaction in her tone:
"But a certain raccoon dog is not at all kind; someone caught fish for him, and he didn't even help."
Shukaku, being called out, paused, and turned back with some exasperation to explain:
"I... This lord wanted to test your abilities, so..."
"It's okay, A-He helped me a lot today, and catching fish was also to exercise my other senses, so Chizhao, don't take it out on A-He."
Since even Shisui said so, Chizhao could only sigh in compromise.
Then she picked up the paper bag from the ground. Fortunately, the taiyaki hadn't been damaged.
Then she swept away her dissatisfaction and happily called out to Shukaku by the river.
"A-He! Come quickly, I bought a lot of taiyaki!"
Upon hearing 'taiyaki,' Shukaku's ears perked up, and he quickly bounced over.
"Yay! For the sake of the taiyaki, this lord will help you look after that kid more from now on..."
Chizhao: Why does that sound so annoying?
She gave half to Shukaku, and Chizhao took the rest to Shisui, sitting against a large tree.
She half-wrapped a taiyaki in paper, took Shisui's hand, and placed it in his.
"Shisui-ge, you should try this too, this taiyaki is delicious!"
Feeling the warmth in his hand and the sweet scent of red bean at his nose, Shisui's lips curved into a beautiful arc, his tone gentle.
"Then I won't be polite, hmm! Delicious."
A comfortable breeze carried a hint of red bean sweetness.
Chizhao ate her taiyaki, her gaze turning to Shisui.
His beautiful eyes were slightly open, pitch black inside, like an endless abyss, and that abyss would soon bury countless wronged souls of the Uchiha Clan.
Feeling her gaze, Shisui gently turned his head towards the girl, his voice soft and concerned: "What's wrong, Chizhao?"
Chizhao instantly snapped back to reality, quickly averted her gaze, and looked down at the taiyaki in her hand, trying to hide her lapse.
She took a deep breath and began to execute her plan.
"Shisui-ge, since you've been monitoring me all this time, then you must know a lot about me, right?"
Even though she knew Shisui couldn't see, she still maintained her expression and cautiously asked the question.
Shisui seemed to ponder for a moment, looking troubled, then his expression turned serious:
"Chizhao, to what extent do you want me to understand? The content I can understand is only within the scope you allow. If there are other things you don't want me to know, I can also disregard them."
Chizhao felt a warmth in her heart.
Indeed, Shisui was also a gentle and considerate older brother; he always prioritized her feelings.
"Then I'll ask one question, and you can answer, okay?"
Shisui cooperatively put down the taiyaki in his hand and nodded: "Then ask."
"Do you know that I don't have Chakra?"
"Yes, I know."
"Do you also know that my ability can absorb Ninjutsu?"
"Yes, I know."
"Then do you also know that I can dream about the future?"