Chapter no.24 Meeting Tenten
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[ You have slept in your bed. HP & CP are fully stored.]
Friday morning arrived, and Naruto was brimming with excitement. He quickly munched on his breakfast, eagerly checking his skill screen.
"Let's see what we've got here," Naruto muttered to himself, scrolling through his skills.
[ Skill: Intermediate Academy Taijutsu ]
[ Description: Intermediate hand-to-hand combat training, enhancing techniques in stances, strikes, kicks, and blocks. More complex maneuvers are introduced at this level. ]
[ Active Enhancements: ]
- [ Strength (STR) Modifier: +3 for 45 seconds upon activation. ]
- [ Vitality (VIT) Modifier: +3 for 45 seconds upon activation. ]
- [ Dexterity (DEX) Modifier: +3 for 45 seconds upon activation. ]
....
[ Skill: Intermediate Academy Tactics ]
[ Description: Deepens understanding of advanced team strategies, complex ambush setups, and sophisticated counter-ambush techniques. ]
[ Active Enhancements: ]
- [ Intelligence (INT) Modifier: +4 for 45 seconds upon activation. ]
- [ Wisdom (WIS) Modifier: +4 for 45 seconds upon activation. ]
"Intermediate Academy Taijutsu and Tactics... Nice stat boosts for a short time. But wait..."
He paused, his face dropping. "Aw, man! The intermediate skills replaced the beginner ones. There goes my master plan of stacking low-grade skills for ultimate power!" He dramatically wiped away a fake tear, playing up his disappointment.
"Guess I can't cheat my way to the top with low-level loopholes," Naruto sighed theatrically, leaving for the academy with a mock-sad stride.
"I guess the intermediate Academy Taijutsu had a synergistic effect on my other skills, causing them to level up. Hey, I am not complaining."
[ Skill: Uzumaki Clan Taijutsu: Swirling Kata ]
[ Level 4 ]
[ Description: A defensive, agility-based combat style from the Uzumaki Clan, focused on long-range attacks utilizing scroll arts. Enhanced for supreme combat efficiency and devastating power. ]
[ Passive Enhancements: ]
- [ Scroll Synchronization: Increases efficiency and speed of scroll arts integration in combat by 30%. ]
- [ Enhanced Agility: Improves dodging capabilities and reflexes by 40%. ]
- [ Advanced Seal Knowledge: Enables quicker and more complex seal formations, reducing setup time for scroll arts by 20%. ]
- [ Chakra Flow Mastery: Enhances chakra control, increasing the effectiveness of chakra-infused scroll attacks by 25%. ]
[ Active Boost: ]
- [ Swirling Assault: Temporarily enhances attack range and speed by 50% for 60 seconds upon activation. ]
- [ Chakra Infusion: Increases the power of scroll-based attacks by 40% during the active phase. ]
- [ Seal Burst: Activates a powerful area-of-effect attack from scrolls, dealing significant damage to multiple targets within range. ]
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[ Class Feature: Scroll Arts ]
[ Level: 4 ]
[ Description: A technique in the art of utilizing Jutsu scrolls, the hallmark combat style of the Uzumaki Clan, now refined for strategic versatility and enhanced efficacy. ]
[ Passive Enhancements: ]
- [ Scroll Mastery: Reduces chakra consumption for scroll activations by 20%. ]
- [ Rapid Deployment: Increases speed of scroll deployment by 30%, allowing for quicker jutsu execution. ]
- [ Scroll Capacity Expansion: Can now carry and effectively use twice the number of scrolls previously capable. ]
- [ Precision Casting: Reduces the margin of error in scroll jutsu execution by 25%, ensuring higher accuracy. ]
[ Active Boosts: ]
- [ Multi-Scroll Synthesis: Ability to combine effects of multiple scrolls simultaneously, increasing the complexity and power of the resulting jutsu. ]
- [ Scroll Conservation: Each successful jutsu execution has a 10% chance to not consume a scroll. ]
- [ Silent Casting: Allows for the silent activation of scrolls, reducing detection by enemies by 20%. ]
Naruto settled into his usual seat in class, not noticing the girl beside him until she caught his eye.
"Oh, sorry, I didn't see you there. This is usually where my friend and I sit," he said casually, scanning the room for Hinata.
"N-Naruto-kun," came a timid voice.
Naruto turned and his eyes widened in shock.
"Hinata!" he exclaimed, hardly recognizing her.
Hinata looked completely different.
Her hair was styled differently, parted to show off her features, and she wore visible makeup and tighter clothes.
It was as if she was trying to mimic Sakura and Ino. Naruto felt incredibly uncomfortable; he liked Hinata as a friend, but this dramatic change was a bit too much for him.
Despite his discomfort, he knew he needed to be supportive.
[ Path Quest Alert ]
[ Quest: Hinata's Confidence ]
[ Description: Hinata has transformed herself to become more confident and noticeable to the man she admires. ]
[ Objective: Talk to Hinata. ]
[ Reward: Varies based on player's words and actions. ]
[ Failure: Consequences depend on player's words and actions. ]
[ Action Required: Confirm acceptance or declination of quest. ]
"This is bullshit," Naruto blurted out, staring at the system intently, causing Hinata to startle and whip her head back.
"W-What?" she stammered, confused by his sudden outburst.
Naruto fixed his gaze directly into Hinata's eyes.
"Hinata, did you change for someone else?" he asked earnestly.
Hinata was taken aback by how quickly Naruto seemed to see through her, but then she faltered, wondering if he realized she had changed for him.
"Hinata," Naruto said softly, reaching out to gently touch her hair, trying to coax it back to its usual style.
"Look, I don't know who this guy you admire is," he continued, his voice filled with genuine concern.
Hinata's heart sank. She longed to tell him that it was him, but the words died in her throat as he went on.
"But don't change for anyone else's attention," he advised, his voice earnest.
Naruto paused, his thoughts flashing back to his own struggles—the pranks, the yelling from adults, the disdainful glares, and how the system had revealed his hated reputation.
"It's going to be hell for you if you try to change for them," he added, his voice heavy with empathy.
He remembered how, in his early days at the academy, he had tried so hard to conform, to be what they wanted, only to find that it never brought the recognition or acceptance he craved.
"Change is good, but change for yourself, never for someone else," Naruto continued, his voice deepening with emotion. "Take my word for it, you'll just end up chasing their approval, and they still might not accept you. Accept yourself, make yourself better, change not for them but for yourself."
Naruto finished, unsure if his words were more for Hinata or for himself, maybe both. Hinata looked down, absorbing his words, feeling the weight of their truth.
"Yeah, you're right," she whispered.
[ Quest: Hinata's Confidence ]
[ Status: Successfully Completed ]
[ Reward Granted: Naruto's Revered status has been changed to Damocles's Sword. ]
[ Damocles's Sword: ]
- [ Description: A special status given to non-players whom the player's reputation exceeds 1000. ]
- [ Effect: Player's actions and words to the non-player are exceedingly influential, carrying significant weight. ]
- [ Warning: Hinata's confidence now hinges on player Naruto's actions and words. Each interaction can significantly impact her state. Proceed with care. ]
- [ Note: Good luck! ]
Naruto didn't feel good about this reward; it felt off, like it was nice to know that his words and actions meant a lot to Hinata, but for some reason that note, "Good luck," felt very ominous.
Naruto shrugged off this ominous feeling.
I am thinking way too into it, right?
.....
Today was the monthly general spar, an event where using jutsu was permitted, meaning the majority of the winners were usually from the clan families.
Naruto was buzzing with excitement, eager to test how Spirit Possession would fare in battle.
To his surprise, his opponent was Shino.
"Hey," Naruto called out, waving his hand nervously.
Shino responded with a silent nod, his demeanor as unreadable as ever.
"Hajime!" Mizuki announced, signaling the start of the match.
Immediately, Naruto activated Spirit Possession.
Shino paused, locking eyes with Naruto.
In that moment, something about Naruto's gaze unnerved him; it was as if Naruto had read every move he might make, every strategy he could deploy.
Shino felt a chill run down his spine as he confronted those piercing eyes.
For a tense minute, Shino and Naruto stared each other down, each embodying the epitome of calm.
The atmosphere was thick with anticipation, the silence between them charged like the air before a storm.
It was as if they were two combatants measuring each other, their intense focus and steady, controlled breathing adding to the weight of the moment.
The standoff broke suddenly as Naruto's hand flicked forward.
All eyes followed the kunai that thudded into the ground, but it wasn't the kunai that sent a wave of raw fear through Shino—it was the explosive seal attached to it.
Shino instinctively leapt back to safety, but midair, he caught sight of Naruto aiming a shuriken at his neck.
Before Shino could even form the hand signs for a substitution jutsu, the shuriken was alarmingly close to his throat.
With no time to fully react, Shino executed a quick backflip, narrowly dodging the projectile as it whizzed past while Shino was bending his body into the backflip mid air. In the next moment, he noticed a metallic shimmer—the ninja wire attached to the shuriken became visible. Naruto yanked on the wire, redirecting the shuriken downward toward Shino's right hand.
Reacting on instinct, Shino raised his hand to save it, which inadvertently caused him to land hard on his back with a thud. Dust billowed around him as he felt a leg press firmly against his chest. Looking up, he saw Naruto standing over him, an expression of calculated calm on his face as if every move had been meticulously planned.
Naruto then flashed the kunai close to Shino's neck, signaling a definitive end to the match.
"Impressive win, Uzumaki-san," Shino conceded, acknowledging his defeat.
"But I think it was a little excessive to use an explosive seal."
"It's fake," Naruto lied with dead calm as he picked up the kunai from the ground. The explosive seal on the tag wasn't fake; rather, it was incomplete.
Shino watched Naruto's retreating back, his thoughts running deep.
"Weaponizing fear, anticipating my reactions, and playing ten steps ahead. Looks like there is more to you than meets the eye, Uzumaki-san," he thought silently
Naruto felt the spirit possession turn off as the cool and calm washed away—no, more like popped like a balloon. Naruto quickly ran away from the grounds. The sepia filter, the dead calmness, the hundreds of plans... holy shit, that was so jarring compared to his current mindset.
"This skill is amazing," Naruto thought as he went to splash some water on his face to calm himself down.
"Let's not try to use that skill all the time; it was intense. But hey, I guess now I know how smart people fight," Naruto chuckled as he felt a throbbing in his head.
[ Quest: No Hold Spar ]
[ Status: Successfully Completed ]
[ Reward: +100 reputation with Shino Aburame, + 100 Exp ]
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After school was over, Naruto and Hinata headed to Higurashi's Weapons. Naruto burst into the shop with his usual enthusiasm.
"Yo, Higurashi-san, I'm here as promised!"
"Yeah, yeah, just a minute. I'll go get Tenten," said Hiten, waving Naruto off.
"What's that about?" asked Hinata.
"Apparently his daughter has a copy of Academy Advanced Taijutsu. I'm going to see if I can buy it off of her," explained Naruto.
"Oh, I see," Hinata murmured, pondering if Naruto would accept her own advanced Taijutsu book.
"Anyway, look around, they've got some great stuff here." Naruto said.
"Thanks, I like our stuff too," said a new voice. Walking out from behind the counter was a kunoichi, maybe a year older than them. She wore a flowery pink sleeveless shirt, red pants and her hair was held up in two round buns.
"So, which one of you wants to buy my book?"
"That would be me," said Naruto, stepping up to meet her.
"I'm Uzumaki Naruto. Nice to meet you."
"Higurashi Tenten, back at ya."
"So, about that book?"
"Yeah, I could sell it to you but you got to do something for me first. I want to fight you. Just a spar, but I have to know if you're worthy of it."
[ Alert: World Quest ]
[ Quest Name: Fight Me - Survive a Spar with Tenten ]
[ Objective: Survive for two minutes in a sparring session with Tenten without being killed or knocked out. ]
[ Rewards for Completion: ]
- [ Experience Points (Exp): 200 ]
- [ Skill Book: 'Advanced Academy Taijutsu' ]
- [ Special Offer: 70% Off Coupon for Any One Item at Higurashi Weapons ]
- [ Reputation Increase: Positive impact on your standing with Higurashi Tenten ]
[ Penalty for Failure: ]
- [ Experience Points (Exp): 20 ]
- [ Reputation Impact: Decrease in standing with Higurashi Tenten ]
[ Action Required: Confirm acceptance or declination of quest. ]
Naruto tapped the 'accaptance'.
"Sure, happy to," said Naruto. And he was happy to. Any chance for more experience was a big win in his book.
"So where do we do this?"
"Meet me tomorrow morning at Training Field Four, my sensei will referee the match. And your friends can come watch too. I promise I won't beat you too badly."
"I'll be there," said Naruto excitedly. This was going to be epic.
[ Higurashi Tenten Lv 9 ]
Assuming he survived.
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[ Author Note:
Okay, so this chapter was a setup chapter for future events like Naruto vs. Tenten, Hinata's status being the Sword of Damocles, and Shino noticing Naruto.
All of these will be addressed later on in the story.
But I am here to sprinkle in some additional info that you may or may not know.
"The Sword of Damocles" comes from an ancient moral parable that warns of the imminent and ever-present peril faced by those in positions of power. The story originates from the court of Dionysius II of Syracuse, a 4th-century B.C. tyrant in ancient Greece. Damocles, a courtier, after expressing envy towards Dionysius for his immense power and wealth, was offered to switch places with the tyrant for a day to experience such fortune. However, when Damocles agreed, he was shocked to find a sword hanging above the throne, suspended by a single hair of a horse's tail, making him realize the constant danger and anxiety that accompanies such power. This tale illustrates the idea that with great power comes great risk and fear, and the sword represents the tenuous nature of a fortunate position.
Now what the fuck does this have to do with Hinata and Naruto's relationship?
Find out!