Hinata's words caused those around them to become uncertain. They turned their heads to look at Naruto, then at Hinata's serious expression, and a strong curiosity arose in their hearts.
Sasuke, who hadn't been paying attention to Naruto, also turned his head to look. At the same time, he felt a little frustrated.
Because not only could Naruto carve wood and paint, but now someone was saying he could also cook. So many hobbies and skills were truly impressive.
However, Sasuke valued strength more, so he muttered, "Strength is the foundation of everything. You can't let miscellaneous hobbies affect the improvement of your strength."
[Experience +1]
"Miscellaneous hobbies?"
Naruto turned to look at Sasuke after hearing this. "You're just sour grapes. If you're so capable, then have as many skills."
"Hmph, although I don't know these things, my strength is stronger than yours. Strength is the foundation of everything," Sasuke said, deliberately trying to be cool.
"Yo, Two Pillars is actually being tsundere."
Naruto looked at Sasuke with a smile, deliberately using his nickname.
"It's Two Pillars again, can't you stop calling me that? Besides, where am I being tsundere?"
Sasuke said, feeling depressed. Every time he was called Two Pillars, he felt that the gazes of the people around him were strange.
"You are Two Pillars, and you're not even admitting you're tsundere."
"You!"
Sasuke was so angry that he couldn't speak. He felt that he couldn't win against Naruto no matter what he said, so he could only bring up his strength, "Never mind what you say, anyway, I'm stronger than you."
"Oh? Is that so? Then how about we have an arm wrestling match?" Naruto said, feeling the explosive power in his body.
"Alright."
Sasuke wasn't scared at all. He walked right in front of Naruto and placed his right hand on the desk, striking a cool pose.
This posture drew glances from the female students around them, with Sakura turning into a lovesick girl.
"Sasuke is so cool! Do your best! You'll definitely beat Naruto!" Sakura cheered.
"That's right, Naruto is a dead last, he'll lose for sure."
The other lovesick female students also chimed in, without hesitation choosing to support Sasuke.
As the top student, Sasuke's strength was plain to see, and he had also won the support of the vast majority of the girls.
Only Hinata and Ino didn't say anything. Hinata had a good impression of Naruto since childhood, and would support him no matter what.
As for Ino.
After the drawing and wood carving incidents, she actually thought Naruto was pretty good, so she didn't plan to say anything. Of course, she still thought Naruto's chances of winning were very low.
[Experience +1]
[Experience +1]
Hearing the constant notifications, Naruto smiled and placed his right hand on the table.
"Two Pillars, I'll make you see that you'll always be second."
"You, we'll see if you're still so tough later." Sasuke grabbed Naruto's right hand fiercely, and said under everyone's gaze, "Start!"
Bang! The arm wrestling ended, and Sasuke stared at his right hand, which was pressed firmly against the desk, utterly dumbfounded.
"Naruto... Naruto actually won?" Ino's eyes widened in surprise, completely unable to believe it.
"Yeah, and he won instantly."
Inuzuka Kiba also stared at Naruto with disbelief. He hadn't expected much from Naruto either, but he'd won instantly.
This result made him and the other students around them look at Naruto with new eyes.
"Could it be an accident? Sasuke might not have been ready. Maybe they should compete again?" Sakura couldn't help but defend Sasuke.
"Yes, yes, that's possible."
The other girls chimed in, agreeing that Sasuke might not have been prepared.
Naruto smiled slightly at this and continued, "Sure, we can have another match. Sasuke, you call the start."
"Alright!"
Sasuke finally got serious this time, clenching his right hand with complete concentration, and then quickly said, "Begin!"
Boom!
A dull sound echoed, and everyone watched Sasuke lose again, witnessing the result of a second-long defeat. They all felt a bit stunned.
"He... he won again. Naruto actually won in a second."
Inuzuka Kiba swallowed, feeling that Naruto's strength was even greater than he had imagined.
"I really didn't expect Naruto to be so strong. No wonder he could graduate," Ino couldn't help but say. "I always thought he was a dead last, but I didn't expect him to have a talent for strength."
The students around them discussed among themselves, their gazes towards Naruto completely changed, feeling that Naruto was better than they had imagined.
"I lost."
Sasuke stumbled to his feet, looking dejected as he walked back to his seat. He slumped over his desk, silent, clearly devastated.
"Sasuke."
Sakura glared at Naruto before running over to comfort Sasuke.
"Why are you glaring at me? Is it my fault I won?" Naruto retorted, then turned to interact with Hinata.
[Experience +1]
[Experience +1]
Soon after, Iruka-sensei appeared and began assigning teams. Naruto, as expected, was placed in Team 7, meaning he'd be teamed with Sasuke and Sakura.
Hinata was a little disappointed by this, but fortunately, Naruto was very attentive to her emotions. After school, he invited her to his home and cooked a hearty family dinner.
"Hinata, eat up quickly, it'll get cold soon," Naruto said with a smile.
"Yes, thank you, Naruto. It looks delicious."
Hinata looked at the room filled with the aroma of food, and her inner little foodie seemed to be showing signs of awakening.
[Experience +1]
"Try this Braised Pork. Although it's just home cooking, the taste is pretty good," Naruto said with a smile.
These were all home-style dishes from his previous life, not particularly fancy, but gourmet food was quite rare in the ninja world. So, Naruto was still quite confident about these dishes.
"Mmm, I'll try it."
Hinata carefully picked up a piece of Braised Pork and took a small bite, pausing slightly before quickly stuffing it into her mouth.
"So delicious! Hot, mm~ so fragrant."
Hinata's appetite was completely ignited. She wasn't afraid of the heat and ate another piece of Braised Pork. The shy, cute girl transformed into a little foodie.
"Slow down, slow down. No one's going to steal it from you."
Naruto watched Hinata eat with a smile, finding her adorable even as a foodie. Especially those beautiful big eyes, they really charmed Naruto.
[Experience +1]
"Mm! Naruto, eat quickly too. It's really delicious."
Hinata said, also picking up a piece for Naruto, and then continued to take more for herself. In a short while, she had eaten several pieces.
"Hinata, didn't you say you like spicy food? Try this Spicy Tofu, it's delicious," Naruto said, picking up a piece for Hinata.
"Mmhmm."
Hinata nodded her head, her small, fair hands holding chopsticks as she quickly sampled the Spicy Tofu.
"Delicious, really delicious! Naruto, how did you do it? I've never eaten anything this good before," Hinata said, gazing at Naruto with admiration as she ate.
"Just messing around in the past. If you like it, you can come over to my place often."
"Really?" Hinata's eyes lit up, and she became very interested.
"Of course, but you'll be in charge of buying the groceries like today, okay? I'm pretty broke," Naruto joked.
"Mmhmm, don't worry, leave it to me."
"Hey, I was just kidding, Hinata, don't take it seriously."
"It's okay, Naruto. I really like eating the delicious food you make, it's super tasty."
[Experience +1]
"Alright, alright, if you like it, buy it. After all, you're a little rich girl."
"Mmm, this is also delicious, what is this?"
(End of this chapter)